Fatal Flirtation: A Cruise Ship Mystery (Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Book 13)

by Hope Callaghan

  “It was gonna be a surprise.” Sharky slipped the pendant in his pocket.

  “I don’t like surprises,” Annette said.

  “You’ll like mine.”

  “I really need to get back to work,” Annette said.

  “Me too.” Millie climbed to her feet and brushed off her knees. “Thanks for the information, Sharky. You’ve been very helpful.”

  “If I think of anything else, I’ll give you a call.” Sharky held the door for Annette. “I’m sure I’ll think of something else. Hey, I heard the ship is visiting a romantic, private island tomorrow. If you’re free, we can take a walk around the island together. I have a couple of hours off first thing tomorrow morning.”

  “I have to work,” Annette said.

  “What about when we get back to the Port of Miami on Saturday? I have Saturday afternoon off.”

  “I have to work then, too. I have to work every day for the rest of my life with no time off…ever.”

  Sharky’s hands fell to his sides. “I can take a hint. You’re not interested. I had hoped that once we got to know each other, you might change your mind.”

  Annette studied him thoughtfully. “Listen, you seem like a…decent guy and I’m sure some lucky woman will love you to the moon and back. That woman is not me. I’m set in my ways. I’ve been alone too long and I like it that way. It’s nothing personal against you. It’s me.” She inched her way into the hall.

  Sharky advanced a step while Millie hung back, wishing she was anywhere but in the room listening to the uncomfortable exchange, unsure if she felt sorrier for Sharky or for Annette.

  “I know this great little Cuban restaurant about two blocks from the port. A buddy of mine owns it. I would love to take you there…as friends, of course. No pressure.”

  “I don’t date,” Annette said bluntly.

  “It wouldn’t be a date,” Sharky argued. “We could go as friends.”

  Annette retreated another step. Sharky followed her into the hall and Millie reluctantly brought up the rear.

  “Tell you what. I’ll think about it. No promises. No date. No romance and for Pete’s sake, no Christmas tree suit.”

  Sharky’s face lit. “You won’t be sorry, Annette. I’ll be on my best behavior and we’ll go as friends.” He thrust out his uninjured hand. “Friend?”

  Annette stared at the extended hand. “Friend.” She shook Sharky’s hand and quickly snatched it back. “Still - no promises. I’ll need to look at my work schedule first.”

  “Sure. Yes. I understand.” Sharky turned to Millie, who was standing behind him, and he gave her a hug. “You’re the best. Thank you, Millie. I owe you one.”

  “I’ll remember that,” Millie chuckled. “I have a few more leads to look into. If I think of anything else, I’ll give you a buzz.”

  “You bet. I’ll see you later.” He gave Annette a goofy grin and then slipped back inside his office, quietly closing the door behind him.

  “What just happened?” Annette asked.

  “You made a new friend,” Millie joked. “We better get a move on. I’m sure Amit is wondering what happened to us.”

  They hurried to the other end of the ship, up the employee stairs and then into the hallway where they climbed the stairs to deck seven.

  Annette was breathing heavily by the time they reached the top. “I am out of shape and you’re barely winded,” she gasped.

  “I’ve had lots of practice.” Millie patted Annette’s arm. “After today, I owe you one.”

  “Yes, you do. Maybe I should make you chaperone my non-date to make sure Sharky doesn’t try anything funny.”

  “Is it that bad?” Millie chided.

  “No. It’s not, but I’m not used to attention from the opposite sex, unless it’s one of my kitchen staff. I don’t need that kind of hassle in my life.”

  The women began walking along the corridor.

  “I didn’t think I did, either, and look at me now,” Millie said. “I married the love of my life. You keep claiming you’re set in your ways. People change, situations change.”

  “I am set in my ways,” Annette argued. “I’ve had a romance or two back in the day. Neither of them ended well. Mostly, because they were my partners. One of them died working undercover and the other one fizzled out.”

  “So one of them broke your heart and you’re still grieving over the other?” Millie asked.

