Murder for the Halibut

by Liz Lipperman

The minute Jordan stepped outside the dimly lit bar, the bright Puerto Rican sun caused her to squint.

  Before they crossed the street and headed toward the ship, Goose announced he was not going with them. “You all go ahead. I just remembered I was supposed to have a meeting with one of the business owners down the street. We’re trying to set up an arrangement where he and several others will offer significant discounts on their inventory to the Carnation Queen passengers. If that works out, it will be another terrific benefit for the tourists.”

  He paused before adding, “I’ve already run the idea past the cruise director, and he agreed it would be a coup to get a deal like this worked out. I’ll see you tonight at dinner or at the bar later on.” He turned and walked off down the street before any of them could respond.

  The rest of the gang started across the street, all chattering at once. Right before they went into the building that would lead them directly to the ship, Jordan turned for one last look at Puerto Rico. She knew that given her limited budget, this would likely be her only visit to the wonderful island.

  That’s when she saw Goose. He’d apparently doubled back and was walking toward the bar. She waved, thinking he’d changed his mind and would be returning to the ship with them. But he had his head down and didn’t even see her. She opened her mouth to holler his name, then quickly slammed it shut when she saw him stop in front of Señor Frog’s. Hesitating only briefly, he opened the door and disappeared inside.

  So much for Saint Jerry and his dedication to his wife back in Miami at the Alzheimer’s facility.

  It was nine thirty by the time Jordan and Rosie awakened from their so-called short nap. They had slept like they’d been drugged—which, in fact, was exactly what had happened. Inhaling deeply to clear her head, Jordan decided margaritas doubled as a good sleeping pill. She was pretty sure if someone had wanted to come into their cabin and rob them like they had Beau, it would have been like taking the proverbial candy from a baby. They would have slept right through it, just as the confections millionaire and his wife had.

  Not that either she or Rosie had anything worth stealing. That is, unless you counted the Dallas Cowboys watch her brother Danny had given her before he moved back to Amarillo. Guess he thought that living rent free in her apartment for over a month deserved some kind of compensation, and he couldn’t have made a better choice. Even though Jordan knew the watch had been inexpensive—Danny was as big a cheapskate as Victor—it was one of her most prized possessions.

  “Let’s get a quick shower before we go up to the Lido Deck,” Rosie suggested, sitting up in bed and rubbing her eyes. “Although I gotta tell you, if I wasn’t so hungry, I could sleep straight through the night.”

  “Me, too,” Jordan agreed. “We need to find a minute to corner Ray and tell him about breaking into Marsha and Casey’s room.”

  “And about Thomas,” Rosie added. “In my opinion he has the biggest motive for wanting to see Stefano dead.”

  “Right,” Jordan said, before giggling. “Ray’s going to kick our butts for breaking and entering.”

  “My butt’s been kicked by way scarier people than Ray Varga,” Rosie said, laughing out loud. “Besides, you’re his pet. He’d never holler at you. I’m a different story, though. He loves bossing me around.” She raised her fist in the air. “Bring it on, Ray.”

  “Hey, do you want to try out the Jacuzzi after we eat?” Jordan asked, still laughing because she knew Ray was smarter than to try to take on the hippie woman who was now hopping around the bed hollering about girl power—at least not without backup. Even then her money was on Rosie.

  “Oh boy, does that sound terrific,” Rosie said, finally settling down. “My back’s still a little stiff from riding in the limo all day.”

  Both fully awakened now and in a good mood, they quickly showered, slipped on cover-ups over their bathing suits, and hurried to the upstairs grill. Before they left the cabin, Jordan tried to call Emily’s room one last time to see if she wanted to join them. Her two other attempts had gone unanswered. She finally left a message telling her to join them later if she could.

  The Lido Deck was crowded by the time they arrived. Jordan wondered if perhaps the other passengers had also partied too hard ashore and didn’t want to dress up for dinner. As soon as she walked up to the grill, she discovered the reason everyone was eating there tonight. She’d forgotten it was burger and shakes night, and apparently there were a lot of people like her who preferred that fare over the fancy food downstairs.

