Grave Seas: A Maddie Graves and Rowan Gray Mystery

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Fair enough.” She turned her full attention to Rowan. “Have you guys set a date for the wedding yet? You must be excited to start planning ... especially since your father returned from the dead just in time to walk you down the aisle.”

  Rowan snickered, genuinely amused. “We haven’t picked a date yet. We’re going to start talking once ... well, once all of this is settled.”

  “Yeah, speaking of that, what happens going forward with Lindsey?” Nick queried. “I mean ... I’m not familiar with maritime law on stuff like this.”

  “I’m not sure,” Quinn admitted, playing with the ring of condensation left on the table by the beer he was nursing. “We don’t know that anything has happened to Lindsey. There’s no blood ... no body ... no footage of some dastardly deed. We have nothing.”

  “Except a husband who pretended to be upset and then decided to throw a party,” Maddie said darkly.

  Quinn smirked. “We do have that. For a time this morning, I thought there was a legitimate chance that Violet’s case was tied to Lindsey’s disappearance and I was hopeful. Now, though ... .”

  “What happened with Violet?” Nick queried. “I know it’s technically not my business, but it might help you to talk it through. It’s not as if I can do anything with the information.”

  “No,” Quinn agreed, although he didn’t answer the question.

  “If it’s none of my business, just tell me.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you,” Quinn replied after a beat. “It’s a mess. When she showed up, she said she was assaulted in the alley behind the dance club. That’s the same location that Lindsey purportedly disappeared from.”

  “Alley?” Maddie made a face. “How do you have an alley on a ship?”

  “It’s not really an alley. We just think of the Bounding Storm as a floating city. That makes each business and location autonomous, of sorts. It’s more like a walkway between those businesses. It’s dark, though, and not well lit.”

  “And I’m assuming there are no cameras,” Nick surmised.

  “You would be correct. We’ve never had a need for them before. Most of the guests avoid that area because it’s simply not convenient for moving between portions of the ship. The workers use it as a shortcut because they know the layout better, but most everybody else ignores it.”

  “And Violet claims she was back there when someone attacked her?” Nick furrowed his brow. “Why would she walk into the alley?”

  “She says she was lured there by someone smoking.”

  “I thought smoking wasn’t allowed.”

  “It’s not. And, quite frankly, I have men patrolling the decks all night long. One of the things they’re instructed to look out for is cigarette smoke. Well, other kinds of smoke, too. Most guests don’t manage to make it on the ship with pot or anything, though, because we have dogs at the check-in.”

  “I figured that was the case when we saw them,” Nick supplied. “What about medicinal marijuana?”

  “We allow it in certain cases, with a verifiable doctor’s note. Most of the guests who need it have no problem calling ahead to make sure there won’t be a problem. It’s those who are trying to put one over on us who wait until the last second and those doctor’s notes aren’t hard to shoot down.”

  “Do you have a lot of problems like that?” Maddie was legitimately curious. “You said this is like a floating city. Does that mean you have problems like a regular city?”

  “Yes and no,” Quinn hedged. “I would say we have problems on a much smaller scale. We don’t have a lot of violent crime on the ship — not in the grand scheme of things, at least — but it occasionally happens.

  “I think a lot of the problems can be traced back to alcohol,” he continued. “There’s no chance of them ever stemming the flow of alcohol, mind you, because that’s where the higher-ups make the bulk of their money.”

  “Are there dry cruises?” Maddie queried. “I mean ... I would think there are entire groups of people who would prefer traveling without alcohol being in the mix.”

  “There are, but I believe the tickets are astronomical. I’ve never actually worked on any of those cruises so I can’t comment as to how things are run.”

  “What about Violet?” Maddie couldn’t get the woman — or the things her “friend” said to her — out of her head. “Do you think she was attacked?”

  “It’s my job to pursue the case as if the incident really happened regardless.”

  Maddie’s gaze was speculative. “That wasn’t really an answer.”

  He blew out a sigh and managed a weak grin. “It wasn’t,” he agreed after a beat. “I’m not sure how to answer. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t bothered by certain aspects of the case. The thing is, I hate even considering that anyone would lie about something like this. That’s unnatural to me.”

  “That’s exactly where I am,” Rowan admitted. “I felt guilty because I had some mean thoughts about Violet yesterday — she was really loud and obnoxious on the deck — and yet she seemed really vulnerable when we first came across her this morning.”

  “I’m guessing that changed,” Nick noted.

  Rowan nodded, grim. “It was little things at first. She didn’t want to cooperate with the doctor. She didn’t seem all that interested in finding who attacked her. She was more interested in watching television than answering questions.

  “Then it grew from there,” she continued. “She seemed more interested in saying things like ‘I can’t wait to find Lana and Connie and make them feel bad for abandoning me.’ She went on and on about it.”

  “That’s definitely weird,” Nick agreed. “What about injuries? I mean ... I know that injuries aren’t a prerequisite to an assault, but did she have any marks? What about fluids?”

  Maddie made a face but didn’t comment. She wasn’t exactly keen on discussing the topic, but she understood it was important.

