Terror at Sea: Three mysteries aboard a cruise ship

by Debby Mayne

  “Are you okay, except for the skinned knees?”

  She shrugged. “She slammed me up against the wall pretty good, but I’m tougher than I look.” A grin split her face. “It was childish actually. I told her not to touch me again, and she put a finger on my head. I lost it.”

  Lance laughed hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. “I consider myself fair warned about your temper. I didn’t know what to think when the two of you landed at Dickson’s feet, and you riding piggyback on Natasha.”

  Molly snorted. “I didn’t think. Just reacted.”

  Lance cupped her cheek and moved to the lounge beside her. They needed to plot their next move. “I’m sorry about asking you to do that. I’m beginning to suspect that neither Morrison nor Natasha are the brains behind this operation.”

  Molly paled. “There’s someone else?”

  “Maybe.” An unknown mastermind who knew who they were, and they didn’t have a clue as to his or her identity. Not a pleasant thought.

  “What do we do?”

  “I’m trying to figure out a way to let them know for sure that we have the money. Unless they force the purser to open the safe, we’re the only way in.”

  Molly nodded. “Bob would never cave. He’s very big on ethics.”

  “I agree.” Lance folded his arms behind his head, pleased that his wound pulled only slightly. “Morrison would have to force us to take the money out.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.” Molly wrapped her arms around her bent knees. “Why can’t we wait until Vancouver and let the FBI handle things?”

  “We could.” But he didn’t think things would wait that long. Gut instinct told him things were coming to a boil. And Molly was smack dab in the crosshairs. “Is that what you want?”

  “I don’t like sitting back and waiting, but I don’t see any other option.”

  “Well, unless I can come up with a better plan, that’s what we’ll have to do. Don’t let Natasha intimidate you though. A woman her size is used to using that to her advantage.”

  Molly squared her shoulders. “I’m not afraid of her.”

  “Good.” She’d need that kind of spunk if they came for her.

  30

  I need to go shopping.” Molly glanced in the window of one of the ship’s boutique shops. A formal gown was out of her budget, but looking good for the evening’s ballroom dance contest won hands down.

  For the last two days, they’d done nothing more than practice their moves and try to keep tabs on Natasha and Morrison as they strolled the deck of the ship. The two were rarely together, but when they were, Molly did everything she could to snap their picture. An evening of glitz and glamour was exactly what she needed.

  “I’m wearing my two-hundred dollar tux.” Lance plopped himself down on a cushioned bench outside the door. “You go ahead. I’ve got a couple calls to make.”

  “Thanks.” Molly pushed open the glass and brass doors, slipping inside a shop filled with everything a woman could want to wear onboard the ship, or off. Several women prowled the store. What if everything was picked over and she couldn’t find something suitable? She couldn’t wear her semi-formal black dress. Not for this evening.

  Soft music provided a soothing ambiance. Women flitted from rack to rack fingering everything from lingerie to evening gowns. Molly inhaled, breathing deep of a floral perfume. She could spend hours in here.

  Instead, she strolled toward a rack of gowns. A royal blue, gauzy creation immediately attracted her attention. She glanced at the tag. Size four. Perfect. She gulped at the three hundred dollar price tag.

  Too bad. She’d try it on anyway. It wasn’t every day a girl got to dance with a handsome man and look like a princess. She practically skipped to the dressing room.

  The dress flowed over her curves like it’d been sewn just for her. She smoothed her hands over the soft fabric. She felt beautiful wearing it.

  Molly twirled in the three-way mirror and admired the way it flared around her ankles. Plenty of room to dance. She prayed the store would have shoes to match.

  “May I hold that for you?” A pretty sales girl approached Molly with a smile on her face.

  “Please.” She handed it over. “Shoes?”

  “Back right hand corner. There are a pair of silver rhinestone ones that would look lovely with this gown.”

  “Thank you.” Molly rushed to the back. There! Sparkling beneath the fluorescent lights was a size six. It couldn’t get any better.

