Vanishing Vacationers (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 5)

by Hope Callaghan

  Oscar slithered over. “Try here, against the boulder.”

  He pulled the pronged anchor from the dirt and wedged it under the boulder. He tugged on the anchor to make sure it was secure. “I will go,” he said.

  Annette shook her head. “You’re looking at an expert at mountain rappelling. I’ll go.”

  She didn’t wait for a reply.

  Millie looked on in fascination as Annette jumped to her feet and deftly tied the rope around her waist.

  Annette glanced at Oscar and then over the side of the cliff. “We’re going to have to improvise. Felippe and you will have to hold the rope and guide me down.”

  Oscar and Felippe grabbed the rope and held it tight as Annette plopped down on the edge of the cliff, her feet dangling off the edge. The sight of her on the edge of the cliff caused Millie to feel lightheaded.

  Millie’s mouth dropped open as Annette flipped over onto her stomach, grabbed the end of the rope and let go of the ledge. She quickly disappeared over the side.

  Millie crawled to the edge and peered down.

  Annette had already rappelled a quarter of the way down.

  The men, slow and steady, fed rope to Annette.

  The rope slackened and Oscar, with terror-filled eyes, dropped on all fours and crawled to the edge. He let out the breath he’d been holding when he saw Annette had safely reached three thrilled young people.

  Millie smiled as Annette hugged each of them.

  “Thank you, Jesus,” G’ma Rae whispered and then burst into tears.

  Courtney hugged her grandmother and swiped at the tear that trickled down her own cheek.

  Annette untied the rope from around her waist. Next, she tied it around Brandon’s waist. When she was certain it was secure, she gave Oscar and Felippe a thumbs up. The men shifted their stance and began slowly pulling the rope back up.

  Brandon, the older brother and heaviest of the group, easily balanced his feet against the rock as he kept a firm grip on the rope.

  Millie held her breath until he was safely on solid ground.

  G’ma Rae darted forward.

  Oscar untied the rope and Brandon rushed to hug his grandmother and then his sister.

  Oscar tossed the end of the rope over the edge to Annette.

  Nathan was next. Annette tied the rope around Nathan’s waist. When she was certain it was secure, she gave the men a second thumbs up.

  Oscar and Felippe repeated the same methodical process as they slowly pulled young Nathan to safety.

  The men untied Nathan who limped to his grandmother’s side.

  G’ma Rae’s eyes narrowed and she stared at Nathan’s feet.

  “I think I sprained my ankle.” He lifted his hands and turned them palm up to reveal scrapes and smudges of dried blood. “I took a few scrapes on the way down. Other than that, I feel fine.”

  Tears clogged the back of Millie’s throat as she watched the joyful reunion. “Thank you God he has only a few scrapes and bruises,” she whispered.

  She turned her attention on Danielle. This rescue was going to be a piece of cake. Danielle had experience and training in wilderness survival.

  She tied her own rope, nodded at the men she was ready and then quickly ascended the side of the cliff.

  They were almost home free. All they had left to do was to get Annette back up and they could head back to the ship!

  Annette deftly tied the rope around her waist. The men began pulling her up. She was halfway up the side when a sudden movement caught Millie’s eye.

  Sticking out of the side of a rock crevice was a tree branch Millie had noticed but paid no heed…until it moved. “Snake!” she screamed.

  Curled around the long limb was a huge snake. It was a pinkish orange hue and it lunged at Annette.

  Annette jerked her leg back but not before the snake made contact with her pant leg. She kicked frantically and finally managed to knock the snake off the branch and free her leg, all the while dangling mid-air.

  The snake landed on the ledge below…the one Danielle, Nathan and Brandon had just been on.

  G’ma Rae swayed. “Oh no!”

  Brandon wrapped his arm around his grandmother’s waist to keep her from collapsing on the ground. “She hates snakes,” he said.

  Millie wasn’t too fond of them either.

  Annette quickly climbed the cliff and crawled across the ledge. She untied the rope and lifted her pant leg. She poked her fingernail through a small hole near the bottom. “Looks like he got me.”

