Shoes and Baby: Women Sleuth

by S. Y. Robins

  This cruise was going to be a singles cruise, and while there was a rule against doing pretty much anything with the passengers, that night in the common area many of them were excited about being surrounded by that many single people. Apparently singles cruises were known to be a bit rowdier and a bit more fun that some others, while the couples cruises were the most entertaining. Apparently it was fun to watch a couple when one clearly did not want to be there, or those who had been married for so long they did their own thing. Then you’d have the newlyweds who apparently were the best tippers. Singles cruises were the opposite where everyone was out to have a good time, nobody kept to themselves and everyone was friendly with everyone. Until two guys were interested in the same girl and they would fall all over themselves to impress her, then things got interesting.

  Hannah was excited for them to arrive the next morning and decided to get to bed early so she would be ready when they did. She had to frost some of her cakes and put the fresh fruit on the ones that required fresh fruit, but none of that would take a lot of time and she would have plenty of time to observe as people checked in. Her uniform was fairly nice looking, at least so she thought, consisting of a black chef’s vest with the restaurant’s name on it while on the other side it had her title. As long as she kept it relatively clean she was allowed to be seen which meant that in her time off she didn’t have to go change first before going upstairs.

  Watching everyone come on board from the top landing, leaning over the railing as she did, she loved the fact that nobody paid attention to her as she watched them. “You know, you could fall over like that,” she heard Nick say behind her.

  “Are you stalking me?”

  “No, just ensuring the safety of those on deck. This is the best place to watch everyone without them knowing, and it gives you an idea of the people you’ll be seeing on board. I believe we have about three hundred guests on this cruise.”

  “Doesn’t the ship hold over four hundred?”

  “Yes it does, but it’s a first trip so it’s actually not bad. I take it you are done preparing for dinner?”

  “Yes boss,” Hannah said with a grin, attempting to salute but instead knocking her sunglasses askew. Nick righted them for her with a grin.

  “Are you sure it’s safe to have you around fire, considering how accident prone you are?”

  “I’m not normally this bad, it’s just being in a new place I suppose. So you work the deck crews pretty hard, they were all exhausted last night.”

  “I expect the ship to be in excellent shape, and they are getting paid to work.”

  “Like I said, you work them pretty hard.”

  “I suppose I do. We have a lot of new guys this time around, might as well start them off right. On that note I need to go make sure they aren’t flirting with every girl in line.”

  Hannah decided to go walk around the ship a bit more, as she hadn’t really explored it much, and smiled at everyone she passed. They all noticed her uniform and knew she worked on the ship, but apparently she didn’t look like she knew where she was going either because nobody asked her where to go for anything. There were refreshments set up for those who had arrived early and the snack bar was open, but as it would take hours to check in everyone, meals weren’t served until dinner which gave Hannah plenty of time before she had to be back in the restaurant to see what was needed. Some of the deck hands were helping people find their rooms and it was easy to notice they went for the pretty girls first. Having heard it was a singles cruise she had expected mostly younger people, but she was relatively surprised to see that half the guests were middle aged and there were even a few seniors on board. She had to admit that they could be single as well, and it was presumptuous of her to think otherwise. When she saw a younger guy picking up a suitcase for an older lady after finding out their rooms were close together, she realized that on this cruise it didn’t matter, everyone was there to have a good time.

  When it was close to the time the restaurant would open Hannah made her way back downstairs and put the final touches on some of her desserts before covertly stationing herself near the dessert area to see what desserts were chosen by whom. She liked to see if people came back for the same dessert a second time as that was more of an endorsement for a particular dessert than someone taking something but not wanting it again. She knew the smaller restaurants, which only had desserts on the menu for people to order and didn’t sell nearly as many did not require Alaina to be there during meal times, and she was the only dessert chef for the three other restaurants on board. Hannah didn’t think she minded too much as she had already seen her flirt with some of the guys, but it also meant substantially less money. Each employee was given a spending card and at the end of the cruise, when they got paid, the amount charged to it would be deducted from their paycheck. It made it much easier as the guests used spending cards as well and this way the same system could be used which simplified things for the staff.

  As she was watching the customers Hannah noticed that most customers went for the more exotic cakes as opposed to the basic chocolate and lemon cakes she had prepared. She could understand the logic, as they could get those pretty much anywhere while they couldn’t always get things like Tiramisu. When a younger guy, who took chocolate cake, saw her lurking in the shadows he winked at her. It startled her, and in her sudden movement she knocked into a cart which sent the stack of dessert plates on the cart flying. The girl working the dessert table whirled around and looked at her, apparently having not seen her there yet, before looking at the shattered plates on the floor with a sigh. “You’ll have to clean that up and get someone to get me new ones. What happened?”

  “I startled,” Hannah said, looking a bit shamefaced when she realized how ridiculous she must have looked to the guy who had now disappeared. She really had to stop causing these accidents, and she almost glared at Nick when he suddenly appeared.

  “I was helping someone just outside the restaurant and heard the noise. Is everything alright?”

