by Diana X Dunn
“Not really any sparks.” he told her regretfully.
“Not really, sorry,” she shrugged.
He laughed. “So we get to stay friends, which suits me better anyway. Anyone I’ve ever slept with will tell you that I’m great in bed but lousy outside of it. I get too easily distracted and then I hurt people without meaning to.”
Suzy nodded. She’d heard exactly that from more than one of Max’s discarded lovers. Randy was lucky to have stayed around as long as he had. He’d only managed to do so because he was willing to look the other way occasionally while Max played elsewhere.
A knock on the door startled them both. “Randy or Chrystal?” Max asked as he walked to the door.
“Chrystal,” Suzy guessed before he got to the door.
Max looked at the security screen that was mounted flush to the wall next to the door. “Chrystal,” he confirmed.
Suzy grinned at him. “Want me to get rid of her?”
Max thought for a minute. “I’m really not in the mood for any drama right now,” he confessed.
Suzy smiled and walked to the door. She kicked off her shoes and slid down the zipper on her dress, pulling it halfway back up and deliberately catching the fabric in the zipper. She quickly unbuttoned Max’s shirt and then slid a possessive hand against his bare chest.
Max chuckled. “You’re good at this.”
“Just one of my hidden talents,” she winked at him and then she pulled the door open. “I hope this is important,” she told the other woman, leaning back into Max’s embrace with a haughty smile.
Chrystal’s face moved rapidly from her smiled greeting through shock, anger, and outrage. It took her a few seconds to compose herself and settle on a smoothly fake smile. “Sorry,” she muttered, “I just wanted to say good night to Max.”
Max smiled out at her. “Good night,” he told her, pulling Suzy backwards into the room. Suzy giggled loudly and shoved the door shut as she slid into Max’s arms. She heard a disgusted grunt from the other side of the door as it slipped into place.
Suzy laughed again. “That was fun,” she told Max. “I loved the look on her face.”
Max frowned. “Maybe I should go after her,” he muttered. “I don’t want her mad at me.”
Suzy shook her head. “Relax, you can make it up to her tomorrow. She won’t be able to stay mad at her meal ticket.”
Max winced at the harsh words, even though he had to know that they were true. Suzy fixed her dress properly and put her shoes back on. They settled back onto to the couch but their conversation felt strained now. After fifteen or twenty fruitless minutes of mindless small talk, Suzy decided that she probably should leave.
“I suppose you have a lot of thinking to do,” she told Max.
“Yeah,” he agreed, “I suppose I do.”
Another knock on the door had Suzy rolling her eyes. “I’m awfully glad I didn’t have my heart set on seducing you tonight,” she joked.
Max studied her for a minute. “I’m not sure I would agree,” he said eventually as he walked to the door. “This time it’s Randy,” he told her.
“Am I getting rid of him too?”
Max chuckled. “No, I’ll take this one.” He opened the door and Randy bounced in, determined to have it out with his lover. He stopped short when he saw that Suzy was still there.
“I didn’t realize you still had company,” he said stiffly.
“I’m just going,” Suzy told him. “Thanks for an interesting evening,” she told Max, causing Randy to look questioningly at him.
Suzy slid out the door into the corridor and sighed. This assignment was definitely turning out to be more complicated than normal. She couldn’t help but root for fun and friendly Randy over the vicious bitch that was Chrystal. Still, Max was a big boy and he had to make his own decisions.
She strolled down the hallway, turning left and heading for her own suite. Before she tapped in her security code she glanced up at the camera that was mounted above the door. Strangely, it appeared to be turned off. Sliding her M-ped out of her pocket, Suzy tapped into the ship’s security system, sliding under their defenses undetected. The camera outside of her door had been switched off about half an hour ago. She frowned.
Someone could have broken into her suite. There might even be someone waiting for her in the room. Apparently, Chrystal could breach the ship’s security system, having let herself into Max’s room. Maybe she was searching Suzy’s room for something she could use to break up Suzy and Max. A quick mental inventory of her room’s contents reassured Suzy. Her M-ped was the only thing that held any clue to her real identity, and that was in her hand.
After listening at the door for a moment and hearing nothing, she tapped in her code and pushed the door open. The room was pitch-black and her senses were on full alert. She’d left her curtains open, planning to return to watch the sun set. They were shut now. Pushing the door closed behind her, she switched on the lights.
Chrystal lay spread-eagle on Suzy’s bed, still dressed in the same gown she’d worn at dinner and later at Max’s door. The only difference now was that a knife was imbedded deeply into her chest. Suzy took a deep breath and then scanned the room. The murderer could be hiding in the bathroom or the closet, but she couldn’t take the time to look. She needed to react like the spoiled rich girl she was meant to be, not like the agent she actually was.
A second quick scan showed her that several things in the room had been moved around. It seemed as if all of her personal belongings had been searched. Additionally, some of the furniture had been repositioned. She wondered if it had been Chrystal, searching for ammunition in her fight against her, or the murderer who had rearranged things. A pitcher of some neon pink drink sat on the table right next to Suzy. She glanced at it and then sighed. She had no choice.
