by Ivy Dawson
Nautical Mayhem
A Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery Book 2
Ivy Dawson
Copyright © 2019 by Ivy Dawson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Description
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Afterword
Description
Shae Jordan is struggling to get used to the gruelling pace on board the Princess Araminta. It’s less of a non-stop adventure and more of a never-ending shift. Her new-found routine is quickly shattered when a mysterious face from her past comes to visit and shakes things up.
Amidst all the uncertainty, Helen Meyer, a bratty socialite is killed in the middle of a massive party. Someone is immediately arrested, but things quickly spiral out of control and Shae wonders if they caught the right person. Tensions rise when she starts investigating, this time without the powerful help of the Captain.
Will Shae be able to find out what happened before the killer gets away forever? Or will she lose her job in the process?
Finding the truth is never easy, but Shae is about to discover just how hard it can be.
Chapter 1
It was a beautiful sunny day. People thronged on the harbor, waiting to board the exclusive luxury liner that took up most of the dock. The man pulled his cap lower and shifted uncomfortably. He tried to look relaxed, like he was just here on vacation.
An elderly woman in front of him turned curiously when he shifted again. He tried a friendly smile, and she smiled back. This boosted his confidence. He still had his charm.
His hands got sweatier as they neared the front of the line. He tightened his grip on his bag. They wouldn’t find anything if they checked. He’d hidden his secret well.
A groan rippled through the line as three people, obviously wealthy, bypassed security and swanned their way up. One of them, a dishwater blonde woman with expensive sunglasses turned to look at the long line with a smug smile. She relished her privilege. Her eyes passed right by him with no flicker of recognition, and he smiled wolfishly.
Up ahead, a different kind of commotion was taking place.
“Shae!”
A high-pitched, excited squeal bounced over the heads of excited tourists as a short woman pushed her way through the crowd to find her friend.
“Carey,” Shae said with a happy laugh, wrapping her arms around her tiny friend as Carey barreled into her. Carey was so short that her head only made it past Shae’s chin when they hugged. What she lacked in height, she made up for in personality.
“It’s been forever,” Carey gushed, pulling back and giving her friend a careful once-over. “I can’t believe you’re working on a cruise liner now!”
“I couldn’t believe it either,” Alexa, who’d been standing next to Shae, said with a smile. Carey paused her inspection of Shae and turned to Alexa with a curious half-smile. A brief awkward moment passed over the trio as Alexa and Carey sized each other up.
The two couldn’t be more physically different. Alexa was tall and willowy with auburn hair and striking features, while Carey was like a tiny porcelain doll with delicate features. Her fine blonde hair was swept into intricate braids, and she made sure to wear nude make-up tones.
“Carey,” Shae coughed awkwardly, “this is my friend Alexa, she got me this job.” Shae felt uncomfortable standing between her two friends. While they were both outstandingly pretty, she melted into the background. Shae had made peace with her plain looks, but it was never pleasant comparing herself to her more beautiful friends.
“What a good friend,” Carey remarked with a forced smile. “How did you manage to get little Shae out of her comfort zone?”
Carey looked around with wide eyes, gesturing as she spoke. The Princess Araminta was a magnificent ship. Guests were treated to the greatest floating luxury that money could buy. It had everything one could possibly want. From cinemas to night clubs, the Princess Araminta wasn’t just a ship, it was a floating palace. It lived up to its name in every possible way. The ship was fit for royalty.
This was emphasized when a group of guests, all dressed in designer clothes and oozing wealth, stepped onboard and pushed past the trio.
“Great,” Alexa rolled her eyes. “We’re on trust fund duty this week.”
“Not me,” Shae said smugly, waving her camera at Alexa. “I’ll just be here, taking pictures.”
“Is that Mona?” Carey gasped, latching onto Shae’s camera and scrutinizing it carefully. “Which battery pack do you use with this one?”
“She’s my baby,” Shae said proudly.
“I guess naming your camera is normal then,” Alexa said in surprise, raising an eyebrow.
“She’s so beautiful,” Carey continued gushing, ignoring Alexa’s comment. Alexa didn’t seem to appreciate this and rolled her eyes in annoyance. Shae didn’t notice the friction. Whenever someone complimented her baby, she just had to brag a little bit.
“Great for taking videos,” Shae explained as she and Carey discussed the virtues of Mona. It was a heavy camera, but Shae didn’t mind taking it with her wherever she went.
“So,” Alexa said loudly, causing Shae and Carey to look up expectantly, “I thought we could show you around, then tonight we’ve got plans to go to Old Sport.”
“Oh,” Shae said excitedly, tapping Carey’s shoulder in excitement. “It’s my favorite club on the ship. You’re going to love it.”
“You like a club?” Carey asked in amazement. “Who are you? And what have you done to Shae?”
“It’s all Alexa’s influence,” Shae bumped her shoulder lightly into Alexa. “She’s been dragging me everywhere. I don’t think anyone could stay in their comfort zone with her around.”