  “While you’re here, I need new dessert plates and someone to clean this up,” Hannah said, sounding irritated. “I’m done for tonight, I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

  “Get some dinner in the common area first,” Nick said easily, pulling out his walkie-talkie. “I think it’s lasagna, it will make everything seem better. Besides, I need to make sure you eat and such so you make it through the entire cruise so please do.”

  “I’ll eat but then I’m disappearing. I’ve seen what I needed to see and tomorrow is a new day. I’m sorry Sara, I didn’t meant to knock that over.”

  “It’s alright, we’ll get new ones. You’d be amazed how many dishes break around here, it’s not a big deal. Go, enjoy your evening.”

  Hannah left, almost tripping over the broken plates, and headed for her room. Unfortunately, she knocked into the same guy again, covering him in his own drink this time. With an apology she quickly got help cleaning it up, and with about ten more apologies she almost ran to her room. She’d had enough for the day and after getting a small plate of lasagna she took it to her room and sat down on her bed with a sigh. She had planned to get up early to start on some things for the next day, which would then give her the afternoons off. Desserts were served at lunch and at dinner, but she could get it mostly done before lunch and then do a few finishing touches for the dinner desserts. With that thought in mind she changed into her pajamas and slid under the covers, ready to get some much needed sleep.

  3

  When Hannah walked into the common area for breakfast the following morning there was a lot of talk and she could tell that something was going on. Sitting down at a table with a few of the kitchen help, she asked what it was and they seemed surprised she was talking to them.

  “Someone died last night. A man, early thirties. His friends went to get him early this morning for a run around the ship and they found him. They’ve called the police to come investigate what happened, but it’s really bad. If t
his gets out it could hurt bookings for future trips on this ship.”

  “That’s awful!” Hannah said in horror. “They have no idea?”

  “No. You’d know him,” Sara said. “He was the guy that startled you and caused you to trip, remember him?”

  “How could I forget? I knocked into him on my way out too. I wonder what happened, he seemed fine last night.”

  “We’ll have to wait for them to figure it out I suppose,” Sara said with a shrug. “From what I heard he looked like he was sleeping, but they know he went to his room with stomach cramps last night so they knew he wasn’t passed out drunk or anything.”

  “Does that happen a lot?”

  “What? Passing out drunk? Yes, especially on singles cruises though the couple's cruises might be worse. The only ones you don’t get it as much are the family friendly cruises since most people come on those with kids. Breakfast in the main dining room is entertaining because you can tell who has had a rough night,” Sara grinned. “It’s awful to work that shift though, so I’m glad I just have lunch and dinner.”

  “I’ve never been on a ship before, let alone a cruise of any kind. I’m kind of excited but I keep causing accidents everywhere I go,” Hannah said with a sigh. “Nick must think me a complete idiot.”

  “I doubt it. He’s seen a lot of crappy workers over the years and you’re good at what you do. I had some of your Tiramisu last night and it was amazing. So what if you occasionally spill something or knock into something or someone? It happens to the best of us. When we dock we get a few hours off, you should join us. We know the good places to go pretty much everywhere.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, thank you. I need to get back to the kitchens so I will see all of you later.”

  As she walked back to the kitchens, taking a longer way to see some of the ocean, she saw a smaller boat had pulled up next to the ship and quite a few passengers were watching what was happening. Apparently the police had arrived to investigate and they were now taking the body to get autopsied to find out what had happened to the man. He had seemed nice enough to Hannah, but a death that close to her in general had her saddened a bit. Dessert made her much happier though and soon she was back on her way to the kitchens, smiling and nodding at guests as she went. She thought the police were moving fast, but then again they probably didn’t want to cause too much of a disruption. When she got to the kitchens Nick was there waiting for her and he informed the entire kitchen staff that police would be on board until a cause of death was found, and if they had any questions, to help them. They had been given a guest room and would be dining in their restaurants so it would make sense for them to encounter one of the two men at some point.

  As soon as Nick was done talking Hannah made her way back to her own kitchen to finish what she needed to do for that day which thankfully wasn’t much. As she was making chocolate pudding, she was adding some sugar when the ladle slipped out of her hand and splashed right into the half-finished mixture, covering her in chocolate. She gasped and almost jumped back before glaring at the offending ladle in question. She had no idea why she had been holding it, as she wouldn’t need it until the pudding was done, but that didn’t matter as she put the sugar she was holding down and reached for the paper towels. She really had to stop causing little accidents like that!

  It was later that afternoon during some free time that Hannah finally got to see why a cruise would be so much fun. All the guests were all over either swimming, playing games, hanging out pool side or participating in one of the many activities organized by staff. There was an area you could surf on fake waves, you could play real life chess, summo wrestling which looked like a lot of fun in those suits, and several other things Hannah couldn’t name. As she stood by the summo wrestling one of the guys came over and looked at her. “You should play.”

  “I don’t know, I’d probably get hurt. I need these hands to work.”

  “Oh come on, there’s a lot of padding and it’s really hard to truly get hurt. Give it a try.”

  “Deal but only if I wrestle against you,” Hannah said with a grin. The guy looked to be in his twenties and he certainly wasn’t bad to look at, which made a little bit of flirting infinitely more fun.

