“How would you know that?” Courtney asked sharply.
Tucker stiffened. “It just makes sense,” he said as he and Grace entered the elevator together. “We’ve seen them running around all over the ship. I just . . . I just figured that’s why.”
A worried expression crossed Courtney’s face as she stepped into the elevator after them. With her head hung low, she stabbed at the button with her finger.
“Are you all right?” Kyle asked gently, noticing the girl’s unhappy expression.
She brightened immediately. “Oh, I’m fine. Just a little homesick. My daddy didn’t want me to take this cruise, which is funny because he was the one who suggested I take the last one.”
As Kyle and Courtney made small talk in front of them, Grace turned her attention to Tucker. “How many cruises have you taken?”
He gave a small half shrug. “A few, I guess. This is my second time on this particular ship.”
“You must like it to keep coming back.”
Tucker smiled dreamily as he turned around and faced the glass wall overlooking the atrium in the center of the ship. “If I could, I’d spend my life at sea.”
For a fleeting moment, Grace imagined she saw a sad expression cross Tucker’s face before the cheerful facade—and she was reasonably certain it was a facade now—returned full force. “But you seemed so nervous before we left port.”
His smile fell. “It’s only recently that I’ve gotten that way. I used to think ships were the safest places in the world, but I’ve heard some things.”
“What sort of things?”
He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t want to spoil the cruise for you. I’m sure everything’s fine.” He glanced through the glass up at the skylight as the elevator descended down to the Ruby Deck. “As long as the weather holds that is,” he said ominously.
The elevator doors opened and they stepped out. Tucker frowned as he looked around. “Wait, this isn’t the Ruby Deck.” He started to reach for elevator doors to stop them from closing but was too late. “We’ve got to go down one.”
“Oops, I always get these decks mixed up.” Courtney gestured to the staircase towards their right. “Let’s just take the stairs. I can already feel the pounds adding up. Come on, it’ll do us some good.”
“She’s probably right.” Grace said lifting the hem of her dress as she and Kyle reached the staircase. “Especially since you’re planning on eating everything in sight.”
“We should eat at the Mermaid Cafe for lunch tomorrow,” Tucker said from somewhere behind them. “The cheeseburgers are the best.”
Kyle took Grace’s elbow as they weaved around an older couple who was standing in the middle of the staircase gawking up at the atrium. Once around the couple, he stepped behind Grace to make room for a group of rowdy teenagers to race up the steps.
“Or we could go the Sea Urchin Bar on the Lido Deck,” Tucker said. “I used to . . .”
There was a sudden sharp intake of breath, and then a flurry of movement behind her. Then out of the side of her eye, she saw Tucker pitch forward as he plunged head first down the stairs.
* * *
Grace and Kyle caught the back of Tucker’s suit coat just in time to stop his fall. They grabbed the railing at the same time and yanked Tucker back against them. Shocked and unnerved by the sudden near miss, all three sank down onto the steps.
“Tucker!” Courtney shouted from behind them as she hurried to his side. “Oh, sweetie, are you okay?”
Breathing heavily, Tucker looked around in confusion for a moment as he hung onto the railing for dear life.
Grace and Kyle slowly released their grip on Tucker’s jacket and stood.
Courtney brushed her hand over Tucker’s cheek. “Baby, are you all right?” she repeated.
Tucker didn’t answer as his gaze slowly moved up and down the staircase from one end to another.
“Tucker, are you all right?” Kyle asked, looking at the other man in concern.
Tucker blew out a shaky breath as he came to his feet. “Someone pushed me,” he said in a horrified whisper.
Courtney’s brow furrowed. “Honey, you just tripped.”
“Someone . . .” His face lost all color as he looked at his wife. “Someone pushed me.”
Kyle stepped around Grace and quickly took hold of Tucker as Tucker’s eyelids began to flutter and his knees gave way. He quickly set the younger man back on the staircase, gently slapping his cheek. “Come on, Tucker, stay awake. You’re all right now. Everything’s fine.”
“Of course everything’s fine,” Courtney said quietly. “He just tripped. I mean who would deliberately hurt him? It was just an accident.”
Tucker pushed Kyle’s hand away from his face. “Yeah, okay. I’m okay.” He smiled weakly. “Maybe I’m just hungry.” He shakily came to his feet, and with Kyle on one side and Courtney on his other, they slowly descended the staircase.
“I bet one of those teenagers startled you,” Courtney said angrily. “They were running up and down those stairs so fast that I was afraid I was going to trip too.”
Tucker nodded slowly. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he said wrapping an arm around Courtney’s shoulders. “I’ll feel better when we get something to eat.”
Grace stayed rooted to the spot as she looked up and down the staircase. Passengers were still moving, passing her one by one. Some stopped to stare, others continued on their way. She searched their faces, looking for any sign of guilt but found none.
“Grace,” Kyle called out from the foot of the stairs. He lifted his eyebrows. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she said lifting the hem of her gown as she descended the staircase. Stopping at the third step from the bottom, she looked around with a frown. “Where did Tucker and Courtney go?”
Kyle nodded to a pair of giant doors to their left. “They’re in the dining room.”
