"With someone like Paolo, it's hard to know how much of what he says is self-serving or playing for sympathy," Jack cautioned. "He didn't fabricate Tina's police record. She's a compulsive liar with no military service to her credit. ‘Monster Marston’ was a variation on a name she got working out in the gym hoping she could get a job as a performer with one of the Cirque du Soleil type troupes in Vegas. A charming, scary psychopath, ‘Monster Martina’ as they called her there was a monster all right. No amount of effort on Paolo's part could change that. He would have been better off to let the justice system deal with her, I'm afraid, and move on to make a life for himself. He's a talented guy."
"True, attractive and likable too, when he isn't overreaching," I said. "That's what Gerard saw in Paolo, I'm sure, and why he was such an advocate for him. Maggie, too, since she and Paolo were a couple during his stint as a pastry chef in Vegas. I suppose, since they kept in touch and he talked her into taking the job with the cruise line, their partnership might still have been about more than business. Well-educated and reasonably good at her job, it's a shame that wasn't enough for her," I said.
"It was way too late to go back to that life once she lost control over the monster on her team,” Jack said shaking his head. “I haven’t heard the whole story yet, but Dr. Maggie Hayward wasn’t squeaky clean when she and Paolo were in Vegas. Physicians are hesitant to turn on their colleagues, so unless she opens up about her past, or Tina decides it’s to her advantage to blacken the name of her associates, we might never get a complete picture of what makes Maggie tick.”
“Clearly that scalpel Maggie brought with her wasn’t the murder weapon,” I offered.
“No. I figure that must be long gone—probably overboard as you suggested.”
“It sounds like Jake and Abby figured out they were in with a bunch of loose cannons the moment Tina went off-plan and snatched that necklace the first night out. Maggie had gone to all that trouble to have a copy made from photos she took when Marsha Stevens wore it on a previous cruise. Too bad it was such a cheap knockoff," I said.
“Jake was better as a fence than he was as a procurer of that fake. Maggie's ambition is partly to blame. Stealing that necklace was a move up for all of them since it was much more than their usual take on a cruise. Still, if they’d kept to the plan, it wouldn’t have had to pass for the real deal for long. Maggie would have made the substitution on the last night of the cruise while Paolo kept Marsha entertained. He would have used drugs like those he gave Gerard on Marsha to ensure she was in no shape to notice the switch until the next day when he and the rest of his thieving pals would have already slipped off the ship.”
“I'm not sure their plan would have worked, Jack, even if Tina hadn't gone on that rampage. Hetty Green seems convinced that Marsha's no pushover for men like Paolo. If Abby and Jake hadn't complained to Maggie about Tina, they might both be alive."
“Maybe, but there was no love lost between any of the members of this pack of wild dogs as Maggie referred to them. Abby had snubbed Jake’s advances, repeatedly, so why not help Tina feed her to the fishes? It didn’t hurt that one less person meant more to go around for the rest of them.”
“Yeah, I know, ‘one less mouth to feed.’ What goes around comes around, though, doesn't it, Detective?”
“He got his, didn’t he?”
“Fast, too. Before Jake could get a moment’s satisfaction from sending Abby to her watery grave,” I said sadly, trying to understand how one human could do such a thing to another. “That didn’t quite work out, either, since Abby didn't remain in that grave. The recovery of her body revealed a lot about their modus operandi as you coppers say.”
“That’s the story behind the story with this gang of thieves. Clever planning that doesn’t quite work out because they don't stick with the plan."
"It was a stroke of genius for Abby and Tina to come on board in dual roles—as passengers and crew members. Thanks to Abby's skills as a makeup artist, they were able to pass as men. That gave them much better cover than they would have had as two young, attractive women on the crew. Maggie was something of a mastermind," I said, hating to give her even that much credit.
“Paolo helped, too, with glowing recommendations that got Abby and his sister, Tina, hired a couple of years ago, although he and his sister were both using aliases. With Paolo and Maggie among the professional staff and two team members bunking together in the crew quarters, they had access to the ship covered.”
"Not to mention, that as passengers, Abby and Tina could mingle, figure out who on board had jewelry worth stealing, and pick it off in the spa or elsewhere. Most of the time, they could do that without even being noticed using Tina's well-honed pick-pocketing skills. Still, they screwed it up—horrifically,” I said.
“Yep, with stupid tussles in the commissary kitchen over some piece of jewelry Tina was convinced Abby had hidden there or in her cabin. The mess they made drew unwanted attention from Gerard. That only got worse when Tina threatened him with that ridiculous duck stunt.”
"Sending Justin after us was another huge overreaction by Tina, too. It’s amazing how helpful their patsy turned out to be as naïve and silly as he was.”
“Justin's not going to get off completely, Georgie, but he’ll be in much less trouble than he would have been because of his willingness to cooperate with the FBI.”
“Willingness to cooperate!” I exclaimed. “He thinks he’s a big shot! He acts like being used as a sucker was the best thing that ever happened to him.”
