Murder for the Halibut

by Liz Lipperman

CHAPTER 17

  Waking up in Alex’s arms the next morning was like a dream come true for Jordan. Ever since he’d left Ranchero several months before and returned to El Paso and his job, she’d been counting the minutes until she could be held like this again.

  She was startled from her daydreaming when he pulled her close and kissed her lightly on the lips.

  “A penny for your thoughts.”

  She held her hand over her mouth. “Don’t get too close. Morning breath will kill you,” she deadpanned.

  “What about morning lovemaking?” A hint of mischief flashed in his eyes.

  “Hold that thought,” she said, noticing it was already after seven. They’d have to hurry if they wanted to squeeze in breakfast before getting off the ship to explore the island. They had nine hours ashore, and their day was already filled with activities.

  Alex slid out of bed and walked to the restroom, giving her a good look at the muscles rippling down his back and narrowing at his slender waistline. Unable to help herself, she looked lower, and was glad she did.

  The man had a great derrière.

  After they showered and dressed, they headed off to the restaurant to hook up with the others. As soon as they walked through the door, Jordan spotted Emily sitting alone at a table near the center of the room. When they got closer, Jordan called her name, and Emily turned toward them and smiled.

  Out of the corner of her eye Jordan watched Alex’s reaction as he got his first look at the New Yorker. Dressed in a halter top with matching capris, the woman could have stepped right off the cover of Vogue. Alex seemed unimpressed.

  “We missed you last night at dinner,” Jordan said, then noticed the way Emily was staring at Alex. “Where are my manners? Emily Thorpe, meet Alex Moreland. He’s an old friend from Ranchero and only boarded the ship yesterday.”

  Alex cocked an eyebrow. “An old friend?”

  Jordan felt the color warm her cheeks. “Okay, a pretty close old friend.”

  He laughed and extended his hand to Emily. “So you’re the famous lady entrepreneur from New York that Jordan has talked so much about. It’s my pleasure to finally meet you.”

  Emily shifted her gaze from Alex to Jordan. “I hope she didn’t say anything bad about me.”

  “On the contrary,” Alex said. “She thinks a lot of you.”

  Emily smiled. “I’m glad. One of these days I’m going to convince your girlfriend to hang up her journalistic hat in Ranchero and come to New York to work with me.”

  Jordan opened her mouth in surprise. This was the first time she’d heard Emily say anything like this. She hoped she was teasing, because it would be a hard offer to turn down, if in fact, it was genuine.

  “Yeah, right. This West Texas girl would get swallowed alive in the Big Apple.”

  “This North Texas girl didn’t.”

  “You’re from Texas?” Jordan asked, thinking she must’ve misunderstood her.

  Emily took a deep breath and shook her head. “No, but I was raised in a small town in the South and know how overwhelming the big city can be, that’s all.” She patted the seat next to her. “Can you join me, or are you waiting for the others?”

  “We’re supposed to meet up with them,” Jordan answered. “But if they show up, we can bring over more chairs.”

  For the first time, the little green monster threatened to make an appearance. Jordan sat down in the empty chair on Emily’s right and motioned for Alex to sit beside her, as far away from Emily as she could get him. As much as she liked the woman, she wasn’t ready to position Alex next to her—or worse, seated across from her where he would be able to stare into those sky blue eyes throughout breakfast.

  “So, what have you been doing?” Jordan asked. “Did you visit Saint Martin at all yesterday?”

  Emily shook her head in dismay. “I should have known I wouldn’t be able to have a real vacation this week. I spent all day in the business center, back and forth on the phone with the lawyers from a huge magazine. Apparently, one of my clients walked off the set in the middle of a really important shoot. Seems the photographer said something that didn’t sit well with her.” She stopped and inhaled a deep breath. “Thankfully, I was able to calm the diva down and get her back on the set. Although it cost me a case of Dom Pérignon for the editor, the crisis is finally over. I am so ready to forget about New York and pretty women with temper tantrums.”

  “Will you be able to join us on shore today?” Jordan asked.

  Emily looked past her to Alex. “Unless you two want to be alone, I’d love to. Being with your friends makes me forget how lonely it is at the top of the corporate ladder—especially when you own the ladder.”

