Death on the Bella Constance (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 6)

by Ann Mullen

  “For one thing, she’s going to declare that she and Loukas are going to sell the business, and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it. It’s already in the works.”

  “I thought that was a known fact.”

  “If it wasn’t, it soon will be. Actually, the deal is almost sealed.”

  “I guess that’s going to infuriate her daughters’ husbands.”

  “All but Steven. He agrees with Jena that it’s their choice. Now, Utah and Jeff might not be too happy.”

  “Speaking of which, where is Utah? He wasn’t with Nell when they brought her in.”

  “No one has seen him since his outburst at dinner, but Bella seems to think he’s probably at the ship’s bar. She says he spends most of his time there while on board. Kind of ironic isn’t it? Her daughter is the one with the drinking problem, but Utah’s the one who hangs out at the bar.”

  “Poor Nell. What an awful man to be married to. He has a bad temper, and I think he could be dangerous. Do you think he could be behind all this—the tainted champagne and the sabotaged shoes? I’m with Bella. What else can we expect?”

  “I don’t know, but I say we try to see beyond what our eyes are telling us,” Billy said as he kissed me on the cheek, and then headed to the bathroom.

  “What do you mean by that? I’m not an Indian. I don’t have the ability to look at a tree leaf and tell from the way it landed on the ground how the weather is going to be that day.”

  Billy chuckled, and then became serious. “We have to be on guard. Sometimes the most unlikely person could be the bad guy. Keep that in mind. When I finish showering, I’m going to do some research on the computer. Why don’t you go on to bed, `ge ya?”

  “Will you let me know what you find out?”

  “Of course, I will. I always do, don’t I?”

  “Yes, dear,” I replied, and then thought about the three sisters from Georgia. “Did Bella say how Dorothy was doing after her fall? Is her ankle okay?”

  “She’s going to be fine. A medic wrapped it in an ace bandage, elevated it, and then placed an icepack on it. They wheeled her to her room, making a fuss over her the whole time. The captain’s crew is well-versed in how to handle difficult people. Bella says she’ll be up and about before dawn, seeing what else she and her sisters can get into. She has a fondness for those three ladies. She says they’re lonely women.”

  “That’s what I think, too. Hmm. They need a good man.”

  “Forget it, `ge ya. Matchmaking is not you at your best, kind of like your cooking.” I heard him snicker. “But I still love you.”

  I made no comment. My cooking is pretty bad.

  While Billy was taking a shower, I undressed, hung up my evening gown, and was shocked when I saw the two new evening gowns hanging next to the two new tuxes for Billy—tuxes that looked exactly like the one he already had. I guess Bella wanted him to have fresh clothing.

  A midnight blue sequined gown and an emerald green satin and lace gown, both with matching purses and shoes were a sight to behold. I took a hard look at my new shoes, wiggling them, and trying to see if I could break off the heels, but they wouldn’t budge. I placed them on the floor in the closet next to the new ones after I also gave them the once over, and then hung up Billy’s clothes, closing the closet door after doing so. Jena was right, I thought to myself. Bella loves to shower her friends with gifts. Saying no to her was out of the question.

  I slipped into a pair of boxer shorts and a T-shirt, preparing for bed. I looked around the room and noticed the fruit basket sitting next to where the champagne once sat. I wondered if it too might be tampered with. After what had happened in the past few hours, I didn’t trust anything… fruit baskets, shoes, or the possibility of rattlesnakes in the bathtub. I shook my head and tried to make myself forget about all the things that could go wrong on this cruise. The first day had been full of surprises—and not especially good ones. What was in store for all of us next? One thing was for sure, I wasn’t eating any of that fruit, and champagne was not on the menu for me anymore. And when were we going through the Triangle? I slipped into the bathroom to brush my teeth, and stood there for a while listening to Billy sing one of his Cherokee songs. I didn’t understand the words, but the tune was nice. He has such a good voice, I thought to myself, admiring him as usual.

  “I’m going to bed, O Great Warrior,” I said as I walked out of the bathroom, laughing quietly to myself.

