Pumpkin Glaze & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 5

by Susan Gillard

  * * *

  “I guess he was right,” said Amy. “There were a lot of people in costume.”

  * * *

  “Exactly,” Heather said, starting to walk away.

  * * *

  “Where are you going?” asked Captain Braxton.

  * * *

  “I’m going back on the dance floor,” she said.

  Dance Floor Crime Scene

  The dance floor was a much less happy place than when they first arrived on the ship. Earlier there had been toe-tapping music and creepy décor. Now the lights were shining brightly on the silent area that had been roped off.

  A plastic tarp had been secured over the victim and the immediate area to protect it until a forensic team was able to process it properly.

  “Do we really have to come back here?” Amy asked, playing with her costume cat tail nervously.

  “It was what the witness said about him being concerned that he could have been stabbed by mistake,” said Heather. “That got me thinking.”

  "But can't we think back where we were?" asked Amy. "I've reached my maximum quota for seeing dead bodies for the day."

  “What did it make you think?” Ryan asked, ignoring Amy’s concerns.

  “There were so many people in the same costumes,” said Heather.

  “And it worked to the killer’s advantage to blend in with the crowd,” Ryan agreed. “We don’t know which female pirate is the killer right now.”

  “But there were also many male zombie pirates,” said Heather. “How do we know that the killer meant to stab Jason Myers? Could the killer have wanted to stab another male zombie pirate? Did the victim not matter, and the killer just wanted to kill somebody? Or did the killer have a way to find Jason Myers in the crowd?”

  “Those are an awful lot of questions to find an answer to,” Captain Braxton said.

  “It does make sense for Jason Myers to be the intended victim because he was the person who was causing drama on the ship,” said Ryan. “Fans were eager to see him and could have been disappointed by the speech he gave. At least one ex-girlfriend made her way onboard and caused a scene. Other women were displeased with him. And Lucrecia told us that most of the tickets were sold after they announced that he would be speaking.”

  “That’s right,” Heather said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that many other men looked like him on the dark dance floor. He was an average height and was wearing the same jacket and hat as everyone else. He was also wearing a decent amount of makeup to give him scars and a green coloring, like many other guests.”

  “So, if he was the intended victim like we believe he was,” said Ryan. “Then we need to determine how the killer found him on the dance floor.”

  “Exactly,” said Heather. “And I have an idea.”

  “Is everything all right?” Lucrecia asked, approaching the group.

  “Besides a man dying on our watch?” Captain Braxton asked. “I suppose so. We’re making some progress in our investigation.”

  “I can get out of your way then,” said Lucrecia. “I just wasn’t sure if there was something I should be doing now that the party is on hold. I can leave you though.”

  “Wait,” said Heather. “You can help us with something?”

  Lucrecia smiled at the thought, showing off her vampire fangs again.

  “Can you turn on the black lights again?” Heather asked.

  “Tanya was the one to turn them on before,” Lucrecia said.

  “But you do know how to do it?” Captain Braxton asked. “You could turn them on for us?”

  “Of course,” Lucrecia said.

  She flipped a switch, and the others saw the lights abruptly change, and the spiders on the glowing webs begin to dance.

  Heather turned back to thank Lucrecia, but she was already gone. Heather dismissed it. She wanted to find out if her theory was right before she started chasing down suspects.

  “Amy, you’re going to want to look away because of your quota,” Heather said.

  Amy groaned and turned away.

  “We looked at body already,” Ryan said, and then he realized. “But not in the black light.”

  “I thought maybe the killer had another reason for choosing this time for the kill,” said Heather.

  Heather, Ryan, and Captain Braxton carefully removed part of the tarp and allowed the black light to shine on the victim.

  "What am I missing?" Amy asked, still not looking.

  “We discovered how the killer found the right male pirate zombie in the dark,” said Heather.

  “How?”

  "He was marked with a paint or something that can't be seen in regular light but can be seen in black light. It's on his jacket and must have been how he was found in the crowd."

  “So, he was marked for death?” Amy asked.

  “Yes,” said Heather. “And you’re going to hate this too.”

  “What?”

  “The marking on him was an X,” said Heather. “X marks the spot.”

  Undead Ex-Lover

  “What’s going on?” Celia asked.

  Heather, Ryan, Amy and Captain Braxton found her sitting in the nurse’s station. It was a small room with a cot and some simple medical equipment. Captain Braxton had explained that because they were never too far from shore, they didn’t have a real medical professional onboard but that the whole crew was certified in first aid and CPR.

  Celia rose. “Am I in real trouble? There are four of you here. One is the captain, and two are Sherlock Holmeses. All I did was yell at somebody. Sorry that it was at a movie event. But he deserved it."

  “Did he deserve anything else?” Amy asked.

  “Maybe to be thrown overboard,” Celia suggested. “Why?”

  “Jason Myers is dead,” Heather said.

  “What?” Celia asked. “How?”

  “He was murdered,” said Heather.

  Celia sat back down and looked pale.

  “Where were you after being escorted from the film?” Ryan asked.

