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

by Hope Callaghan

  Millie hurried to deck three and the lower level of the theater where several of the ship’s entertainment crew were on stage practicing their dance routines.

  The door to Andy’s office was open and the room was dark. Millie flipped the light switch on and stepped inside, her heart ticking up a notch when her eyes fell on Andy’s filing cabinet in the corner of the room.

  Millie tiptoed to the other side and grabbed the drawer handle. It was locked, so she tried the one below it. It was also locked. She worked her way to the bottom. All of the cabinets were locked.

  “Crud.”

  “What are you doing?”

  Millie stumbled backwards as Danielle stepped into the room. “You scared me half to death.”

  “I called your name. I guess you didn’t hear me,” Danielle said. “What are you doing?” she repeated.

  “I’m trying to open the filing cabinets.”

  “Andy keeps them locked because they contain personnel files and other confidential information. Why do you want to get in there?”

  “Oh,” Danielle lifted a brow. “This has something to do with Micah.”

  “And the Turner Family Reunion. Annette told me that large groups are required to submit paperwork called an event planner. Andy gets a copy, so I was hoping to take a peek at the planner to see if anything unusual pops out at me.”

  “Why don’t you ask him?”

  “Because he’ll know what I’m up to and tell me ‘no.’”

  “True.” Danielle pulled a hairpin from her hair. “Step aside. I’ll try to pick the lock.”

  “You can pick this lock with a bobby pin?”

  “Yep. I’ve done it before. Well, not this particular cabinet, but a similar one.”

  “You have?” Millie inched to the side. “When?”

  “I can’t divulge that information or else…”

  “You would have to kill me.” Millie finished her sentence.

  “Yep.” Danielle slid the hairpin into the lock and wiggled it around. “Rats! This bobby pin is too flimsy. It’s bending.”

  The sound of heavy footsteps coming from the back of the stage echoed in the room, growing louder and getting closer.

  “Someone’s coming,” Millie hissed.

  Chapter 20

  Danielle grabbed Millie’s hand and yanked her over to Andy’s bulletin board. “…and then I think we could switch.”

  “Hello, Millie, Danielle.” Andy stepped into his office. “Is there a problem with the work schedule?”

  “No,” Danielle innocently shook her head. “Millie and I were going over the rest of today’s schedule and wondering what tomorrow’s schedule looks like. I don’t see it posted yet.”

  “I just got out of a meeting with Captain Armati and Donovan. We secured a spot in port tomorrow. We’ll be visiting Harmony Cove. The ship will dock at eight a.m. and depart at eight p.m.”

  “Perfect. I’m sure the passengers will be thrilled,” Millie said.

  “The captain will make an announcement over the intercom within the hour. I jotted down some rough notes for a revised schedule for tomorrow.”

  “I have some time to see what you’ve come up with.” Millie pulled out a chair and plopped down.

  “Me too,” Danielle said.

  Andy took his place at the head of the table and briefly went over the revised schedule for the following day. While Andy droned on, Millie’s mind wandered. She needed to figure out a way to get inside the filing cabinet, but how?

  Millie studied Andy’s notes and her heart sank. Her boss had filled up the rest of the day and evening schedule, beginning right after the captain’s gala dinner. She wouldn’t have a moment to spare to slip away and snoop.

  “What are you doing tomorrow?” Millie lifted her head.

  “Me?” Andy shuffled the papers. “I haven’t started working on my schedule yet. I thought maybe I would play it by ear.”

  “I see.” Millie returned to her thoughts. If only she could get rid of Andy for a couple of hours, maybe figure out a way to get him off the ship. She shot Danielle a quick glance. She would still need Danielle’s help to unlock the cabinet.

  “What’s your schedule tomorrow, Danielle?” Millie interrupted again.

  Aggravated, Andy cleared his throat and stared at Millie. “Is everything okay, Millie? You seem distracted.”

  “No, I’m fine. I’m sorry. I won’t interrupt again,” Millie squeaked. “Carry on.”

