Masked to Death (A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery Book 5)

by Christina Freeburn

  “Gee, I wonder why.” Ted wouldn’t ask me. He knew my grandmothers’ feelings about cohabiting before marriage, even on a vacation, and he respected them too much to breach their trust, even if they’d never find out.

  “Just so you know, my mom has one of the rooms in the suite, Elizabeth and Claire the other. I’m sleeping on a pull-out couch for the next seven days.”

  “Six,” I said. “Don’t be such a big baby about it.”

  He smiled. “So you’re not mad.”

  “Oh, I’m mad. Just not about that.”

  The smile vanished. “About what? I want things right between us. These first two days of vacation haven’t matched the picture I had in my brain. Me, you, and Claire having lunch together, doing some of the family activities as a unit.”

  “It might’ve worked better if Claire and I met beforehand.”

  “I’m seeing that now. Elizabeth had told her a few weeks ago that she and Neal were dating, not just friends, and Claire wasn’t happy. I felt it was best to wait.”

  “That’s working for us.”

  Ted drew me into his arms, cradling me against his chest. I relented and wrapped my arms around him. It felt good. “I know I’m not making enough time for you. Claire is so sensitive lately, and I don’t want her thinking I’m choosing you over her. And my mom is acting more controlling than usual. She’s jumpy about something. That’s not her. My mom is usually cool and can settle any drama with a single look, not create more. I think she might be drinking again. Knowing my father is somewhere on this ship is affecting her.”

  Or she didn’t want Garrison to find out she was the one who told the captain about Ronnie shoving Quinn into a trunk. An ugly thought crept in. If John was right about Odessa’s involvement in the jewelry theft ring, Odessa might have used that knowledge to get rid of Quinn, knowing the blame would fall onto Ronnie’s shoulders.

  Ted tipped my chin up. “What is it?”

  “Nothing. Worried about the time.” I shoved the horrible thought out of my head. John’s assumption was taking root in my head. “Your mom and daughter are probably flipping out right now. You’ve been gone awhile.” Placing my hands on his waist, I spun him toward the atrium. “Go.”

  His shoulders hunched forward as he obeyed my command.

  I needed a brief break from Ted and his family to sort out all the thoughts in my head. I was driving myself crazy. I should tell John I was out. Done. Claire’s behavior toward me was making this trip stressful enough; playing master spy with John quadrupled it.

  I pressed the button for the elevator and in no time made it to our deck level. I walked down the hall. A figure hurried toward the end of the hallway and turned the corner.

  The ship lurched. The waves were tossing me to and fro. I pressed my hand to the wall. Ronnie’s cabin door wasn’t closed all the way. I tapped on the door then opened it. It was empty and the lights were dimmed. A scream came from outside. Jazz music floated into the room. The sliding glass door was open, and a cool breeze blew into the room, fluttering the curtains that hadn’t been drawn back. “Are you out there, Ronnie?”

  More screams. Terrified, not gleeful. The music stopped.

  “Oscar! Oscar! Oscar!” The announcement came over the loudspeaker.

  Man overboard. I ran to the balcony and leaned over. The boat dipped again. I clamped down tight to the rail, my purse slipping from my hand as I righted myself, fearing I’d get pitched over. The cabin door banged shut. A white scarf fluttered down to the deck. Another scarf was tied to the railing. People were pointing out to the water while others looked up. Toward me. Ronnie’s balcony.

  “She jumped. A woman jumped!” The cries reached my ears. “From there.”

  Ronnie! I spun and ran into the room. “Ronnie, where are you?” No answer.

  I yanked open the bathroom. I doubled over, a deep pain twisted my insides.

  On the mirror, written in bright pink lipstick were the words: “I caused too much pain. I’m sorry.”

  THIRTEEN

  The ship continued its slow circle in the vicinity where Ronnie had fallen. Crew members stood around the railing, shining lights down onto the water. Other passengers, like me, strained their eyes, hoping for a glimpse of Ronnie in the dark waters below. Please let her surface. Please let us see her, I thought. With every passing second, the chances of Ronnie being alive diminished. She’d already been in the water for about four hours. It was past midnight. Ronnie and I should be complaining about Odessa’s controlling ways together, not me standing in the dark, praying for her life.

