by Leena Clover
“How late?” Anna asked.
“I don’t know.” Ricky was uncertain. “Definitely after 3 in the morning.”
Cassie looked puzzled.
“But that was the day of your wedding. I thought you weren’t supposed to see the bride. Isn’t that why they got you a suite on a different floor?”
“Jojo was too drunk to notice that,” Ricky told them. “I don’t know how, but we finally landed up in the Empress Suite.”
Anna coaxed him to try the lobster roll.
“Just you and Jojo?” Cassie asked gently.
“No, no.” Ricky drank his juice. “Millicent came with us.”
Cassie looked up sharply. Anna decided Milli had neglected to mention this.
“So you escorted them to Jojo’s suite and said goodbye?” she asked.
Ricky told them he had collapsed on the couch and dozed off. The girls had shaken him awake. They wanted him to have another drink with them.
“Did you?” Anna prompted.
Ricky remembered taking a few sips of a drink Jojo fixed. He had fallen asleep again.
“Actually, I think I must have passed out,” he confessed. “I don’t remember a thing. When I woke up, I could hear the birds singing. The sky had lightened a bit so I guessed it was dawn.”
“What about the girls?” Cassie asked with bated breath.
Ricky’s face paled as he thought back to that morning.
“I was all alone. I figured Jojo must be sleeping in her bedroom. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered it was the day of our wedding and we were not supposed to see each other.”
“So you sneaked out and went back to your cabin,” Anna finished.
“That’s right.” Ricky’s eyes swam with tears.
“If only I had looked around … we might have saved her.”
Anna and Gino had discussed this. Gino believed Jojo had died on impact. Ricky might have saved her if he had stayed awake but she didn’t say anything. What was the point in telling him that now?
“I’m going to find out what really happened that night.”
Ricky’s eyes filled with hope.
“Milli told me. She says you are better than the police.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Anna blushed. “But I will do my best.”
“I’m grateful.” Ricky coughed. “It won’t bring her back, of course. But if someone did this deliberately, I want them to pay for it.”
Anna and Cassie stayed with him for some time and went back to their table. Meg and Gino were tasting the flan.
Julie was going through another list of activities.
“That woman has arranged a cooking class for the wedding party, Anna. You can learn how to make different types of salsas, cook tinga chicken, tamales and something called nopales.”
“What deck is it on?” Anna asked eagerly.
“It’s on shore.” Julie yawned. “At the hacienda of a woman called Lupita. Sounds very authentic to me, but I’m beat.”
Anna looked at Meg.
“I’ll go with you, Anna,” she brightened. “We’ll have fun.”
“What about you?” Anna asked Gino. “Do you need a nap or are you up for a culinary adventure?”
Gino was ready to go ashore. They had half an hour before they needed to take the boat across.
“I never thought I would be jetting back and forth like this from the ship to the shore,” Anna admitted. “Feels decadent.”
“It’s easy because there’s a special boat on standby for us,” Julie pointed out. “We don’t have to stand in line like the rest of the passengers.”
Anna suddenly remembered something.
“Where did you disappear to earlier?” she asked Gino. “Did you go meet your friend again?”
Gino shook his head.
“I ran into the maid we saw in the security footage.”
Cassie had been staring somewhere in the distance.
“Is she the one with that scar on her cheek?”
“That’s right.” Gino twirled his mustache. “Her name is Alicia and she’s American.”
“Why does it matter?” Meg was curious.
“Most of the crew hails from third world countries, it seems. The work conditions are less than stellar and the pay is poor. Not very attractive to people from our country.”
“But they get a chance to see the world,” Meg pouted. “I would jump at the opportunity.”
“Life as a crew person must be very different than that of a VIP guest,” Cassie observed.
“We can talk about that later, girls.” Anna looked at Gino. “Tell us what she said.”
“She’s one of the maids assigned to our decks, like you said,” Gino began. “She was on Deck 14 that night, of course. She saw an older man enter Jojo’s room.”
“When was that?”
“What time?”
Anna and Cassie burst out at the same time.
“She’s not sure about the time,” Gino shrugged.
“Do you think it could be Fred Gold?” Anna asked. “He’s the only older man around here that I can think of.”
Cassie turned red.
“What’s the matter, Mom?” Meg asked. “Can you think of any other old guy?”
Anna slapped her hand on the table.
“Of course! What about that man with the platinum blonde hair, Cassie? The one you were talking to outside our suite?”
“Why don’t we ask Uncle Fred?” Cassie asked weakly. “He can tell us if he saw Ricky passed out on the couch.”
Gino thought it was a good idea. It would give them a chance to verify Ricky’s account of the evening.
“You think he’ll own up to going into the Empress Suite?” Anna frowned. “Doesn’t it kind of put him on the spot?”
“An innocent man would not hide anything,” Julie answered.
“Exactly!” Anna smirked. “How do we know Fred Gold wasn’t the one who pushed Jojo off that balcony?”
Chapter 13
Anna enjoyed the cooking class. She felt a bit rushed, boarding the tender right after lunch. She would have liked to take a nap. But as Meg pointed out, there would be plenty of time for naps later. It was their last day in Cabo and they had barely scratched the surface of what the resort town had to offer.
