Gloria set Scout down and he pranced around. “What will you do about the woman…what is her name?”
“Ingrid. Ingrid Kozlov.” Captain Armati’s expression grew grim. “I am disappointed in myself. I thought I vetted my people better than that.”
Staff Captain Vitale leaned an elbow on the computer monitor. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, captain. I thought the same thing.”
Gloria slowly shook her head. “Happens all the time. Greed. Power. It sounds as if she just let it suck her in.”
Andrea gazed around the bridge. “We better head back to the cabin. The girls are probably chomping at the bit to find out what happened.”
Captain Armati nodded. “And I have an announcement to make.”
Dave Patterson and Oscar, who had been silently standing off to the side, said their good-byes to the captain. “We’ll brief the security staff within the hour,” Patterson promised.
The girls headed up the stairs while Patterson and Oscar, accompanied by several undercover agents, headed down.
As the girls stepped into Gloria, Andrea and Lucy’s suite, they were swarmed by Margaret, Dot, Ruth, Liz and Frances.
“It was a spectacular rescue mission,” Ruth gushed. “I recorded it all so we can watch it again when we get home. Maybe we can pick up a few pointers for future reference.”
Gloria sank into the chair, leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Her head was swimming as she tried to digest all that had happened.
Dot slid into the chair next to Ruth and glanced at the computer screen. She leaned in and pointed at the monitor. “Is that what I think it is?”
“What is what?” Lucy made her way over. “Ruth! Are you spying on the post office?”
“What?” Ruth defended herself. “Without internet access, I haven’t been able to keep track of the place.”
Kenny Webber, Ruth’s right hand man and rural route carrier, waved to the camera. Ruth waved back, as if he could see her. “I have to keep an eye on the temp.” She shook her head. “These fill-in people. You gotta watch ‘em.”
Ruth pointed at the yellow pad sitting next to her laptop. “I’m taking notes.”
“Too bad I can’t see what’s going on at the restaurant,” Dot said as she stared at the screen. “I could check up on Ray and the Morris’s.”
Ray was Dot’s husband. He, along with Johnnie and Rose Morris, were holding down the fort and running the restaurant while Dot was on her much-needed vacation.
“Oh, we can.” Ruth tapped the keyboard a few times, grabbed the mouse and shifted the pointer.
With a couple quick clicks, the screen switched from the inside of the post office to the parking lot, which included a view of Belhaven’s main street and the front of Dot’s restaurant.
“Check it out,” Gloria grinned and leaned in. “Can you get any closer?”
“Sure.” Ruth rolled the wheel on the mouse and the camera zoomed in.
The girls huddled around as they stared through the front window of the restaurant.
“There’s Ray,” Margaret said.
“Yep. Looks like he’s carrying a cheeseburger and an order of onion rings,” Dot said.
“Yum. A burger sure does sound good.” Frances patted her stomach.
A heavy-set woman with curly black hair, a wide grin on her face and carrying a pot of coffee passed by the window, stopped at a table near the front and poured coffee into a diner’s coffee cup.
She set the pot on the edge of the table and stuck a hand on her hip. The girls could see her mouth moving ninety miles an hour.
“There’s Rose,” Ruth said.
Dot grinned. “She’s a talker. That woman – she can weave a tale or two.”
“Looks like she’s settling right in,” Gloria commented.
They watched a few more moments and then Ruth switched the camera back to the interior of the post office.
The intercom sounded and Gloria jumped as a voice boomed over the cabin speakers.
“Ladies and Gentleman. This is Captain Niccolo Armati speaking to you from the bridge. I would like to update you on the status of our cruise. We are moving full steam ahead to our next port stop – the island of St. Croix. We will arrive right on schedule and will dock in the port town of Frederiksted. After we clear customs, you are free to disembark the ship and enjoy your day on the island. Tomorrow’s forecast is perfect, with temperatures in the mid-80s, sunny skies and gentle trade winds.”