  When she exited the store, Molly was poorer by three hundred and seventy-five dollars, but immeasurably richer in the rare pleasurable instance of splurging on herself.

  Lance sat where she’d left him, staring at his phone. Her steps faltered at the glowering look on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” She draped the bag over her arm and sat beside him.

  “My contact at the bureau told me Cohn’s been under suspicion for the last couple of weeks. It was all kept hush-hush. Until my email.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “That set them to doing a bit of searching.”

  “But he went overboard. That’s good, right?”

  “Depends on how you look at it.” Lance rose and paced. “If he was involved in what’s going on aboard the Destiny, then it could mean someone is getting nervous. The natives are turning on each other.”

  “Better them than us.” The good mood from shopping evaporated like the morning mist she’d seen every morning around the Hawaiian Islands. Molly immediately felt chastised. God wouldn’t want her to wish ill luck on anyone.

  “Antsy people do desperate things.”

  *

  Lance needed some definite information on Morrison to take to the SVP so the man could be locked up. If Morrison wasn’t the perp, then he needed to know who was.

  He hated being confined to something as small as a ship. No matter how large the vessel. On land, he would have had the resources he needed. Relying on others to locate information took too long.

  The longer Morrison, or the unsub, roamed the ship, the greater the danger to Molly. Lance’s heart stuttered as her face paled. He dug his fingernails into his palms to control the anger rolling through him. What if he couldn’t keep her safe?

  He should never have fallen for her. Things should’ve been left on a professional basis. Bodyguard and victim. He could’ve enjoyed her company. He didn’t have to fall in love. Who was he kidding? The way he felt about her had nothing to do with the situation they found themselves in.

  He rose and held out his hand. “I’m sorry for ruining the day.”

  Her smile shook. “You didn’t. I’ve got to keep myself grounded in reality.” Her shoulders slumped. “Nothing in my life is going as planned.”

  “Let’s walk.” Lance took the garment bag and a shoe box. “Right after I have the store hold these for us.” He ducked into the store, handed the items to the woman behind the counter, then rejoined Molly, pulling her to her feet.

  Once outside, he led her to the railing. “You were happy when you went into the store, what happened?”

  “Your phone call is what happened.” Molly leaned her back against the rail and hooked her arms through. “I’m thirty and not engaged, nor do I have any prospects. I took what I thought was my dream job and it’s turned into a nightmare. Now, I don’t even have the job. I have no friends on board, because everyone seems to want to kill me. Are you getting the picture?”

  Lance released his breath in a way that puffed out his cheeks. He should’ve waited until he dropped her off in her cabin before calling his source at the station. Since they’d shared all other aspects of the drama surrounding her, he hadn’t thought. Instead, he’d ruined what promised to be a wonderful evening and had no idea how to make it up to her.

  “Life happens. And most of the time not in the way we figured.” Lance propped a foot on the bottom rail. “From what I’ve learned, God has a plan. We don’t always know what it is, but we can rest assured that He’s in control.” He glanced a
t her. “That doesn’t mean man doesn’t have free will, but we need to trust that God will see us through this.”

  She closed her eyes and lifted her face to the ocean breeze. “You’re right. But it doesn’t make things easier. I’m trying to make sense of it all,” She opened her eyes and waved an arm. “And failing miserably.”

  He tweaked her nose. “I think you’ve done great. Most women would be a quivering hysterical mess in a corner somewhere.”

  She shrugged. “I’m more of a fall apart when it’s over kind of person.”

  The sun began its gentle descent over the horizon, tipping the waves with crimson and gold. Lance peeked at his watch. “We need to get changed. The contest starts in an hour.”

  *

  Molly stepped into Lance’s curved arm as if she were going home, and placed her hand in his.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

  “Thank you.” She counted to ten in order to control her breathing. They’d been practicing for two days. Why was she so nervous? Her gaze roamed the room. Maybe because there were several other couples on the floor and countless faces watched from the sidelines. Relax. They could do this. Lance danced like a dream.