  “Well, lookee here. We were worried about you, Emily.” Victor pulled over two chairs, and he and Michael sat down.

  “I hated missing out on the fun yesterday,” Emily replied.

  Victor turned to Jordan. “Get any sleep last night, sweet pea?” he teased.

  “Leave her alone,” Lola said, suddenly appearing with Ray and Rosie. “Our girl deserves a few sleepless nights.” She winked at Alex.

  “Did you hear any news about Goose?” Alex asked when Ray was finally seated.

  “Nothing,” Ray replied. “But we did get the results of Stefano’s autopsy this morning.”

  “And?”

  “Just as we expected. Stefano died of anaphylactic shock brought on by an allergic reaction to peanuts. Case closed.”

  Jordan caught Rosie’s eye, suddenly realizing they hadn’t yet told Ray their theory about Thomas being in cahoots with the two lady chefs.

  “Why case closed, Ray? Don’t you think it’s strange that Stefano was allergic to nuts, yet his was the only spice bottle that had ground nuts in it?” Rosie asked.

  “And that the security tapes from the kitchen somehow were magically disrupted for a few minutes?” Jordan added.

  Alex’s head shot up. “Ray?”

  The retired cop shook his head. “I know that all sounds a bit fishy, pardon the pun, but Goose and his team pretty much ruled out anything other than a careless accident.”

  “Yeah, but we now know that Goose is a thief. Is it possible he’s a murderer, too?” Victor asked, always ready for drama.

  “Victor, you shouldn’t jump to conclusions like that,” Michael admonished. “And we don’t even know for sure that Goose is a thief. Remember what Alex said about innocent until proven guilty.”

  “Oh, so now you’re trying to tell me he just happened to have those jewels in his room for safekeeping?” Victor rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Michael.”

  “Enough about Goose. I’m sick of hearing about him,” Rosie said. “Let’s talk about how much fun we’ll have on our last day to play before we begin our final two days at sea.”

  “I agree,” Jordan said, reaching for Alex’s hand under the table. “Like Alex said, Goose is probably somewhere in the South Pacific lying on a beach. That’s exactly what I want to do today right here in beautiful Basseterre, Saint Kitts. I watched a video of the island last night, and a lot of the sites are must-sees. The white sandy beaches with their beautiful clear blue water are definitely on that list for me.”

  Ray cleared his throat. “Actually, Alex and I have a surprise for all of you. Last night Orlando told us about a great snorkeling package that takes you cruising around the island. It ends up at a wonderful spot where he said you can see just about every kind of fish native to these waters.”

  “I love snorkeling,” Victor said, before his face fell. “But that kind of adventure package is usually pretty pricey. Michael and I spent most of our mad money on the booze cruise in Saint Martin.”

  “You didn’t let me finish, Victor,” Ray said, shooting him a disapproving look. “Orlando knows the owner of the tour boat line. Before we left the room this morning, he called to say he’s worked out a deal for everyone connected to the cook-off. Even the contestants are coming along. And the really good news is, we’re getting the VIP treatme
nt for half price.”

  “Well, what are we waiting on?” Victor said, shoving the last of his blueberry muffin into his mouth.

  Ray shot him another one of his looks that normally would have made a grown man cringe. Victor totally ignored it.

  “The boat leaves in two hours, so we’d better hurry if we want to see a few of those sites Jordan talked about before we board. Lunch is complementary, and we’ll be back with enough time to spend a few hours on one of those magnificent beaches,” Ray said.

  In record time, they were lined up single file ready to exit the Carnation Queen. Jordan couldn’t help noticing that although Emily had agreed to join them, her friend wasn’t her usual gregarious self. She wondered if there was something more going on back in New York than a simple high-maintenance client. She vowed to keep Emily close to her and Alex and to try to figure out what was really the matter.

  Well—maybe not too close to Alex, she thought as she squeezed in between the two of them on the walkway leading to the capital city of Saint Kitts.

  After they boarded the small boat and were on their way around the Caribbean coastline, Jordan finally decided to get Emily off to the side. She spotted her alone near the back against the railing, apparently taking in the gorgeous landscape passing by.

