“Okay, well, we’re going to need names for confirmation,” Quinn said, tapping on his computer keyboard before lifting his eyes again. “Oh, and just one more thing … when did you become aware that you weren’t dealing with the real Daphne DuBois?”
Quinn phrased the question in such a manner that everything hinged on Penny’s response. He wasn’t disappointed.
Penny widened her eyes to comical proportions and worked her jaw back and forth, flailing her hands at her sides as she feigned sliding in her chair. “What did you say?”
“Yeah, that was the worst piece of acting I’ve ever seen,” Quinn muttered. “Be aware that we’re confiscating your computer even as we speak – I’m sending a team to take it into evidence – and we will find out exactly what you knew and when. Lying isn’t going to work in your favor.”
“You can’t do that.” Penny narrowed her eyes to dangerous brown slits. “That’s my property. You don’t have the authority to confiscate my property.”
“Read over the fine print on the document you signed when you checked into your room.” Quinn adopted a lazy tone as he reclined in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head and shooting Penny a smug smile. “You basically told us we could do whatever we wanted, including acting as law enforcement representatives without warrants. You signed the paperwork so you can take it up with yourself if you’re not happy.”
“You can’t do this.” Penny’s voice was low and dangerous.
“We’ve already done it,” Quinn shot back. “Now, I’ll ask again, when did you know that Claire Fisher took over Daphne DuBois’ identity?”
“I … .” Penny looked helpless as she glanced from face to face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Lying to us only makes you look more guilty.”
“I’m not lying,” Penny huffed. “I have no idea who Claire Fisher is. I’m telling the truth on that. I began to suspect that Daphne wasn’t who she said she was almost a year ago. I couldn’t prove it, though.”
“Why didn’t you call the police?” Rowan asked, genuinely curious. “If you knew she was a scam artist … .”
“See, I didn’t know she was a scam artist, although that does explain a few things,” Penny admitted, rubbing the sweaty palms of her hands against her knees as she tried to calm herself. “I just knew that something wasn’t right in the company. Daphne slipped a lot, admitted she didn’t know anything about makeup a time or two. It was odd and I knew something was going on, although keeping track of all that stuff wasn’t easy.”
“Meaning?” Quinn prodded.
“Meaning that a lot of money seemed to be disappearing out of company accounts and when I asked her why she said to mind my own business,” Penny replied. “I thought maybe the woman pretending to be Daphne DuBois was really an actress. There are a lot of rumors about the real Daphne DuBois … and not all of them are pretty.”
“What do you mean by that?” Rowan asked.
“We’re a gossipy bunch,” Penny explained. “A few years ago someone started the rumor that Daphne wasn’t really Daphne and it caught on. It’s like one of those urban legends you just can’t shake.”
“So who is she supposed to be?”
Penny held her hands palms up and shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s part of the game. People think she’s an actress … or maybe the sister of the real Daphne … or maybe even a former criminal who is on the lam. Some rumors say the real Daphne is a man and he obviously can’t be the public face of the company because people wouldn’t trust him. Other people say the real Daphne was disfigured in an accident and she has no choice but to hire someone to be her public face because she would frighten customers otherwise.”
“Uh-huh.” Quinn was dumbfounded. He was fairly certain he’d never met a more shallow woman in his life – and he wasn’t looking forward to questioning the other Cara G Cosmetics representatives if he could expect this reaction. “So you thought that the Daphne DuBois you were spending time with was an actress.”
“Basically.”
Quinn shifted his eyes to Rowan, something unsaid passing between them. “What if I told you there’s a possibility that the real Daphne DuBois is dead … and has been for almost five years?”
Penny gripped the arms of her chair tightly and leaned forward. “Are you serious?”
“Serious enough that I believe the future of Cara G Cosmetics is in doubt,” Quinn replied. “I have to believe that whoever killed Daphne DuBois understood they were killing the company – and hundreds of successful careers in the process – when they did it. Why would someone go through with the murder if they knew that?”