A sense of panic suddenly gripped her. “Alone?”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Well, if you count being seated in a room with a hundred other people alone, then yes.” He tilted his head to the side as she bit on her bottom lip. “What’s wrong?”
She twisted her fingers nervously. “Kyle, I don’t think we should leave him alone. Someone might try to kill him again. Surely there’s some sort of security force or group here that we can talk to.”
“Grace, it was an accident. He just tripped.”
“No, he said he was pushed.”
“Well, now he’s saying he was dizzy and tripped.”
“Only because Courtney insisted. Did you see what happened?”
“No, I wasn’t paying any attention to him. I was looking at you at the time.” His eyes twinkled as he smiled up at her. He held out his hand towards her. “I’m always looking at you.”
“Courtney was behind us,” she said taking his hand and descending the rest of the way down the stairs. “She could have pushed him.”
“Why would she try to kill her husband? From the way it sounded on the balcony this afternoon, she’s the one who’s loaded, not him.”
Her brow furrowed. “Maybe it was someone else then. Have you noticed how nervous he seems?”
“I think he’s just that type of guy. While you were getting ready I made a joke about Blackbeard and pirates of the Caribbean and he took me seriously. He actually asked me if I thought we were in any danger.”
“He has wanted to get off this ship ever since we set sail. I think there’s something going on.” She glanced at the other passengers standing around. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she asked, “What if someone did try to kill him just now?”
“With a crowd of people right there watching?”
“But that’s just it. No one was watching or paying attention. Everyone was focused on other things. Anyone could have just reached out and pushed him forward and then disappeared into the crowd.”
Kyle considered it. “Nah, too risky,” he said with a shake of his
head. “If I were going to kill someone, I certainly wouldn’t do it on a ship in front of people. I’d wait until I got the person alone and then dump their body over the side.”
A couple swung their head towards him with a startled look on their faces.
“Hello,” he said as they nervously edged around him. Turning back to Grace, he gestured to the promenade deck just outside a pair of glass doors. “It’s much easier to murder someone out there. Quietly during the night when no one’s looking.”
An old man glanced towards the deck and back at Kyle.
“She’d want to make it look like an accident though,” Grace whispered. “If he just disappeared, there would be questions.”
“There would be questions anyway.”
“Yeah, but this way she could claim it was an accident.”
“She could claim the same thing if he disappeared. She could tell everyone he was drunk and doing handstands on the rails when he went over. All she’d have to do is get him liquored up during dinner and set him loose. She could claim anything the next morning. No body. No mess. No fuss. It would be her word against . . . no one. I mean, if I wanted to kill Tucker, that’s how I’d do it.”
Grace started to nod, but stopped when she noticed the people surrounding them hanging on their every word and gaping at them in horror. She forced a smile to her face as she took Kyle’s hand and led him towards the dining room. “You better hope Tucker doesn’t go missing this trip,” she whispered as they entered the dining room, “or you are in serious trouble.”
Chapter Five
Grace’s eyes widened as she took in the large two story blue and gold dining room. “Wow!”
Her gaze fell to one of the small circular tables in the center of the room directly under the massive chandelier. Courtney, white napkin in hand, waved at them with the enthusiasm of a defeated combatant desperately trying to surrender to the enemy.
The maître‘d stepped forward. She glanced over at Courtney and nodded. “Ah, yes, you must be the couple Mrs. Bernard spoke about. We’ve changed your seating to allow you to sit with your friends. Follow me please,” she said turning sharply on her heel and leading them through the dining room towards a small table set for five.
“Speaking of trouble,” Kyle said as they approached the center of the room, “Bruce Pritchard’s seated at the table next to Courtney and Tucker.”
Grace inclined her head trying to see around a dozen or so waiters buzzing about the room. “Where?”
“He’s next to the girl who couldn’t choose which hair color she liked the most.”
“It’s called opal,” she said as she led him to the table. “I did that once. It was right before I met you.”
His eyebrows rose his forehead. “You?”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “Why is that so surprising?” She pushed a stubborn lock of hair that refused to stay in place off her forehead and lifted her chin. “You’re not the only one with a wild streak.”
She smiled as he hurried to her side, his hand sliding over her hip. “Oh, I always knew you had one,” he whispered into her ear. “You just liked to bury it down deep. You’re going to have to tell me more.”
“I wouldn’t want to shock you,” she said, enjoying the way his eyes lit up and vowing not to reveal that she had only colored her hair that way as a bet, and that she had gone back to the hairdresser the very next morning with a hat firmly placed on her head. “If you’re good I might do it again.” She sucked in her breath as sudden inspiration struck her. If she died her hair on board ship, there’s no way she could go scuba diving. “I might even do it tomorrow.”
“Yeah, but then you couldn’t go scuba diving.” He passed her in order to pull out her chair. “Nice try,” he said with a grin, “but I didn’t buy it for one second.”
Her mouth opened in outrage as she sat down across from Courtney. “I did color my hair that way.”
“Sure you did,” Kyle said pushing her chair forward.
She glanced up over her shoulder at him. “But I did.”
“I want to see the pictures then.”
