Deadly Stakes

by Ivy Dawson

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Serenity said calmly, crossing her legs and her arms. “I loved my sister. I miss her a lot. Of course, I’m going to talk about her like that.”

  “Let’s go back to the start,” Mark suggested.

  “That’s a good idea,” Shae agreed. Captain Tim looked between them in surprise before smiling to himself. He quickly hid the reaction behind his hands, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

  “Let’s go back to when Caleb was hounding us about Trinity’s death,” Shae continued. “You sounded happy that he was looking into it. Even though you insisted it was an accident. When we met you, Tony was mad at you for going through his things. Later, we found evidence in his cabin. Can you see where we’re going with this?”

  “Yeah, and you’ve got it all wrong,” Serenity scoffed. “I loved my sister. I would never want to hurt her. You found those things in his bag because that’s where he left them. He used them to kill Trin.”

  “We never said we found them in his bag,” Mark reminded her. Serenity blushed, and clenched her jaw shut.

  “I think we’ve spoken about you enough,” Shae decided, causing Serenity’s shoulders to relax slightly. “Let’s talk about Trinity again. We all thought that Tony took a policy out on her. It was one of the major reasons why he was a suspect. Then we found out that Trinity asked him to do it. After everything we’ve heard about her, that seems like a strange thing to do.”

  “It’s not that strange,” Serenity said morosely.

  “For someone who lived her life like there was no tomorrow, it’s strange that suddenly she was planning for a tomorrow without her in it. That’s very strange behavior,” Shae said firmly. “I understand why you wouldn’t want to see it that way, but that’s the way things are.”

  “Can I go now?” Serenity asked in annoyance. “I’m tired, and my sister just died. Can you at least cut me some slack?” She stood up and slung her handbag over her shoulder as if she expected them to let her go.

  “Considering the fact that you essentially signed a check for a hundred thousand dollars, I think you can afford to be patient,” the captain said severely, giving her a stern glare until she sank back down into her seat.

  “We appreciate your help with this,” Shae said sincerely, causing Serenity to sneer at her. “Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, Trinity’s strange behavior. Let’s take a look at her circumstances. She was stuck married to a gambler who was deeply in debt. She was in love with a man who wouldn’t ever be with her because of that marriage. Her reputation was in tatters, and she had nowhere left to go.”

  “It’s sad,” Serenity said, shaking her head slightly. “She shouldn’t have been punished for a stupid mistake she made years ago. She was trapped.”

  “I don’t think Serenity ever really believed that,” Shae said firmly, looking the woman across from her straight in her eyes. “I think that Serenity knew that everything that happened to Trinity was no one’s fault but Trinity’s. You can only blame so much on youth before it becomes a pattern. Trinity ran away from home and hurt a lot of people. She treated her husband like a loser, and she cheated on him with a married man. Trinity chose her jail, and she kept choosing it.”

  “You’re giving me a headache,” Serenity complained, shaking her head.

  “We’re nearly done,” Shae promised her, “before we finish up, we just want to know if you’d like to come clean about something.”

  Serenity shook her head and shrugged.

  “Fine,” Shae sighed in disappointment. “Trinity Moretti, you’re under arrest for the murder of your sister, Serenity Harris. I think the proper police will probably add identity theft and fraud in there somewhere. I don’t know, it’s up to them.”

  Mark stepped aside and knocked on the door. A second later, Ivan and two of his colleagues walked in. They hauled Trinity to her feet and started putting handcuffs on her.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice getting high-pitched and squeaky. “I’m not Trinity! Trinity’s dead!”

  “I first got suspicious when Tony said that Trinity asked him to take out the life insurance policy,” Shae said, talking over Trinity’s shouts. “Then he mentioned how it was only logical that the money would go to Serenity. I thought it was strange, and if he could come to that conclusion, then who else had thought of it first?”

  “This is ridiculous,” Trinity seethed. “I’m going to get the best lawyer in America and sue all of you! I’ll sue you! I’ll sue the captain! I’ll sue the whole company!”

  “Then your mom gave me a DVD of your sixteenth birthday,” Shae said, walking and standing right in front of Trinity. The murderess stopped struggling and glared hatefully at her. “This shot,” Shae held up her phone to show the picture of Trinity and Serenity cutting the cake, “was very interesting to me. You see, you’re using your left hand. And Serenity’s using her right hand.”

  Trinity went pale and looked up at her fearfully. Shae realized that Trinity looked small. She tried to pretend that she was larger-than-life, but in reality, she was a small petty bully.

  “When I saw you and Caleb on the main deck, I got even more suspicious. Caleb had never shown any attention to Serenity before, but now he was charmed by her. That’s when I noticed you pick up your drink with your left hand. I realized that Serenity has been dead this whole time. That’s why you used a poison to look like your peanut allergy. You had an affair with a man who worked at a mine, so you could’ve had access to the poison. He probably even told you how it worked.”

  “I want my parents,” Trinity said, mumbling frantically to herself, “and a lawyer. I need a lawyer.”

  “Those laws don’t apply here,” Mark said unsympathetically. “Save it for the police. Or whoever we find on shore first. I don’t know how the Coast Guard does things, but you’ll figure it out eventually.”