He went on. “In celebration of my return as captain of Siren of the Seas after an extended leave, we are offering complimentary beverages in all of our bars and lounges for the next hour. Have a wonderful afternoon and evening. Arrivederci.”
“We better beat the crowd.” Liz, with Frances hot on her heels, ran from the room.
“Free drinks!” Margaret sprung from the bed and darted to the door. “I’m on it!”
Andrea groaned. “I better supervise. Plus, I’ve been dying to try one of those yellow birds.”
“Not without me!” Ruth scrambled from her chair and trailed behind.
Dot shrugged. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
“A smoothie sounds good.” Gloria and Lucy, the last two left in the suite, stared at each other. “Well, Lucy. Another adventure under our belt.”
The women wandered into the hall. “Do you think anyone back home will believe it?”
“Probably not.” Gloria glanced at Liz and Frances’ luggage. “Shoot! I almost forgot Liz and Frances were staying in our suite. Maybe Frank, the head of maintenance, will take pity on us and put a rush on getting their suite cleaned so they can move back in.”
The rest of the day sailed by and after sipping frothy concoctions and stopping by the buffet for a late lunch, they ran into Dave Patterson near the bar in the back of the ship.
He told them authorities had captured the crew aboard the yacht that was waiting nearby for the hijackers.
When the girls returned to their suites a couple hours later, they found a note shoved under their door. It was from Millie, telling them she was saving them front row seats for the evening’s headliner, Julio Marchan, a world-renowned magician.
The show was fascinating and Gloria thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Marchan’s performance. She was stumped by his ability to make people disappear from the stage and then reappear in the upper balcony wearing different clothes.
After the show ended, Millie snuck over to let the girls know everything was back to normal and to thank them for all their help. “What are you doing tomorrow? she asked.
“Honestly, I haven’t thought that far ahead,” Gloria admitted. “I’m sure we’ll get off the ship, though. It will be nice to have both feet on solid ground.”
“Andy gave me part of the day off so maybe I can hang out with you guys,” Millie suggested.
“We would love that,” Lucy said sincerely. “I’m sure Liz and Frances would like that, too.”
“Depends on how much sleep I get tonight,” Liz grumbled. “Last I checked, maintenance was still working on our suite so I guess we’re gonna have to bunk with Gloria and sleep on rollaway beds.”
Millie raised a brow. “I’ll give Frank a call to see if he can have maintenance bring in a few more floor dryers to speed it up.”
“Whatever you can do to get Liz out of my suite and back into her own would be greatly appreciated,” Gloria said.
The girls agreed to meet Millie at the gangway at nine-thirty the next morning.
Afterwards, they wandered out of the theater and headed to the ice cream station for a sweet treat.
Gloria popped the last bite of chocolate ice cream cone in her mouth and wiped her hands on the front of her shorts. “I’m whupped.”
“Me too,” Dot agreed. “We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow. Maybe we should hit the hay early.”
The girls wandered back to their suites and took turns in the bathroom getting ready for bed. Gloria and Andrea slipped out onto the balcony where they spied the
portable ladder Oscar had used to gain access to Captain Armati’s apartment.
“Guess we can take this off now,” Andrea quipped as she reached for the hooks.
Lucy slipped out onto the balcony to join Gloria and Andrea. “Maybe you can take it home as a souvenir,” she said. “In case you get trapped out on the roof again.”
Gloria waved a hand dismissively. “That was eons ago.”
Liz was the last straggler to make it back to the suite and the last to get ready for bed. She grumbled the entire time about having to sleep on a rollaway bed and how the cruise line should comp her with a free cruise to make up for all the trouble she’d gone through.
“You?” Gloria said. “What about me?”
The girls finally shut the interior lights off and all five of them were rocked to sleep by the gentle rolling waves and the soothing motion of the ocean.
Chapter Twenty-One
Millie stopped by Cat’s cabin early the next morning before heading up to meet Gloria, Liz and their friends for a beach day in St. Croix.
She lightly tapped on the door and waited.