  Billy mumbled something about seeing me in a little bit, but by the time his words were out, I had already pulled the covers back, and checked for any small creatures like tarantulas, man-eating worms, or black widow spiders—anything that could be lurking in the comfort of our sheets. I could tell that paranoia had set in. Gingerly, I crawled into bed, cinched the covers up around my neck, and waited for Billy to finish his shower. I would not fall asleep until he was by my side. That was my plan, but it didn’t work out that way. I was asleep within minutes after my head hit the pillow.

  My sleep was restless. Most of the time, I couldn’t tell if I was dreaming or awake. One minute, I’d dream and then think I was awake, but when I tried to sit up, I couldn’t. Then when I thought I was dreaming, I’d look over and see Billy sitting at the computer. I think I must have spoken a couple of times, because I was sure he told me to go back to sleep. That seemed too real not to be. I don’t know how long I had been asleep, but at one point, I had the ultimate scary dream of all time. Utah Hawks was standing at a table with a row of champagne glasses in front of him. He was swabbing the insides of each glass with poison using an artist’s small sponge on a stick. He laughed a sinister laugh as he worked. Once all the glasses had been done, he popped open a bottle of champagne, and poured the liquid into each one. All of us—Bella, Loukas, Nell, Jena, Steven, Ruby, Jeff, the three sisters from Georgia, and Billy and me—were sitting in chairs lined up opposite the table. We were handcuffed and tied to our chair with heavy rope, from our shoulders down to our ankles. Utah walked over to Bella, grabbed her by the hair, pulled her head backward, and poured the champagne down her throat. She gagged, coughed, and tried to spit out the poisoned liquid. Eventually, she succumbed and swallowed. One by one, he did the same to all of us, laughing that eerie laugh. When he had finished his dirty deed, he walked back to the other side of the table, and waited for us to die.

  I felt sick at first, and then I felt as if I were suffocating. I just couldn’t catch my breath. The last thing I saw before slipping into the darkness was the life leaving the eyes of my beloved Billy. I struggled to scream, but the sound wouldn’t come. I closed my eyes one last time, slowly dying at the hands of an insane killer. Suddenly, I gasped for air, coughed, and sat upright in bed. I looked around the dark room and realized that it had only been a dream—a horrible, scary, nightmare! I was so relieved! It wasn’t real! I sat there for a while, trying to sort it all out in my head. I was scared, and I felt as if someone was watching me. I wanted to crawl back under the sheets, but I was afraid that if I did, I would have more horrible dreams. It was then that I realized no one was watching me, and I was alone. Billy wasn’t sitting at the computer, and he wasn’t in bed. I called out to him. “Billy, where are you?”

  The room was silent.

  I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. I checked the closet, and finally went to the door and opened it. I looked up and down the hallway, but it was empty. I closed the door and locked it. I hoped Billy had his keycard with him, because there was no way I was going to open this door for anyone. I was too scared. I ran to the bathroom, splashed water on my face, and then brushed my teeth. By the time I had gotten dressed, I was crying. My shorts probably didn’t match my tank top, but I didn’t care. I was afraid to turn on the lights, so I did the best I could under the circumstances.

  Where was Billy? Had something happened to him? Was this dream a vision of things to come? Were we all going to die on this ship? My heart pounded, and my mind raced. I could feel my anxiety building. Soon, I would ha
ve a full-blown panic attack, if I didn’t calm down. I knew I should’ve brought those little yellow pills with me. Now, would be the perfect time to take one.

  Since I was so determined not to turn on the lights for some strange reason, I had to fumble around in the dark to find my flip flops. I bumped into the corner of the computer table, hitting my hip. When my foot touched something that felt like my sandals, I reached down to pick them up, and then bumped my head on the same table when I went to stand up. “This is not my day,” I said out loud. I reached up, touched my head, and felt warm blood. “What now?”

  My eyes were just beginning to adjust to the darkness when I head a click, and the door opened. I screamed. I didn’t know who had entered the room, until Billy flicked on the light switch. He rushed over to me.

  “`Ge ya, what’s wrong? Are you all right? Is that blood in your hair?”