  How did it happen? I remembered the boat lurching. Had Ronnie been looking down at the party and tipped over? Or had the boat made the movement because Ronnie had fallen from the balcony and the boat was slowing down and turning? I grasped what everyone was saying—she jumped—but my mind refused to believe it. Garrison was getting married. Her best friend. She wouldn’t ruin that for him. My mind swirled with images. She had looked horrible earlier. Not herself at all. She practically chased me out of her room. No. No. No. I pressed my hands to my ears, not wanting to hear the voice in my head or those outside of it.

  In the inky blackness, I made out the lights of another cruise ship joining the search for our missing cruiser. It was easier on my heart to think of the person overboard as a cruiser rather than Ronnie. I’d deal with the whole truth later. Right now, I wanted to do what little I could, and that was staring out at the dark water, hoping to see a person waving for help.

  It was a slim hope, but I clung to it tightly. With every white cap that rose, I held my breath, willing to see our missing person being brought up out of the ocean to us. Each cap disappearing back into the water made the reality of the situation so much more real. She wasn’t going to come back. Ronnie was gone. Lost in the ocean.

  Garrison had followed me to Ronnie’s room. The moment he saw the note, he screamed her name and ran for the balcony. I shivered, recalling the mix of horror and heartbreak that crossed his face. Not long after, a security guard showed up. She gently escorted us out of the room. The captain wanted it sealed until they investigated what had happened.

  What had happened in that hour’s time that made Ronnie do such a horrific thing? I shivered. Ted draped a trench coat around my shoulders, then pulled me into his side. “You should go inside, sweetheart. You’ve been standing out here for three hours. There’s nothing—”

  “Don’t say it.” Rationally, I knew there was nothing I could do for her, but I hated the word nothing with every fiber of my being. It was hopeless. Dark. It took away all control.

  “All that can be done is being done,” Ted said instead. “The Coast Guard should be here in a few hours to help.”

  “How’s Garrison?”

  “He’s at the stern of the ship with Bob. He doesn’t want to leave in case Ronnie is found and needs more medical attention than the ship’s doctor can provide.”

  “We aren’t going to find her, are we?” I shivered again, knowing it was more from the situation than any cold in the air. Going inside wouldn’t take it away. I’d still feel it in my bones.

  “I want to say yes so much. I hate seeing you hurting.”

  “Why are people saying she jumped? It makes no sense.”

  “I think Ronnie said she was sorry because of Quinn,” Ted said.

  I stared at him. “She murdered him? No. I don’t believe that.”

  “Sweetheart, you didn’t know her that well. What else could she have meant?”

  Stealing diamonds and selling them. “Garrison does. He wouldn’t be best friends with a killer.”

  “You married one,” Ted said softly. “Unfortunately, the people we love turn into someone we don’t know sometimes. It’s hard to know what will push someone to commit a horrific crime.”

  I understood what he said. Agreed with him even. But I still believed Ronnie was innocent.

  “I’ve heard snatches of conversation and some cruisers said they saw a woman on the balcony
. She stood on a deck chair and placed one leg over the railing,” Ted said.

  The scarf fluttered into my mind. I grabbed his arm. Soreness crept across my hand. I had to remember that hand was still bruised from the stomping it took. “A show. Ronnie was going to do an aerial performance from the balcony. The boat made a sudden movement and she slipped before she secured her scarf. I saw one floating down from the balcony below hers right after it happened.”

  “That sounds dangerous and unlikely.”

  “It’s something she’d do.”

  “How do you know that? I know you and Ronnie were becoming friends, but you didn’t know her that well.”

  I fisted my hands around the lapels of the jacket. How dare he make me explain my friendship with Ronnie? “I knew her enough to know she loved to perform and had to take a sabbatical because she was caught doing her routine off the railing before. And she loves Garrison. She wouldn’t take her own life the day before his wedding.”