  “Here,” said Celia. "I was here with the vampire lady for a while, and she told me to calm down. Then I just stayed. I was in a bad mood. I didn’t feel like seeing anybody or pretending to have fun.”

  “Can anyone vouch for that?” Heather asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Celia said. “But I was here.”

  “Why did you decide to come on the cruise tonight?” asked Ryan.

  “I thought it would be fun,” Celia said. “I still love Pirate Zombie Caper.”

  “And Jason Myers being on board had nothing to do with it?” Amy prodded.

  "I figured if he were on board then maybe I would see if he was stringing anyone else along romantically," Celia admitted. "But I wasn't planning on confronting him. It just happened because of how lousy his speech was. He wasn't giving anything back to the fans of the film."

  “He only found it,” Amy said. “He didn’t create it.”

  “He’s the one who saved the film from never being seen,” said Celia.

  “Yeah. Thanks for that,” said Amy.

  “You and Jason Myers had dated?” Heather asked.

  “Yes,” Celia said. “He made me think I was the only one. But then I started to realize that he didn’t want to bring me by his theater anymore. The reason was that he had to keep all his dates separate.”

  “So he was cheating on you?” Heather prompted.

  “He was a dog. He became successful and started having affairs,” said Celia.

  “I can see how that would upset you,” said Ryan.

  “Of course it did,” said Celia. “He’s lucky I didn’t consider us to be any more serious. Or… I guess he’s not so lucky anymore anyway. How was he murdered?”

  “He was stabbed with a sword,” said Ryan. “By someone who was wearing the same costume as you.”

  “Stabbed with a sword? Like in the movie?” Celia asked.

  "I suppose that's right," said Heather. "He was stabbed like in the movie,
but in real life, he didn't get back up."

  “It couldn’t have been me,” said Celia. “This is my sword for the Scarlet Zombie costume. I still have it. And it’s only foam.”

  She showed them her sword and then forced it into Captain Braxton’s hands. He squeezed it and then handed it over to Heather.

  “This is foam,” Heather said. “But that’s not to say that you couldn’t have used another sword as a murder weapon and kept this for your costume.”

  “Where would I have gotten a sword?” Celia asked.

  “Where did you get the pirate hat and dress?” Amy countered.

  “All right. He was my ex. And he was a bit of a jerk,” Celia said. “But I wouldn’t have killed him. All I did was yell at him. And it would have stupid to do that and then kill him.”

  “Unless you were just really, really angry,” Amy said. “And you couldn’t help it.”

  "Just because someone was in the same outfit as me, doesn't mean I'm a killer," Celia said, crossing her arms.

  “I have another question,” Heather said. “I’d like to know more about how you were able to board.”

  “What do you mean?” Celia asked.

  “Your name was on a list to intercept before you got on the boat,” Captain Braxton began.

  “What?” Celia yelled, displaying the same volume she had when she confronted Jason Myers before the film. "He cheats on me, and now I'm not allowed certain places? Who does he think he is?"

  “He gave the crew some names of people to watch out for because they had caused disturbances at his theater,” said Ryan. “Did you cause a disturbance?”

  “Again. Just yelling,” said Celia. “And I thought it was fair game for his patrons and fans to learn he was a dirty, rotten cheat. Because it’s true.”

  “I’d still like to know how you boarded when they were checking IDs before you were admitted,” said Heather.

  “What name did Jason put on the list?” Celia asked.

  “Celia Curtis,” Captain Braxton said.

  “Curtis is my maiden name,” Celia explained. “And that’s the name I told Jason. But I haven’t legally changed my surname back since my divorce. My ID still says Dozier.”

  “I wonder if anyone else could have snuck through the checkpoint in a similar way,” Amy said.

  Heather frowned. She was thinking the same thing.

  Talking to Tanya

  “Are we doing well?” Captain Braxton asked. “I’ve never been involved in this sort of thing before? I can’t tell if we’re getting close to solving the case.”

  “We’ve made some progress,” Heather said. “Unfortunately, we still have many suspects.”

  “A horde of suspects,” said Amy. “A zombie horde.”

  “We know that Jason Myers was the intended victim because his jacket was marked so he would glow on the dark dance floor and the killer could find him,” said Heather. “And we know it was a woman dressed up as the red zombie pirate.”

  “She was either wearing a costume already,” said Ryan.

  “Which is possible because there are a ton of those pirate zombie ladies already on board,” said Amy.

  "And just added a mask," Ryan continued. "Or she put the costume on only to commit the crime and blend into the crowd, and then she could have changed her outfit again."

  “The killer also had a real weapon,” said Heather.

  “But she didn’t use it to eat the victim’s brain,” said Amy. “She just killed him.”

  “I think we’re doing all right,” Heather assured Captain Braxton. "And if we don't figure out who the culprit is before we reach land, then the police will be able to take over. At least we know that the killer can't escape. And without the party distractions and everyone on guard, I don't believe she'll be able to hurt anyone else."

  “And not without the sword that Jason Myers is holding onto for us,” Amy said.