  With a large strawberry milkshake and a cheeseburger piled high with grilled onions and jalapeños, Jordan found a table near the window. She and Rosie sat down to enjoy their food.

  Looking out over the water, she made a mental note to change the patch behind her ear before she went to bed that night. The doctor who gave her the prescription told her to change it every three days even if she didn’t feel queezy. The last thing she wanted was to miss out on the shopping tomorrow because she was seasick.

  As the waves lapped against the side of the ship, she wondered how it would feel to be in the water right now. She drew in a sharp breath when an image of her treading water with hungry sharks and God only knew what circling popped into her mind.

  “You okay?” Rosie asked, concerned.

  Jordan smiled. “I was daydreaming,” she replied, glad the interruption had made the vivid picture disappear.

  “Do you think Goose is carrying on with that woman from Señor Frog’s?” Rosie asked, changing the subject.

  Making a quick decision not to tell her friend that she’d seen Goose go back into the bar after he’d obviously lied to them about a business meeting, Jordan shrugged. “Who knows? But I’d be willing to bet that he’s not any different than a lot of other guys out there who can’t say no when a pretty young thing throws herself at them. Even men who look like Thomas obviously get propositioned.”

  Rosie took a long drink of her chocolate shake. “Yeah, but Thomas at least has an understandable reason to check out other women. And we’re not even sure he and Casey did the deed. Maybe it was just a lot of flirting. You know the old saying, ‘Just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean you can’t check out the menu.’” She chuckled, obviously pleased with her cooking pun.

  Jordan narrowed her eyes. “This from the lady who absolutely hates all cheaters?”

  Rosie nodded. “I know. I must be going soft in my old age, but part of me feels sorry for the guy. It has to be tough on the old male ego wondering if your son is really your own flesh and blood.”

  “So what about Goose? His wife doesn’t even know who he is anymore.”

  “I suppose you’re right. I kind of liked thinking he was one of those really great guys I wish I’d met earlier in life, though. I hate that he slipped a notch off that pedestal I had him on.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Jordan replied. “Speaking of Thomas, we really need to tell Ray what we know.”

  “Tomorrow, for sure,” Rosie said, slurping the last of her milkshake. “Come on, there’s a hot tub over there calling our names. Worry about that other stuff later.”

  Twenty minutes later, they were on their way back to the room, both agreeing the relaxing water, coupled with their full stomachs, had only made them sleepier. They decided to give in and get a good night’s rest before tackling a full day of activities tomorrow.

  Walking to the elevator, they passed by the Starlight Lounge where the gang had met the first night of the cruise—the night Jordan and Rosie had decided to play cops and see what Marsha and Casey were up to.

  “Yowza! Is that who I think it is?” Rosie asked, pointing into the lounge.

  Jordan jerked her head in the direction of Rosie’s finger. “Yep! Wonder how he managed to get away from his wife this time.”

  Just then Marsha looked up from the corner table where she was sitting so close to Beau Lincoln, you probably couldn’t have slipped a finger between them. She waved.

  “My guess is he u
sed a couple of bottles of champagne,” Rosie said, shaking her head. “That man ranks right at the top of my ‘slimeballs I’d like to smack’ list.”

  Jordan waved back at Marsha, deciding the woman was already trolling for game points, gearing up for the next stage of the competition in two days. She wondered what the probably-already-drunk-and-sleeping-it-off Mrs. Beau Lincoln would do if she could see her hubby right now, playing touchy-feely with a woman she’d nearly ripped off the stage in the theater the night before.

  As Jordan stared at the two of them, she remembered the last words out of Charlese Lincoln’s mouth after she’d slapped Marsha across the face: Next time you decide to sleep with someone else’s husband, you’d better make damn sure it’s not mine, or I’ll kill you myself with my bare hands.

  Jordan hoped for Marsha’s sake that the scorned wife was indeed sleeping it off in her room.