Alexa smiled proudly, while Carey just smiled sweetly. Shae quickly grabbed Carey’s luggage and together they made their way to her cabin.
“You have no idea how badly I needed this vacation,” Carey said with a sigh. “Things back home are so stressful. You have no idea.”
“Well, you’re a bigshot photographer now,” Shae teased. “New York isn’t for chumps, kid. Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted? The big-city life? Alexa, she always used to dream about living in New York.”
“Oh, yeah,” Carey said with a laugh before Alexa could respond. “I used to sit up for hours, just looking at pictures of the city. Weren’t we supposed to get an apartment together? And study photography at NYU? Wait, I was going to do photography, and you were going to become a detective.”
“You wanted to be a detective?” Alexa asked in surprise.
“Are you kidding?” Carey asked in shock. “She filled in her forms for the academy when she was ten. It’s all she ever talked about.”
And then her father died. Shae pursed her lips slightly and crossed her arms. Her dreams of being a detective dried up with his murder. She didn’t want anything to do with it after that. That life wasn’t for her.
“I think life turned out great in the end,” Alexa commented lightly, noticing Shae’s withdrawn demeanor.
“Yeah, and you’re living your dream,” Shae shot Alexa a grateful glance. Carey noticed the subtle action and frowned. “What’s that like?”
“I just wish the dream paid more,” Carey joked, as she started unpacking. “I should’ve thought it through a bit mor
e. I didn’t think the whole starving artist thing would be this bad.”
“Starving artist? You’re kidding me. You did pictures for the New Yorker last month. You can’t tell me they didn’t cough up enough money. Besides, you’re a regular for Forbes and what’s that other one? You’re living the dream!”
“Like I said,” Carey shrugged and turned to put her clothes in the cupboard behind her. “I just wish they paid more. But enough about me, what about that club we’re going to?”
“It’s called Old Sport, and it’s inspired by the 1920s,” Shae explained excitedly, changing the subject smoothly. She could sense that Carey didn’t want to talk about her life in New York, and this puzzled her. Carey had everything she always wanted. It was obvious that something was wrong, but Shae was sure that she’d talk when she was ready. Maybe Carey just needed to get her mind off all her troubles.
“And Shae’s roomie, Luci sings there,” Alexa continued, “and no one really minds if we go there.”
“Why would they mind if you went?” Carey asked in confusion. Then her eyes widened, and she gasped. “Oh, right, because you guys are employees. That must suck. But wait! I’m a guest. You guys can just say you’re with me. I’ll tell people that you’re my personal valets or something.”
Alexa and Shae looked at each other, and Shae shrugged apologetically. Carey could be somewhat thoughtless sometimes.
“What’s the best club onboard?” Carey asked eagerly, jumping onto the bed and looking at them with her big eyes. “Like the fanciest one you can think of. You know, with a guest list and a VIP section. Let’s pretend like we’re rich!”
“I thought you were having money troubles,” Alexa blurted, and Shae elbowed her in the side, but Alexa just gave her a confused look.
“Alexa,” Shae hissed. “Why would you say something like that?”
“I’m on vacation,” Carey said, throwing her arms open like she was planning to embrace the room. “Besides, it’s not money troubles. It’s man troubles.”
“You’re in a relationship?” Shae asked curiously.
“No,” Carey groaned. “I don’t want to talk about it. I want to run away from all my problems and pretend to be someone else. Come on, Shae, it can be like old times. We can even choose fake names.”
“How old are you?” Shae asked with a laugh.
“Come on, Victoria,” Carey said in a bad British accent. “Join me, and we’ll have the most fun ever!”
“You guys used to run around with fake names?” Alexa asked in surprise. “Shae, that doesn’t seem like you at all.”
“Are you kidding?” Carey said, gaping dramatically and climbing over the bed to get closer to them. “She used to be wild.”
“When did you two know each other?” Alexa asked, gesturing between the two of them.
“Ever since we were freshmen in high school,” Carey explained, examining her nails as she spoke. “Back when she lived with her dad. I think it was after her mom remarried or something. Anyway, so we met on the first day and hit it off immediately. Teachers had to separate us in our classes.”
“And now we’re all grown up,” Shae said with a fond smile, “and we can go to the nice club, instead of mingling with trust fund babies all night.”
“Oh, come on,” Carey said with a pout. “Let’s do something crazy!”
A few hours later, Shae and her friends stood outside Saintly, the most exclusive club onboard the Princess Araminta. She wasn’t sure how it had happened; she’d protested all the way. But she wasn’t surprised. Carey was a force of nature. What she wanted, she usually got.
Carey squealed in excitement and clapped her hands together. She grabbed Shae’s hand and pulled her forward. Shae looked back at Alexa for help, but her friend seemed annoyed by Carey’s antics.
It had been years since Shae and Carey had spent time together, but Shae was hoping that they’d be able to make up for lost time. She felt guilty that she and her friend had lost touch. It was mostly Shae’s fault. Carey had tried to continue the friendship after Shae’s father died.
