Standing directly behind the sofa was a tall, dark haired man wearing a plain white t-shirt and black resort shorts. He was casing the crowd, as Millie would describe it. “He has been hanging around ever since I got here this morning.”
“I’m going to go talk to him,” Millie said impulsively. She marched over to the man, who now had his back to her, and tapped him on the shoulder. “Hi.”
The man spun around and peered down at Millie. He was tall…taller than he originally appeared. “I’m Millie Sanders, Assistant Cruise Director. You look lost. Can I help you find something?”
“I’m fine,” he frowned. “Just waiting on a friend.”
“I see...” Millie said. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“John. And you said your name was Millie?”
“Yes. Millie.” Millie wasn’t about to give up. “Did you visit San Juan today, John? It’s a lovely island with an old historic fort and a beautiful, picturesque walking district.”
“No. I didn’t.”
She waved a hand. “Personally, I think St. Thomas is enchanting, as well. They have a large shopping district right outside the port with great deals on jewelry.”
Millie glanced at his hand. He wasn’t wearing a wedding band, which didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t married. An image of Roger, Millie’s ex-husband, popped into her head and she quickly pushed it back out.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Now if you’ll excuse me.” John sidestepped Millie, wound his way past the circular staircase leading to the upper deck and disappeared from sight.
Millie’s shoulders slumped. The only thing she’d learned was his first name was John, if that was even his name. She had her doubts.
She made her way back to the guest services desk where Nikki stood watching. “Is there any way to check on guests with the first name John?”
Nikki scrunched her brows. “John? Yeah, there are probably at least a couple dozen.” She shifted her gaze to the computer screen in front of her and tapped the keys on the keyboard. “Close. There are forty-two passengers onboard the ship with the first name John.”
“Well, that narrows it down,” Millie grimaced and glanced at her watch. “I better head over to the gangway. I’m sure Andy is waiting for me.”
“Oh!” Nikki stopped her. “I forgot to tell you. Darna stopped by here earlier. He got off the ship to use his phone near one of the hot spots and started talking to one of the crew from the other ship, Baroness of the Seas. He said the guy worked security and mentioned they had extra security on their sailing, as well, something the guy said had never happened before.”
“You don’t say.” Millie scratched the corner of her eye and wondered if the needles Dr. Chow had used had been sterilized.
She leaned forward. “Does my face look funny - like I have puncture wounds?”
Nikki tilted her head and studied Millie’s face. “No. I don’t see anything. Why?”
“Never mind.” Millie waved a hand. “It’s a long story. Thanks for the info Nikki.” She power walked across the atrium and made her way down to the gangway where Andy was already greeting guests.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “How did the acupuncture session go?”
“I spent the entire time plotting my revenge,” Millie warned.
Andy snorted. “C’mon. It couldn’t have been that bad.”
A couple stopped by with questions and Millie waited until they wandered off before replying. “Doris Ficklebomb! What kind of name is that?”
A slow smile crept across Andy’s face. “I didn’t have much time to think about a name. It was the first one that popped into my head. So what did you think? Was the acupuncturist professional? Did he hit on you or ask you to take your clothes off?”
Millie’s head whipped around. “Take my clothes off! Guests were asked to undress?”
“Only the women,” Andy said.
“No, he did not.” Millie tapped her foot on the floor and stewed over Andy’s admission.
Millie caught a glimpse of the top of Danielle’s head as she “dinged” her key card and made her way over. “Whew!” She draped her lanyard around her neck.
“Yeah! It’s a scorcher out there,” Millie agreed.
“No. Not that,” Danielle said. “Getting through security to board the ship was ridiculous! Security was what I would imagine getting into Fort Knox would be like. I had to pass through three separate screenings.”
“You’re kidding,” Andy said.
A triple screening to board wasn’t just unusual…it was unheard of. Millie had gotten off in port plenty of times and the screening procedure to get back on was always the same. All she’d ever had to do was show her photo ID, along with her key card before being waved through.
When ship passengers – and crew - reached the entrance to the ship, they inserted their ship card into a machine while security checked the monitor to make sure the picture that popped up on the screen matched the card the person was using.
The last step in the process was when passengers were required to place all purchases, bags and purses on a conveyor belt where security scanned them for banned items.
Passengers could purchase certain items while in port, but when they re-boarded, it was removed from their belongings. The crew then tagged the item with the passenger’s name and cabin number. During the last evening of the cruise, the ship’s crew would deliver the confiscated items to the passengers’ cabins.
“You should see the line to get back onboard the ship. It stretches all the way down the dock.” Danielle swiped her hand across her forehead. “I’m going to take a shower so I can get back to work before the boss fires me.” She winked at Andy and headed to the bank of elevators.
“I want to see what Danielle is talking about.” Millie headed to the gangway and stood near the entrance, peering out. Sure enough, the line to board stretched along the fence line. She couldn’t see the end.
“They better pick up the pace if they want all the passengers back on board before we set sail,” she told the security guard, who was standing near the gangway.
“Yes, Millie. It is a mess out there. Oscar stopped by to say the passengers outside the gates are growing impatient.”