“Whatever he thinks, the best thing that ever happened to Justin was ending up in the brig so soon after his rampage as Perroquet. That kept Tina from getting to him,” Jack said making a slashing gesture at his throat.
“Oh, Jack. Stop it. It is some consolation that Justin survived. At least the victims of Tina’s murderous rages were her scuzzy companions and not unsuspecting passengers like the targets of their thievery.”
“Tina is the weak link in this chain of loosely connected ne'er-do-wells who first met a few years back in Vegas. I don’t have the whole story about what went wrong. Tina went too far during some scam they had going and beat the ‘mark,’ as con artists like to call their victims, so badly he ended up in the hospital. Maggie’s the one who suggested they leave the country, visit long lost relatives in Italy, and evade the legal trouble Tina faced. That could have been self-serving if Maggie was already mixed up in their schemes.”
"Trashing Abby’s cabin was insanely stupid!" I said. "Tina left her blood at the scene.”
“Maggie made good use of that situation. She made sure we found that shoe that eventually could have put Tina at the murder scene,” Jack said. “That’s the one piece of evidence Maggie kept. We found it in her luggage. She must not have had complete confidence that Paolo and Tina would do the right thing when they got to Bora Bora with that pig. Her ace in the hole when it came time to face justice, so she wouldn’t get nailed for murder."
“Justice won't bring Jake Nugent or Abby Kinkaid back," I huffed. "It won't undo the stress passengers experienced even though Max will try to make it up to them with credits toward another cruise."
"Most of the passengers will have their missing jewelry returned to them. And, thanks to another misstep by Tina who imagined she could implicate Gerard by stealing your necklace and planting it on him, you have it back.”
“I’m just glad that agent Jennings didn’t try to take it into evidence. I might have had to tangle with the law to keep it. I know it’s just a thing, Jack, but it’s a symbol of the beauty we found even while we were up to our eyeballs in all that sludge.”
“That sludge is all but forgotten already, my love. All that I remember is the light in your eyes as you held me in your arms and we gazed at the open sea.” Jack added a tinge of Irish brogue as he spoke those words.
“Aw, you do have the gift of gab, husband, and a way of making me feel light as a feather. All my troubles vanquished, I feel like I could
dance through life with you at my side."
"You don't need me to make you dance. Although, you weren't so light on your feet when you sent that chair sailing into Maggie and nearly knocked her down."
"To be precise, I was ‘off’ my feet, not on them. Maggie was getting ready to put Mad Max down like a dog. I had to stop her!"
"Lucky for Max you did that. I won't soon forget the light in his eyes, either. Mad Dog Max, I say." Jack snarled and woofed. He looked so ridiculous that I hooted with laughter.
Miles bellowed from under the seat in front of us. That container muted his call but not by much. The passengers around us stirred.
"Shh, it's okay Miles," I said. "It truly is okay, isn't it?"
"More than okay and this adventure has only just begun." Jack brushed my cheek with a kiss, and then leaned back, pulling the Panama hat he wore down over his eyes. "You gotta grab your forty winks when you can," he reminded me.
I marveled at how Jack helped me find these tiny islands of tranquility even when my angst-prone nature pushed me toward despair. Is that what love is—a string of small transcendent moments bound together by the ups and downs of ordinary life? Okay, plus a big adventure every now and then. If so, I’ll take it.
—THE END—
RECIPES
Rumaki
24 pieces
INGREDIENTS
1/4 pound chicken livers, trimmed and rinsed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 clove fresh garlic
12 canned water chestnuts, drained and halved horizontally
8 bacon slices (1/2 pound), cut crosswise into thirds
24 wooden toothpicks
PREPARATION
1) Cut chicken livers into 24 (roughly 1/2-inch) pieces. Chop garlic fine. Stir together soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar. Add livers and water chestnuts and toss to coat. Marinate, covered and chilled, at least 1 hour.
2) While livers marinate, soak toothpicks in water 1 hour. Drain well.
3) Preheat broiler.
4) Remove livers and chestnuts from marinade and discard marinade. Place 1 piece of bacon on a work surface and put 1 piece of liver and 1 chestnut in center. Wrap bacon around a piece of chicken liver and a chunk of chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Place each rumaki on the rack of a broiler pan.
5) Place about 2 inches from the broiler, turning once, until bacon is crisp and livers are cooked but still slightly pink inside (unwrap 1 to check for doneness), 5 to 6 minutes. Serve immediately.
Georgie’s Tips
Rumaki is one of many “pupus”—bite size appetizers—you’ll find at Polynesian or Asian restaurants. Pupu platters popped up at tiki-inspired restaurants during the 50s and 60s. You can still find them at many Asian restaurants. If you’re planning a backyard or beachside luau, you’ll need lots of these little goodies to feed the family and friends who gather.
Luaus don’t seem to have originated in Tahiti or the other Society Islands, but in Hawaii. They’re found pretty much everywhere in the islands, now, and no ship in Max Marley’s fleet that cruises to the South Seas would be without one. Let the feasting begin!