  The band struck up a swing tune and Lance pushed Molly into a triple-step then a rock step. Before she knew it, her face hurt from grinning. She’d never had so much fun. The music swelled to a waltz, then into a Foxtrot promenade around the floor. After an hour, only three other couples were left. The three judges had administered the dreaded shoulder tap to the others.

  “You holding up okay?” Lance smiled down at her during their five minute break.

  “I’m having a blast. We make a good team.” She sipped from her glass of ice water.

  His eyes darkened. “Yes, we do.”

  The look on his face and three little words stole Molly’s breath faster than the dancing. Her face heated and she lay the cool glass against her forehead. When Lance blew softly in her face, she’d thought she’d swoon.

  “Dancers ready!” The announcer’s voice cut through her thoughts as effectively as a sailboat through the water.

  Lance swung her back into his arms and did a slow-quick-quick as a Salsa tune played. The music, the ambiance, his moves, were all hotter than a summer day in the desert. Oh, be still her heart.

  After the dance, Molly and Lance stood in the center of the floor, his arm around her, sweat pouring down their faces, and laughs bursting from their throats as they held the first place trophy high above their heads. Even the sight of Natasha glaring at them as she distributed drinks couldn’t dispel Molly’s happiness.

  Lance lifted Molly off the floor and twirled her, just like she’d seen the honeymoon couple do on the cruise’s first day. She swallowed past the Titanic-sized lump in her throat and focused on his eyes as he set her on her feet and lowered his mouth to hers. Tears stung the back of her lids as she returned his kiss. Two more days and he’d be back on land. Whatever would she do?

  Applauding exploded around them as Lance raised his head, then led her to a waiting table. He shrugged out of his jacket, untied his tie, and loosened the top buttons on his shirt. “That was the most fun I’ve had in a very long time. Thank you, Molly.” He slid into the seat beside her.

  She fanned her face with a napkin from the table. “You are a wonderful dancer.”

  “Only as good as my partner.” He lifted his glass and downed the water.

  “I can’t remember ever being this tired.” Molly fanned faster. “But I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

  “Definitely.” He rose. “Let’s get you back to your room, and I need a shower.”

  “You’re right, but I hate for the night to end.” Molly slipped her arm through his and laid her head on his shoulder.

  “Let’s go dancing again when we hit Vancouver. I’m sure there’s somewhere we can go.”

  “Really? You don’t have to get back to work right away?”

  His dimple winked. “I’ve got another week before I report back. There’s no one I’d rather spend it with, than you.”

  There’s no way she’d be able to sleep. Not with the way her heart raced. She didn’t want the evening to end, but all too soon the door to her cabin loomed in front of them.

  Lance pulled her close for a lip-crushing kiss, then tilted her face to his. “I really did enjoy tonight. Sleep well. Dream of me.”

  There was no doubt of that.

  31

  M olly opened her eyes to complete and utter darkness. But she wasn’t alone. Breathing drifted across the room. “Who’s there?” She sat upright, pulling the sheet to her chin.

  “Time to get up, Miss Nicholson.” The light clicked on, stabbing her eyes. She blinked against its glare.

  Morrison took the five steps he needed until he towered over Molly on her bunk. His expression told her he’d accept no arguments as he pointed a .357 Magnum in her face. “I want my money.”

  “I don’t have it.” Oh, Lord, he was going to shoot her while she lay in bed. Well, if she was going to die anyway, she wouldn’t make it easy for him.

  “Get up. I have a surprise for you.”

  Molly released her death grip on the sheet and tugged her over-sized tee shirt low enough to afford her some modesty, before swinging her feet to the floor. She glanced to the nightstand where her cell phone lay.

  “Don’t think about it.” Morrison waved her toward the door. “We’re going for a walk. Like two friends strolling the ship. Shout for help, and I’ll shoot you and whoever is around. Maybe your boyfriend. How’s that?”