  CHAPTER 14

  The next morning, Jordan, Lola, and Rosie were off the ship in Philipsburg by seven thirty. Victor and Michael had signed up for a cruise around the island and barely had time for breakfast. Ray and Goose were staying on the ship to finish up their investigation into the robbery. Today, they were planning to sit down with every crew member and question them, hoping to discover if any of them had walked away with Charlese Lincoln’s diamond necklace. According to Lola, Goose and his security team had already conducted a surprise check of all employee quarters the night before but had come up empty-handed.

  As Goose had promised, the driver, who identified himself as Ramón, was waiting when they’d disembarked. Quickly, they were loaded into a Lincoln Town Car and on their way for the day’s adventure. Ramón explained Saint Martin was split into two sides, one populated by the French and the other by the Dutch. Jordan was so caught up in the small island’s history that she totally forgot about shopping and lying in the sun on one of the incredible beaches Saint Martin had to offer.

  “Here we are,” Ramón said when they pulled up to the marketplace. He checked his watch. “It’s nearly ten now. How about we meet up back here around twelve thirty? That’ll give us plenty of time to grab a quick lunch before I drop you off at Baie Orientale for an afternoon on the beach.”

  “That’s not one of those nude beaches I read about, is it?” Lola asked. “Because I’m here to tell you, I can’t think of too many things worse than an ‘oldie but goodie’ like me in my birthday suit.”

  Ramón laughed. “Orient Bay is Saint Martin’s busiest and most popular beach, but being on the French side of the island, it is swimsuit optional. If you can handle seeing an occasional naked man wandering by, you’ll do fine. And believe me, some of those old French guys should have looked in the mirror before letting it all hang out. Still want to go?”

  When they all nodded, he got out and held the door open for them. “See you at twelve thirty.”

  One by one the three women piled out, excited about the prospects of shopping and spending money and all chatting at once.

  Walking through the marketplace, Jordan had the distinct feeling someone was following them, although she didn’t see anyone or anything suspicious when she turned around to check behind them. She chalked it up to all the drama on the cruise, wishing again that she and Rosie had been able to talk to Ray at breakfast. But he hadn’t shown up like he had every other day of the cruise so far. Which was totally out of character. Ray Varga was a health nut and thought breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

  Lola had explained that Ray had gone down to the security office at six that morning, hoping to find out why Goose hadn’t returned any of his calls. Since Ray was being paid to make sure Beau Lincoln and all his possessions stayed safe on this trip, he was more than a little concerned the head of ship security may have uncovered something crucial about the robbery and had decided to keep him out of the loop.

  After strolling down every aisle in the marketplace, some more than once to compare prices, the three women stopped at a small snack stand for a soda just before noon. Jordan pulled out the purse she’d purchased and admired it once again. It was made completely of shells, exactly as the British woman had described. She was elated she’d been able to talk the saleswoman down to twenty-five bucks and even mentioned she felt like she should go to confession for stealing it before Rosie burst her bubble.

  “Honey, trust me. These shop owners can sniff out an American tourist from a mile away and probably jacked up the price when they saw you coming.”

  It didn’t matter that she still felt like a crook for haggling, she couldn’t wait to show Victor. He was the only man she knew who appreciated a bargain like she did.

  Reaching for her soda, she took a long drink before wiping the sweat from her brow with a napkin. Though the eighty-plus-degree weather didn’t come close to rivaling the blistering Texas temperatures, the humidity on the island was stifling.

  Feeling a sudden hunger pain, she pulled out a banana she’d snuck off the ship in her purse and was about to eat it when Rosie gasped. Still on edge about being followed, Jordan jumped, nearly falling off her chair.

  “Hello, Rosie, Lola. You both look good,” a voice said from behind.

  Jordan twisted around, sure she would recognize that voice anywhere. Just as she turned, Alex Moreland scooped her out of the chair and twirled her in the air before giving her a kiss that curled her toes.

  “Alex, what are you doing here?” she asked when he finally released her.