  “Are you all right?” Jordan asked, sliding in beside her. When she didn’t respond, Jordan tapped her shoulder. “Emily?”

  She turned with a start. “What? Oh, sorry. I was deep in thought and didn’t hear you.” She shrugged. “As much as I try, I just can’t get my mind entirely off work.”

  Jordan shook her head. “You have to quit doing that, Emily. That stuff will still be there waiting for you when we dock in Miami, and you can take care of it then.” She stared a moment before continuing. “Are you sure that’s the only thing bothering you?”

  Emily sighed. For a moment Jordan thought she was about to confide in her, but then she seemed to change her mind and simply smiled.

  “Of course. What else could it be? It’s just hard to forget my work—even for a day. I’m so looking forward to snorkeling with you all.

  Jordan debated whether to let her know that George Christakis had shared her story, but then she remembered he’d asked her to keep it to herself. Instead, she concentrated on the scenery. They were passing what looked like a deserted beach when something caught her eye.

  “Oh my! Are those monkeys over there?”

  Emily pulled the binoculars from around her neck and looked in the direction Jordan was pointing. “They are. They’re chasing each other up and down the beach, and they’re adorable. Here, take a look.” She passed the binoculars to Jordan.

  “I wish I had a good camera to get a shot of that,” Jordan said.

  “Get a shot of what?” Alex asked, sneaking up and snaking his arms around her, effectively holding her captive against the railing.

  Not that she was complaining.

  She held the binoculars out to him, noticing the way Emily’s body stiffened with Alex so close. What was up with that?

  “They’re cute,” Alex said. He released Jordan from his stronghold. “Hey, you two, the captain sent me to get you. We’ve got a little over an hour before he’s going to put down the anchor, and he wanted everyone to grab a sandwich and a drink before then.”

  “You go, Jordan. I’m not very hungry. I’ll just stay here and take in the awesome scenery.”

  Jordan grabbed her hand. “Oh no you don’t. It’s time to have fun. We’ll see more of this later.” She tugged on Emily’s sleeve until the other woman finally gave in and allowed Jordan to lead her to the opposite side of the boat where the others were gathered.

  An hour later, they were all in snorkeling gear, and one by one, they jumped into the water. Over the next sixty minutes, Jordan saw some of the most gorgeous fish she’d ever seen, including a baby shark. When she began to follow it, Alex came up behind her and pulled her back, explaining when they surfaced that where there was a baby, there was probably a mother nearby watching every move.

  Although she knew nothing about sharks, she was pretty sure every mother turned into an aggressor if she thought her baby was being threatened. No way Jordan wanted to tangle with a ticked-off mama shark.

  Alex had managed to draw Jordan away from the others for a few minutes underwater as they explored a distant coral reef. Being with him made the trip more fun, but having his body pressed into hers as they watched a school of yellow fish dodging all around them was something she wouldn’t soon forget.

  On the cruise back to the pier, Jordan introduced Alex to all the contestants, who up to this point had stayed pretty much to themselves. As expected, Marsha, who made sure Alex got a closer look at her black-and-white striped bikini—or rather, strips of cloth masquerading as a bikini—even managed to rub against him on at least two occasions. Jordan was ready to join forces with Beau’s wife and do some serious bodily harm to the “skank,” as Charlese Lincoln had dubbed her.

  But Alex seemed immune to the attention, making Jordan vow to show her appreciation that night.

  “Are you coming to the competition tomorrow night, Alex?” Marsha asked, bending down to pick up her napkin—a maneuver designed to give Alex a look at her cleavage.

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Alex said, smiling at Marsha before turning back to Jordan. “Any chance to see my girl on stage doing what she does best, and I’m there.” He bent down and kissed Jordan’s cheek.

  Marsha pursed her lips in a pout, obviously not used to being ignored. After another overt though unsuccessful attempt to focus Alex’s eyes on her chest, she walked away, obviously upset Alex was not as easily entertained as Beau—or Stefano. In that split second, Alex rose to the top of Jordan’s seriously-going-to-be-rewarded-later list.