  A crew member tapped Ted on the shoulder. “Excuse me, sir. I hate to interrupt, but the captain would like to speak with you. It’s urgent.”

  “Will you be okay?” The expression on Ted’s face told me he was torn between staying with me and accompanying the crew member to the captain’s office.

  “You should go. It’s probably related to Ronnie going overboard.”

  “I’ll walk you back to your room first.”

  “No. I’m going to see how Garrison is holding up.” I wanted to commiserate with someone else who liked Ronnie and wouldn’t believe she was a killer.

  “I’ll come by your room later and check on you.”

  “I don’t need you to take care of me.”

  “You might not need it, but I do,” Ted said.

  I shrugged on Ted’s coat all the way and went in search of Bob and Garrison. I weaved my way through people returning to their cabins and crew members who were shifting positions. The spotlights swept over the ocean, revealing only water. I found Garrison and Bob at the stern. Bob had an arm around Garrison’s waist.

  I stood behind them for a few moments. What should I say? How should I announce myself? I didn’t want to intrude on their grief, but I needed to talk to someone and have them agree that Ronnie hadn’t killed herself. It made no sense. “Garrison.” I choked out his name.

  He turned and held out his arms to me. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”

  I accepted his embrace. “I don’t believe what everyone is saying. She didn’t jump. Or kill Quinn.”

  “Who’s saying that?” Garrison’s grip tightened. The anger flowed from him into my body.

  “Talk,” I said.

  “From who? Quinn’s death being a possible murder isn’t common knowledge,” Bob said.

  I sent him a look, begging for no more questions.

  “It’s Ted.” Garrison spun. He jabbed a finger into Bob’s shoulder. “Your brother is calling Ronnie a murderer. Do something.”

  “Love, I’m sure Ted’s not proclaiming that from the rafters. It’s what Ronnie’s note hinted at. I’m sure that’s all he meant.” Bob moved forward to gather Garrison into his arms.

  Garrison stepped back, shaking his head. “Ronnie wasn’t capable of that. Make Ted stop saying it.”

  “He’s not,” Bob said.

  “First your mom, now Ted. You’re never going to stand up to your family.”

  Bob’s jaw tightened. “I disowned my father. My mom and Ted are nothing like him. My mom is bossy and a little controlling, not cruel or demeaning. Ted has always supported us.”

  “But Ronnie...”

  Bob drew in a deep breath and pressed his lips together. He had a comeback, but knew it was better unsaid.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t come over here to start a fight.” I retreated a few paces.

  “Faith, wait.” Bob motioned for me. “This isn’t your fault. This week has gone downhill since we first boarded. We’ve all reached our limit. I’ll talk with Ted. Tell him if he’s thinking what Ronnie wrote was a confession of murder, he’s wrong. Okay?”

  Lights in the distance were nearing us. Another boat was arriving to join the search.

  Garrison pulled in a shaky breath and leaned into the railing, his attention once again on the dark water.

  “Something happened to Ronnie. She didn’t jump,” I said.

  “Faith, please stop,” Bob said. “You’re making this harder for Garrison.”

  Tears filled my eyes. “Ronnie’s stateroom door wasn’t closed all the way. I figured room service left it open. When I went inside, I heard screaming and went to the balcony. A scarf fluttered down from the balcony below. I think it got caught there.”

  “You think Ronnie was doing a performance?” Bob asked.

  Another image popped into my mind. Someone rushing down the hallway. “Or trying to escape. I saw a person in the hallway.”

  “It was nothing,” Bob said. He was lying to me. He had the same distant look Ted got when he knew something but didn’t want me to know. “But I’ll mention it to the captain. He can have someone check her shipboard account. Ronnie might have ordered room service and the waiter noticed what she was up to and left to sound an alarm.”

  That was plausible.

  “If you guys will be okay, I’ll go talk with Ted and John. I want him to stay away from us. This week is bad enough,” Bob said.

  I took hold of Garrison’s hand and squeezed. “We’ll be fine together.”

