Terror at Sea: Three mysteries aboard a cruise ship

by Debby Mayne

  Molly and her companion stepped into the elevator. “Not that one, Hilga,” Molly said. “We need the Promenade deck.”

  Announce your destination to the world, Molly. Well, at least he knew where they headed. What was she thinking? He’d told her not to go anywhere alone. Another woman didn’t count. Not in Lance’s opinion, anyway. He wasn’t sure what he’d do with her when he got his hands on her, but it wouldn’t be pleasant.

  He sprinted for the stairs and raced down six levels, sliding through the door as Molly and Hilga headed down the hallway. Morrison was nowhere to be seen. The two women disappeared into the bright, loud arcade. Lance slipped behind a game booth where he could hear without being seen.

  “Do you see him, Hilga?” Molly clasped an envelope to her chest.

  “Do you see how many kids are in here?” Hilga crossed her arms. “Doesn’t anyone sleep anymore? Wait. I think that’s him.”

  Molly dashed forward and grabbed the arm of a kid playing a game where his character shot aliens. Lance moved closer.

  “Do you recognize this?” Molly waved the envelope in his face.

  Without breaking stride, the boy glanced at her, then shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Who gave it to you?”

  “You want information, it’ll cost you, lady.”

  Molly stiffened. “You watch too much television. I’m a crewmember on board this ship, and I demand you answer me.”

  The boy sighed and turned to face her. “You’re one of the photographers. I recognize you, so actually, you aren’t a crew member, you’re a concessionaire. You have a contract.”

  Lance bit his lip to keep from laughing as Molly’s mouth fell open.

  “How do you know this?”

  “I’m a genius, what do you think? I read up on the cruise before we set sail. The brochure they mail out is as thick as a book. There’s nothing else to do on a plane.” His shoulders slumped.

  “I was in here about an hour ago, totally engrossed in my game. Almost won, too, until some dude in a baseball cap tossed the envelope in front of me, slapped down a twenty-dollar bill, and told me to give it to her.” He pointed at Hilga. “That’s all I know.” He held up a hand. “Before you ask, I wouldn’t recognize him if I saw him. I never turned around. Just pocketed the cash. Can I go now?”

  Molly nodded.

  The boy shuffled past Lance, caught a glimpse of him, skittered to the side like a rabbit who spotted a predator, then quickened his pace. Lance smiled.

  “That was a waste of time.” Hilga stomped her foot. “I could’ve been sleeping.”

  “You were too afraid to sleep.” Molly frowned. “You shouldn’t have read this. Now, the killer might think you know something.”

  “What are you talking about?” Hilga’s shriek rose above the music and jangle of the arcade games.

  The killer? What did she hold in that envelope? If it was something bad enough to frighten them, then it was double certain the two women shouldn’t be roaming the ship when most of the crew and passengers were sleeping.

  Lance stepped from his hiding place. “Molly, what have I said about roaming the ship without me?”

  13

  M olly shrieked and plastered her back against the wall. Her stomach lurched like the ship was plummeting to the bottom of the ocean. “We, uh, well …” He might as well know the truth; if he didn’t already. She thrust the envelope at him. “I wanted to find out where this came from.”

  A disappointed frown marred Lance’s features. Guilt twinged in her chest. Maybe searching without him was stupid, but she had Hilga with her. The woman was an Amazon! Almost as tall as his six feet. If she wasn’t such a scaredy-cat, Molly would be perfectly safe with her. No one would attack two people, would they?

  The tic in Lance’s jaw jumped at the speed of a racehorse. His brows drew together as he read, and he huffed through his nose. At any moment, Molly expected steam to shoot from his red-tipped ears.

  Shoving aside the flutters in her stomach, she crossed her arms and waited for his lecture. Hilga tried to squeeze past her. Molly planted herself in her roommate’s way. “Stay,” she hissed. “You’re part of this now.”

  “You can go,” Lance said, his gaze still on the paper in his hand.

  Hilga shot Molly an apologetic look, then sprinted for the elevator. Traitor! Molly sucked in a deep breath and focused on Lance. Amazing how brown eyes could suddenly become cold and hard.

