Welcoming Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 1)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Well, I didn’t want to talk out of turn.”

  “You can talk whenever you want,” Quinn said, patting her hand. “The good news for us is that the change in the photos would seem to suggest we’ve solved this.”

  “We haven’t solved it until we know what happened to Jessica.”

  “Yeah, I’m on that,” Quinn said. “I’m going to wake up our friends and grill them again. One way or another, they’re going to tell me what they did to that girl.”

  “But there’s probably no hope of recovering her body if it went into the ocean, right?”

  Quinn’s eyes were sympathetic as he shook her head. “If that’s what happened, she’s gone.”

  Rowan contemplated his answer for a moment and then flashed a genuine smile. “We can only do what we can do.”

  “Absolutely,” Quinn agreed. “For now, all we can do is eat lunch and spend an hour together. We’ll go from there.”

  “There are worse ways to spend an afternoon.”

  Quinn snickered. “You always know how to pump up my ego.”

  “I’m glad you approve.”

  ROWAN hummed to herself an hour later as she snapped photos of an elderly couple playing shuffleboard. They kibitzed at one another – both pointing out how the other was doing it wrong – but even though their hair was gray and their movements slowed by time, they seemed devoted to one another. It touched Rowan’s heart.

  She was just about ready to write off her whimsical thoughts to schmaltz and hormones when she noticed Kara storming in her direction, a dark look on her face. Rowan opened her mouth to call to the girl as she approached, but Kara was moving so fast she clipped Rowan’s arm and caused her to spin.

  Rowan managed to catch herself on a nearby chair and remain balanced, but her irritation was on full display when she sucked in a breath and hurried after Kara. She found the girl gripping the railing and staring out at the open ocean a few minutes later, her chest heaving and eyes wild.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Kara glanced over her shoulder and scowled when she caught sight of Rowan’s face. “Nothing is wrong. Why do you think something is wrong?”

  “Because you ran into me and knocked me into a chair,” Rowan replied, not missing a beat. “If that had been an elderly individual, you might’ve done them real harm.”

  “I ran into you?” Kara lifted an eyebrow. “I don’t even remember that. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” Rowan said, holding up her hands. “No harm done.”

  “That’s good at least,” Kara muttered, shifting her eyes back to the rolling blue water. “I needed some air.”

  “Then I guess it’s a good thing that we’re on a cruise ship, huh?” Rowan smiled as she joined Kara at the railing. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Rowan said, opting to take the problem head-on. “You’re clearly upset. It might make you feel better to talk about it.”

  “I don’t even know you.”

  “Sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger.”

  “I think that’s something you’re probably making up.” Kara’s expression was rueful as she pressed her lips together.

  “Okay, let’s try this again, shall we?” Rowan had no intention of giving up. “I’m betting you’re feeling restless. Am I right?”

  Kara didn’t answer so Rowan plowed forward.

  “I’m betting you’re feeling restless because you convinced yourself Jessica was going to show up at some point,” Rowan said. “You let Kylie convince you that Jessica was holed up in a room with some guy.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “Because I saw the way you guys reacted that first day,” Rowan replied. “You wanted to believe Jessica willingly took off with someone so you convinced yourself that was true. The cruise ends tomorrow morning, though. It’s starting to dawn on you that you might not see Jessica again.”

  “What do you think?” Kara asked. “Does this happen often?”

  “I’m probably the wrong one to ask. This is my first cruise, too.”

  Kara snorted. “That figures,” she muttered. “The truth is, I don’t know what to believe. Jessica was never the sort of girl to take off with a guy, but Kylie was egging her on that night and Jessica was getting upset. She wanted to prove Kylie wrong.”

  “From what I can gather, Kylie seems to egg you guys on all of the time,” Rowan said. “She clearly enjoys playing games.”

  “Only if she wins.”

  “This isn’t a game, though,” Rowan said. “Jessica is legitimately gone and we have no idea what happened to her. The security head is talking to some potential suspects, but he’ll have to hand them over to the police when we hit the mainland.”