“I … .” Penny worked her jaw for a moment and then shook her head. “I can’t think of any reason why anyone would want to do that.”
“No, I can’t either,” Quinn agreed. “That doesn’t mean that someone didn’t do it.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say to that.”
“I don’t want you to say anything,” Quinn supplied. “I want you to think long and hard about this, because whoever killed Daphne DuBois – or Claire Fisher, if you prefer – wanted to take down Cara G Cosmetics in the process. I don’t think very many people wanted that. I need you to figure out who did.”
Penny looked caught but she recovered quickly. “I’ll definitely do that.”
“Good.”
Quinn remained seated until Penny left the office and then he hopped to his feet and shut the door before swiveling to face Rowan. “What do you think?”
“I think she’s not the woman we thought she was and she’s hiding a multitude of things.”
“I think that, too.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean she’s a murderer,” Rowan pointed out. “She could’ve been blackmailing Daphne because she knew she was a fraud. I don’t think she’d kill her, though, because that means killing the company. You said it yourself.”
“Yes, but I want Penny to say it to all of those women,” Quinn said. “Penny won’t be able to keep that little tidbit to herself. Before we know it, those women are going to be turning on each other because they’re worried they’re going to lose what they have.”
“Is that a good thing?”
Quinn’s smile was mischievous. “It is if we want them to start telling secrets on one another.”
“You have a point.” Rowan tapped her lip. “I suppose I should head up to the deck so I can listen when they start talking.”
“You do that while I make a few calls,” Quinn instructed. “I’ll join you as soon as I can. We’re finally getting somewhere. I don’t want to lose momentum.”
15
Fifteen
“You look lost in thought.”
Quinn was supposed to meet Rowan on deck for a late lunch at the tiki bar. He couldn’t stop smiling when he caught sight of her munching on a plate of fresh vegetables while she stared off into space, seemingly oblivious to the hustle and bustle around her. He thought she bore an adorable expression until it never moved, not so much as wavered … for a full five minutes. He stared the entire time and she never once shifted.
That’s where Sally found him a few minutes later.
Quinn jerked his head in Sally’s direction, recovering quickly when he realized he looked a bit demented staring at his new girlfriend as if she were on stage stripping rather than contemplating a murder in the middle of a cruise ship bar. “I was just … thinking.”
“That’s what ‘lost in thought’ means,” Sally teased, shaking her head. “What’s your deal? You’re not considering doing something stupid, are you?”
Quinn arched a dubious eyebrow. He didn’t spare a lot of time for the bulk of the ship’s workers – mostly because he found gossip and nonstop partying insipid – but he was genuinely fond of Sally. “Define stupid?”
“Breaking up with her.”
Quinn screwed his face up in what could only be described as a “what are you talking about” expression. “I’m sorry. Why do you think I’m
going to break up with her? Not that it’s any of your business, by the way, but I’m curious.”
“You looked serious,” Sally replied, the corners of her mouth tipping down to indicate she didn’t find the idea of Quinn hurting Rowan funny in the least. “She doesn’t deserve to be jerked around by you.”
“How am I jerking her around?” Quinn was affronted. “Did she say I was jerking her around?”
“She hasn’t said anything other than to stay out of her business,” Sally clarified. “She seems to think you walk on water – which is kind of funny since we live on a cruise ship – but I’m a little worried.”
“About what?”
Sally wasn’t one to mince words and she didn’t think now was the time to start. “The lack of sex.”
Quinn’s mouth dropped open. “What?” He sounded like a panicked high schooler caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing in the boys’ locker room.
“You haven’t had sex with her,” Sally supplied. “Why? Is there something wrong with her? Before you get your panties in a twist, I asked the same questions of her. Everyone assumed you two were … you know. She said you just slept last night and nothing else. That’s freaking crazy.”
