Choppy Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 5)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “That doesn’t make what’s happening to the workers okay.” Quinn folded his arms over his chest. “That’s on top of people like Kasey Witherspoon raising a ruckus. I have no doubt she would try to manipulate certain situations to her advantage by lying if I didn’t have my men paired up and the cameras always on for whatever interaction we’re required to have with her.

  “And, for the record, we’ve had a good ten conversations with her regarding her behavior,” he continued, warming to his subject. “We’ve also lodged complaints with your assistants and they’ve gone completely ignored.”

  “Kasey is … .” Whatever Leighann was about to say died on her lips and she had the grace to look abashed. “I don’t mean for Kasey to make your job harder. She’s a little spoiled. I don’t think she can help it.”

  “She could help it if she were occasionally told the world ‘no,’” Quinn argued. “She’s clearly never heard that word and been forced to adhere to it.”

  Leighann tugged on her shirt to smooth it. “Fine. I will talk to her.”

  “Great. I can’t wait.”

  “Is that everything?”

  “Not quite.” Quinn’s tone darkened, causing Leighann to jerk up her eyes. “We have one other concern, and it’s a doozy.”

  “Okay. Tell me what it is and I’ll handle it.”

  “I don’t think you can.”

  “You would be surprised what I’m capable of accomplishing.” Leighann’s tone was back to being flirty. “Tell me what it is and we’ll sit down over dinner tonight and hash it out.”

  “I will be having dinner with my girlfriend tonight, as I do every night.” Quinn was firm. “As for the issue, one of Claire Austin’s girls appears to have gone missing. We’ve searched the ship as best we can for her but we’ve yet to find her. I have two men scouring the video feeds right now for a hint of what happened but, as of right now, we’re operating in the dark.”

  Leighann’s demeanor, which had been flirty and playful only moments before, turned dark. “Are you asking me if I know what happened to Claire’s girl?”

  “I am.”

  “And why would you ask that?”

  “Because she’s missing and only a blind and deaf person could legitimately ignore the animosity going on between the two sets of girls,” Quinn answered without hesitation. He’d gone this far. Backing down wasn’t an option. “We need to find her.”

  “Well, I don’t know where she is.”

  “How do you know that? I haven’t even given you her name.”

  Leighann knew she was caught – maybe not for kidnapping but certainly for being a heartless wench – but she recovered quickly. “I haven’t had reason to converse or talk to any of those girls. They shouldn’t even be here.”

  “Simply because they’re poor?”

  “Because Claire only brought them to torture me. Don’t pretend you don’t recognize that. She’s not the saint everyone pretends she is.”

  “She’s certainly not a saint,” Quinn agreed. “She’s honest, though. You should be aware that if Gabby Fisher doesn’t show up by tomorrow morning I will be authorizing a search of every room on this ship. That includes your room.”

  Leighann was dumbfounded. “Do you think I’m keeping her in my room?”

  “I think she’s somewhere on this ship.”

  “Maybe she purposely ran away and is turning tricks in certain rooms or something,” Leighann suggested. “I wouldn’t put that past a girl like her.”

  “And I wouldn’t want to be on record saying things like that if I were you, especially if something has happened to that girl.”

  Leighann balked. “I didn’t say that on the record.”

  Quinn pointed toward the mounted camera over his shoulder. “You did. I’m not here to make this a thing. You should be on the lookout for that girl, though. It would be best for everyone if she showed up … and right away. She’s the captain of her squad, after all. Who do you think is going to be the first suspect if she doesn’t show up?”

  ROWAN WATCHED QUINN grill Leighann from the other side of the deck, cringing a couple of times when the woman’s expression twisted into something hateful. Rowan was so uncomfortable watching the scene she purposely joined Clover at a small table so she would have something to focus on other than Leighann and the new photographic symbol.

  “What are you looking at?” Clover asked, straightening in her chair and following Rowan’s gaze.