  He squeezed back. “Absolutely. We’ll go have a drink and find a deck chair out of the way to watch.”

  “Love—” Bob started.

  Garrison held up a hand. “I know. Believe me, I know. Ronnie won’t come back to us alive. I need to be here for her. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll get some blankets from our cabin so Faith and I don’t get cold while we wait.”

  “It could be a long wait.”

  “We’ll be waiting no matter where we are,” I said. “This way, we’ll know when it happens and won’t have to keep asking people for information.”

  “All right.” Bob headed for the sliding door, casting a look back over his shoulder. He was too far away for me to read his expression, though I was sure I knew what was on his mind. Worry with a hint of suspicion. And rightly so. We were up to something.

  “I have a key to Ronnie’s room,” Garrison said. “Let’s go see if we can figure out who was in there with her.”

  “We have to make it quick. Bob will be checking up on us. He doesn’t believe us.”

  “We’ll be fine. Bob is up to something on his own,” Garrison said. “He’s sworn for the last five years the only time he’d willingly go see his father is at the man’s funeral. Unless he’s murdering John, there’s something else he’s up to.”

  FOURTEEN

  Garrison leaned his head against Ronnie’s door. “I need a moment.”

  I patted his back and stepped away, giving him a little privacy. Garrison’s shoulders shook and I heard his muffled sobs. “I’m going to take a quick look out here in the hallway.” I wanted to test Bob’s theory and see if there was an alarm at the end of the hallway or around the corner. If the waiter had seen something—like Ronnie preparing to go over the side of the balcony rail—he’d find the closest alarm to pull.

  Carefully, I shuffled down the hallway, alternating my gaze from the carpet to where I was going. There weren’t any clues to lead me to the identity of the mystery person I glimpsed. All I spotted was discarded straw wrappers, wet footprints, and glitter…or something that was sparkling under the hallway safety lights.

  I knelt. The objects were minuscule crystals. I tried picking one up with my fingernails, but couldn’t grip it. I licked my finger and touched one of the crystals, lifting it from the carpet. It was pale pink, almost white. There were a few more on the carpet, like Hansel and Gretel’s trail. I followed it around the corner where it vanished, and I saw an emergency phone on the wall. The small crystals were probably from a beaded dress and a few esc
aped the vacuum when a crew member cleaned the hallway.

  There was an alarm at the end of the hall. Bob’s theory had some weight to it. I was a little ashamed at the disappointment flooding through me. I rubbed my forehead, weariness settling into my being. This happy occasion was now a nightmare, leaving my emotions off-balance. I had no idea why someone killing Ronnie was a better alternative than her ending her life on her own terms.

  I went back to Ronnie’s room. The door was cracked open. I entered quietly, securing the door. I didn’t want anyone spotting us. The main lights were off. The TV was on and muted. Flickering lights from the television washed over Garrison as he stood in front of the sliding glass door. Mists of rain were being blown into the carpet, and the sounds of the crew members continuing their search reached us. My shoes squished on the wet carpet. The slow movements of the boat felt more threatening than the shifting we experienced earlier. Ronnie still hadn’t been found.

  “I can’t believe she’d do this.”

  “I don’t either.” I flipped on the main light. “Something in this room will tell us the truth.”

  Garrison and I searched, neither of us knowing what we were looking for. I wanted to check out the balcony for more wayward scarves, but there’d be a lot of unhappy people if we were spotted out there. I was sure the captain and the security detail preferred to get the first look at the room.

  “We need to be careful about moving items,” I said. “Just make a note of what we find. We don’t want to find ourselves thrown in the brig.”

  “Or locked in our rooms by Bob or Ted.” Garrison flattened himself on the floor and looked under the bed. “There’s something here. There has to be.”

  I pivoted, taking in every inch of the room. Or more importantly, what wasn’t there. Ronnie’s jewelry items. I hurried to the closet and opened it. “Check the drawers near the bed. See if her jewelry-making supplies are in there.”

  Garrison opened one up.