Pursing her mouth together, she looked at him in amusement as he sat down between her and Tucker. “I can’t believe you won’t take my word for it.”
“I’m going to the magic show and you are going scuba diving as soon as I can find a private excursion to take us.”
“The magic show?” Courtney piped up. “You’re just wasting your time. It’s so boring.”
“Courtney,” Tucker said gently, his eyes softening as he gazed at his wife. “I’m telling you it’s not the same show.”
“They’re all alike,” she said her eyes flashing. “All of them.”
“Oh, come on, Court,” Tucker said. “It might be fun. Let’s go with them.”
Courtney adamantly shook her head. “Not happening. I have no intention of ever going to another one as long as I live.”
Grace looked at the girl in surprise at the vehemence in her voice. “What in the world happened during that show?”
Courtney rolled her shoulders uncomfortably. After a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and took Tucker’s hand before unburdening her soul. “It was awful. Absolutely horrible.” Tears sprung to her eyes. “The magician brought me on stage. He looked right into my eyes and…” Reaching for her napkin, she let out a choked sob. “He…He…” she said before dissolving into a puddle of tears on Tucker’s shoulder.
“What in the world did he do?” Grace asked.
Courtney took a shaky breath. Then another and another until she could speak without crying. “He…read my mind.”
Grace and Kyle exchanged baffled looks.
“He did what?” Grace asked, not sure she heard the girl correctly.
“He read my mind. Told me my life story.”
“Courtney,” Kyle said gently, “it was just a trick. He didn’t really read your mind.”
“Yes, he did. You weren’t there. He read my mind.”
“Anyone could do it,” he insisted.
“No, you need special powers. Evil powers. Leo Rycroft is an evil, evil man. The new magician…that Bruce Pritchard…”
Bruce’s head swung towards them upon hearing his name.
“He was Leo Rycroft’s assistant,” Courtney continued. “He knows how to do it too. You can’t trust any of them. They’re all dangerous.”
Bruce laughed suddenly. He leaned over towards Penny, whispering into her ear. They both looked back over at Courtney before breaking out into loud peals of laughter.
Courtney’s gaze fell to the table as her face reddened. She primly folded her napkin and set it on her lap. “They’re just evil people.”
“It’s just a trick,” Kyle said gently.
“How?” she asked quietly. “I’ve had nightmares ever since. Horrible nightmares. How could he have found out so much information about me?” Pursing her lips together, her gaze fell to the table. “Personal information. How could he have done it?”
“If I showed you how it’s done—that it was just a trick and that anyone could do—would that set your mind at ease?” Kyle asked.
She lifted her gaze up to Kyle. She nodded wordlessly.
“Here,” Kyle said holding out his hand, “take my hand. Let me show you how it’s done.”
Courtney took a deep breath before putting her hand into his.
“I want you to just relax. Clear your mind.”
“O-okay.”
“Your name’s Courtney Bernard.”
She gave Kyle a small smile. “You know that. I told you that.”
“Yes, you did. And you were born in Mississippi.”
Her smile grew. “I told you that too. When we were standing on the deck.”
“And you grew up in Tupelo.”
Courtney’s smile fell. “I . . . I didn’t tell you that.” She glanced to Tucker. “Did I?”
“You’ll be celebrating a birthday soon,” Kyle continued. “Very soon. A week . . .”
She shook her head slightly.
“No, later,” Kyle said, “but definitely in either this month or the next.”
She licked her lips as a surprised look came into her eyes. “June . . . June first.”
“You’re very loyal to your family. Your father especially.”
She nodded.
“You miss them.”
Another nod.
“Your sister—”
Courtney jerked her hand out of Kyle’s hand. “If it’s a trick then tell me how. How would you know these things? I didn’t tell you. I didn’t say anything about my birthday.”
He gestured to her neck. “You’re wearing a Gemini necklace. I figured your birthday is some time in this month or the next.”
Grace tilted her head to the side, peering at the symbol around Courtney’s neck. She had wondered why she was wearing a Roman numeral around her neck. It never occurred to her that it was an astrological sign.
“And Tupelo,” Courtney said, “how did you know that?”
“You told Grace you grew up in the same town where Elvis was born, which would mean Tupelo.”
Courtney’s mouth opened. “Oh.”
“How do you know that?” Grace marveled.
“I spent time in Vegas and got to know several Elvis impersonators,” he said as an aside.
“But I never spoke to that Leo Rycroft before that night.” Courtney flung her hand out towards the magician’s table. “I didn’t speak to any of them.”
“You must have spoken to someone,” Kyle said, “and whoever it was told Rycroft. Probably one of his plants.”
“Plants?” Courtney asked.
“Yeah, someone in the audience who’s secretly working for the magician. Feeding him information, volunteering for certain illusions.”
Courtney lost focus as she stared at the table.
Tucker gasped suddenly. “Penny.”
“What about her?” Courtney asked, with her voice hardening.
“Remember how we kept running into her that week,” Tucker whispered his voice urgent. “I bet she overheard us talking. That’s how she found out.”
Courtney continued to stare blankly at the top of the table. “You think?”
The Body in Davy Jones' Locker Page 5