  “Nothing.” Rowan hurriedly shook her head. “I was just looking around.”

  “That’s not true. You were looking at your boyfriend.” Clover tilted her head to the side, considering. “Is he over questioning Ms. Porter about Gabby? Does he think she did something to her?”

  “We don’t know anything yet.” Rowan’s voice was soft and soothing. “Quinn is asking a few questions, but we don’t know what happened to Gabby right now. All we know is that it appears she hasn’t been seen since yesterday morning.”

  “So what are you going to do to find her?”

  “Quinn has his men going over video feed, which is only the first step and time-consuming.”

  “What good will that do?”

  “Well, we have a place to start,” Rowan explained. “We know Gabby was at breakfast. There are cameras pretty much covering every inch of this ship. If the security computer team can find her they can follow her, which will allow us to find her.”

  “It’s that simple?” Clover brightened considerably.

  “Well, no,” Rowan hedged. “I said practically every inch of the ship was covered. There are blind spots and the cameras don’t always see everything after dark. It’s not a perfect system. There is no such thing as a perfect system when it comes to this.”

  “She wouldn’t take off on her own.” Clover was insistent. “This competition was too important to her.”

  “Then we’ll find her.” Rowan fought to keep her emotions in check because she knew Clover would melt down if she saw a crack in the ship photographer’s veneer. “Let’s talk about something else. Tell me about your relationship with Claire.”

  The question clearly caught Clover off guard. “You don’t think she had anything to do with Gabby going missing, do you?”

  Rowan searched her feelings and ultimately shook her head. “No. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Claire seems like a straight shooter and the motive isn’t really there for her.”

  “She is a straight shooter.”

  “When did you meet her?”

  “She came to our school at the end of the year and everyone was buzzing because you don’t usually see people stop by our neighborhood in a limo and she had a big one parked right in front of everything … like she wanted to cause a stir or something. No one could miss it.”

  Rowan smiled as she imagined the scene. “I can remember what it was like to be your age, although just barely.”

  “You’re not that old. What are you … like forty?”

  Rowan’s smile slipped. “I’m twenty-seven.”

  “Really?” Clover was dubious. “Are you pulling my leg?”

  “No, and we’re done talking about my age.” It took everything Rowan had to keep her smile in place as she reminded herself that everyone looked old to a teenager. “If a limo showed up at my school everyone would’ve been hanging around outside the principal’s office dying to hear the gossip.”

  “Gossip spread fast because one of our girls – Sheila – worked in the office during fifth period and she got to hear some of what was going on,” Clover said. “Now Sheila has a mouth the size of ten Whoppers stacked on top of each other and she occasionally gets things wrong, but she understood what was happening right away so she texted us.”

  “And what was going on?” Rowan was honestly curious. “Ms. Austin just stopped at your school and told you she was going to be sponsoring your trip to Bermuda for the competition?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “And you didn’t find that suspicious?” That
didn’t make a lot of sense to Rowan. She could tell Clover was cynical by nature.

  Clover heaved out a sigh. “We’re not stupid.” She lowered her voice so it was difficult to hear unless Rowan leaned forward. “We know that Ms. Austin didn’t pay for this trip because she believed in us. She did it to irritate Ms. Porter.”

  Rowan found herself inexplicably sad because Clover had to understand manipulation on such a basic level at a young age. “I don’t believe Ms. Austin has made her intentions much of a secret. Still, this is a great opportunity for you guys. You shouldn’t blow it simply because Ms. Austin’s affections are … limited.”

  “Oh, we don’t care about her liking us.” Clover’s smile was genuine. “The thing is, she really does like us. Oh, sure, we irritate the crap out of her. She hates when we use what she calls ‘ghetto’ slang and she’s constantly correcting our grammar, but I can tell she honestly does like us. Of course, there are times she wants to kill us, too. We’re purposely loud all the time to see how far we can push her.”