  Despite the perspiration trickling down her spine, and the shaking in her limbs, Molly moved in front of him and out the door. Lord, let Lance find me. Without getting himself killed. No one roamed the halls. The hum of fluorescent lights sounded abnormally loud in the silence. She took a deep breath. “Which way?”

  “Down. Through the engine room. We’re going to a party.”

  “But I’m not dressed for a party.”

  He jabbed her in the back with the gun. “Funny girl. Start walking.”

  One of the cleaning staff approached. Morrison grabbed Molly and nuzzled her neck. “Smile, like you like it, or I’ll waste him.”

  She swallowed back the bile and forced a smile to her face. The crewmember winked and continued past them. Once he turned the corner, Molly elbowed Morrison and slipped free of his grasp. “Get your hands off me!”

  “Elbow me again, and I’ll break your arm.”

  Molly quickened her pace, hoping to leave the man behind. When she started running, he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back, and put his lips against her ear. “You are trying my patience!”

  “I’ll try to be more cooperative.” Not really. All she needed was the slightest opportunity to get away, and she’d make a run for freedom.

  They’d stopped in front of the elevator. Should she pray for it to be occupied? No. She didn’t want to see a soul. Morrison would likely follow through on his threat. The doors pinged open.

  Empty.

  They stepped inside and she pressed the button for the lower level. When the car stopped, she led the way through the galley and opened a door marked engine room.

  One of the cooks preparing breakfast gave her a questioning look. Morrison grinned and put a finger to his lips. The man acted like he zipped his lips closed and turned back to his job.

  Molly frowned. Did people sneak off into remote corners of the ship often? Everyone acted like they were in on a fun secret. If not for Morrison’s promise to shoot anyone who tried to help, Molly would’ve attracted attention when they spotted the first crew member.

  They stepped into another hallway. A screw stuck out from a shelf and Molly brushed against it, leaving a piece of fabric, along with some skin, behind. Knowing Lance, he’d scour the entire ship to find her. She’d leave crumbs behind like Hansel and Gretel.

  Natasha leaned against the door to the engine room, her arms crossed. A thump thump from the propelle
r blades echoed behind her. A loud hissing noise accompanied the mind numbing sound.

  “Where’s the money?” Natasha strode toward them.

  Morrison lifted his weapon and fired one round between her eyes. “No need to share more than we have to. Miss Nicholson, please drag her into that closet.”

  Tears stung Molly’s eyes. “Have you no value for human life?”

  He shrugged. “Only when it suits me.”

  She grabbed Natasha’s ankles and struggled to stuff the woman in a closet the size of a shower stall.

  “Now grab some rags and cleaner and clean up this mess. We can’t leave a trail.”

  Reaching past the body, Molly squelched the bile rising in her esophagus and selected the needed supplies, then dropped to her knees. Please, God. Get me out of this. The tears she’d been holding back spilled over, mixing with the astringent cleanser and blood on the tiled floor. What was he waiting for? Why didn’t he kill her now?

  Her hands shook so much it was all she could do to hold the rag. Her throat ached from holding back sobs.

  If Morrison held any weapon besides a gun, she’d tackle him and make a run for it. Instead, she had to suffer the humiliation and terror of waiting for the right chance. Or his decision to shoot her.

  “That’s enough.” Morrison kicked her in the thigh. “Put everything away and let’s get moving. He’s waiting.”

  “Who?” Molly’s hands shook so hard the cleanser fell from the shelf as soon as she set it into place. She kicked the bottle out of the way and slammed the door.

  “You’ll find out soon enough.” He motioned for her to continue ahead of him.

  They stepped into the engine room and headed to the back where a man turned to face them. “Cohn? But we saw you fall overboard.” Molly’s knees threatened to give way.

  “A ploy and a clever use of quick release clasps.” He rubbed his hands together. “Now, where’s my money?”