Shae didn’t make the same effort though. She had withdrawn into herself and shut the world out as she reworked every major part of herself. Losing a parent at sixteen was tough. Losing them to murder was tougher.
She allowed Carey to drag her into the exclusive club, and felt her mouth drop open when she walked inside.
Saintly was magnificent. She thought it would look like any other club, but this was a masterpiece of design. The interior was made almost completely out of glass. Everywhere they looked, there were pieces of glass and mirrors that looked more like artwork. The lights up ahead changed hue and bounced off the glass pieces to create an unearthly atmosphere.
“Now this is how we party!” Carey shouted over the music. Shae followed her, still in awe. She didn’t even notice when her hand lost Carey’s in the fray.
Carey called over, waving to her friend, but she was swept away in the current of dancers. Shae looked around, trying to take it all in. She noticed a staircase leading up to a balcony, and a discreet sign that announced that it was the VIP section.
Shae fought her way over to the side of the room, and looked up curiously at the balcony. The railing was made out of glass, so she could see the people upstairs. A woman walked to the railing with a drink in her hand, she leaned lazily on the side and watched the people.
Her dress was made out of sheer fabric, and she wore a simple skin-tight black dress under the glistening fabric. Shae noticed that the woman looked bored. As if she could sense Shae’s gaze, the woman looked over at her, and lifted her glass as if saluting her.
Shae was entranced. The woman exuded wealthy disdain. She looked unimpressed by the magnificent surroundings in a way that only those who were used to luxury could.
Her boredom was spoiled when gunshots ripped through the air. There was a moment of confused silence before the panic began.
Chapter 2
“We need to get out of here!” Carey appeared as if by magic at her friend’s side. She tugged on Shae’s arm, not noticing Shae’s reluctance to leave.
“Where’s Alexa?” Shae asked worriedly, searching for her friend. Carey ignored her and pulled her out of the club. Everyone who was in the club was rushing out, and Shae felt like she was caught in a stampede. She couldn’t see Alexa anywhere, and the cold feeling of anxiety gripped her heart.
Shae pulled back and guided Carey to a secluded corner.
“We need to find Alexa,” Shae insisted, trying to look around.
“She’ll be fine,” Carey assured her. “We’ll meet her at the room. We need to get out of here.”
Soon, the club was empty and within seconds, the security team showed up. They were a group of massive men in dark blue uniforms. Each one was larger than the other, and together they presented a terrifying unit. Sometimes Shae thought that they were hired on intimidation factor alone.
“Where were these guys a second ago?” Carey asked in annoyance. Shae ignored her and went up to a familiar face.
“Ivan,” she said in relief, “thank goodness you’re here.”
“I don’t have time now,” Ivan told her in his thick accent. Shae wasn’t sure where he was from. She guessed that he hailed from somewhere in Eastern Europe but hadn’t had a chance to find out. His nationality wasn’t a pressing matter, and most of the time she just forgot to ask. “Why are you here?”
“I was at a party with a friend,” Shae started, but before she could finish, Carey walked over with a winning smile.
“Hi there,” she said sweetly. “My name is Carey. What’s yours?”
“You need to leave,” he told them without missing a beat. “This is now a crime scene. We must go around and find evidence. There’s no time for me to talk to you.”
“I don’t want to talk,” Shae insisted, walking ahead and gesturing for them to follow her. “The gunshots came from the VIP section.” Carey looked momentarily surprised by Shae’s decisive attitude,
and she looked over to see what Ivan thought.
The poor security guard looked frustrated, but followed Shae, nonetheless. They crossed the threshold to find Alexa pacing anxiously. When she saw them, she threw her arms up in relief and hurried over.
“How did you get into the VIP section?” Carey asked, her voice tinged with envy. She glared at Alexa, crossing her arms as she spoke.
“Some guy recognized me and called me over,” Alexa explained. Ivan coughed slightly, and Alexa looked startled. “It wasn’t romantic. He wanted me to fetch him a drink. Everyone here knows that I work at the front desk. Trust me, nothing happened.”
There was a strict “no fraternizing with guests” rule. It was a sacred rule onboard the ship. Those who disobeyed found themselves jobless and stranded on the very next port-of-call. As Alexa put it, no man was handsomer than a regular salary.
Ivan nodded seriously. His job wasn’t just to protect the guests onboard, he also enforced the staff rules. One look at the muscular man was enough to dissuade any would-be rebels. The man was terrifying.
“Someone was shot,” Alexa continued when no one spoke. “I didn’t see who, but it came from over there.”
Ivan walked past them and into the exclusive VIP party room. It was basically just a nook closed off by curtains, but people paid a lot of money for privacy. When Ivan brushed the curtain back, two people looked at him in terror.
Shae recognized the woman in the sheer dress from before, but she didn’t recognize the thin man who was standing across from her.
“Over there,” the woman said in a Spanish accent. “Someone shot Helen.”
Ivan walked over to where the woman was pointing, then quickly radioed in the emergency.