  “Do you need to see the doctor?” He stared impassively at her.

  Molly licked her lips. “What?”

  “Is your finger broken?”

  “No, why?”

  “I thought maybe it was since you chose not to call me before setting out on your own to hunt down the author of a threatening letter. I’ve given you my cell phone number.” He held up a hand to stop her protests. “Your roommate doesn’t count.” After inserting the note back in the envelope, he tucked it in his pocket, then grabbed Molly’s arm.

  “I’ll escort you back to your room and pick you up at six.” He leaned closer. “Are you aware that Morrison followed you and Hilga as far as the elevator?”

  Molly swallowed against the mountain-size lump in her throat.

  “If you’d been alone, I have no doubts that one or both of you would’ve disappeared.”

  “So, you do think Morrison’s the killer!”

  “I never said I thought otherwise. Only that we need to keep our options open.” Lance pressed the button for the elevator. “What you did was stupid. Empty-headed!”

  Molly entered first. When Lance stepped in, the temperature dropped twenty degrees. His rigid stance worried a hole in her stomach. She clutched her arms around her midsection and shivered. Was he taking her to her room to hit her? His last statement echoed Vince’s vocabulary verbatim. She didn’t know what kind of a guy Lance was. What he was capable of doing. Fear clawed at her chest. Her leg muscles bunched. She needed to get out of there.

  The elevator pinged to a stop. When the doors began to slide open, she sent a sharp jab to Lance’s gut with her elbow. With a grunt, he bent over. She shot forward, escaping through the slight gap in the doors. As she dashed out she toppled a large trash can to block Lance’s way. The echo of something hitting the wall made her flinch.

  “Molly!”

  The anger in his voice spurred her faster. Experience with Vince told her she needed to get away. Now. Past the casino and bar, through the arcade, around empty restaurant tables, until she burst through the women’s restroom door.

  Her chest heaved, her stomach roiled, and her body trembled. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. Help me, God. She’d been stupid to trust a man so soon after Vince. Especially one in a career riddled with violence. A victim himself of an act that left his partner dead. Maybe some of the world’s evil rubbed off on him. And she was stuck on a ship with him for twelve nights.

  Was she completely wrong? Could Lance be a nice guy trying to control his temper after she’d disobeyed a direct order?

  Tears poured down her face. The forceful beat of her heart hurt her chest. Who was he to tell her what to do? They’d known each other all of four days. She hadn’t gone alone, after all.

  She banged her head on the wall behind her. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  Footsteps pounded outside the restroom, then paused. Molly held her breath. The door swung open.

  *

  The fear-stricken look on Molly’s face when he barged into the restroom almost ripped Lance’s heart from his chest. “Molly?”

  She sniffled and slid along the wall away from him, avoiding his gaze. “Go away.”

  “What’s wrong?” God, what could he do? She was afraid of him. Ridiculous. Lance would rather cut off his arm, then lay a hand on her. “Molly, look at me.” He stood in front of her.

  She raised red-rimmed eyes to his. Though she trembled, she met his gaze. “If you’re going to hit me, get it over with.”

  “What?” He staggered back. “Why woul
d I do that?” He knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. “I would never hurt you.”

  She sniffed. “The anger rolled off you in waves, Lance. I could feel it.”

  “Sure, you made me mad running off like that, but I wouldn’t hit you.” He smiled. “Maybe lock you in your room.” What monster did this to her? He’d like to wrap his hands around the man’s neck.

  She returned a slight resemblance of a smile. “I’m sorry. I should’ve realized you weren’t the type. Living on pins and needles the way I have the last couple of days has screwed up my thinking.”

  Lance cupped her face. “Sweetheart, the only thing you have to apologize for is taking off without telling me.” He stood. “If I had been the bad guy, I’d expect you to run, but fight if you have to. With all you have. You’ve got a sharp elbow. I could teach you some more self-defense moves. Would you like that?”

  Her face brightened, and she wiped her tears away with her sleeve. “Very much.”