  Squinting my eyes to shade them from the glare of the overhead light, I looked at my hand, saw the dab of blood, and said, “I guess it is. I hit my head.” I walked over to the table, pulled out a tissue from the box, and pressed it to my head. “What time is it?”

  “It’s six o’clock,” he replied. “What happened?” He walked over and examined my head. “Oh, it’s only a slight cut. It’s not gushing, so you’ll survive.” He smiled at me. “Poor baby. I leave the room for a minute, and you run around in the dark, beating yourself up.”

  “I had a bad dream,” I said, trying not to cry. “The kind that makes you wonder if you’re ever going to wake up from.”

  “That bad, huh?” He wrapped his big arms around me and pulled me close. “I’m here now, and you’re awake. Everything is fine.” He took the tissue from me, dabbed at my head, and then tossed it in the trash can. “The cut has already stopped bleeding. You’ll make it, `ge ya.”

  “You’re not going to believe the dream I had. It felt so real, even though now I know it wasn’t. But I learned something from it.”

  “What was that?”

  “Wait a minute,” I said, pulling back. “Where have you been? Have you slept at all?”

  “Why don’t you change clothes, and we’ll talk while we walk.”

  “What’s wrong…” I started to say, and then looked down to see that I had on a pair of green plaid shorts and a red stripped tank top. I had to laugh. “You’re right. Maybe I should put on something more appropriate.”

  “I think you look lovely, but I know you wouldn’t be pleased with your ensemble.”

  “Ensemble, huh? Fancy word for such a tough guy.” I smiled. “Give me two minutes.”

  I changed into a pair of navy cargo shorts and a white, short sleeved top, and stayed with the flip flops. Life on a cruise ship is quite informal, unless you’re dining at night.

  “Better now?” I asked.

  “I liked the way you were dressed. I thought your outfit was colorful.”

  “Oh, Lord,” I said. “Let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving.”

  Billy and I walked out the door, heading to the dining room on the top deck. As we passed Loukas and Bella’s room, we heard someone yelling. We both stopped, and looked at each other.

  Billy turned, briskly walked over to their door, and knocked loudly. I followed him.

  “Loukas! Bella! Is everything all right in there?” he yelled.

  Jacob the bodyguard opened the door and said, “Loukas and Bella are having a chat with their daughter, Nell. Her behavior is a little raw this early in the morning.”

  “It was more than a little raw when I left earlier,” Billy said. “Is there anything we can do to help with the situation?”

  “No. We have it under control, but thanks anyway.”

  When Billy and I turned to leave, Jacob said, “Thanks for all your help last night. Your news has left Bella and Loukas fully aware, yet, a little shaken. I’m so glad they hired you.”

  “I’m just glad I could help. Tell them I’ll check back later.”

  Jacob closed the door as Billy and I walked away.

  “What was that about?” I asked. I knew plenty had gone on after I went to sleep. I could read it all over Billy’s face. “It looks as if I missed a lot by going to bed.”

  We walked down the hallway and then out onto the outer walkway before Billy said anything. His silence reassured me that there was definitely a story to tell. He was assembling the details in his mind, readying himself for the onslaught of my questions.

  When the wind hit my face, I was taken aback. The air had gotten cooler, and the sun was nowhere in sight. “What happened to our beautiful weather?” I asked unhappily as I looked up at Billy.

  He threw his hands in the air and said, “Don’t blame me. I had nothing to do with it. I don’t control the weather. I sure wish that I could.”

  I smiled, but when I looked up at Billy’s puffy eyes, I could tell that he hadn’t gone to bed last night. “Billy,” I said, sympathetically. “You need to go to bed. You look rough. I’ve been so busy thinking about myself that I didn’t notice until now how tired you must be. We’re going back to the room right now.”

  “No,” Billy replied. “I’m hungry. Let’s go get something to eat, and then I’ll take a quick nap... and be as good as new.”

  “Are you sure? We can go back to the room and order in.”

  “I can hang in there. Let’s go eat.”

  “All right.”

  I turned and walked over to the railing, and looked at the rough sea. “It’s so dreary. Look at the ocean.” I leaned over the railing and looked down. “The waves are splashing up against the ship with such force. Are we going to be battling a storm?”