  “In a way.” Annette shrugged. “I decided a long time ago it was safer not to let people into my life.”

  “Except for Cat, Amit and me.”

  “True.” Annette admitted. “I guess I have turned into an old softie after all.”

  “You’re a good friend, Annette Delacroix. In fact, you’re my closest friend. I’m not the best at advising others what to do with their lives. I can say it’s better to love and lose than to never love at all.”

  “I’m not in love with Sharky.”

  Millie laughed. “I didn’t say you were in love with Sharky. You may never be more than friends. It wouldn’t hurt to open up and give new people a chance.”

  They reached the galley door and Annette paused. “I feel like I got a whole lecture on life in the length of five minutes.”

  “From someone who loves you and only wants the best for you.” Sudden tears burned the back of Millie’s eyes. Annette was a true friend, someone Millie knew had her back no matter what, who would be there for her in the blink of an eye. She only hoped she was half that friend.

  “You’re gonna have me bawlin’ any minute now,” Annette said gruffly.

  “We can’t have that.” Millie followed Annette into the galley and it was back to business as usual as Annette began barking orders to her kitchen staff, who were scrambling to get ready for the breakfast rush.

  Her eyes scanned the room as she searched for Amit, looking right past him the first time. She didn’t recognize the handsome young man, dressed in khaki slacks, a collared shirt and penny loafers.

  Millie smiled. “You look so handsome. My goodness.”

  “Miss Millie. I only wear this outfit on special occasions.”

  “Annette should give you more time off, so you can find yourself a girlfriend.”

  “But I love my job. Annette needs me.”

  “I’m sure she does. Are you ready?”

  “Yes.”

  Millie led the way out of the galley and to the other end of the ship where the coffee bar was located. There was a long line.

  Millie and Amit stood off to the side as Millie studied the crowd.

  Most of the passengers were young. None of them was Jennifer Quillen. Millie consulted her watch. If Jennifer Quillen was going to show, she had roughly fifteen minutes to make an appearance in time to use the coupon that was time stamped.

  She watched as several passengers grabbed their coffees and wandered off while others headed to the nearby bistro tables to enjoy their morning beverages. Millie was ready to give up when she spied Jennifer strolling toward them.

  Millie ducked behind one of the posts. “There she is,” she whispered. “Jennifer is the woman with the large floppy straw hat and pink shorts.” She peeked around the corner and watched as the woman joined the back of the line.

  “I will go now.” Amit adjusted the collar of his shirt and crossed the corridor.

  Millie remained hidden behind the post and watched Amit get in line behind Jennifer. Jennifer turned and gave Amit a bright smile.

  Amit leaned in to say something.

  “Way to go, Amit,” Millie whispered.

  Jennifer touched the rim of her hat before pressing her hand to her chest. They chatted for several moments, until Jennifer reached the counter.

  She turned her attention to the woman behind the counter, while Amit winked at Millie. She gave him two thumbs up.

  Jennifer handed the woman her coupon and then took the drink, stepping off to the side.

  Amit placed his order and then handed the worker his employee keycard.


  “Crud. Sorry, Amit,” Millie whispered under her breath. She’d planned to give Amit a beverage coupon but in her haste, she’d forgotten. She vowed to take care of the charge as soon as he left.

  The woman handed Amit a large cup. Amit thanked her and had just turned to go when Jennifer darted across the coffee bar and tapped him on the shoulder.

  He turned slowly, and they talked for several long moments before Amit took a step back and then started to walk away.

  Jennifer’s eyes followed Amit until he disappeared from sight. The woman’s eyes scanned the corridor and then she took off in the opposite direction.

  Millie waited until the young woman was out of sight before hurrying after Amit. She caught up with him in front of the piano bar. “Well?”

  “That woman. You’re never going to believe what she said to me.”

  Chapter 16

  “She was trying to pick you up,” Millie guessed.

  “No. She complain about the gourmet coffee. She say, the coffee here not good. It too expensive and the coffee in the dining room just as good.”