She had almost given up when the door opened a crack. “Cat?”
Cat opened the door wider. “Hi Millie. What’s up?”
Millie noticed Cat was dressed in street clothes. “I thought I would stop by to see if you’d like to join my cousins and me for a day at the beach.”
Cat lowered her gaze. “No. I mean, I have a few hours off but I have some things to take care of,” she said.
“Like what?” Millie asked.
“Oh…stuff.” Cat shrugged.
Millie placed the palm of her hand on the door. “Can I come in for a minute?”
Cat nodded. “Sure.” She stepped to the side and Millie made her way in, closing the door behind her. “Is your roommate gone?”
Cat nodded. “Lila left a little while ago.”
Cat’s cabin was identical to Millie and Danielle’s cabin. Inside the cabin were a set of bunk beds, a small desk with one chair and two sets of closets.
Millie eased into the desk chair and shifted so she faced her friend. “Cat, I’m worried about you. You haven’t left the ship since returning from the hospital. You can’t…you shouldn’t have to live like this.”
Cat eased onto the edge of the bunk bed and studied her fingernails as Millie spoke.
Millie pressed on. “I’m here to help, so is Annette and everyone else. Are you afraid Jay is going to escape prison again and hunt you down?”
Cat clenched her fists and nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “I can’t sleep at night. All I can see is his face…that look.” Her shoulders shook. “I am so afraid now, it’s hard to function.”
“You have PTSD,” Millie guessed. “Post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Millie sprung from the chair and knelt down in front of Cat. She tilted her head and looked into her friend’s eyes. “You need more than a shoulder to cry on. You need professional help. Will you let me talk to Doctor Gundervan to find out if there’s some way we can get you the help you need?”
Cat shrugged. “What if they think I’m cuckoo or something and decide to fire me?”
Millie squeezed her friend’s hand. “They will not think you’re crazy, Cat. You have been through a lot. The crew on this ship knows that better than anyone, even better than your own family.”
She paused to let her words sink in. “So, will you let me see if we can find help?”
Cat was quiet for a long moment as she considered Millie’s offer. Finally, she lifted her head. “Yes. Yes please.”
A tear trickled down Cat’s cheek and then another.
Cat began to sob uncontrollably. Millie wrapped her arm around her friend’s shoulders and silently prayed for healing.
Finally, Millie ran into the tiny bathroom and brought back a roll of toilet paper. She unrolled a large section, tore it off and handed it to Cat, who wiped her cheeks and blew her nose. “Thanks for the ear, Millie.”
Millie wiped her own eyes. “We’re gonna get you the help you need, Cat. I promise,” she said. Before this day is over, I will have an answer, Millie silently vowed.
She glanced at her watch. “Hang in there, my friend. We will get through this together.”
She hustled over to the door, grabbed the door handle and then turned back. “Are you sure you don’t want to go with us?” she asked hopefully.
Cat shook her head. “Maybe next time,” she whispered.
***
“You said that Dot, Margaret and Ruth are already off the ship?” Gloria asked as they dinged their keycards and shuffled down the gangway.
“Positive.” Lucy nodded. “Dot called down to talk to Millie last night after they went to their room and she suggested a really cool out of the way beach where we could all hang out, away from the crowds. She said someone would have to get there early to save enough lounge chairs and tables for all of us.”
Gloria didn’t have time to answer. She spotted Millie standing off to the side, looking carefree and tropical in her pink beach cover, flip-flops and large straw hat.
“Right on time.” Millie grinned and hugged each of them as they made their way over. “Annette and Amit pulled a few strings and packed a picnic lunch for all of us.” She tapped on the top of a beach cart sitting next to her.
“This way.” Millie grabbed the cart handle and began walking down the dock. When they reached the end, she turned right.
They strolled along the shoreline, passing by row after row of bright blue beach loungers and cruise ship passengers who were already soaking up the sun.
Gloria could hear the faint beat of steel drums. She looked up. Overhead, the palm trees swayed. It was the perfect Caribbean beach day.