  “We’ll know more after we talk to Tanya,” Heather said.

  They had been walking towards the movie screening as they spoke and finally arrived to meet Tanya. She was standing by a door, watching the crowd.

  “Everyone had been very subdued,” Tanya reported. “No one had been unruly. However, I’m not sure if anyone has been acting with a guilty conscience. They all seem to just be quietly watching the movie.”

  “Thank you for keeping an eye on the guests,” said Captain Braxton. “But these investigators have some questions for you.”

  Tanya nodded and followed them to another room to talk. She smoothed her pale hair and gave herself a hug.

  “I didn’t expect this cruise to be so scary,” Tanya said.

  “You helped to plan the party, didn’t you?” Heather asked.

  “I was Lucrecia’s assistant, so I did help plan things. I was in charge of the food. That was why I came to you about the donuts,” Tanya said. “I didn’t realize you were investigators too.”

  “They’re not skills that always go hand in hand,” Amy admitted. “But we’re pretty good at both.”

  “Where were you at the time of the murder?” Ryan asked, focusing on establishing everyone’s whereabouts.

  "I was near the dance floor. I had to turn on the black lights for Lucrecia when the special dance started, and then I stayed by the switch. I was watching the crowd to make sure they were having fun. And then I was waiting to see if Lucrecia would come back and have anything else she wanted me to do before the apple bobbing game."

  “But she never came back?” Heather asked.

  Tanya shook her head.

  “What could you see of the murder?” Heather asked.

  "Not very much," Tanya said. "There was a crowd of people dancing, and I couldn't see through them. I thought everyone was having a good time until the yelling and screaming started. I realized that someone must have died because of what the crowd was yelling. And I knew it wasn't part of the planned Halloween show."

  “What did you do when you realized someone was killed?” asked Ryan. “We didn’t see you when we arrived on the scene.”

  “I turned the regular lights back on,” Tanya said. “That was me. I thought it would be helpful to see more clearly. But then I just stayed by the lights. I didn’t know what else to do. I’m only an assistant party planner. Not a police officer. I just waited until somebody told me what I could do to help.”

  “Because you were a little further back from the crowd, maybe you could see something that the others couldn’t,” Heather said. “Did you see anyone leaving the dance floor after it happened?”

  “It was still hard to tell what was going on,” Tanya said. “A lot of people were backing up. I think I saw one of the women dressed as the Scarlet Zombie hurrying away from the floor. It seemed like a natural reaction to me, though.”

  “Where was she headed?” asked Heather.

  “I’m not sure,” said Tanya. “Towards the front of the ship.”

  “Towards the bow,” Captain Braxton said, using the proper nautical term.

  “Right,” Tanya agreed. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice more. It all happened so fast.”

  “That’s all right,” Heather assured her. “Now we do need to ask something of a delicate nature.”

  “I didn’t kill anybody,” Tanya said.

  “Lucrecia had mentioned that you had started out as a model assistant, but that recently you’ve been getting distracted and making some mistakes,” said Heather.

  “That doesn’t have anything to do with what happened,” Tanya said. “And it wasn’t anything crazy. Lucrecia is just a perfectionist. We needed to order some more desserts. It wasn’t a big deal.”

  “She said this was because of boy troubles?” Amy asked.

  “I broke up with my boyfriend,” Tanya said. “But I don’t think I was doing my job poorly. I think the cruise was a huge success. Until, you know, the murder.”

  “Is it possible that you made any other mistakes?” Heather asked.

  “Like what?”

 
“Like admitting people on board who you were told shouldn’t be?” Detective Braxton asked.

  “I checked everyone’s ID,” said Tanya. “And no one matched the names on the list.”

  "Celia did say that she used an ID with a different last name," said Heather. "That wouldn't have been Tanya's fault if she let her on."

  “Could anyone have boarded without going past your checkpoint?” Ryan asked.

  “All the guests that came up the ramp went through me,” said Tanya. “I don’t know if anyone could have snuck on another way or been a stowaway before the boarding started.”

  “No,” Captain Braxton said. “I always do a check of the ship before any voyage.”

  “And you checked every guest?” Heather reiterated.

  “Yes,” said Tanya. “I made sure that they had paid for a ticket and that they were over twenty-one. I checked IDs.”

  “If Celia could have entered with a different name, is it possible that others could have done the same?” Heather asked.

  Tanya frowned. “I supposed it is possible. Most of the guests had zombie makeup on. As long as they had an ID and looked enough like the picture but maybe missing some scars, I thought it was all right.”

  “Was there anyone who seemed suspicious to you?” Ryan asked.

  “Now that you mention it,” Tanya said. “There were two women who were acting a bit strangely when they boarded. Most people were talking about how fun the party would be or about the drinks. These two women were talking about a mortgage. And it was if they wanted me to hear about it.”

  "Could a mortgage have anything to do with the murder?" Ryan asked.

  “I think it’s time to have a little chat with them and find out,” said Heather.

  Suspicious Characters

  “This is outrageous,” one woman said.

  “Ludicrous and sensational,” the other agreed.