  “You convinced your sister to switch places with you one last time,” Shae continued after Mark finished. “Then you killed her and took her place. You thought it was the perfect answer to all your problems. As Serenity, you could get Caleb to fall in love with you, and you could claim the life insurance money. When Tony decided to take you all on vacation, you realized that it was the perfect time to do it. You could safely take over Serenity’s life. No one else knew you onboard, so they wouldn’t notice any strange behavior.”

  “I’m Serenity,” she said again, shaking her head and struggling against her handcuffs. “You’ve got it all wrong. I didn’t kill anyone. Please let me go.”

  “What you did was despicable,” Shae said, ignoring her. “Serenity deserved better than you. It wasn’t enough to bully her for years? You had to go and steal her life? What’s wrong with you?”

  “You’ve got it wrong,” Trinity said again.

  “I guess there’s one way to prove it,” Shae said with a shrug. She looked over at Captain Tim who quickly tossed an object at her. She put the jar of peanut butter in front of Trinity and held out a spoon.

  Trinity didn’t take it.

  “Can you tell me why you friend-zoned the hot mechanic?” Alexa asked incredulously, bursting into Shae’s cabin and making herself comfortable on Shae’s bed.

  “That’s not what I did,” Shae said with a frown. “We’re just taking things slow.”

  “You always do this,” Alexa said, rolling her eyes. “You find a perfect guy, freak out, freeze him out then run away. Do you want to stay single forever?”

  “I don’t do that,” Shae protested. “I’m just not ready for anything after what happened with… you know.”

  “No,” Alexa shook her head resolutely, “that was a while ago. It shouldn’t be holding you back like this. Besides, it wasn’t that bad.”

  “It was for me,” Shae said, turning to look at her friend. “I know you’re more experienced, and you fall in love quicker. I know you’ve been hurt before so what happened to me doesn’t seem that bad to you. But it was that bad for me. I don’t want to rush into anything
again, okay?”

  “Okay,” Alexa said, biting her lip and looking sheepish. “I’m sorry. I just want you to be happy.”

  “I am,” Shae assured her. “I like my job, and I’m having a lot of fun on the ship. Besides, I’ve had a more interesting time here than anywhere else.”

  “Tell me about it,” Alexa said, shaking her head. “I can’t believe she killed her twin sister. Who does that? And she nearly got away with it. I mean, who even thinks about stuff like that?”

  “Trinity, apparently,” Shae said sadly. “I honestly feel so sorry for Serenity. She never had much of a life with her sister around. I think that if she’d gotten away from her sister, she would’ve had a chance to grow and become someone else. Life didn’t have to end like that for her.”

  “I can’t imagine it,” Alexa shuddered, “being buried under a different name and having someone else live your life for you. Trinity is all kinds of messed up. Worst sister ever.”

  “And now everyone knows,” Shae said with a sigh. “At least they can all move on with their lives now. Tony can find someone else or clean up his life. I really hope he doesn’t gamble away all that life insurance money.”

  “And the hot pastor can move on and be the man he wants to be. Without a crazy person trying to trick him into loving her.”

  “It’s not a perfect ending,” Shae said thoughtfully, “but it’s a mostly happy one. And I think that’s the best we can hope for in this crazy world.”

  “I guess so,” Alexa said thoughtfully. “What’s your idea of a perfect ending though?”

  “That’s easy,” Shae said with a grin, “one where everyone lives.”

  Afterword

  Thank you so much for reading Deadly Stakes. Please look out for book 4, which will be available soon!

  In the meantime, I’d love to stay in contact so I can let you know as soon as my new books hit Amazon! You can do that by joining by newsletter below.

  https://mailchi.mp/21037e65b9ee/ivydawson

  Until next time!

  Also by Ivy Dawson

  Murder on Board

  Read FREE with Kindle Unlimited

  Shae Jordan is trying to get a fresh start. She wants to take beautiful pictures and see the world, and so decides to take employment on a cruise ship. Unfortunately, life isn’t on a cruise ship isn’t one big holiday, as Shae is about to find out. After her first night, a body is found in one of the main pools.

  The victim is heiress, Nova Ashcroft. It also becomes immediately apparent that it was no accident when they find out that Nova had been stabbed.

  When the Captain approaches Shae and asks her to take a look around, Shae knows where to start. However, members of the crew are determined to keep the whole thing a secret, and surprisingly, so is Nova’s husband.

  Will Shae find the truth? Or will the secret of who killed Nova be lost at sea?

  This is Book 1 in the series...come on aboard and enjoy the clean mysteries, mayhem and humour! No gory scenes!

  Nautical Mayhem

  Read FREE with Kindle Unlimited

  Shae Jordan is struggling to get used to the gruelling pace on board the Princess Araminta. It’s less of a non-stop adventure and more of a never-ending shift. Her new-found routine is quickly shattered when a mysterious face from her past comes to visit and shakes things up.

  Amidst all the uncertainty, Helen Meyer, a bratty socialite is killed in the middle of a massive party. Someone is immediately arrested, but things quickly spiral out of control and Shae wonders if they caught the right person. Tensions rise when she starts investigating, this time without the powerful help of the Captain.

  Will Shae be able to find out what happened before the killer gets away forever? Or will she lose her job in the process?

  Finding the truth is never easy, but Shae is about to discover just how hard it can be.

  This is Book 2 in the series...come on aboard and enjoy the clean mysteries, mayhem and humour! No gory scenes!