  Rowan snickered. “I can see that. Ms. Austin doesn’t seem the type to find humor in that situation.”

  “She only finds humor, as you say it, when she’s sticking it to Ms. Porter. We’re fine with that because Ms. Porter is a special kind of evil.”

  Rowan flicked her eyes back to Leighann and Quinn and found the former absolutely railing against the latter, her hands gesturing wildly. She looked furious. “I think you’re right about her being evil.”

  “That’s why I think she could’ve done something to Gabby. It makes sense.”

  Rowan wasn’t convinced. “We won’t give up until we find Gabby. I already promised you that. I mean to keep that promise.”

  “I know you do.” Clover was sincere. “What if you can’t find her, though? What if she’s just … gone?”

  Rowan had no idea what to say to that. “We simply won’t let that happen,” she said finally. “We have a little time. We will find her. I won’t let it rest until we do.”

  QUINN WAS STILL vibrating with fury before heading to dinner. Rowan wisely gave him some room to answer emails without bombarding him with questions, taking advantage of the silence to load photos and look over Leighann’s proofs for signs of the symbol. It remained exactly where it was hours before and Rowan remained confused as to what she was supposed to do about it.

  “You’re still struggling with this,” Quinn noted, taking her by surprise when he finally spoke. “I see it on your face. You’re worried about what it means.”

  “I am worried about what it means.” Rowan saw no reason to lie. “I’m also worried that it’s only the beginning. What if I start seeing hundreds of different symbols and I don’t know what any of them mean?”

  “We’ll figure it out.”

  Quinn sounded so sure of himself Rowan could do nothing but sigh as she pinned him with a weary gaze. “How do you know we’ll figure it out?”

  “Because we’ve figured everything else out and I choose to be an optimist rather than a pessimist.”

  “Are you saying I’m a pessimist?”

  Quinn shrugged, noncommittal. “I’m saying that you have many wonderful and intriguing qualities. One of those qualities, however, could be a certain tendency to dig in your heels and look at things from the dark side of life.”

  “So … basically I’m a pessimist?”

  “You’re very cute and I adore spending time with you.” Quinn pressed a quick kiss to the corner of her mouth. “You are a pessimist, though.”

  Rowan scowled. “You’re not so cute to me right now.”

  “I can live with that.” Quinn closed her computer and hopped to his feet, extending his hand so he could draw her off the bed. “Now, we’ve both had a really long day and we didn’t get much to eat. I believe all you had for lunch was sliced pineapple and maraschino cherries from the bar.”

  “It’s filling … after like fifty pieces.”

  Quinn snorted. “They have crab legs in the main dining room tonight. And scallops … and shrimp … and lobster.”

  “You had me at crab legs.”

  “Somehow I knew that.” Quinn waited for Rowan to run a brush through her hair and they were both in markedly better moods when they hit the main deck.

  Rowan took a moment to turn her attention to the moon as it rose high above the shimmering ocean. “It’s beautiful out here. I hope I never get so jaded – or pessimistic – that I lose sight of that fact.”

  “You won’t.” Quinn wrapped his arms around her from behind. “That’s not who you are.”

  “I hope so. In fact … .” Rowan didn’t get a chance to finish what she was about to say because the sound of raised voices cut her off.

  Quinn tilted his head to the side and looked to his left as two animated figures moved from the shadows under the eave to the open spot in the middle of everything. He recognized the warring factions right away and internally cringed at the thought of breaking them apart.

  “I can’t believe you told that security guy that I was a possible suspect in your girl’s disappearance,” Leighann barked. “That is completely uncalled for and I’m going to sue you for slander.”

  Claire planted her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. “I said nothing of the sort. If he said that, he’s lying.”

  “Oh, he said it.”

  Quinn cleared his throat to get Leighann’s attention, keeping Rowan close as the cheerleading harpy fixed her venomous eyes on him. It took her a moment to register who she was looking at, and when she did, her cheeks flooded with color, which was clearly visible under the muted deck lights.