  “Suspects?” Kara cocked an eyebrow. “Did you find the guys from the tiki bar that night?”

  “We did. We saw them talking to you at port the other day and followed them back to the ship.”

  “At port?” Kara scratched her chin. “Holy crap. We did see them at port. I almost forgot about that. Things kind of meld together for me these days. I try to focus on being bright and upbeat, but it doesn’t always work.”

  “Kylie seemed very friendly with those guys,” Rowan noted. “Has she seen them since Jessica’s disappearance?”

  “I have no idea. Kylie pretty much does whatever she wants. She doesn’t care about others … or how they feel … or what’s best for the group. She only cares about herself.”

  Rowan had pretty much figured that out on her own. “So why are you friends with her?”

  “Because we come from a small town and don’t really have a choice.”

  “You always have a choice.”

  “It doesn’t feel like it sometimes,” Kara said, her face taking on a far-off quality. “Do you think Jessica is dead?”

  “I … .” Rowan wasn’t sure how to answer. “I don’t think the odds are in her favor for a safe return.”

  “That was a very diplomatic way of putting it.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say,” Rowan admitted. “She’s been gone a long time. I’m hopeful that no one else will get hurt, though. I think we have things well in hand.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Kara said, swiveling. “If she is gone, how are we supposed to move forward? I mean, we’ve been friends for as long as I can remember. It’s always been the four of us. We’re not supposed to break apart.”

  “That’s not true,” Rowan countered. “As you age it’s expected that you’ll make new friends and spread your wings.”

  “But … that doesn’t seem right. How am I supposed to forgive myself for losing Jessica? Shouldn’t we close ranks and make sure her memory stays intact?”

  The question threw Rowan for a loop. “I don’t know. I’ve never been in your situation.”

  “I think that’s what we should do, but Kylie obviously doesn’t,” Kara said. “All she can talk about is going off to college … and meeting boys … and finding a rich husband to take care of her. She doesn’t even seem to care about Jessica.”

  “She’s young. She may outgrow it.” Rowan was fairly certain Kylie was a true narcissist and that was something she couldn’t outgrow, but she wisely kept that observation to herself. “You can’t worry about everyone else, Kara. You can only worry about yourself.”

  “I need to worry about everyone else,” Kara said. “We have to stick together … now more than ever.”

  Sympathy rolled over Rowan as she patted the girl’s arm. “I’m sure everything will be okay … one way or the other.”

  “I hope you’re right. I would hate for this to ruin what we have. It’s not fair and it’s not right.”

  “Life is hardly fair or right.”

  Kara didn’t immediately answer, instead staring at the cascading waves. When she finally did open her mouth, Rowan was left with a terrible feeling of pity in the pit of her stomach. “I’ll fix things. I s
wear it.”

  20

  Twenty

  “Hey, girlfriend.”

  Sally’s smile was positively breathtaking when she sat next to Rowan at the tiki bar an hour later. She seemed happy and chatty, but Rowan sensed Sally had another motivation for seeking her out.

  “Girlfriend?” Rowan arched a dubious eyebrow. “I haven’t heard anyone refer to me like that since college.”

  “Are you saying my greeting is dated?”

  “I’m saying that I don’t find being called ‘girlfriend’ all that entertaining,” Rowan replied.

  “I’ll bet if Quinn referred to you that way you would change your mind.”

  Rowan knew the woman was teasing, but she couldn’t stop herself from biting the inside of her cheek and averting her eyes. Thankfully for her, Demarcus picked that moment to join them. His appearance saved her from having to comment.

  “What’s up, girlfriends?”

  Rowan rolled her eyes as Sally giggled.

  “What did I say?” Demarcus asked, faux innocence washing over his sculpted features.

  “I called Rowan ‘girlfriend’ and she said it was a dated reference,” Sally replied. “I said she probably wouldn’t feel that way if Quinn used the word and then she proceeded to stare at the table as if I told her I saw her flashing her panties to him over dinner last night.”