“Why is that crazy? We were tired.” Quinn didn’t appreciate being put on the defensive, but he could hardly ignore Sally’s insight. He’d spent the past five minutes worried about Rowan’s state of mind, after all. If Sally had information … well … he wanted her to share it with him.
“You’re not gay, right?” Sally was fixated on the possibility.
“Not last time I checked.”
“When was that? It was after high school, right? Most boys believe they’re straight in high school because they want to be part of the ‘in’ crowd. If you’re gay, it’s okay. She needs to know now, though.”
“Okay, I’m done with this conversation.” Despite his curiosity, Quinn was fairly certain his ego couldn’t take another hit from Sally. “Just for the record, I’m not gay. I didn’t realize that taking a few days to get to know someone was such a sin. I’ll keep it in mind for the future.”
Sally’s eyebrows flew up her forehead, his tone positively chilling her to the bone. “Wait a second.” She grabbed his arm before he could stride away. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“You didn’t hurt my feelings.” Quinn was matter-of-fact. “I simply don’t feel the need to go into this with you. I like Rowan. That hasn’t changed. I know you’re probably doing this because you feel protective of her, but it’s really not necessary.
“We have our hands full right now,” he continued. “We have a dead woman who was actually a grifter posing as another woman who may or may not be dead. We have hundreds of suspects because our victim was a horrible person. We have a lot going on.
“We just started dating and I don’t feel the need to rush things,” he said, rolling his neck. “I would much rather build a solid foundation before forcing the matter. If Rowan has a problem with that, she can talk to me about it. It really is none of your business.”
Quinn’s tone finally sank in and Sally looked sheepish. “I’m sorry. I feel protective of her. She’s different from the other types of people who want to work on a cruise ship, almost delicate because she’s so sincere. You’re different, too, which is one of the reasons I thought you would make a good match. I didn’t mean to step on your toes.”
“I want you to be loyal to Rowan because I think she needs it,” Quinn said, choosing his words carefully. “There’s a difference between being there for someone and taking over. You’re trying to take over.”
Sally’s cheeks burned as she ran her tongue over her teeth. “You might have a point.”
“Good. As for why I’m standing here, I couldn’t stop staring,” Quinn admitted. “She looks sad. Don’t you think she looks sad?”
Sally shifted her eyes to Rowan, her stomach sinking when she realized Quinn was right. He honestly did have her best interests at heart. That much was obvious. “I’m sorry. I’m used to things moving a mile a minute on this ship. People never take the opportunity to relish anything, coast for a little bit. It’s always full steam ahead. I forgot things could be another way.”
“This ship skews people’s perspectives,” Quinn conceded. “I won’t let it skew mine. I don’t believe Rowan is the type of person who will let it skew her perspective either. She’s strong.”
“She’s definitely strong.” Sally bobbed her head. “I’m sorry about pushing her. I’ll back off.”
“That would be great considering what we’re dealing with. I wasn’t joking about things piling on. Speaking of that, you haven’t seen any of these women act suspicious, have you?”
Sally tilted her head to the side, considering. “A lot of them have emotional and behavioral issues,” she offered after a beat. “Some of that can be chalked up to the fact that they’re homemakers and they go wild the second they can get away from their kids. As for being murderers, though, I don’t see any of them having the potential for that.”
“And yet someone here is a killer.” Quinn heaved out a sigh as he scanned the immediate area. “This is a mess.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, honey.”
Quinn mustered a legitimate smile. “Keep your nose to the ground and if you hear anything – even something small that you think might be insignificant but strikes you as weird – tell me. I need to start untangling this because we’re running out of time.”
“Plus we have port tomorrow,” Sally reminded him. “If someone on this ship really is guilty, they might take advantage of a port stop and run.”
“Yeah, I’m worried about that, too.”
Quinn gave Sally’s arm a squeeze before moving in Rowan’s direction. Sally watched him go, conflicted.
“What’s going on with the two of them?” Demarcus asked, inclining his head in the direction of the Bounding Storm’s newest power couple, grinning as Quinn greeted Rowan with a short kiss. “They look all cute and cuddly together.”