She took the case and the back off her M-ped. With a fingernail, she pried the edge of the waterproof seal away from the metal casing, leaving a small gap. Then she took a breath and dropped the device into the pitcher. Listening intently, in case there was someone else in the room, she counted slowly to ten, tapping her fingers impatiently until she realized what she was doing.
When she got to ten, she pulled the device out of the decanter and checked it over. The internal workings were all thoroughly soaked, and when she tried to turn it on, it sputtered and died. Satisfied, she pressed the seal back into place, replaced the back, and slipped the device back into its distinctive case. Then she dropped the whole thing back into the brightly colored drink. Satisfied, she pulled her door open and began to scream.
Five
Max's ship was always very well staffed. Within minutes of Suzy’s first dramatic scream, the head of security had sealed Suzy's cabin and the staff physician was carefully looking after a seemingly hysterical Suzy. While she hated to miss all of the possible clues in the early minutes of the investigation, staying in character was more important to her at this point than worrying about the identity of the murderer. With that in mind, Suzy let herself be sedated, settling into a bed in the ship's spacious medical wing that she hasn't previously known existed.
The closest sovereign state to the waters where the murder occurred was SunInc, where they were headed anyway. Within half an hour, SunInc’s police department had sent a detective by helicopter to begin the official investigation into Chrystal’s murder. The ship was on course to arrive at SunInc around dinnertime the evening following the murder.
The Caribbean island that was now known informally as SunInc had been known by a number of different names as it had endured changes in political authority and as maps were drawn and redrawn. During the upheavals of the Wars of Religion and the Eco-Wars, a small group of residents had taken the opportunity to declare the island an independent state and had renamed it Sunshine Island.
As the world was slowly returning to order after the wars, a major hospitality corporation had purchased the entire island from its fledgling government, renaming it Sunshine Island, I
ncorporated. Within days the nickname SunInc had been coined, and no matter what the corporation did to try to market the island by its full name, the nickname stuck.
The island was now most famous as a honeymoon destination, a favorite for the newly married or those freshly linked by legal partnership agreements. It had quickly built a reputation for tackiness that exceeded that of the destinations it replaced, offering amenities like heart shaped bubble tubs, couple's spa treatments and paired virtual reality experiences that were all designed to bring couples that enjoyed that sort of thing closer together.
SunInc was very much a destination for the newly rich, spending their post-war fortunes on lavish villas and chef-prepared delicacies. For those with old money, it represented everything that was wrong with the world that was being rebuilt. Suzy hated it, both in character as an old-money spoiled rich girl, and as herself for the garish way it exploited the ridiculous concept of eternal love.
The island’s police force was generally regarded as fairly sound. The corporation that owned the island understood the significance of the dream that they were selling, and they did everything in their power to protect that dream. That meant that it was safe to walk on the beaches at all hours of the day or night. No matter how much drinking and celebrating a couple did, they could be certain that they would get back to their rooms unmolested by pickpockets, beggars, or common thieves. Drugs were carefully regulated and monitored. No substances were illegal on this island dedicated to pleasure, but everything was so strictly regulated that trouble was unusual. Their police were not accustomed to dealing with murder in this paradise, however.
What the island did have in its favor was a police force that had been recruited from around the world. As such, the island’s force incorporated some of the best men and women that their various localities had produced, including some who had past experience with murder investigations. One such officer was Luke Nolan, who was dispatched to the yacht to deal with the homicide investigation.
Luke had been an up-and-coming star in the Los Angeles Police Department’s homicide division before his partner had gotten killed right in front of him. The job offer from SunInc arrived on his desk less than a week later. He spent most of his time patrolling sunny beaches and watching sunbathing blondes. Occasionally he might be called upon to search for a missing handbag or a misplaced passport. This was his first murder investigation since he’d moved to the island
It was the very worst type of case for the man. Maximilian Hart had powerful connections and was too important to risk upsetting. The suspects were all rich and powerful people who were well outside of Luke’s area of expertise. He had gone from working in LA gangland to working the beaches at SunInc. This murder case was very different from both of those.
Suzy knew that the police would be eager to speak with her, but she wasn’t looking forward to the conversation. The ship’s doctor kept her medicated and guarded until the afternoon after she’d found the body.
“Just a few minutes, please,” the doctor told Luke as he ushered him into Suzy’s room. “She has had a very big shock and I don’t want her getting too upset.”
Luke scowled as he walked into the room and sat down next to the bed. “Suzy?” he began. “Suzy? Are you awake?”
Suzy opened her eyes reluctantly. She was surprised to find herself looking at a much younger and better-looking man than she’d expected. She’d assumed that the police force on SunInc was mostly made up of old men who had retired from their jobs elsewhere before moving to SunInc. This man couldn’t have been more than forty and he was gorgeous. He had sandy brown hair, green eyes, and an athletic body dressed in a pair of dressy trousers and an immaculately ironed shirt that fit perfectly. Suzy was sure that Max Hart would find the man attractive, if he wasn’t too devastated by Chrystal’s death.
“Have we met?” Suzy kept her voice soft and injected as much fragility into it as she could.
The man smiled at her. “I’m Luke Nolan. I’m a detective with the Sunshine Island, Incorporated Police Department. I’d like to ask you a few questions about last night.”