  “Deal. Come on, let’s go sign up. So where do you work here?”

  “Kitchen. I’m the head dessert chef.”

  “I had strawberry cheesecake in the main restaurant last night, you made that?”

  “I sure did. You liked it?”

  “It was amazing. I had some more at lunch. Please tell me you’ll be making that the entire trip?”

  “I will be but you should try some of the other desserts as well. You could always get the cheesecake as well if you aren’t sure. If you like cheesecake, there is an Oreo cake that I think you’ll like.”

  “I will have to do that and let you know how it is. We are up next. Do you understand what to do?”

  “Yes. We get into those suits and then wrestle. By the way, I’m Hannah.”

  “Steven. Nice to meet you Hannah. Let’s get into these suits and then let's see if you can do more than make amazing desserts.”

  “Try the Tiramisu,” the event helper said with a grin. “It’s what the staff got last night and it’s amazing. I’m jealous that we don’t get to try all of them.”

  “You probably will by the end of the trip,” Hannah smiled. “I have a different dessert planned for every day so if you go on enough cruises with me you’ll cycle through them. You will also get to try any of my experimental desserts.”

  “Where do I sign up to work on any ship you work on?” Steven joked as they waited for the last couple to finish.

  “I’m afraid we are only hiring for deck hands sir,” the worker replied.

  “That’s alright, I’ll do any job if it means getting to eat her desserts every day and looking at that cute smile while doing so. Shared rooms I hope?” Steven asked, flirting with Hannah.

  “Only if you want to sleep on the floor,” Hannah innocently smiled back.

  “Ouch. Well if that’s the way it’s going to be you just wait until we get out there. I’ll show you how much fun a little wrestling can be.”

  Before she walked out with Steven her co-worker stopped her. “Be careful. If what you’re doing can be misconstrued as you going after a guest you will be getting a serious talking to from Nick. He does not like anyone breaking that rule.”

  “Don’t worry, I have no intention of doing anything of the sort. Thank you though, he does not seem like a man you want to cross, ever.”

  “You don’t. Good luck, show that guy some girl power.”

  Hannah flashed him a smile before walking out and standing opposite Steven. Walking in the suit was definitely harder than she expected but by the time they started she was mostly used to it. Her clumsiness actually worked in her favor as she tripped over her own feet, barely managing to stay upright while Steven went tumbling down. The point was to get the other on their backside, whoever got to three first won. She now had one point and as he was helped up he smiled at her. “Beginners luck,” Steven said as they faced each other again.

  In the end, Hannah won but only barely and they both rolled on the ground laughing. It had definitely been a lot of fun and she knew she would be doing that again at some point. They tried to help each other stand but weren’t able to and in the end they were helped before getting out of their suits. She touched him on the upper arm to thank him for inviting her to play, and it was very innocent, but the look in Nick’s eye indicated he wasn’t pleased with it. She had no idea how he always ended up everywhere she was, but after a quick goodbye to Steven and a promise from him to let her know what he thought of the Oreo cake she walked over to him. “You don’t look happy,” she stated calmly.

  “Let’s go somewhere guests can’t overhear,” Nick said, equally calm but with a tone in his voice that made Hannah understand immediately why he so easily had risen to the rank he was at. Once they were alone, in a
room that appeared to be storage for a multitude of games, Nick turned to her. “You were flirting with guests Hannah.”

  “I was playing a game, and I touched his arm in thanks for asking me.”

  “I overheard your flirting beforehand as well. You were crossing a line between friendly and flirting and that is a line that should not be crossed. Do not let me hear it again.”

  “I was being friendly and having fun with a guest. He was enjoying himself so what is the problem? It’s not like I’m dating him or sleeping with him. It was innocent flirting, nothing more.”

  “Hannah, we are not arguing about this. I just told you that you crossed the line. It might have been barely, but you need to be more careful.”

  “Fine. Are we done?” Hannah asked, now irritated. She wanted to know why Nick was everywhere she was, it was a large ship after all, and why he had gotten so worked up over something so innocent but she knew if she said more at that moment she would cross into disrespectful and she was fairly certain Nick would appreciate that even less. Besides that she did not want to know what he would do if she went against him again, especially so soon.

  “Yes. I’m not trying to be mean or strict, but it’s my job to ensure rules like this aren’t crossed. I can see you are mad at me, and that wasn’t my intention.”

  “If that wasn’t your intention you should have understood I meant nothing by it.”

  “We have these rules because we’ve had issues in the past where it was harmless on the staff part but the guest took it differently and left terrible reviews or even wanted their money back, while on two other occasions the man started stalking the staff member in question. It’s for your safety and the guest’s enjoyment of the cruise. If you want to play flirt with anyone, pick a staff member.”

  “Fine. Are we done? I have chocolate pudding to finish.”

  “Yes, we are done,” Nick said, sounding like his normal self once again. Hannah turned around and left the room before heading to the kitchen. She didn’t have chocolate pudding to finish but she knew Nick likely wouldn’t follow her down to the kitchens and she didn’t want him to say she was lying either. She thought for a moment Nick might be jealous but that idea seemed crazy at the same time and she quickly shook it off.