  “She wasn’t flirting with you?”

  “No.” Amit shook his head. “Maybe I not her type. She nice but…”

  “Well, there goes one of my theories.”

  Amit blew on the top of his coffee and then took a sip. “The coffee – it good, but she right. Not much better than the free stuff in the dining room.”

  “I planned to buy your coffee,” Millie said. “I’ll run back and tell the cashier to put the coffee on my tab. Thank you for your help, Amit.”

  “You’re welcome, Miss Millie. I better go back to work. Annette, she will need my help.”

  Millie thanked him again and backtracked to the coffee bar. When she reached the front of the line, she ordered a regular coffee and asked the cashier to credit Amit’s employee account and charge hers for his coffee instead.

  “Business is brisk this morning,” Millie commented when the woman handed her lanyard back.

  “Yes. Yesterday was slow. I think the passengers were staying in their cabins because of the rough seas. Today is much better. Now, if I could get rid of the cranky customers.”

  “The passengers should be happy. The sun will be out today and the skies are clearing.”

  “Most are. There’s always one or two.” The cashier rolled her eyes. “Well, really just one. The same passenger comes in here every morning, whining about how the coffee isn’t good and it’s too expensive. I don’t know why she was complaining today. She had a coupon and her coffee was free.”

  “Ah.” Millie lifted her eyebrow. “You’re talking about Jennifer Quillen.”

  “Yes, I believe the woman’s name is Jennifer. Of course, maybe it’s not the coffee. She seems unhappy in general, complaining about the other passengers, how she’s on the ship with her fiancé and all they do is fight.”

  Millie perked up. “She said all of that?”

  “Yeah. I’m the coffee confessional. You wouldn’t believe what people say sometimes.”

  “Does Jennifer - the young woman - always come here alone?”

  “Yes, although she was getting cozy with one of the other passengers, a tall man with light-colored hair pulled back in a man bun.”

  Millie’s heart skipped a beat. The woman was describing Vic Turner to a “T.” “You said they didn’t come together, but acted as if they knew one another?”

  “It sure seemed that way. It was the day before yesterday. After the man left, she came back and ordered another coffee and was telling me how cute she thought he was.”

  “Interesting.” Millie glanced at the young woman’s nametag – Carlah. “Thank you so much, Carlah.”

  Millie slipped her lanyard over her head and smiled at the woman before wandering to the corridor. Jennifer Quillen was flirting with Vic Turner. She also mentioned to Carlah that she and her fiancé, Todd, weren’t getting along.

  What if Jennifer and Vic Turner had been secretly meeting?

  Millie’s shift was starting and it was time to head down to the theater to start the morning round of bingo. After bingo, she was hosting the adult mystery and scavenger hunt. Next up was late morning trivia, followed by a quick lunch break and enough time to figure out where Vic Turner’s cabin was located.

  If his cabin was on the same deck as Jennifer Quillen and Todd Ebenstein’s, she might be onto something.

  Millie still needed to figure out how to get her hands on the Turner family event planner.

  Despite a large turnout for the morning bingo session, the games moved quickly, so Millie added a couple more, certain Andy would be thrilled. More rounds of bingo meant more money for the cruise line’s bottom line.

  After the bingo ended, she went topside to the tiki bar where passengers gathered to participate in the scavenger hunt.

  Andy had recently given Millie the okay to experiment with some new themes for the scavenger hunts and she’d come up with a combination mystery/scavenger hunt that involved picture locales. The ship was full of panoramic and picturesque photos of many of the ports the Siren of the Seas had visited.

  Millie passed out pads of papers and pens, and then went over the game rules. Passengers would have ninety minutes to track down the exact location of the photos. The game rules also included listing the tropical locale in which the picture was taken. Some of the pictures were tricky and even she had trouble figuring out the locale.

  The mystery/scavenger hunt participants departed and Millie made a beeline for the stairs. She headed straight to the apartment and her laptop.

  Scout was waiting for her near the door, so she let him out for a bathroom break and then settled in at the desk.