Millie couldn’t blame them. It would be pure misery, standing in a long line with the sun beating down. She slowly wandered back to where Andy stood waiting.
First, there were the men who visited Captain Armati, and then there was the extra security staff.
She thought about the dark haired man, “John,” who had been hovering near guest services, about Andy’s cabin that had been broken into, the extra security to re-board the ship and last, but not least, Darna who had told Nikki that Baroness of the Seas had added extra security, as well.
The pieces were beginning to fall into place and they all pointed to one thing. Could it be the Siren of the Seas and even Baroness of the Seas, had received some sort of terror or hijacking threat?
Chapter Seven
“Terror threat?” Annette tapped the top of the galley prep area with her fingernails. “Like someone is going to blow up our ship?”
It sounded incredible, even to Millie. “I’m…not sure. I mean, think about it. Why are all the extra security and G-men, as Danielle called them, visiting Captain Armati before the ship set sail?”
“We don’t know they were FBI,” Cat pointed out. “It could be something else.”
“Like what? Breaking up a drug ring or perhaps searching for one of the ten most wanted?” Millie asked. All of it seemed far-fetched. There was only one thing for sure…something was going on and they weren’t alone. Perhaps it was fleet-wide.
“We need to keep our ears to the ground and our eyes peeled,” Millie said. She glanced at her watch. It was getting late and she wanted to check in with her cousin, Gloria, before her dinner date with Captain Armati. “I gotta go. I have dinner plans.”
“Ah!” Annette said. “Birthday dinner date with the captain?”
“Birthday dinner? It’s Captain Armati’s birthday?” Millie’s eyes widened.
Annette nodded. “Yeah. I got a special request from the bridge for a cake for the captain. Said it was for his birthday. I just finished decorating it. When Amit gets back from break, he’s going to take it up there. Said they wanted it there right after the ship set sail.”
The ship had left port less than half an hour ago.
“He should be here any time,” Annette said as she walked over to the large stainless steel refrigerator. She opened the door and pulled out a layered cake. “It’s red velvet. I guess it’s his favorite,” she said.
Annette had done a wonderful job on the cake. It was a work of art.
Millie chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. She had no idea it was the captain’s birthday! Should she get him a gift? What do you give the captain of a ship? Maybe she could buy him a gift certificate for a massage. “I gotta run!”
Millie bolted from the galley, darted down the long hall and raced to the spa. The same woman who had been behind the counter earlier watched her approach. She smiled when she spotted Millie and then scrunched her brow as she glanced at Millie’s work uniform.
“Ms. Ficklebomb. Are you here to schedule another appointment?” she asked.
“No way!” Millie blurted out. “I mean, no. I’m not, but I would like to buy a massage package.” She pulled out the temporary “Doris Ficklebomb” card and grinned evilly. It was payback time. “I’ll take the most expensive massage package you have.”
The woman tapped the keys on her keyboard. “That is a fifty minute deep tissue massage for two hundred fifty-five dollars.”
“I’ll take it.” Millie handed the card to the woman. After the woman swiped the card, she handed the card, along with a receipt to Millie, who promptly scribbled in a fifty-dollar tip, signed the receipt and handed it back to the girl.
The girl placed a certificate on the counter and using her pen, circled a number at the bottom. “Have the guest call this number when they’re ready to schedule the massage session.”
“Great.” Millie folded the certificate and tucked it into her front pocket along with the receipt and the card Andy had given her.
Millie smiled triumphantly as she strolled out of the spa area and made her way down to the crew deck. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Andy’s face when she handed the card and receipts to him.
***
Ruth flopped down on the bed. “How was I to know I wouldn’t be allowed to bring a smoke detector spy camera onboard?”
The girls filed in the suite and Andrea closed the door behind them. “It wasn’t a big deal. So we had to run back to town to return it.”
“Can’t you buy your spy equipment back home?” Gloria asked.
Ruth sat up. “Of course I can, but I didn’t have to pay sales tax, which would’ve saved me a good twenty bucks.”
“Twenty, schmenty,” Margaret griped. She reached inside her fanny pack and pulled out her wallet. “Here’s the twenty bucks for tax.” She tossed a twenty-dollar bill on the bed next to Ruth.
Ruth reached for the bill. “It’s the principle of the thing.” She handed the twenty back to Margaret.
“I thought they were gonna take you to a Puerto Rican prison,” Gloria joked, only half-kidding.
The security to board the ship had been borderline ridiculous and it had taken forever. Not only had security checked each of their passports four separate times, they had thoroughly searched each of their bags.
They’d had to pass through a body scanner and after Ruth’s spy equipment was discovered, they had to do it all over again…all of them. It took over two hours to get back on the ship.
“At least with the extra security, we know our ship is safe.” Andrea plopped down in a chair and kicked off her tennis shoes. “The fort was cool and so was the old city. I would go back there again.”
Andrea had purchased a container of sofrito, a Puerto Rican spice, for Alice, along with a small hand-painted mask to hang on the wall in her library. The clerk had told her it would bring her good luck. So far, it hadn’t worked!
“It’s a good thing Liz wasn’t with us,” Margaret said.