  Andy finished going over the new schedule and then clipped his handwritten notes to the top of the clipboard. “If you stop back at the end of your shift, I’ll have everyone’s new schedule posted on the bulletin board.”

  “Yes, sir.” Millie stood and gave Andy a mock salute.

  Danielle and Millie exited Andy’s office. They strolled down the center aisle and stepped into the hall. “I need to look inside Andy’s filing cabinet, but my schedule is booked solid for the rest of the day.”

  “Mine too,” Danielle said. “We could wait until later, to compare notes on tomorrow’s schedule to see if we can squeeze in a little snooping. But first, we’ll have to figure out a way to get rid of Andy. We almost got busted back there.”

  “Yeah,” Millie tilted her head and stared at the theater doors. “Wait a minute. I know the perfect person who can help us out. We’ll hammer out the final details after we look at tomorrow’s schedule. Meet me here at ten-thirty after our shifts end.”

  Danielle circled her thumb and index finger. “You got it.” She began whistling a catchy tune as she stepped into a nearby elevator.

  Millie waited until the elevator doors closed and then climbed the stairs to the bridge. It was time to get ready for the captain’s dinner and plot her strategy for getting Andy off the ship while they were in port the following day.

  *****

  Millie kept one eye on the dining room entrance, anxiously awaiting Nadia and Regan’s arrival. She glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time while her husband waved a hand in front of her face. “Are you okay? You keep staring at the door.”

  “I’m fine. I was hoping Regan and Nadia would join us for dinner.”

  “We’re a little early. I’m sure they’re on the way. I see Andy coming in.”

  The couple watched as Andy wound his way past the tables, stopping several times to shake a few hands and pat a few backs.

  Millie waited until he reached their table. “I didn’t think you were going to make it for dinner this evening.”

  “I never miss a captain’s dinner if I can help it.” Andy adjusted his tie and slid into his seat. “Were you worried about me?”

  “No.” Millie reached for her glass of ice water. “Not at all.”

  Donovan Sweeney arrived next. He settled into the empty seat beside Andy and directly across the table from Millie and Nic.

  Right behind Donovan were two female passengers. They looked vaguely familiar and after Andy introduced them, Millie realized they were diamond guests who had cruised several times on board the Siren of the Seas.

  Nadia and Regan were the last to arrive, and Millie caught Nadia’s eyes as she and Regan wound their way past several tables.

  “I’m sorry we’re late,” a breathless Nadia exclaimed. “I couldn’t find my dress shoes.”

  “They’re sitting by our front door,” Regan said. “I mentioned it on the way out the door. I don’t think you heard me.”

  “I was in a tizzy.” Nadia ran a frazzled hand through her hair.

  Millie grinned. “Are you barefoot?”

  “Almost.” Nadia stuck her foot in the air. “Flip-flops. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Throw her out,” Nic teased as he rounded the table and hugged Nadia. “You look lovely, my dear. Just as lovely as my wife.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

  Nic shook Regan’s hand before making his way to the other side of the table to welcome the diamond guests. One of the elderly women nearly swooned when Nic kissed the top of
her hand.

  After everyone was seated, the captain’s headwaiter, Sanun, made his rounds jotting down the appetizer orders.

  Millie had a difficult time deciding since everything sounded delicious. It dawned on her she’d been so busy spying on Jennifer Quillen, that she missed lunch.

  Her mouth began to water at the food descriptions. “Oh, the choices,” Millie groaned.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Regan said. “I’ll have one of each.”

  “Of course, sir. As you wish,” Sanun said. “Ladies first. He turned to the diamond guests, who had no trouble rattling off their selections. Nadia was next and it took her a minute to make her decision.

  Sanun turned to Millie. “Yes, Miss Millie.”

  “I’ll have the warm crab and artichoke dip for a starter, the cream of porcini mushroom soup and it’s a toss-up between the basa fillet and the lobster.”

  “You can’t go wrong with lobster,” Nic commented.

  “He’s right. Lobster it is.” Millie thanked Sanun and handed him the menu.

  The men ordered their meals and while they waited for the first course to arrive, the tablemates discussed the ship’s activities.