  Rowan was horrified. “I did no such thing!”

  “You need to grow a sense of humor,” Sally chided, patting her hand. “You’re very keyed up. I think getting together with Quinn will be a remedy for that. I’m convinced he’ll keep you nice and relaxed.”

  Rowan pursed her lips when she realized what Sally was referring to. “I already told you … .”

  “I know what you told me,” Sally said, cutting off Rowan with a wave of her hand. “I already told you how I see that going. We’ll have to wait and see which one of us is right.”

  “Okay, I’m feeling left out of the conversation,” Demarcus intoned. “What’s going on? Are Quinn and Rowan a couple or not? I need to know for the pool. I promise never to call you ‘girlfriend’ again if you tell me.”

  “Oh, don’t mention the pool,” Sally teased. “That will make Rowan feel self-conscious.”

  “I already know about the pool,” Rowan shot back. “Quinn told me.”

  “That doesn’t mean you’re not self-conscious,” Sally said sagely. “I think the more important question revolves around Quinn. Is he self-conscious?”

  “I’m fairly certain he’s not self-conscious about anything,” Rowan grumbled, making a big show about staring at her computer screen.

  “Oh, you’d be wrong there,” Demarcus countered. “I was with him when he snuck into those rooms yesterday and I questioned him about Rowan nonstop. He seemed self-conscious about that.”

  Despite herself, Rowan felt her interest pique. “What did he say?”

  “He said … .”

  “Now, wait a second,” Sally interjected, wagging a finger in Rowan’s face. “You said you didn’t want your business being spread around the ship as gossip. I promised to keep what you told me a secret.”

  “Even from me?” Demarcus looked wounded.

  “I made a promise,” Sally answered firmly. “I always keep my promises. It doesn’t seem rightly fair to me that you want Demarcus to break a promise and tell you what Quinn said.”

  “I didn’t really make a promise,” Demarcus pointed out. “I asked questions and Quinn was uncomfortable but answered them.”

  “Did you hear that?” Rowan made a face. “Demarcus didn’t make a promise. What did Quinn say?”

  “Oh, no.” Sally made a clucking sound in the back of her throat. “I don’t think you should be digging into Quinn’s business. That would be gossiping.”

  Rowan bit her bottom lip, annoyed. Sally had a point. She’d made a big deal about wanting to be removed from the gossip loop. She owed Quinn a minimal amount of respect on that front. She was almost sure of it.

  “Butt out, Sally,” Rowan said finally, shooting the gregarious woman a pointed look. “I’m talking to Demarcus. What did he say?”

  Demarcus and Sally snorted in unison, amused.

  “I told you they were going to keep us entertained for weeks,” Sally supplied, her focus on Demarcus. “I’m never wrong. I don’t know why you doubt me.”

  “I don’t either,” Demarcus lamented, shaking his head. “I’m glad we didn’t make a bet on it. I would’ve lost in pitiful fashion.”

  “Oh, no one could ever refer to you as pitiful,” Sally teased, poking his side. “Go ahead and tell her, though. We’re both dying to know what Quinn said.”

  Demarcus opened his mouth to answer but he never got a chance.

  “You’re both dying to know what Quinn said about what?”

  Demarcus’ skin was too dark to reflect reddish overtones, but Rowan read the stiff set of his shoulders almost immediately. She shifted her chin over her shoulder and found her stomach twisting when her gaze landed on Quinn.

  “I … what are you doing here?” Rowan sputtered. “I thought you were questioning the engineers again.”

  “I went,” Quinn replied, pulling out a chair so he could settle between Rowan and Demarcus. He didn’t look particularly perturbed about stumbling across the gossiping trio, especially given the fact that he’d been a topic of conversation. “The gentlemen in question informed me that they would not be answering any of my questions.”

  “Can they do that?”