  “I don’t care how you got here, it’s just so good to see you, Alex.” Lola said, smiling at the newcomer.

  “It’s nice to know Ray can keep a secret.” He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. “You going to eat that banana?” he asked, eyeing up the fruit. “I spent all night getting here, and I haven’t had a thing to eat since an airport vending machine cheeseburger right before midnight.”

  She handed him the banana, forgetting about how her stomach had growled minutes before. He smiled before he peeled it and then shoved a big hunk into his mouth.

  “But how did you get here? You’re supposed to be deep undercover in El Paso.” She still couldn’t believe her eyes as she watched him finish off the banana in two more bites.

  He held up his hand while he finished chewing. “We nailed the drug lord, and when he crumbled, his entire operation came tumbling down like a stack of dominoes. His commanders couldn’t cut a deal fast enough.” He stopped to wipe his mouth and reached for her soda when she offered it. After draining the can, he grinned. “The man responsible for millions of dollars worth of heroin coming into Texas annually is now sitting in a federal prison, and if all goes well, that’s where he’ll stay until they carry him out in a coffin.”

  Jordan barely heard a word he said. She was too busy staring at the man she’d only talked to on the phone for the past few months. His dark blond hair was streaked with highlights, compliments of the hot El Paso sun. A little longer than she remembered, it now curled slightly at the ends.

  When he caught her staring, he winked. “Are you glad to see me?”

  Rosie laughed out loud. “Are you kidding? We’ve had to listen to her go on and on about you since the last time you were here. I, for one, am really glad to see you, if for no other reason than to get her talking about something else for a change. No offense, Alex, but I’m sick of hearing about you.”

  Jordan reached over and playfully punched Rosie’s arm. “You are so in trouble, Rosie. Now Alex will get a big head, wondering if all I did these past two months was think about him.”

  Remembering the one and only night they’d spent together in Ranchero before he went back to El Paso, Jordan felt her cheeks heat up and hoped he hadn’t noticed. The truth was, he had popped up in her mind many times in recent weeks, but she had thought about other stuff.

  Sheesh!

  “Good to know,” Alex said, meeting her eyes with a teasing wink. “It might give me leverage when I wine and dine her this evening.

  Jordan grunted. “Oh no! We have t
o be back on the ship by six.”

  Alex was staring at her, his eyes still playful. “That’s not a problem,” he said, shrugging. “I see you, me, and the rest of the gang at a nice dinner on board tonight. Then you, me, and—did I mention you and me alone while I show you how much I’ve missed you?”

  When his words finally registered, Jordan narrowed her eyes in question. “And how do you propose to sneak on the ship?”

  She was having a hard time concentrating under his intense gaze. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been so involved with helping her brother solve a murder that they’d only been able to spend a little time together before he flew back to El Paso and his undercover assignment. The idea of spending a night with him now seemed impossible.

  He caught her staring and gave her a devilish grin. “Hold that thought, Jordan—at least until later.”

  “But how—”

  “I told you, we wrapped up the undercover gig a few days ago. While Uncle Sam is deciding what to do with me next, they gave me a week off to chill.”

  “But how did you know I was here?” Jordan asked, still finding it hard to believe she was really staring into his those awesome blue eyes.

  “I tried to get in touch with you but kept getting voice mail. You didn’t even answer my emails.” He looked around the table. “I tried everyone before I began to worry. I was so excited about seeing you, I’d completely forgotten this was the week you all were going on the cruise.”

  “Did you say earlier that Ray kept your secret?” Lola asked, before tightening her lips in a pout. “If he knew and didn’t tell me, I’m going to kill him.”

  Alex patted her hand. “Don’t blame Ray, Lola, and don’t even think about doing any bodily harm. I made him swear not to tell anyone, especially you. I know how close you are to Jordan, and I was afraid you’d let it slip out. My surprise would’ve been ruined.”

  “I still can’t figure out how you’re going to wine and dine us tonight,” Rosie said. “We don’t eat until eight, and the ship sails at seven.”