Liz and Frances had gotten off the ship with Gloria and the girls, but quickly tired of walking and the women decided to head back to the ship. If Liz had had to wait in the long lines, she would have pitched a fit.
“You got that right,” Gloria groaned. She eased onto the couch, lifted her leg and rubbed her shin.
“Is your leg bothering you?” Dot asked.
A few months back, while Gloria was on her honeymoon, she had broken her leg. The cast had come off a few weeks earlier and she was thrilled, but every once in a while, she felt an odd twinge of pain, especially when she did a lot of walking…like today. “Nah! It’s okay. Just a little twinge.”
“The fort was worth it,” Gloria added.
Castillo de San Felipe del Morro, or El Morro, as the locals called it, was a 400 year-old walled fortress, once used to protect the island of Puerto Rico from invading colonies.
The fortress was located on the northern tip of the Island of San Juan, not far from the port and it had been a short walk from the cruise ship. The fort itself offered breathtaking views of the water and historic Old San Juan. Despite the discomfort, Gloria was glad they had taken the time to visit the fort.
Someone began pounding on the hall door and then the door flew open. Liz, followed by Frances, strolled inside. “Good! You’re back. I made dinner reservations for all of us at The Vine.”
Lucy settled in next to Gloria. “What time?”
“Six o’clock,” Liz said. She glanced around the suite. “Wear something nice. Frances and I are going down to the lounge to listen to some piano music and will meet you in front of The Vine at six sharp.” She turned on her heel and the whirlwind…Liz…was gone.
Ruth slid off the bed and headed to the bathroom. “Looks like we got our marching orders. I’ll get ready first.”
“I’ll head to our room and get ready first, unless you want to,” Lucy said to Gloria.
“Nah. You go ahead,” Gloria said. “Andrea can go after you and I’ll go last.”
“We should head to the balcony to see if we can still catch a glimpse of the San Juan coastline.” Dot, Margaret, Andrea and Gloria wandered out onto the balcony. Off in the distance, they were able to see the fort’s watchtowers.
It had been fun visiting a new place and Gloria had enjoyed the day, but she wasn’t sure she would return to San Juan anytime soon. She was looking forward to a new island and the next adventure.
Tap-tap. Gloria shifted her gaze. “I thought I heard someone knocking.” She made her way into her suite and opened the outer door.
Millie was standing outside the door wearing a silky, black pantsuit, dressed to the nines.
“Wow! Look at you!” Gloria gave her a quick hug and then stepped back. “Where are you going all gussied up?”
Millie’s cheeks reddened. “I have a…uh…dinner date.”
Gloria knew all about Millie’s nasty divorce from her first husband, Roger, how he had cheated on her with one of his clients. She was thrilled when she found out her cousin had gotten a job onboard the cruise ship – far away from rotten Roger.
“Anyone serious? Are you having dinner with Andy, your boss?” Gloria teased.
Millie burst out laughing. “No! It’s not Andy. It’s Captain Armati.”
Gloria raised a brow. “Whew! You’re not messing around.” She patted her cousin’s arm. “Good for you. Perhaps I can meet him before our cruise ends.”
“Definitely.” Millie nodded. “I just wondered how your day in San Juan went and wanted to stop by to ask if perhaps I could join you and the girls for dinner tomorrow night.”
Andrea overheard part of the conversation and strolled over to the door. “We were detained at the security checkpoint because Ruth purchased some shiny new spy equipment and the security searc
hed us all.”
“Uh-oh.” Millie frowned. “What kind of spy equipment?” Annette would be interested in that!
“It’s a camera that looks like a smoke detector,” Gloria explained. “She won’t try that again.”
“How is Liz?” Millie asked.
“Annoying,” Gloria said. “Frances and she went down to the piano bar to wait for us. We have dinner reservations at The Vine.”
“Excellent choice.” Millie nodded. “I hope you’re hungry. Speaking of that, I better go.”
She started to leave and then turned back. “Tomorrow is a sea day and I’ll have to work most of the day. How does dinner at six-thirty sound?” It would give her enough time to eat with the girls and then head back to help Andy with the second show.
“Perfect.” Gloria gave her thumbs up. “It will be nice to sit down and catch up with you. I can’t wait to hear about some of your adventures.”
Millie turned to go and remembered ‘Doris Ficklebomb.’ She placed a hand on the door. “By the way, if you have some papers delivered to your room, addressed to a Doris Ficklebomb, you can toss them.”
Gloria opened her mouth to ask who Doris Ficklebomb might be, but decided that perhaps she didn’t want to know. “Sure.” Gloria grinned.
She waited until Millie disappeared down the long corridor before she shut the door.
Andrea patted Gloria’s shoulder. “I can’t imagine what would happen if you two ended up in some sort of high seas exploit.”
“Whew!” Gloria shook her head. “Me either!”
Andrea – and Gloria - didn’t know it yet, but they were about to find out.
Chapter Eight
Millie fiddled with the corner of the birthday card she had purchased at the gift shop for Captain Armati…Nic. She had had a hard time picking one out, unsure if she should go with slightly mushy, hilariously funny or serious. She decided on a middle of the road card… one that was a little funny but also a little sentimental.
Cruise Control (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 6) Page 5