  She tugged her pant leg up and studied her ankle after she twisted it to the side. “Nope. Got lucky that time.”

  She lowered her slacks and jumped to her feet, brushing her hands together.

  Danielle squeezed past Millie and hugged Annette’s neck. “Thank you for saving us,” she simply said.

  The boys hugged Annette. G’ma Rae and Courtney hugged Annette.

  “Aww, it was nothing,” she mumbled as she shoved the rope into her backpack.

  Oscar wiggled the anchor until it was free from the rock. “I’m gonna have to find out how you got this onboard the ship,” he teased.

  Millie was certain security would consider the sharp anchor to be a weapon. Not only were passengers not allowed to bring weapons on board, crew wasn’t either, unless, of course, they were security.

  Annette dropped the anchor in her bag, zipped her bag shut and slung it over her shoulder. “Yeah, it was tricky getting that baby on board,” she admitted.

  “We’re starving,” Nathan announced.

  G’ma Rae unzipped her bag, handed each of the boys a piece of fruit, a granola bar and bottle of water.

  Millie did the same for Danielle, except she got a bottle of water and a box of dry corn flakes. Danielle frowned. “Where’s my granola bar?”

  “You’re lucky I brought you anything,” Millie retorted.

  “True.” Danielle clamped her mouth shut. She knew she was already in hot water.

  The group stayed close to the rock wall as they carefully stepped around the side and exited the point of no return.

  Bertrand’s mouth dropped open when he saw not only Oscar, Felippe, Millie, Annette, G’ma Rae and Courtney come back, but Danielle and the two boys.

  “You found dem.”

  Oscar nodded. “Thanks to Annette,” he said.

  “Da others…there were more gone missing,” Bertrand said.

  Danielle lowered her eyes and stared at the ground. She looked back up, reached inside her pocket and pulled out a dingy, dirty key card. “We found this on the ledge.” She handed it to Millie.

  Millie turned the card over. Printed on the front was the name “Bianca Roush.” The key card belonged to the missing woman. “Did you find them?” Maybe they should go back, see if the family had somehow managed to survive.

  Danielle gave a brief shake of her head. “Later,” she mumbled.

  Millie’s heart sank. It was apparent Danielle had stumbled upon something.

  Bertrand waved them forward. “We are makin’ good time ladies and gentlemen.” He picked up the pace and began to whistle as they tromped through the jungle.

  Nathan, aided by Oscar, slowed the trek as he limped along on his injured ankle. Despite his injuries, he was in a great mood and made up a song using a voice that reminded Millie of Donald Duck. The sound was music to Millie’s ears.

  Now, all they had to do was find Cat!

  “Cat is missing,” Millie whispered to Danielle, who was directly behind her.

  Danielle stopped. “No…I mean. I never saw Cat. What happened?”

  Millie frowned. Danielle had no idea Cat had gone missing.

  Danielle told the others how she had tried to sneak off the ship the day before and the boys, Nathan and Brandon, had followed her off. By the time she realized they had followed her, it was too late to turn back.

  She went on to tell how they hadn’t had any trouble finding Hassadona Pass and when they stepped through the thick canopy of foliage
, they realized they were on the edge of a cliff.

  They made it around the bend, or as Bertrand liked to call it, “the point of no return,” and managed to make it as far as where Millie, Oscar and the rest of the group had found them.

  “The ground was saturated from recent rain and the earth crumbled beneath us. We started to fall, frantically clawing to stay up but it was too late,” Danielle shook her head. “Thank God, there was a second ledge we landed on and that’s where you found us.”

  “Danielle kept singing songs,” Nathan said, “so we wouldn’t be scared.”

  “It was freaky after dark,” Brandon added. “I kept feeling like something was crawling on me but every time I turned the flashlight on, nothing was there.”

  When they reached the main street, Millie, Danielle and Annette hung back.

  “You go on ahead,” Millie told Oscar. “I still need to help search for Cat.”