“I think I have a warped sense of relationships now,” Sally admitted. “I just gave Quinn an earful about not making a move on Rowan and he pointed out they haven’t been together very long. I just assumed there was something wrong when, in reality, he’s doing everything right.”
“He is doing everything right,” Demarcus agreed, smiling when he heard Rowan break out in laughter. “They’re kind of cute, huh?”
“They’re ridiculously cute,” Sally agreed. “It makes me sort of jealous.”
“You and me both, honey. Still, I’m rooting for them. I think someone on this ship deserves a happily ever after and I’m far too jaded to think it’s going to be me.”
Sally searched Demarcus’ face with a prolonged gaze. “I don’t know. I think there’s still hope for you yet.”
“Maybe there’s hope for both of us.”
“Maybe.”
“AM I interrupting?”
Captain Michael Griffin gave Quinn and Rowan a saucy wink before grabbing the open chair next to Quinn and plopping his bulky frame in it. He didn’t bother waiting for an answer.
Quinn managed to swallow his sigh even though he would’ve much preferred to carry out his lunch date privately. “Help yourself,” he said dryly when Michael grabbed a carrot stick from Rowan’s plate. “Don’t ask or anything.”
“Thanks.” Michael ignored Quinn’s tone and adopted a serious expression. “What do you have?”
“We have a ton of stuff,” Quinn admitted, keeping his hand on top of Rowan’s as he regarded his boss. “We’re not sure how it all fits together yet.” He launched into his tale, recounting the day. He left out anything that had to do with Rowan’s ability and ultimately it wasn’t difficult. When he was done, Michael was understandably dumbfounded.
“Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m about to climb into my clown shoes and do a little dance? I’m serious.”
Michael snorted at Quinn�
�s deadpan delivery. “That was nice.”
“Thanks. I’m here all week.”
“I don’t even know what to say to that,” Michael admitted, dragging a restless hand through his hair. “Have you tried calling the Cara G Cosmetics corporate offices?”
Quinn nodded. “That’s what I spent my late morning doing after talking to Penny Parker,” he answered. “I wasn’t sure how much to tell them so I asked for their lawyer to give me a call. I figured it would be smart to start with him.”
“Probably so. What did he say?”
“He’s calling me in an hour.” Quinn checked the clock behind the bar to reassure himself he still had time. “I’m going to lay everything on the table. I need to know if he ever saw Daphne DuBois – the real Daphne DuBois – before and if he can describe the original version. I’m guessing he didn’t ever meet her, though.”
“What makes you say that?” Michael asked.
“Because I’m guessing that Claire Fisher slowly removed every old employee for that company when she took over,” Quinn replied. “Think about it, she had to be nervous when it first happened. She couldn’t suddenly be the public face of the company when the former one was a recluse. She had to take things slowly. She would never get another opportunity like this so she had to take over the company in the correct way from the start.
“So, she probably went in and replaced key personnel little by little,” he continued. “If she’d done it all at once it would’ve raised suspicions and possibly caused lawsuits. I’m guessing she was smart enough to do it slowly and make sure she had cause when replacing people. That’s how she survived in this position so long.”
“But to do it she would’ve had to kill the original Daphne DuBois,” Michael noted. “How did she get away with that?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Quinn admitted. “I assumed she killed the original Daphne, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe Penny is right and the original Daphne merely hides her face so she doesn’t have to be in the public eye. Maybe she hired Daphne to impersonate her and she’s not dead. The lawyer should hopefully be able to answer that question.”
“It almost makes sense for the real Daphne to still be alive,” Rowan mused, drawing two sets of eyes to her grim features. “The Daphne on this ship always struck me as someone who was living very close to the edge. Maybe that was a byproduct of having to live her life as someone else. Maybe she was starting to lose her mind because she couldn’t differentiate herself from the newer persona.”
Murky Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 2) Page 13