  Quinn shrugged. “By law, the answer is yes. By contract, the answer is no. I made sure they were aware of that stipulation, but none of them changed their minds. I then informed them that their contracts would not be renewed and were, in fact, being terminated immediately.”

  “Can you do that?” Rowan was still getting used to how things worked on a cruise ship so she was genuinely curious.

  “I can.” Quinn bobbed his head. “I just got off the phone with corporate. They agreed with my decision and sent out formal emails. For all I know the guys are getting them even as we speak.

  “As for prosecution over the Rohypnol and questions regarding Jessica, I can’t force them to answer,” he continued. “I’m not a formal member of law enforcement. I have certain limitations.”

  “So what does that mean?” Sally asked.

  “It means that the police will take over the investigation,” Quinn replied. “We can’t even confirm that Jessica is actually missing until we dock tomorrow and she doesn’t check out.”

  “And what happens then?”

  “Then we search every room,” Quinn answered. “Once that’s finished – and it’s going to take a long time to be sure because we’ll probably have to bring cadaver dogs to help – then the police will make a decision.”

  “And the assumption will be that Jessica went overboard, right?”

  Quinn nodded. “Yup.”

  “Will the engineers be arrested?”

  “I have no idea, Trixie. I’ve never had to go through this before.”

  Sally wrinkled her nose as her gaze bounced between Rowan and Quinn. “Trixie? What is that supposed to mean?”

  Rowan scowled as she shook her head. “Nothing.”

  “Oh, good,” Demarcus intoned. “You guys already have private jokes. That’s a good sign. If you can hold off for four days before fornicating, though, that would be great.”

  “Is that when you have in the pool?” Quinn asked, unruffled by Demarcus’ inference.

  “Yup.”

  “Huh.” Quinn shifted his eyes to Rowan. “Do you want to have dinner with me in the dining room tonight?”

  Rowan was caught off guard. “And do what we’ve been doing?”

  “Nope.” Quinn had a certain gleam in his eye. “I thought we could simply have dinner together.”

  “Does that mean you’ve decided?” Sally asked, curious.

  Quinn widened his eyes before fixating on Rowan. “I see someone has been talking about me.
Is that what I walked in on a few minutes ago?”

  “No,” Rowan automatically answered.

  “Yes,” Sally and Demarcus said in unison, chuckling.

  “No, I have not made a decision,” Quinn said. “I need to focus on what’s going on until we dock tomorrow. After that, though, I promise you guys will be the first to know. Tonight is just about dinner and conversation.”

  “That sounds good to me,” Sally said, refusing to give Rowan a chance to answer before grabbing her arm. “Come on, girlfriend. I’ll help you get ready.”

  Rowan balked. “I haven’t said yes.”

  “You just did,” Sally said, waving at Demarcus before tugging Rowan toward the employee section of the ship. “She’ll meet you there at seven … unless you want to pick her up at her door, that is.”

  Quinn tilted his head to the side, considering. “I’ll pick her up.”

  Sally beamed. “Good choice.”

  Rowan was baffled as Sally dragged her away from the table. “What just happened here?”

  “VOILA!”

  Sally moved her hand with a flourish as she allowed Rowan to open her eyes and stare at her reflection. The photographer instantly shook her head when she caught sight of Sally’s makeup job.

  “Absolutely not.”

  “What?” Sally’s face fell. “You look hot.”

  Rowan actually thought she resembled a raccoon, but she racked her mind for a tactful way to explain that to her new friend. “I don’t generally wear this much makeup.”

  “There’s a first time for everything.”

  “I can’t wear this much eye makeup,” Rowan argued. “My mother would roll over in her grave if she saw me now. She always said ‘less is more.’ I believed her.”

  “Your mother isn’t here and you’re in charge now,” Sally said. “I think you look smoking hot.”

  Rowan pursed her lips. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Sally’s feelings, but she couldn’t risk going out in public made up in this manner. “I know you put a lot of hard work into this but … .”