  When the food arrived, Millie polished off her crab and artichoke dip in record time. Sanun brought her mushroom soup and, once again, she was the first to finish her food.

  She nibbled on a warm dinner roll while the others finished theirs.

  After the main course was served, the conversation drifted to recent political events. Millie kept her opinions to herself while the others joined in a lively debate.

  Sanun and his assistant cleared the table after the last guest finished their main course and then they passed out the dessert menus. Millie’s mouth watered at the descriptions.

  Dessert:

  Caramelized Banana Cream Pie. A decadent pie with the perfect combination of whipped white chocolate, bananas and caramel.

  Chocolate Brownie Melting Tart. Made with a cookie crust and a brownie filling. The chef serves it with whipped cream, passion fruit sauce and raspberry sauce.

  Vacation Sundae. Almond macaroons, bitter chocolate, raspberries, vanilla and chocolate.

  Chocolate Melting Cake. No explanation needed. Everyone knows about the chocolate melting cake.

  Vanilla Crème Brûlée. Baked vanilla cream, garnished with assorted berries.

  Millie rubbed her forehead. “I hate to admit it, but I’m having a hard time deciding whether to have the chocolate melting cake, one of my all-time favorites, or try the vacation sundae. I’ve never seen the sundae on the menu before.”

  “Both are very good,” Sanun replied. “It never hurts to try something new.”

  “Vacation sundae it is and coffee when you get a chance.”

  “Of course.” Sanun finished taking the dessert orders while his assistant followed him around the table and poured coffee.

  Nic turned the conversation to the weather, assuring the guests that the seas would remain calm for the duration of the cruise, and then asked the elderly women if they were getting off in port the following day.

  “Oh yes.” Ginny, one of the women, nodded her head. “I heard we’ll be visiting Harmony Cove. Why, it has been many years since Majestic Cruise Lines called on such a magnificent port.”

  “Not since we purchased South Seas Cay,” Andy said. “We’ve lined up some exciting excursions.” He turned to Millie. “They have a zip lining excursion if you’re interested.”

  “Not on your life,” Millie playfully pointed her steak knife at him. “I doubt you’ll ever get me on a zip line or a sky-high obstacle course again.”

  “I think it sounds exciting,” Nadia exclaimed.

  “I’ll be staying on board the ship all day.” The wheels in Millie’s head began to spin and she slowly turned to Andy. “Perhaps you should visit the island tomorrow, Andy. It would be good for you to get a firsthand look at the island in case we ever need to visit it again.”

  “Excellent idea,” Nic said. “You should check it out Andy.”

  “I…uh.” Andy looked from Millie to Nic and she almost clapped her hands with glee. Andy would be getting off the ship, which meant his office would be empty, giving her ample time to rifle through his filing cabinet.

  “Danielle and I will be on board to handle all of the events and any issues that may arise,” Millie said.

  Even Donovan chimed in. “I agree. We need to have boots on the ground and someone on hand to have a look around. You won’t have to stay all day, old chap, just long enough to check it out.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Andy reluctantly agreed. “I could go first thing in the morning to ensure all of the activities are in order.”

  “It’s settled,” Millie beamed. “Don’t worry about a thing, Andy. Danielle and I will make sure everything is under control.”

  Chapter 21

  “Hurry up.” Millie motioned Danielle inside Andy’s office and then pushed the door shut behind her, turning the lock. “Andy got off the ship almost an hour ago. If I know Andy, he’s going to take a quick look around, make sure everything is running smoothly and then come right back.”

  “Sorry, Millie. I couldn’t get away any quicker. Those Nutty Knitters have a gift for gab. Did I tell you they’re making me a set of slippers? I have a picture of the yarn I picked out.” Danielle pulled her phone from her back pocket.

  Millie glanced at Danielle’s phone. “It’s the perfect color, nice and bright. I can’t wait to see what they look like when they’re done. Right now, we have more pressing matters.” She jabbed her index finger toward the filing cabinet. “Did you bring a heavy-duty lock picking device?”

