Danielle and Millie sat in silence while Patterson filled out the report. He set the pen on top of the paper and slid them across the desk. “Take a look to make sure I didn’t miss anything.”
Danielle lifted the sheet of paper and studied the front. “Yes. This sums it up.”
“Sign and date the bottom.”
After Danielle signed, she slid the papers across the desk and clutched her stomach. “I think my toast is planning a revolt.”
Millie stood. “I’ll walk with you to the cabin.” She waited until Danielle was in bed before slipping out of the cabin and heading upstairs to track down Annette.
It was time to pay Sharky a visit.
Chapter 9
Clang…lang.
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Millie shifted her gaze and glanced nervously at the large metal pipes overhead that were rattling to beat the band. It sounded as if they were going to burst at any moment, spraying her with who knew what.
“Yeah,” Annette said. “I’m a hundred percent sure. Now you know why Frank Bauer is content to let someone else supervise this area of the ship.” She sniffed the air. “You smell that?”
The stench of something rotting hung heavy in the air.
Millie wrinkled her nose. “It smells putrid, like rotting produce or worse.”
“We’re close now.” Annette pointed at the double set of swinging doors a short distance away. Lining one side of the corridor were empty luggage carts. On the other side of the corridor stacked floor-to-ceiling, were empty wooden pallets.
The women pushed the swinging doors open and loud voices filled the hall. Bright light illuminated the corridor and as they drew closer, Millie could see an open cargo door with a ramp leading to the dock.
Millie darted to the side as a forklift raced up the ramp and careened around the corner.
“Watch where you’re going!” Annette yelled at the driver, who gave her the middle finger before speeding full steam ahead down the long corridor.
Annette’s reprimand drew the attention of several of the workers. One of them, who had been stacking boxes of floor tiles, made his way over. “You two shouldn’t be down here. It’s dangerous. The crew exit is two decks up.”
“Now you warn us,” Millie muttered. “We’re looking for Sharky.”
“Who’s looking for Sharky?”
“We are.” Annette pointed at Millie. “Is there a problem with that?”
The man shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with it but Sharky might.” He tipped his head to a smaller corridor. “Last time I saw Sharky, he was down near the recycle bins.”
“Thanks.” Annette walked across the corridor and Millie hurried behind her.
“I hope we don’t end up in the bin.”
“You worry too much,” Annette said. “What’s the worst that can happen? Sharky tells us to get lost?”
Millie could think of a hundred other things that could happen. She shoved the thought aside as they entered the second corridor. Thankfully, this one wasn’t nearly as congested as the one they’d just left.
The corridor was a maze of twists and turns. Unmarked metal doors lined the corridor. A sense of foreboding filled Millie as they zigzagged around another corner and the corridor narrowed again. “I’m pretty sure this is the deck where they lock up the unruly crew for punishment.”
Annette grinned. “Yeah and I’m sure they only give them bread and water and chain them to rattling pipes,” she teased.
“It’s not funny,” Millie said.
The corridor took a sharp turn and Millie came to a screeching halt when she nearly collided head-on with a man riding a black scooter, racing toward them from the opposite direction.
The first thing Millie noticed was his hair, or more precisely the style. Both sides of his head were shaved. The top of his dark brown ‘do’ spiked straight up and traveled forward at an angle in a Mohawk.
Millie wondered if the spikes had ever poked someone’s eye out.
“We don’t allow visitors down here,” the man growled.
“We’re looking for Sharky,” Annette said.
“Who is looking for Sharky?”
Millie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It was a déjà vu moment. “The Queen of England,” she snapped.
Annette took a step forward. “Do you like to eat?”
“Of course I do. That’s a stupid question.”
“Good because I’m looking for Sharky and I’m the director of food and beverage.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” The man, all three feet tall of him, hopped off the scooter. He bent forward in an exaggerated bow. “Sharky Kiveski at your service.”
Millie clamped a hand across her mouth to keep from laughing. Sharky was as wide as he was tall. This guy was in charge of the night crew?
“How may I be of assistance?”
“We heard there was an incident down here the other night and the head of night security was attacked,” Annette said. “We’re wondering what you know about it.”
Sharky frowned. “You gonna bust my chops, too? I already told the head of security what I know. End of story.”
“It’s not the end of the story,” Millie said. “Brody, the security guard who was attacked, was threatened again yesterday.”
“We’re trying to figure out who is targeting Brody and why,” Annette added. “One of the maintenance guys upstairs said you might be able to shed some light on the subject.”
Sharky hooked his thumbs in his pants pockets and studied Annette. “Why do you care?”
“Because he’s our friend,” Millie said. “We’re certain he’s still on someone’s hit list.”
“What’s in it for me?”
Annette crossed her arms and stared down at Sharky. “Let’s cut to the chase. What do you want? Chicken wings? A nice juicy ribeye steak with all the fixin’s? My famous Death by Chocolate cake?”