  “We’ll practice tomorrow. At the beach. I’ll teach you how to throw me over your shoulder.” It would hurt like the dickens, especially with his wound not completely healed, but he’d do anything to put a smile back on her face.

  Lance slid to the floor, pulling Molly with him. The cold tile bit into his bottom and lower back, seeping into his wounded shoulder. He shifted position to relieve the pressure of his gun digging into his spine. “You were wise to run when you saw signs of my anger.” God, help him do this without scaring her off. “I told you about my partner being killed.”

  Molly nodded.

  “I was more angry that day than I’d ever been. The husband had beaten his wife into a coma. I didn’t only talk Abby into making one more call, I badgered her into it out of rage. I wanted the man to pay for what he’d done. And I wanted to be the one to serve the justice.

  “He fired a gunshot out his front door, striking Abby in the chest.” His throat tightened. “I had no idea she’d already changed out of her Kevlar vest. I couldn’t see straight enough to put mine on. His next shot caught me in the shoulder. I emptied my weapon into him.” All because of a red-hot rage boiling in his gut. Two people had been killed.

  Molly stared into his face. “I know you’re carrying, but are you trying to tell me I need to worry about you shooting me?”

  Lance laughed through his tortured throat. “No, I’m trying to tell you that I struggle with anger issues. Always have. God’s dealing with me, but I’m a work in process.”

  “We all are. I’m impulsive, in case you haven’t noticed.” She bumped him with her shoulder. “You could’ve just told me that you deal with anger. But, thank you, for sharing what is obviously a painful part of your life.”

  “You’re welcome.” He pulled her close for a quick hug. “Let’s get you back to your room.”

  “I really am sorry, Lance.” Tears welled in her eyes again. “You’ve given me no reason to respond the way I did.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Did she? Did his kind words mean she could trust him? Vince had been full of sugar too. Once upon a time. Help me out, Lord. “Sure.”

  He held the door for her, and matched his longer stride to hers. “Your ex hit you?” Or worse. A fist gripped his heart.

  “That’s an understatement.” She took a deep breath. “Vince wasn’t content to wait for something I wasn’t ready to give.” With a trembling hand, she tucked her hair behind one ear. “I broke up with him. He beat me bad enough to put me in the hospital. His “other” girlfriend visited me there. He’d been playing the same game with her.”

  Lance’s blood boiled. Heat rose in his face and he fought the urge to clench his fists. “Where is he now?”

  A glimmer of a smile crossed her lips. “In jail. For another year. We both pressed charges. Considering the scratches down his face matched the skin under my fingernails, it wasn’t a hard case to win.”

  “Good for you.” He wanted to hug her. Despite her quick attempt to flee what she thought to be a volatile situation, Molly showed spunk. She’d pull through in a tough spot. He had no doubt, if the situation warranted, the claws would come out and she’d fight like a cornered tiger.

  “Did Vince, uh, …” Why was it so hard? He’d asked the question a hundred times to other traumatized women. “Use force?”

  Molly’s face hardened. “This conversation is finished.”

  Okay. Question answered.

  The empty corridor leading to her cabin taunted him with an unnatural silence. Fans from the air conditioner whirred from behind metal vents. He pulled Molly closer to him and withdrew his weapon from the waistband of his pants. The quiet could be from everyone sleeping since it was one a.m., but every nerve snapped with energy. His cop sense worked overtime. “If something happens, stay behind me.”

  She made a strangled sound and gripped his arm. Her nails bit into his skin. “What if it’s Hilga? What if he got her? What if—”

  “Don’t jump to conclusions, Molly.” He paused in front of her cabin. “Can I have the key?”

  She handed it to him and plastered herself to the wall. After unlocking the door, Lance pushed it open with his foot.

  Hilga’s bed was still made. The bathroom door hung open. “Your roommate isn’t here.”

  14

  Molly peered under Lance’s arm. God, please, not Hilga. She said she was going back to the room. What if the killer got her? She gripped the back of Lance’s shirt with sweaty hands. “We need to find her.”