The chef at the hacienda took them to a local market. There were about eight people in their group, all from the wedding party. Meg immediately paired up with the dark haired young man she had been talking to at lunch. Anna surmised Meg had inveigled him into coming on the tour.
“Do you like to cook?” she asked, hiding a smile.
“Does ramen count?” he grinned back at her. “I’m always open to learning new things.”
Anna stayed close to Gino, glad to get a chance to spend time with him. An older man tagged along with them, much to her annoyance. He was the one she had seen with Cassie before and wondered what he wanted.
Everyone was allowed to choose a dish they wanted to learn. Anna picked the mango salsa and Gino chose tamales. The blonde old man opted for chicken tinga. Anna had no idea what that was.
“You must be Cassie’s mother,” he whispered as he sliced onions for the tinga. “It’s obvious where she gets her beauty from.”
Anna detested sycophants. She moved to Gino’s other side and hoped the man would take the hint.
“I didn’t get your name.” Gino offered his hand to the old guy. “I’m Gino Mancini from Dolphin Bay, California. I run a small winery.”
The man faltered a bit as he placed his hand in Gino’s firm grip.
“Stefan Lancaster. I work in Hollywood.”
“How do you know my daughter?” Anna couldn’t help herself.
Stefan smiled smugly.
“Oh, Cassie and I go way back. Why don’t you ask her about us?”
Anna felt her hackles rise. Something about the man didn’t sit well with her.
“Cass knows a lot of people.” Gino kept his tone casual. “It’s hard to remember ever
yone.”
Stefan Lancaster squeezed lime juice over a bowl of shrimp.
“There are some people you never forget.”
Anna stopped mincing jalapenos and glared at the man.
“Just what do you mean by that, mister?”
Meg had heard the raised voices and walked over.
“What’s going on here, Anna?”
Gino placed his arms over both of them and gave her a reassuring smile.
“We’re just getting to know this man, sweetie. No need to interrupt your date with that young man.”
Meg’s cheeks flamed like the Cabo sky at sunset.
“We’re not on a date, Gino.”
The instructor asked for volunteers and they all helped her cook some of the dishes and rolled out fresh tortillas. They tasted the food, along with different types of tequila. Then it was time to go back to the ship.
Meg ran off in search of Cassie. Anna convinced Gino to go to the atrium for a cup of coffee.
“This place is beautiful.” Anna admired the blue crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, encompassing the circular concierge desk. Guest relations executives stood ready to answer the most inane customer query.
Gino spoke to one of them and came back with a smile on his face.
“There’s a lounge at the other end of this deck. It’s reserved for the cruise line’s frequent travelers. But …”
“Let me guess,” Anna took his hand. “We have access to it, thanks to Jojo.”
“She really went the extra mile to make sure her guests had a good time.”
They strolled to the lounge, enjoying the views of the marina and the sailboats bobbing on the water. Potted palms were placed around plush armchairs, providing plenty of privacy. Anna asked for a cappuccino and put her tired feet up on the ottoman.
“I hope they won’t mind,” she muttered, looking around.
She almost expected someone to come and chastise her.
“They just want you to have a good time,” Gino laughed.
He placed her foot in his lap and began massaging it. Anna blushed to the roots of her hair.
“What’re you doing?”
Their coffee arrived before he could answer. Anna lifted her mug to take a sip and spotted a familiar figure.
Logan Powell sat in the sun, stirring an icy drink.
Anna observed him while taking a few sips of her cappuccino. Then she excused herself and went to talk to him.
“Hello Logan. Do you mind if I join you?”
Logan gave a shrug, barely looking up. His clothes were rumpled, as if he had slept in them. Anna thought he looked dazed.
“I am sorry about your loss, Logan. We all know how much Jojo meant to you.”
Logan stirred.
“We were in love,” Logan winced. “Always had been, since I first set eyes on her.”
Anna let him speak. Bringing up old memories was bound to be painful but that was all they had now. Logan would have to live with the knowledge that Jojo had abandoned him for someone else.
He talked about walking to school with Jojo, their first kiss and their first fight.
“I don’t remember why we fought,” he said bitterly. “But we knew we would make up.”
“First love is the most precious, isn’t it?”
“For me, it was the only love.” Logan swallowed a lump. “Jojo was the only woman in my life.”
“Cassie told me you spent a lot of time together, back in the day,” Anna tried to cheer him up.
Logan rubbed his eyes and stared out at the water. The limestone arches of El Arco were visible far in the distance.
“Jojo worshipped your daughter, Mrs. Butler. Cassie was a good influence.”
Anna felt her chest puff up with pride. Cassie’s work had always received a lot of acclaim. But Anna had never had a chance to meet her daughter’s friends.
“You don’t have to sugarcoat it for me, dear. I know Cassie was a party girl. It was an occupational hazard, I guess.”
Logan looked surprised.
“Your daughter worked harder than anyone her age. Do you think winning all those awards was a coincidence? So she let her hair down once in a while. I think she deserved that.”