Sharky smacked his lips as he rubbed his hands together. “Now you’re talking.” He tipped his head and stared at the pipes on the ceiling. “Yeah. A nice juicy medium well bone-in ribeye, baked potato loaded, don’t skimp on the bacon bits and sour cream, corn on the cob with extra butter and for dessert, a nice big slice of lemon meringue pie.”
Annette glanced at her watch. “It’s gonna take some time to pull the meal together.”
“I got plenty of time.” Sharky hopped onto his scooter.
Millie noticed a set of red flames painted along the side of the scooter. Etched inside the flames was the word Sharky.
“My dinner break isn’t until six. I’ll work on a little more intel for you two gals before our next meeting.”
“We’ll be back at six sharp,” Annette promised. “How will we know where to find you?”
“Meet me in my office,” Sharky said. “When you reach the main corridor, make a right. My office is the second door on the right. You can’t miss it. My name is on the front.”
“Sharky?”
“Yeah. It stands for Supervisor of Human Administration Representing Keel Yeoman.”
Annette frowned.
“You know, the keel runs along the centerline of the ship and Yeoman is a petty naval officer. Yeoman is a stretch but it’s the only word that fit my acronym.”
The title was bigger than Sharky was. “I thought it had to do with your ‘do’.” Annette pointed at Sharky’s Mohawk and then patted the top of her head.
“This?” Sharky ran the palm of his hand over the spikes. “No. This is just for looks. The chicks dig it.”
“We’ll take your word for it,” Annette said. “See you at six.”
Sharky lifted his hand in mock salute before flipping the switch on the scooter. It let out a loud popping noise as it backfired, scaring Millie half to death.
Sharky snickered at her before twisting the throttle, popping a wheelie and zipping around the corner and out of sight.
Millie waited until he was gone before speaking. “What if he’s just blo
wing smoke and doesn’t know squat?”
“There’s always the possibility,” Annette said. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained. All it’s gonna take is a little work on my part to fix his meal. You never know, Sharky might not be a wealth of information this time, but having someone on the inside at this level could prove helpful down the road.”
“Good point.”
“Always gotta be thinkin’ ahead.” Annette tapped the side of her forehead. “It doesn’t hurt to have friends in low places, just like the country song.”
“Literally,” Millie laughed.
The women retraced their steps and trudged up the steps to the land of the living. Millie hoped Sharky would be able to provide some sort of useful information. If not, Brody was scheduled to work the night shift that evening and her gut told her something bad was going to happen if they couldn’t figure out who had it in for their friend.
Annette headed upstairs to check on the dinner menu and prep for Sharky’s steak dinner while Millie made her way to Brody’s cabin to chat with him.
There was a Do Not Disturb sign hanging from the doorknob and not wanting to disturb his rest, she retraced her steps.
Her next stop was to check on Danielle. The cabin was empty and Millie’s bed was made. Relieved that Danielle was feeling better, it was time to return to the library to work on her inventory.
While she worked, she mulled over Brody’s situation. Maybe Sharky did know more than he let on and he was just milking it for a free meal. Heaven knew some of the unidentifiable dishes inside the crew-dining hall left a lot to be desired.
Millie couldn’t blame him for trying to get a decent meal out of the deal. She wondered if the crew resented Brody’s move up the ladder and if they resented staff like her who were allowed special privileges that they weren’t.
She’d never heard a negative comment but then again, many of them knew of her relationship with Captain Armati so there was a good chance they wouldn’t reveal how they really felt.
This led Millie to wonder if her friends were really friends or if they just sucked up to her because of who she was. She hoped not.
There was also the body Brody swore he saw. Millie hoped to be able to talk to Brody, to see if he could remember anything else. The fact that Patterson admitted there was a small puddle of blood near Brody but it wasn’t his, was suspect.
By lunchtime, Millie was three quarters of the way finished with inventorying the books. She’d had to toss out a couple of them. One was missing several pages while another appeared to have been used as a child’s coloring book. A bunch of the pages were decorated with crayon marks.
It was a shame since the hardcover book was a new release.
She wandered to the buffet area only to discover it was closed and the Waves renovation project was in full swing. The ship’s crew had moved the tables and chairs to the back deck, and several workers were on their hands and knees, chipping away at the old tile floors.
She headed to the lido buffet and grabbed a plate full of food. Millie carried the food, along with a glass of tea back to the library and settled in at the window seat overlooking the bay.
It was a gorgeous Florida afternoon. Millie munched on her hotdog as she watched fishing boats and jet skis sail down the open waterway.
A Coast Guard vessel cruised back and forth and Millie wondered if the Coast Guard was guarding the ship.
She finished her food and placed the dirty plate off to the side before resuming her task of inventory. The thrill of the project wore off and grew tedious as the afternoon wore on. Finally, by late afternoon, she finished the inventory and exited the library.
Millie dropped her dirty dishes in the kitchen, hoping to chat with Annette but she was nowhere in sight so she headed downstairs and made a last minute detour to Brody’s cabin. The Do Not Disturb sign was gone so Millie tapped on the door.
It opened a crack and Millie caught a glimpse of Brody peeking through the opening. When he spotted Millie, he opened the door. “I heard you were looking for me.”