The classic version of rumaki is made with chicken livers. It’s the way I first learned to prepare it. Since then, though, I have created rumaki using other delicious tidbits wrapped in bacon alone or in combination. Just leave out the chicken livers and prepare it with the water chestnuts or substitute 24 chunks of fresh pineapple or pitted dates for the chicken livers. The marinade in this recipe gives whatever you wrap in bacon a hint of the exotic, so don’t skip it. Try shrimp or scallops, chunks of chicken breast, beef tenderloin, or duck breast instead of the chicken livers. Serve with a small side of Chinese hot mustard, Japanese wasabi, Sriracha, Sambal, sweet chili sauce or your favorite condiment.
Sweet Teriyaki Beef Kabobs
36 pieces
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds beef tenderloin or any lean tender beef cut into 1-inch cubes
1 (16 ounce) can cut pineapple (reserve juice)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 garlic cloves, minced
2 scallions, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup reserved pineapple juice
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon pepper
PREPARATION
1) Whisk together the brown sugar, garlic, green onion, ginger, soy sauce and 3/4 of the reserved pineapple juice.
2) Toss beef in 2/3 of the mixture and marinate overnight.
3) Place remaining mixture in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat.
4) Mix remaining 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice with cornstarch and pepper, then add to the simmering sauce.
5) Reduce to low heat and whisk. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken sauce.
Strain and reserve. Chill to store, then reheat when ready to serve.
6) Preheat grill or broiler.
7) Remove beef from marinade and drain well.
8) Soak short 4 or 6-inch bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour.
9) Put 1 beef tenderloin cube and 1 pineapple chunk onto each bamboo skewer.
10) Grill or broil beef skewers about 5 minutes on each side until beef is cooked.
11) Top with additional sauce and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Georgie’s Tips
Teriyaki anything is good, but teriyaki beef is another classic. Don’t overcook this dish so that the beef remains tender. The enzymes in the pineapple juice are good to include in a meat marinade because help tenderize the meat.
The teriyaki marinade when combined with cornstarch will thicken it into a sauce. How thick or thin depends on how much of the cornstarch you add.
Try marinating shrimp, chicken, vegetables, or just plain pineapple instead of beef, putting them on skewers under the broiler or on a grill. For your friends who don’t eat meat, use cubes of extra-firm tofu instead of beef and make them super happy. On other occasions, you can also use this sauce to create a teriyaki inspired stir fry—adding that pineapple juice & cornstarch at the very end.
Shrimp Toast
40 pieces
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
3 tablespoon water chestnuts
1 teaspoon minced ginger root
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cooking sherry
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon slightly beaten egg
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 scallions finely chopped
1/2 cup sesame seeds
10 slices white bread
24 oz peanut oil or EVO for frying
Preparation
1) Cut the crusts off the slices of bread and set out for a few hours to dry out.
2) Pulse shrimp, garlic, water chestnuts, ginger, sesame oil, sherry, soy sauce and egg to a coarse puree.
3) Stir together with cornstarch, scallions and 1/4 teaspoon salt. [Reserve a tablespoon of scallions for garnish]
4) Spread the mixture on the bread and cut each slice into quarters—half squares and half triangles.
5) Pour the sesame seeds on a plate and take one of the quarters and press into the seeds, shrimp paste side down.
6) Repeat for half the squares and half of the triangles, and leave the rest plain.
7) Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to fry.
8) Heat 1-inch depth of oil to very hot, but not smoking. A few bread crumbs dropped in should sizzle right away.
9) Fry the quarters a few at a time by lowering them paste side down into the oil with a slotted spoon for about 1 minute.
10) Flip them over and fry a few more seconds.
11) Drain on paper towels. Garnish with 1T of scallions.
Georgie’s Tips
This is another classic pupu. The oil needs to be hot but you don’t want it to burn and smoke—use the sizzle test as directed above. These crispy, savory bites are best served immediately, but you may fry them ahead of time and reheat 5 minutes in a 300° F oven, or keep them for a few minutes in a warming oven. They also may be frozen then heated in 325° F oven for 15 minutes.
Pork & Mango Skewers
Makes 40 pieces
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
3 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 pounds pork, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3 mangoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
PREPARATION
1) Whisk together all ingredients except pork and mangoes.
2) Add pork and mango cubes and marinate overnight, stirring occasionally.
3) Prepare a grill or broiler.
4) Soak 40 short 4 or 6-inch wood skewers in water for 1 hour.
5) Put 2 pork cubes and 1 mango cube on each skewer.
6) Grill or broil for 7 to 8 minutes, turning once.
Georgie’s Tips
This is a simple and delicious recipe. Chicken, shrimp, tofu, or beef works well, too, for these mini-kabobs if you don’t eat pork. Hoisin sauce is widely available in the Asian food aisle at your grocery. It works well as a substitute for barbeque sauce on just about anything you grill. Just terrific for stir fry dishes, so keep it on hand.
Spicy Coconut Pineapple Shrimp Skewers
30-40 pieces
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup light coconut milk
4 teaspoons Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce [use less if your choice is a very hot, hot sauce!]
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Box Set Page 54