  Millie logged onto the ship’s computer system, clicked on the current passenger log and typed in Vic Turner’s name. Victor Turner’s cabin was on deck three, one deck below the Atlantic deck where Jennifer Quillen and Todd Ebenstein’s cabin was located.

  Next, she switched over to the screen that listed the guests, along with their onboard purchases and charges. Not all of the ship’s staff had access to this information, and Millie was one of those with limited access.

  Cat had access because she managed Ocean Treasures. Nic also had access, which is how Millie was able to log onto the site.

  She clicked on Vic Turner’s account first and scrolled the screen. There were a handful of bar charges, a cash withdrawal at the guest services desk, some motion sickness medication from the gift shop, specialty dining charges the first night of the cruise, and even a store purchase from that morning. “How can there be a room charge if Turner is off the ship?”

  Millie exited his account and then typed in Aaron Quillen, Jennifer’s brother. The screen was empty. “How odd,” Millie murmured. There wasn’t a single charge on his account, not even the gratuities for the ship’s room stewards and wait staff.

  She leaned back in her chair and stared blankly at the blank screen. Surely, the man had purchased one or two items. All passengers were required to open an onboard charge account. The only time guests used cash was for tipping or if they played in the casino.

  The entire ship was cashless, except for those two items. Perhaps Aaron had been on a tight budget.

  Millie clicked out of the screen and then tried again, thinking perhaps there was a glitch in the system. The screen popped up with the same results…nothing.

  Scout trotted back into the room and promptly plopped down on Millie’s right foot. “Poor pup. I think you have cabin fever.”

  Millie picked him up and held him close. Scout licked her chin and then pawed at her lanyard. “I bet you’re ready for a break from this place. How would you like to spend the rest of the afternoon bumming around the ship with me?”

  She placed the small pooch on her lap where he circled it twice and then curled into a ball. “I think that was a yes. Let me finish up here and then we’ll head out,” she promised.

  Millie turned her attention back to the computer screen. She
exited Aaron Quillen’s account and typed in Jennifer Quillen.

  Similar to her brother’s account, Jennifer’s account showed a zero balance. “Now I’m confused,” Millie told Scout. “How can both Jennifer and her brother have a zero balance?”

  It was then Millie realized Jennifer’s account was tied to her cabin, and her cabin number A4315, was the same as Aaron Quillen.

  Millie’s pulse ticked up a notch. She’s assumed that Jennifer was staying in Todd Ebenstein’s cabin, but it appeared that was not the case. She and her brother had shared the same cabin.

  She clicked out of the screen and typed “Todd Ebenstein” in the search bar. His name popped up and Millie clicked on it. She let out a gasp as the screen filled with itemized charges. “Whoa. Now I know who’s picking up the bill.” She snatched her reading glasses off the desk and slipped them on before leaning forward. Todd’s cabin number was A4317, which would put him directly across the hall from Jennifer and her brother.

  There was page after page of charges, from bar drinks to specialty dining to gift shop and liquor store purchases. There was an expensive shore excursion charge for St. Martin and then a bunch of gratuity charges, too many for a solo cruiser.

  Millie ran her finger along the gratuity lines and did some mental calculations. Ebenstein’s bill included not only his charges, but also Jennifer’s and someone else’s charges. Could it be Ebenstein had been paying for Jennifer’s brother, as well?

  If so, why? Maybe the cruise was a gift from Ebenstein to Jennifer’s brother. An important piece of the puzzle was missing. She clicked out of the screen and returned to Aaron’s onboard account.

  Millie stared at the blank screen before clicking out of it and glancing at the clock in the corner. She still had half an hour before she needed to return to the tiki bar to wrap up the scavenger hunt.

  It would give her just enough time to head to the Atlantic deck to track down the room steward who serviced both Todd’s cabin as well as Jennifer and Aaron’s cabin. Millie logged off the computer and hopped out of the chair.

  “It’s time to go Scout.” She carried the small pooch to the door and grabbed his leash on the way out.