  Billy walked over to me and said, “We’re going to get some bad weather. The captain said he might have to divert the ship, making the journey a little longer before we dock at the first port.”

  “Are we in the Triangle?” I asked, excitedly, looking around, hoping for a strange phenomenon to happen other than the bad weather.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, `ge ya. I forgot to tell you. We don’t even go through the Bermuda Triangle. It’s to the south of us, and we by-pass it.”

  “No! Don’t tell me that! What a bummer! I’ve been waiting to see what happens, and now we’re not even going to go through it!”

  “I’ll ask the captain to turn the ship around if you want me to.”

  I laughed. Even though Billy was dead-dog tired, he still had a sense of humor. I tucked my arm in his and started walking. “Ha! I’m sure the rest of the passengers would like that!”

  While we walked down the walkway, I told Billy about my horrible dream, and my suspicion about how the champagne could’ve been poisoned. “The poison wasn’t in the bottle. It had been swabbed inside the glass.”

  “Interesting theory,” he responded. “I can see that.”

  We walked up the stairs to the top deck, and as we rounded the corner, we ran into Bertie Callahan and her sister, Mabel. Bertie was carrying a plate of food covered with a piece of plastic wrap.

  “Hi, ladies,” Billy said, greeting them. “You two are up mighty early. How’s Dorothy?”

  “She’s going to be fine,” Bertie said. “She didn’t sleep well last night. Her poor ankle is bruised and sore. Nell is no small woman. She fell on Dorothy right hard.”

  “Dorothy was hungry, so Bertie and I decided to have breakfast at the buffet, and then bring back a plate for her.”

  “I’m sure you could have ordered room service,” I said.

  Neither one of the sisters responded to my statement. Clearly, they wanted to get away from Dorothy for a while. I know I would if I had to listen to someone like her constantly complaining—and I’m sure she did complain about her pain. People like her always do.

  “We’ve been taking care of her. Not that I wanted to spend my time babysitting my sister…”

  “Hush up!” Mabel scolded her sister. “Why do you always have to whine? They don’t want to hear it, and neither do I!”

  Bertie bounced back with a snid
e remark. “You’re the whiner, not me. All I do is look after you and Dorothy, and what do I get in return? I’ll tell you what I get.” She stopped, looked up at Billy, and without missing a beat, asked, “What did you find out about that guy in room 527? I know the captain said his name was Perry Dickerson, but that’s not true. That’s the name he’s using as an alias. He’s Peter Dawson, the stalker. He even uses the same initials, P.D.—Peter Dawson/Perry Dickerson. I’m sure of it. I saw the photo, and I saw the guy. It’s the same person. He’s in disguise.”

  Billy leaned down and whispered, “I think you might be correct. Thanks for the tip. It was really helpful.”

  Bertie quickly glanced at her sister and exclaimed, “See! I told you so!” She looked back at Billy and said, “If I find out anything else, I’ll let you know.” The two sisters turned and walked off, their heads together the whole time.

  “Are you teasing those women, or do you know something I don’t?”

  Billy took my arm and started walking again. “Those women might be annoying busybodies, but Bertie was right on the money about the guy in room 527. His real name is Peter Dawson, and he’s the same guy who has been stalking Teresa Anderson… if that’s what you want to call it. There’s a little more to this saga than Maggie Anderson has led us to believe. Peter and Teresa dated for a while, until Maggie put a stop to it.”

  “I see. It’s a case of a mother trying to interfere with her daughter’s life. That’s nothing new.”

  “We’re way past that. Maggie put the brakes on their relationship, but Peter wouldn’t give up. When Teresa finally told him she couldn’t see him anymore, he didn’t take it well. Teresa really liked him, until her mother butted in, and then she saw the ugly side of her boyfriend. Now, things have gotten nasty, and I don’t know if Teresa is more afraid of her mother than she is of Peter. I think Maggie has exacerbated the situation.”

  We made our way to the dining room and marveled at the impressive buffet as we stood there, plates in hand. “Look at all this food!” I raved. “You could feed an entire third world country with this much food.”