  “What were you saying?” Quinn challenged.

  Claire chortled, clearly enjoying herself. “I knew he didn’t say anything of the sort.”

  “Well, he wanted to say it,” Leighann barked back. “I am sick to death of your attitude and suspicions. I had nothing to do with that girl’s disappearance and I don’t appreciate being treated like a criminal.”

  “If I was intent on treating you like a criminal, you would be locked in a holding cell,” Quinn pointed out. “I don’t see cuffs around those wrists.”

  “Oh, that’s something I would totally pay to see,” Claire enthused, giggling maniacally. “I would take photos and put them up at the country club. Then everyone could see exactly what sort of person you really are.”

  “Oh, bite me, Claire. You’re not better than me. We’re from the same dank part of town, for crying out loud. We both rose to the same heights. I know you like to pretend you’re better than me, but you’re not.”

  Quinn exchanged a quick look with Rowan, something unsaid passing between them. Whether she realized it or not, Leighann let something rather interesting slip. It was something Quinn knew he couldn’t focus on until later, though.

  “If you guys are going to fight, take it to one of your rooms,” he ordered. “This isn’t the place for you to act up.”

  “Oh, are you going to make us go to our rooms?” Leighann’s fury only grew. “I don’t believe you have the power to do that.”

  “Think again,” Quinn fired back. “When it comes to this ship, I have ultimate power. I get to decide exactly what is allowed and this isn’t on the list.”

  “Oh, I’m so done with you.” Leighann shifted her nose so it was high in the air. “You have no idea how done I am with you.”

  “I’m sure he’ll somehow find the strength to go on,” Claire deadpanned. “It will be difficult, but he’s the strong sort.”

  “You can doubly bite me!” Leighann’s eyes lit with rage. “In fact … .”

  She didn’t get a chance to finish her threat because a terrified scream whipped through the night air. It was so high-pitched it caused gooseflesh to break out on Rowan’s arms as she shifted to stare in the direction the noise came from.

  “What was that?” Claire asked, confused. She’d sobered and was deathly serious. “Is that something we should worry about? Is it Gabby?”

  “
I have no idea.” Quinn was grim as he broke into a run. “I’m about to find out, though.”

  13

  Thirteen

  Rowan did her best to keep up with Quinn as he raced down the deck. His legs were longer and more powerfully built, though, so it was impossible. Leighann and Claire were more reticent to follow, but they did it all the same. Rowan was convinced it was out of curiosity rather than any sense of responsibility to their young charges but she was mollified – if only minimally – by the fact that they didn’t shirk their responsibilities.

  Quinn pulled up short when he reached the roped-off aft deck, squinting his eyes to peer through the gloom. When he caught a hint of motion, he pushed through the group of girls gathered there – who appeared to be excitable and whispering amongst themselves – and stood in front of Kasey Witherspoon as the girl sobbed and shook.

  “What happened?”

  “It was awful!” Kasey threw her arms around Quinn’s neck and pressed herself against him. Even though he knew it was mean to consider, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was being purposely dramatic just so she could be the center of attention. “I almost died.”

  “Uh-huh.” Quinn attempted to push Kasey back to question her, but she was like a clinging koala bear, her grip was so tight.

  “I’m going to have nightmares. This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. I … why me? Why did it happen to me?”

  Quinn slid Rowan a sidelong look that was full of pleading and annoyance as he tried to dislodge the overwrought teenager. “Do you think you can help me here?”

  Rowan cast a dubious glance toward Kasey. “I’m guessing that’s a big no.”

  “Rowan … .”

  “What do you want me to do, Quinn?” she challenged. “If I touch her she’s going to cause a scene.”

  “Don’t leave me!” Kasey wailed, grabbing Quinn as tightly as possible while running her hand over the back of his short-cropped hair. “You’re the only one who can protect me.”