  “I sure did. Check it out.” Danielle brandished a metal hook. “I was admiring a small crochet hook Betsy was using to pick up dropped stitches, thinking to myself this would make the perfect lock picking tool. I told her I liked it, so she gave it to me.” Danielle turned it over in her hand. “See how small this is? Not to mention sturdy. I found out this is made from aluminum.”

  “Great, let’s give it a whirl.” Millie nudged Danielle to the other side of the room and the filing cabinet. “Work your magic.”

  Danielle snaked past Millie and leaned forward to inspect the lock. She slipped the crochet hook inside the narrow opening. “It’s a perfect fit.” She wiggled it back and forth until they heard a clicking noise.

  “Bingo!” Danielle removed the hook and grasped the drawer pull. The top drawer silently slid open.

  “Danielle, you’re the bomb.” Millie began rummaging through the file folders in the top cabinet. The folders were filled with ship activities, sorted by cruise and date. “Nothing.”

  She closed the drawer and opened the one below it. The drawer was filled with entertainment staff file folders. “Personnel folders.”

  Millie moved onto the third drawer, which was full of Andy’s personal files and personnel records. “Only one left.”

  She opened the last drawer and said a quick prayer she would find the event planners. Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized Andy’s tidy handwriting on the tab, Turner Family Reunion.

  Millie pulled the folder from the cabinet and set it on the desk. Her hand trembled as she flipped it open.

  The top page was a payment schedule. The second sheet was a list of attendees and passengers.

  Her eyes scanned the list and she paused when she spotted Vic Turner’s name. “Vic Turner, age thirty-one, lives in Chicago, Illinois.” She tipped her head to the side. “There is one more note, this one kind of sideways and in a different colored ink. “Passenger Vic Turner, aka Victor Gordon Turner, arr. record 2/2005.”

  Danielle leaned over her shoulder. “Whoa. This dude had an arrest record from February of 2005. He cleared CBP, though.”

  “CBP,” Millie repeated.

  “Customs and border patrol,” Danielle said. “I’m surprised Patterson lifted the cabin arrest, if he got into an altercation on the ship and he found out Tu
rner had an arrest record.”

  Millie remembered that Patterson intentionally lifted the cabin arrest to see what he and Aaron Quillen would do. “He did it on purpose. Vic mentioned this yesterday, claiming he did something stupid when he was young.”

  “Don’t we all,” Danielle murmured.

  Millie continued rifling through the file. Nothing struck her as a clue, so she shoved the papers back into the file folder and dropped it in the filing cabinet. “I bet I could do a little background search on Turner and find out what the arrest was for.” She started to close the cabinet when another name caught her eye…Quillen.

  She lifted the folder from the drawer and opened it. Andy had taken a few notes on Jennifer Quillen, Aaron Quillen and Todd Ebenstein.

  The folder also contained a copy of the passengers’ onboard credit accounts; similar to the information Millie had discovered when she pulled them up on her home computer.

  “Do you see anything odd here?” She handed the folder to Danielle and Danielle scanned the list of charges. “Yeah, it appears Jennifer Quillen is a money-grubber, along with her brother, Aaron.”

  “Right, which means she’s using poor Todd Ebenstein.”

  Danielle finished scanning the list and handed it back to Millie. “That’s pretty crappy, but it still doesn’t make her or her brother a killer.”

  “Which brings us right back to square one concerning Micah’s death.”

  “Yep.”

  “Maybe it’s Alice Turner, the woman who attacked you on the upper deck the other day and scratched your face.”

  Danielle touched the faint mark on her cheek. “Yeah, she was a real goober. Still, I feel partially to blame. I should’ve walked away.”

  “I heard she’s filing a complaint against you for bodily harm.”

  “Good luck proving I injured her,” Danielle snorted.

  “You left a deep, red scratch on her neck.”

  Danielle frowned, a surprised look on her face. “I never scratched her neck. She was wearing a beach cover-up with a high neckline at the time of the incident. I remember thinking that it was odd she was in the hot tub wearing a cover-up. There’s no way I left a mark.”