  Oscar nodded. He lifted a hand and placed it on her shoulder. “If anyone can find Cat, it will be you and Mr. Patterson.”

  The women watched as Oscar, Felippe and the Kingman family made their way through town.

  Millie turned her attention to Danielle. “Did you find any clues on the whereabouts of the missing Roush family?”

  Danielle sobered. “I found a strip of cloth clinging to the branch where you saw the snake. I’m not sure if the boys noticed. I walked near the edge of the ledge to see if I could spot anything.”

  “And?” Millie prompted.

  Danielle shut her eyes, as if to erase the image in her mind. She slowly nodded. “I’m pretty sure they are all in the bottom of the ravine. I saw…the body of a man. He was wearing an outfit that matched Mr. Roush’s description.”

  Danielle raked her fingers through her blonde locks. “Hassadona Pass is dangerous. No wonder the locals say no one returns. I think the ground gave out and they fell off the edge of the cliff to their deaths. No one could survive a fall to the bottom.”

  It still didn’t explain what happened to the two investigators who disappeared…unless they met the same fate as the Roush family.

  Danielle nodded her head toward town. “You need help searching for Cat?”

  Millie patted her arm. “Thanks for the offer but I’m sure you’re exhausted. Why don’t you head back to the ship and get cleaned up, have something to eat.”

  She went on. “Don’t forget to let Andy know you’re safe. He’s worried sick.”

  Danielle nodded. A wave of gratitude washed over her and tears filled her eyes as she impulsively hugged Millie. “Thank you for rescuing us.”

  She turned to Annette. “You, dear woman, have a story to tell. I can’t wait to hear how you learned to rappel down the side of a cliff, shoot guns, spy on people…”

  Annette held up a hand. “I’d love to tell you but then I’d have to kill you.” She winked and then turned to Millie. “Let’s go find Cat.”

  Millie nodded. “First, we need to find out if Cherelle was able to rustle up a list of arrivals on yesterday’s commuter plane.”

  The women parted ways. Danielle headed back to the ship while Annette and Millie made their way to the drugstore.

  When the women reached the store, Millie’s heart sank. The store was closed. She glanced at her watch. It was almost noon. Cherelle had told her the store would open at nine a.m. She was confused. “I don’t understand.”

  “Cherelle is gone.”

  Millie whirled around. Standing behind her was a tall man, a local she correctly guessed. “Cherelle is missing,” he repeated

  Chapter 18

  Millie’s mind went blank. “Cherelle vanished?” Just like Cat.

  The man nodded solemnly. “The other men from the ship, they search for Cherelle and the other woman.”

  “Cat,” Annette said. “Which way did they go?”

  “They go to Cherelle’s home. Follow me.”

  The man turned and began walking, his long strides covering some serious ground. Millie and Annette had to jog to keep up with him.

  “Wait!” Millie said breathlessly. “What is your name?”

  “Rick.” He didn’t slow when he reached the edge of town and turned onto a narrow alley.

  He didn’t look like a “Rick.”

  Millie stopped abruptly and looked over her shoulder nervously. Should she trust this complete stranger? Could it be they were walking into a trap? What if he was responsible for Cat and Cherelle’s disappearances and they were next?

  He stopped when he realized they were no longer trailing behind. “We are close.”

  “How close?” Millie asked.

  “Over dare.” Rick pointed to a small, wood frame house a few feet away. “That is Cherelle’s home.”

  It wasn’t much more than a shack. No one was around. Patterson must have already been there and left.

  “The other searchers are gone,” Rick confirmed.

  Millie stepped through the front door.

  Annette followed behind.

  It was smaller than it looked on the outside, if that was possible.

  Damp, musty air tickled Millie’s nose. She waved a hand across her face. Mold grew rampant in tropical climates. It was apparent the small home had no air conditioning. Millie wondered if it had electric.

  Rick crossed the room in two steps. He stopped at a small wooden table, tucked in the corner. “Her uniform is here, which means she make it home from work.” He shrugged. “What happened to her after that, I do not know.”