  “I think that deserves a drink,” Emily said, handing a wine cooler to Jordan and a beer to Alex.

  “What does, Emily?”

  “Seeing the look on Marsha’s face when Alex ignored her and kissed you. I’d watch my back if I were you,” she joked as she sipped her drink.

  “So, Marsha,” Rosie hollered from a few feet away as she made her way toward the chef, “what were you and Casey doing in the kitchen before the Greased Lightning Elimination Round?”

  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out Rosie had had a little too much to drink. The older woman’s slurred words were the first clue. As her friend got right up in Marsha’s face, Jordan cringed, knowing Rosie wasn’t finished with the sexy chef yet.

  Casey rushed over like a knight in shining armor and stood beside Marsha, whose mouth still hung open. Jordan stifled a giggle, knowing the two chefs had no idea how powerful the woman with the long, blond braid could be. Even working as a tag team, Marsha and Casey didn’t stand a chance.

  “Where would you get a silly idea like that?” Casey asked, squeezing between Rosie and Marsha.

  By this time both Ray and Alex had walked over to see what was going on. It occurred to Jordan that neither had heard the story about the two women in the ship’s kitchen, since she and Rosie were still waiting for an opportunity to talk to Ray alone.

  “I heard you talking in the bathroom,” Rosie lied. “One of you killed Stefano, and I want to know which one.” She turned to Thomas, who was now standing close by. “Or did you kill him?”

  Alex gently took hold of Rosie’s arm and guided her away from Marsha, who had now recovered from the initial shock and looked ready to go to war.

  “We were nowhere near the kitchen that day. You must’ve heard wrong,” Marsha said, eyes narrowed and now daring Rosie to say something else. “Or you had a little too much to drink—like now.”

  Rosie jerked forward, nearly breaking Alex’s hold on her.

  “Hold on, Rosie.” Ray moved in between Casey and Marsha before addressing the two women. “There’s a steward on the ship who begs to disagree with you. He admitted cutting out a few minutes of the kitchen security tape for the two of you.”
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br />   “That little jerk,” Casey said, throwing her arms in the air. She turned to Marsha. “I told you he couldn’t be trusted. But no, you were so sure that a little make-out session would keep him quiet.”

  Jordan glanced at Ray, wondering why he hadn’t told them about this new information when he and Goose joined them at lunch the other day. When the corners of his mouth curled in an obvious gotcha smile, it dawned on her that he’d been bluffing.

  He took one step closer to Marsha. “Did you put ground nuts into Stefano’s spice bottle?”

  Marsha gasped. “What? Of course not.”

  “Then what were you doing in the kitchen?”

  Her eyes begged Casey for help, but the other chef only shrugged. By now everyone on the ship had formed a circle around the two women and was waiting to hear their explanation.

  “We only wanted to mess with him,” Marsha finally admitted. “We were going to dilute the spice bottle with salt to ruin his halibut.”

  “Did you know he was allergic to peanuts?” Alex asked, moving up next to Ray as if he anticipated trouble.

  “We had no idea the little shit had a problem with that,” Casey chimed in. “We didn’t want to kill him. We only wanted to embarrass him in front of Christakis. God knows Stefano has taken great pleasure humiliating me on several occasions.”

  “So you’re admitting you tampered with his spice bottle before the competition?” Ray asked.

  “Hell no,” Casey said. “The baskets were already sealed when we got there.”

  CHAPTER 18

  By the time the captain glided the boat into the slip, Ray had calmed everyone down. He’d put Lola in charge of keeping Rosie port side while Marsha and Casey were starboard. Once they docked, the gang caught a cab to Turtle Beach, a lovely strip of white sand rimmed by beautiful turquoise water. After the snorkeling trip, none of them wanted to stay in the sun for long, and they returned to the ship after only an hour.

  Walking down the concrete pier to the boat, they were uncharacteristically quiet. Jordan was already mentally planning a little alone time with Alex followed by a nice power nap cuddled in his arms before tonight’s comedy show. They could all use a few drinks and a lot of laughs after Rosie’s confrontation with Casey and Marsha on the excursion boat.