  “Calm down.” He removed her hands and pulled her into the room, closing the door behind them. “Where’s her boyfriend’s cabin?”

  “I don’t know his name.” Molly collapsed on the nearest bed. She should’ve asked the guy’s name. What kind of a friend was she? She ran her hands through her hair. “She could be lying somewhere right this minute with a bag over her face.”

  “We don’t know that.” Lance strode into the bathroom and whipped aside the shower curtain.

  The rattle of the rings on the metal pole grated over Molly’s nerves. He left the bathroom and moved to the lone closet.

  Fatigue settled on her shoulders like a wave of sea water. She struggled to breathe. Fought to rise through the churning surface of fear.

  She had to be at breakfast at six o’clock. She wouldn’t make it. At this point, if the purser wanted to fire her, she’d gladly accept, pack her bags, and fly home when they docked at eight a.m.

  Lance closed the closet. “You need to get some sleep.”

  She bolted to her feet. “I’m not staying here by myself!” Her heart battered the walls of her ribs. He couldn’t leave her alone like this. How could she sleep? Hilga was missing and Morrison was after her. “You can sleep here. Hilga’s bunk is empty.”

  “You know I can’t stay with you. Not only is it improper, but a crew member and a passenger together is a big no-no.” He laid his hands on her shoulders and massaged them. His eyes locked onto hers. “I know you’re scared, Molly, but I’ll pick you up in the morning. Don’t leave without me. Lock the doors. Don’t open for anyone but me, and you’ll be fine. I’ll alert security that Hilga isn’t in her room. We’ll find her.” He planted a kiss on her forehead and left.

  Molly slid the deadbolt and collapsed on the bed without removing her clothes. Her forehead tingled where his lips touched her. What a ninny. There was a murderer on board and all she could think about was a kiss? And a peck on the forehead at that. If she wanted to dwell on kissing, the knee-knocking one onshore should’ve filled her thoughts.

  She shook her head. When the danger ended, she’d have plenty of time to focus on her feelings for the protective and handsome cop.

  What had she gotten involved in? How did one little picture cause so much turmoil? No one could make out the guy’s face. By the picture’s standard, it took a stretch of the imagination to determine whether a murder even happened. Yet, it had. The police confirmed the death. Had Antonio not been killed, she might have left thi
ngs alone. Spent the week doing her job, instead of fearing for her life. She didn’t know the identity of the killer. Why couldn’t he leave her alone?

  She’d shown a moment of weakness in the elevator and the restroom. Well, no more. She pounded the mattress. There’d be no lying down and waiting to be killed. Not for her. With Lance’s help, she’d find out who stalked her and have the guy put away. No more cowering. If cornered, she’d fight. Better to go down in a fight, than a weak victim.

  She’d pressure the police to step up their investigation. Badger the FBI into looking at Morrison as a murder suspect. If he proved innocent, she’d nag them into looking elsewhere. And in the meantime, she’d find Hilga. Maybe the note had sent her friend into hiding below deck. Or in her boyfriend’s cabin. She could’ve made him promise not to tell anyone where she was. As a waitress, Hilga would be surrounded by people during the day.

  “That’s it.” Molly smiled. She’d see Hilga in a few hours, shadows beneath her eyes from lack of sleep, and continuing with life onboard ship. It’d be the dark night time hours that she’d need to hide away.

  Molly prayed for safety and strength. Not only for herself and Lance, but for the crew and passengers. Peace drifted over her until her eyes closed and sleep overtook her.

  *

  Lance burst into the security office, startling a young man dozing behind a desk. “I need to speak with the SVP, Jack Morley. Right now.”

  “Huh?” The man slammed his feet to the floor and blinked several times.

  Lance flashed his badge. “Jack Morley. Now, please.”

  “He’s off duty. Sleeping. I’m Owen. How can I help you?”

  “One of your waitresses, Hilga, intercepted this message for Molly Nicholson.” Lance pulled the note from his pocket. “I’m sure you’re aware of the investigation into Antonio’s death?”

  “Vaguely.”

  “Excuse me?”