Anna felt embarrassed. She had to stop thinking of Cassie as the girl who sneaked out to a party and got pregnant at sixteen. She had redeemed herself several times over.
“I’m sure it must have been hard, seeing her fall in love with another man.”
“It’s harder to see her dead.”
Anna cut to the chase.
“Tell me, Logan. What do you think of Ricky?”
He chuckled drily.
“I’m surprised you have to ask. In my opinion, Ricky McMahon is a big fraud. He was after Jojo’s money. I never understood what she saw in him.”
Anna let him continue.
“I can understand the rugged appeal. Everyone thought it was a summer fling. It was perfectly natural to be infatuated with the man who saved her life. But then she told me she had fallen in love.”
“You didn’t believe her?”
“What does it matter? She decided to marry him.”
Anna realized Logan was fuming. His eyes had narrowed and his mouth set in a hard line.
“Do you think Ricky had something to do with Jojo’s death?” she asked.
Logan stared into her eyes.
“He was present in the Empress Suite that night. He was right there with Jojo.”
Anna already knew that but acted surprised.
“What were you doing after the party?”
“I was in my suite, fast asleep.” Logan sighed. “Jojo made us all do shots. I almost passed out.”
“How did you get back to your suite?”
Logan laughed.
“I don’t know how we made it back but we were all hanging on to each other. Jojo, Ricky, Milli and I. Jojo insisted on having a nightcap so they fell into the Empress Suite and I slipped into mine.”
Anna remembered Logan’s cabin was on Deck 14 too, since he was considered part of the family.
“Where is your cabin?”
“Right next to Jojo’s. She insisted. Wanted me to hold her hand every step of the way until she walked down the aisle.”
Anna’s mind started buzzing. Logan had plenty of opportunity through the night to step out of his cabin and go next door. Had he decided to reason with Jojo one last time?
Anna glanced at the distraught young man before her and believed he was in pain. Logan might have tried to get Ricky out of the way but surely he wouldn’t hurt Jojo, the woman he claimed was the love of his life?
Chapter 14
Anna summoned a reserve of energy she didn’t know she had. The entire Butler clan loved their food. Gino was a connoisseur, being a vintner and a good cook himself. And Julie wasn’t any different.
When Meg suggested they go on a taco crawl in Cabo for their dinner, none of them had to be convinced. Anna took a power nap and dressed in one of the colorful tops she had bought at the flea market outside the marina.
The motorboat whisked them ashore. The marina was crowded, and they spotted a lot of familiar faces from the ship. The passengers were making the most of their last night in the port.
A local woman met them and introduced herself as Maria. She was going to escort them to the best taco places in town.
Anna forgot everything for the next couple of hours. They tasted the famous Baja fish tacos, including those with fried and grilled fish. Smoked marlin tacos followed, along with chorizo tacos. Then there were the pastor tacos they had all loved.
“I don’t think I can eat anything more.” Cassie sipped a local beer and burped.
Everyone laughed heartily. Maria suggested they take a small stroll around the market to revive their appetite.
“The Gobernador tacos are a must,” she insisted. “You cannot find shrimp like ours anywhere else in the world.”
Meg and Gino were the only ones who had an appetite to
try fried scallop tacos and the chicken tinga tacos.
“I don’t think I’m eating for a week,” Julie groaned, holding her stomach.
Maria recommended a local stand of churros for dessert.
Anna couldn’t decide what she liked more, the perfectly fried or grilled taco fillings or the array of sauces and condiments that had been laid out at the smallest taco stand. She had loved experimenting with the different toppings.
Another blazing sunset painted the sky in every shade of red and mauve. They said a silent goodbye to the lively port as their motorboat whisked them off to the Empress Cleo.
“We’ll come back here, under better circumstances,” Cassie promised Meg.
Cassie had seats for Mamma Mia! that night. Meg had never seen a live play, let alone a musical, and she was excited. Anna just wished the theater on the ship had been putting on a different show. The story of a girl having three possible fathers was a little too close for comfort.
Julie was ready to crash.
“I haven’t written anything in the past two days, Anna. I’m going to take a nap now and then start with a fresh mind.”
“Good luck with that.”
Gino had a surprise for Anna. He had booked a reflexology foot massage for them at the spa.
“Aren’t they closed by now?”
“I pulled some strings.”
They walked arm in arm to Deck 7 where the spa was located.
Anna sat in a comfortable chair which was almost like a bed and forced herself to relax. A subtle fragrance of lavender hung in the air, mixed with something herby. Water gurgled down an entire wall, soothing her senses and candles flickered in the dim light. She felt her pulse slow down and closed her eyes.
An Asian girl offered them a detox tea after their treatment. She sipped the warm, honey laced brew and sat with Gino, engulfed in a large fluffy robe.
“I ran into that maid again, Anna.”
Anna looked up eagerly.
“I’m sure the old man she saw earlier is Fred Gold.”
“We should talk to him, Gino. Did she say anything else?”
Gino nodded.
“He was in there for fifteen-twenty minutes, according to Alicia.”
Anna wondered what he had been doing there.