Suzy winced, as if remembering the previous evening was terribly painful. “I don’t know what I can tell you,” she protested softly. “I just walked into my room and she was there.” She shuddered and shut her eyes tightly.
“I know it must have been very upsetting, but I really need to ask you some questions.”
Suzy nodded, opening her eyes and trying to look brave. Luke considered her a moment before continuing.
“First, can you tell me why you are on The Mirage in the first place?”
“I like to spend a month or so with Max a couple of times during the year,” Suzy shrugged. “He’s an old friend, well, more of a friend of a friend, but I’ve been spending time with him for last couple of years. It is just nice to get away for a while, you know?”
“So you’ve been on board for a month this time?”
“Oh no, just about a week or so, so far, this time,” Suzy clarified. “The days all sort of run together out here, but I can check exactly when I arrived if you need me to. The travel arrangements will be in my M-ped.” Suzy worried that she was sounding too clearheaded, but Luke seized on the remark without seeming to notice.
“Could you do that, please? Check your M-ped for me?” he asked.
“Sure,” Suzy nodded. She reached into the drawer of the table by the bedside next to her and then frowned as she searched through her handbag that she’d pulled from the drawer.
“Is there something wrong?” Luke didn’t sound surprised.
“My M-ped isn’t here,” Suzy frowned. She shook her head. “I think maybe it was in my hand when I got to my room. I must have dropped it when I saw…” She broke off, gulping back tears that threatened to overwhelm her.
Luke patted her arm reassuringly. “It’s possible that you did drop it. We found an M-ped that’s been tentatively identified as yours in a pitcher of some sort of pink drink that was on the table by the door in your room.”
Suzy frowned. “Why was there a pitcher of anything in my room? I never brought any drinks back to my room.”
Luke shook his head. “We don’t know the answer to that.”
Suzy blinked her eyes and looked confused. “But at least you have my M-ped, right? I can check whatever you need.”
Luke pulled the device from his pocket. It was wrapped in a clear plastic evidence sleeve. “Can you confirm that this is yours, then?”
“Sure, I bought that case just before I flew out to see Max.” Suzy reached for it. “Let me just switch it on, and then I can probably answer a lot more of your questions.”
Luke moved the device out of her reach. “I’m sorry, but this is evidence.”
“Evidence of what?”
“At the moment it is just something that was found in the room with the victim. Once we have had time to go over it, it might be evidence of even more.”
“Go over it?” Suzy frowned at him, “but I’m happy to unlock it for you. I don’t have any secrets.”
“Unfortunately, it’s going to take an expert to get into the memory on this device,” Luke told her. “The insides got totally soaked in that drink.”
“But it’s waterproof,” Suzy insisted.
“Not anymore,” Luke replied.
“But my whole life is on there, all my contacts, my friends’ numbers, the code to my front door, the code for my personal transport, everything.”
“You must have some sort of backup for the data?”
“Must I?” Suzy blinked up at him. “Where?”
Luke frowned. “Hopefully, you have a backup program set to run periodically? It should work automatically.”
Suzy looked confused and shook her head. “I don’t deal with the technical stuff,” she explained. “My friend Bob hooks me up with the latest technology and he sets it all up for me. We can call him. He might know what to do.”
“Do you have a number for Bob?”
> “Sure,” Suzy felt herself tearing up again. “In my M-ped.”
“What about a wrist-con?”
“Leaves tan lines,” Suzy sighed. “Of course I have several, but I don’t bring them when I visit Max.”
Luke frowned. “Okay, forget about that for now. Let’s talk about what happened yesterday.”
Suzy allowed him to take her slowly and reluctantly through the previous day, starting with the long session on the deck and then, in even more detail, the formal dinner. She explained that she and Max had gone back to his suite to share a bottle of wine and talk.
She told him about Chrystal’s visit and then Randy’s, leading up to the moment when she found the body. Luke took her over every interaction and conversation that she had ever had with Chrystal, checking and rechecking her words against his notes on his M-ped. The doctor interrupted twice to check on Suzy and protest, but Suzy decided it would be better to get it all over with, rather than annoy the policeman, so she overruled the fussing doctor.
“So, how long after you left Mr. Hart’s room did you find the body?” Luke asked.
“I don’t know,” Suzy shrugged. “I went straight from his cabin to mine, but I wasn’t in a hurry and I’d had a lot to drink, so I probably wasn’t walking very quickly.”
“You say you’d been drinking?” Luke checked.
“Yes, all day and all evening.”
“Yet your blood alcohol levels were very low when they were tested on my arrival. A fairly large quantity of neutralizing agent was evident as well.”
Suzy flushed and looked away from the man’s intense gaze. “You’ve caught me,” she confessed, looking back at him sheepishly. “I don’t like to get too out of control. Max likes to party, but he can afford to behave badly. I don’t feel that I can.”
“So whenever you said earlier that you were too drunk to really notice things, you were lying?”
“I suppose you could put it that way,” Suzy sighed and then smiled at the man. Maybe a little flirting would mend fences. She touched his arm and waited until their eyes met before she continued.