“I’m worried about you, Brody,” Millie said.
In the bright hall light, she was able to get a good look at Brody. He looked okay, except for a large angry mark on the back of his head.
“I might as well invite you in since I know you won’t let up until you’re sure I’m okay.” Brody opened the door and limped across the room. “Sorry if I’m moving slow. I twisted my ankle during my fall.”
Brody’s cabin sported the same layout as Millie and Danielle’s, minus the desk chair, which was missing. In its place was a cooler. She gingerly sat on top of the cooler.
“I’m concerned about you, Brody,” Millie said. “I’m sure you heard about the note I found tucked in your door. This isn’t over.”
Brody sat on the edge of the lower bunk and propped his elbows on his knees. “Something’s not right. Right before I was attacked, I heard some grunting noises and a loud thump. When I rounded the corner of the back corridor, I saw someone lying on the corridor floor.”
“One thing we know for certain, your attacker is still on the loose,” Millie said. “Not to mention the note.”
Brody waved his hand dismissively. “Someone is trying to scare me off and Brody Rourke don’t scare easy. They caught me off guard last time but it won’t happen again.” He pounded his chest. “We ex-marines are tough as nails.”
Alarmed by Brody’s lack of concern over his safety, Millie switched tactics. She remembered how Marcus had mentioned the last port stop in San Juan.
“You didn’t get into it with the night maintenance crew at all, no harsh words, no warnings, nothing…” Millie’s voice trailed off.
“Like I said, I ain’t gonna worry about it.” Brody stood. “I got a job to do and short of them taking me out permanently, that’s exactly what I plan to do.”
This was exactly what Millie was afraid of.
Chapter 10
It was close to Sharky’s dinner hour and Millie arrived in the galley early to see if Annette needed help.
She found her friend rummaging around in the fridge. Annette pulled the lemon meringue pie from the cooler and reached inside the drawer for a knife. “Brody swears he heard noises and thumping and saw a body?”
“Yeah,” Millie said. “He plans to show up for his shift, starting at eleven tonight and I have a feeling he’s walking right into a trap.”
Annette finished working on the crewmember’s Mexican themed dinner. She barked out instructions to her staff in the galley and then threw Sharky’s steak on the grill while Millie scrubbed a potato, stabbed it a few times and stuck it in the microwave.
“Where’s the corn on the cob?”
“We don’t have any.” Annette looked up from the grill. “He’s gonna have to settle for fresh frozen sweet corn. It’s in the freezer to the right.”
Millie grabbed the sweet corn and filled a glass bowl. While Annette grilled the steak, Millie finished cooking the baked potato and warmed the dish of corn.
Annette flipped the steak over. “Perfect.” She plated the steak while Millie added the potato to the side and ladled a large spoonful of corn in the open space.
When the dish was covered, Annette carried that while Millie followed behind, carrying the lemon meringue pie. “I always heard the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.”
“Me too,” Millie said. “It never worked with Roger. He hated my cooking.”
Annette stopped abruptly. “Are you a terrible cook?”
“I don’t think so, at least my kids never complained.” Looking back on their thirty plus years of marriage, Roger had complained a lot. He nitpicked her housekeeping, her bookkeeping and how she disciplined their two children, Beth and Blake.
Nic, so far, was the complete opposite. He didn’t seem at all interested in whether she could cook or clean. He’d never asked about her personal finances, although she told him she’d gotten the house on Reed’s Lake as part of the divorce settlement. In e
xchange, she’d signed off her rights to Central Michigan Private Investigators, the company Roger and she had started during the early years of their marriage.
As part of the settlement, she’d also gotten a couple of retirement accounts. The material and monetary possessions had been split almost evenly. Because of some recent investments she’d made, Millie would live comfortably in her later years.
Since her room, board and all meals were part of her work package, she’d saved almost every penny she made as assistant cruise director. She planned to hang onto the extra money as a safety cushion.
Now that she thought about it, she had no idea what kind of financial shape Nic was in. It was something they needed to talk about. What if he was broke? She quickly dismissed the thought. Surely, a ship’s captain made good money, and like her, he didn’t need to spend his income on housing, food or even utilities.
“Earth to Millie.” Annette snapped her fingers in Millie’s face.
“Sorry. I got a little mentally sidetracked.”
The women continued their descent down the steps to the lowest level of the ship. The smell of something decaying or rotting was even stronger than it had been earlier and Millie gasped. “That’s a terrible odor.”
“I agree,” Annette said. “I’m not sure I want to know what’s causing it.”
They picked up the pace as they hurried down the corridor, passing by several workers who were painting yellow safety stripes along each side of the corridor.
They stopped in front of the door marked SHARKY.
“I guess this is it.” Annette shifted the covered plate to her other hand and rapped on the door before reaching for the knob.
She opened the door and stuck her head around the corner.
Millie followed her inside and almost burst out laughing. Sharky was sitting behind the desk with his feet propped on top. He was leaning so far back that the tips of his spiked hair touched the wall behind him.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. “I thought you weren’t going to show.”
Cruisin' for a Bruisin' (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 9) Page 6