  Cherelle had promised to try to reach her boyfriend, Jimmy, to find out who had been on the plane. Could it be Jimmy told her the manifest, the list of passengers, was at the hangar and she had gone there to search for it?

  “I’ll take this side if you want to start over there.” She pointed to the small kitchenette a few feet from the table.

  Annette nodded and wandered over to the other side of the room.

  Millie lifted the mattress on the twin bed and peeked underneath. She stepped over to the dresser at the end of the bed, opened each of the drawers and sifted through the contents.

  In the meantime, Annette searched the silverware drawer, the pots and pans, the meager food pantry. The poor girl had few possessions and a pathetic amount of food.

  Annette reached in her pocket, pulled the twenty-dollar bill she had brought with her in case of an emergency and slipped it inside the silverware drawer. She wondered why the boyfriend, a pilot, wasn’t able to help Cherelle. She prayed the young woman would find the money someday when she needed it most.

  The women methodically searched the one-room home and found nothing. There was no indication of foul play or a single clue to Cherelle’s whereabouts.

  Millie finished her inspection and stepped out onto the narrow porch that ran along the front of the house.

  She found Rick leaning against a porch post, smoking what looked like a cigarette but when she got a whiff, realized it was marijuana. Andy had once told Millie marijuana was legal on most islands.

  Annette met them on the porch. “Wacky tobacky.”

  Rick inhaled deeply and held the joint out. “Wanna try?”

  Annette shook her head. “No thanks. I have enough problems.”

  Millie grinned. Didn’t they all?

  She gazed around the small yard and spied another structure. It was tall and thin, and tucked off to the side. “Is that part of the property?”

  He nodded. “That’s the privy.”

  “Privy…”

  “The toilet.”

  “Oh.” Millie nodded. She quickly decided to pass on an inspection of the outhouse. “How far away is the airport?”

  Rick tapped the ashes from his rolled marijuana joint on the edge of the porch rail. “A few blocks. Not far. I will show you the way.”

  Millie frowned. Not far for a man who could walk a mile in four strides.

  Millie’s cell phone beeped. She plucked it from her pocket and turned it on. It was Patterson. She pressed the “answer” button
and placed the phone against her ear. “Hello.”

  “Millie. Where are you?”

  “At Cherelle’s place. She’s missing.” Duh!

  Patterson sighed. “Yeah. We found that out when we stopped by the drug store earlier. Our team has already checked her place and the airport. There’s no sign of Cat or Cherelle.”

  “Did you go inside the airport?” Millie asked.

  “No. We tried to find a way in but the place is locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”

  He went on. “We’re on our way to a small ship port on the other side of the island to talk to the locals. After that, I have no idea where else to look,” he admitted.

  “We’re gonna swing by the airport, take a look around and then head back to St. Parrot,” Millie explained. Although Patterson had already been there, there was always an off chance the searchers had missed something…a small clue perhaps.

  “I debriefed Danielle. She told me how you and the others had rescued the boys and her.” Patterson lowered his voice. “Be careful.”

  Millie smiled. Patterson sounded genuinely concerned. “Rick, one of the locals, is going with Annette and me.”

  “Good. I met him in town. He seems like a standup guy. Let me know as soon as you’re back.”

  Millie did some quick calculations in her head. “It shouldn’t take longer than an hour. If not, send a search party,” she joked.

  “Believe me, I will,” Patterson promised.

  Millie hit the end button and turned to Rick. “Lead the way.”

  Chapter 19

  Cherelle Flores wasn’t nearly as superstitious as some of the other islanders, although she believed in Tarry of the Fifth Moon now that an entire family had vanished. Still, that may have had a lot to do with foolhardy tourists who were determined to explore Hassadona Pass.

  What if there was something to the folklore that shrouded the pass? No one ever returned from there. Perhaps a large Sasquatch who captured explorers and then ate them inhabited the island.

  She shivered as she stared out the store window at the darkness. It was almost time to call it a night and she still had to try to reach Jimmy.