They reached a long stretch of massive rocks that jutted out of the ocean. Andrea helped Millie carry the beach cart up and over the top of the rocks.
Off in the distance. Gloria caught a glimpse of Dot waving a bright red scarf in the air.
As they got closer, Gloria grinned when she realized why Dot, Margaret and Ruth had gone on ahead.
“Surprise!” Everyone yelled and pointed to a large white sign tied to two palm trees. The sign read, “Castaway Party.”
On top of the picnic table was a pink cast, cut in half. Gloria burst out laughing.
Millie wrinkled her nose, a confused expression on her face. “Castaway Party?”
Even Liz laughed and shook her head. “Gloria broke her leg on her honeymoon and they took the cast off a few days before we came on this trip.”
“The worst three months of my life,” Gloria muttered.
“She grumbled and groaned about her stinkin’ cast the entire time!” Lucy explained.
“So we decided to throw her a castaway party to celebrate,” Margaret said.
Ruth plucked a permanent marker from her pocket. “We even brought markers so everyone could sign it.”
“Where did…” Gloria started to ask.
“Paul gave it to me before we left,” Dot said.
“Gather around the table. I’ll take a picture,” Frances said.
The girls squeezed in at the table and posed for several pictures before Millie switched spots and took a few more.
They all made a big deal of autographing the cast and Liz, the artist, drew a stick person with her leg in a hole and “x’s” for eyes.
“Very funny,” Gloria grimaced. It was all in good fun and she wasn’t angry, just relieved the cast was on the picnic table instead of plastered to her leg.
The girls thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon as they soaked up the sun, swam in the crystal clear water, and snorkeled along the edge of the rocks.
Lunchtime arrived and the girls settled in at the table, anxious to see what delicious goodies Annette and Amit had packed.
“I have no idea what’s in here,” Millie said. She pulled out several large food containers. The first one contained a variety of pinwheel wraps. Some had turkey, some had ham while others w
ere roast beef. There were even a few with all three meats.
The second plastic storage container was full of creamy bacon potato salad.
Millie’s eyes lit when she pulled it out. “Oh! This is the best. Annette has some super-secret potato salad recipe. It has bacon, sharp cheddar cheese and instead of using only mayonnaise, she mixes it with sour cream, too.”
“I bet it’s delicious,” Dot said.
The last container was full of ripe, red watermelon wedges.
Millie placed everything on the table, along with several bottled waters.
The girls prayed over their food, thanking God for rescuing the Siren of the Seas crew and for blessing them with a beautiful day on the island of St. Croix.
When they finished eating there were only a few scraps left.
Millie lifted the lid on the cooler and started to put the empty containers back inside when she realized she had missed one last container. “Uh-oh. I forgot one.” She pulled it out, set it on the table and lifted the lid.
Inside the container was a cake shaped like a cast. At the bottom of the cake was a protruding digit that looked like a big toe. The toenail was painted red.
Millie sliced off a large piece, put it on a paper plate and handed it to Gloria. The white sheet cake was filled with vanilla pudding and the cream cheese frosting was a pale shade of pink.
The cake was delicious and Gloria quickly devoured her piece. She popped the last bite of the rich creamy cake in her mouth. “So what happened to the hijackers?” she asked her cousin.
“Whew!” Millie shook her head. “You’re never gonna believe this one.”
She told the story of how Ingrid Kozlov confessed to helping plan the hijacking. She had told Staff Captain Vitale and Pursuer Donovan Sweeney her main computer monitor was on the fritz and had put in a request for a new system. Majestic Cruise Lines, along with Captain Armati, had approved the expense.
The only problem was there wasn’t a problem with the monitor at all. Ingrid had placed her “order” with a fake company, set up by the ringleader of the hijack operation, Boris Smirnov. Smirnov purchased a monitor, disassembled it and removed all of the guts.
He filled the inside of the computer with an array of assault rifles, ammo, small hand grenades and other weapons.
Cruise Control (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 6) Page 14