  “No fluids,” Quinn replied. Now that he’d opened up about the case he saw no reason not to tell them everything. “She had a few scratches on her, a few abrasions, and the doctor can’t say with any degree of certainty if those injuries were sustained during an attack or simply because she was dancing aggressively and perhaps fell down due to the alcohol she imbibed. I don’t know what to believe.”

  “What does your gut tell you?”

  “I’m prone to believe she’s telling the truth and simply not reacting how one might expect her to react. Perhaps that’s wishful thinking — not that I want her to have been assaulted, mind you — but one outcome is preferable to the other. I don’t like entertaining the notion that she’s lying.”

  “And that still doesn’t help us on the Lindsey front,” Rowan added. “We have no idea what happened to her.”

  Something occurred to Maddie. “What about Dylan? I forgot to ask. I didn’t see him again this afternoon.”

  “I didn’t either, and I looked hard,” Quinn said. “I have men watching the corridor where his room is located. They’re not out in the open, but they’ll catch him should he return.”

  “Where do you think he is?”

  Quinn held his hands out and shrugged. “I have no idea. He could be hiding. Actually, that’s the most likely scenario. Where he’s hiding is the question.

  “Rowan ran into him on the deck this morning and she’s the one who tipped me off to the marks on his neck,” he continued. “I found him on a video feed, but he cut through one of the employee hallways — he followed a member of the waitstaff, who didn’t seem to be aware that she was being followed — and then he disappeared. I’ve looked at every other feed myself and there’s nothing.”

  “Have you double-checked to make sure the waitress is okay?” Nick queried. “I mean ... if he’s attacking people ... he might’ve gone after her.”

  Quinn nodded. He’d been worried about the same thing and tracked down the waitress in question to check on her himself. “She didn’t even realize he’d followed her into the corridor. There’
s not a lot down there — some storage rooms for various linens we use in the banquet halls for conferences — and all the rooms were empty. So, basically, he might’ve disappeared down there to hide because he was nervous about Rowan commenting on the scratches, but he’s gone now.”

  Nick pursed his lips. “Could he have jumped overboard? I mean ... I didn’t spend a lot of time talking to him. I was distracted the one and only time I was in close proximity to him. From everything I’ve gathered, though, he was depressed. Maybe he attacked Violet, felt bad about it, and that was the final push he needed to do what he really wanted to do.”

  “I guess it’s possible, but he would’ve had to carry it out during daylight hours,” Quinn explained. “There are very few places on this ship — in fact, none that I can think of offhand — where he could’ve climbed over a railing without anyone noticing. It’s simply not possible.”

  “So, that means he’s still here,” Nick mused, leaning back in the booth seat and sliding his arm around Maddie’s shoulders. “I wonder what his endgame is.”

  “I have no idea. It’s possible he thinks he can sneak off the ship at port, but I’m going to have people watching every angle to make sure that doesn’t happen. Right now, we basically have two missing people and a potential rapist on board. It’s not exactly a relaxing honeymoon for you guys.”

  Nick’s lips quirked. “Believe it or not, Maddie finds her fair share of trouble at home. In fact, she’s kind of a magnet for it. We’re used to it.”

  Maddie balked. “I’m not a trouble magnet.”

  “You’ve almost died on me more times than I can count. I don’t like it. We’re not talking about it tonight, though. Tonight we’re going to talk about happy things ... like getting you another piña colada.”

  “I’ll get sloppy if I have another,” she warned.

  “Yes, but it still won’t be enough for you to suffer a hangover,” he noted. “You’ll be pliable for bed time and wake fresh as a daisy. That’s exactly how I like you.”

  The table broke into laughter when Maddie shot him a dirty look. Her expression faded fast, though, and was replaced by puzzlement.

  “What’s wrong?” Quinn queried, instantly on alert. He glanced over his shoulder and frowned when he recognized the trio of women making their way into the bar. They were loud, raucous, and completely sloshed. “You have got to be kidding me.” He looked incensed.

  “I guess she’s the resilient type,” Rowan noted as she watched Violet hop toward the bar. She was giddy, to the point of being out of control, and she didn’t appear to have a care in the world.

  “I see you guys are back,” Demarcus drawled when he saw them. He didn’t look happy at the prospect. “You should know now that I’m not serving you guys. If you plan on drinking, you can go someplace else.”

  Lana jutted out her lower lip and climbed on the stool directly in front of the resolute bartender. “Oh, don’t be a killjoy,” she complained. “We’re not doing anything. We’re not even drunk.” As if to prove it, she slid off the stool toward the right side and careened into the woman sitting there. “Whoops. Be careful and don’t run into me. That’s rude.”

  The woman’s mouth dropped open, but Demarcus shot her an apologetic look to keep her from saying anything.

  “I’ll get you a fresh drink on the house,” Demarcus offered. “These ladies, however delightful, won’t be sticking around. Don’t worry about that.”

  The woman didn’t exactly look placated but she didn’t cause a scene. “We’re going to move to a table,” she said, gesturing for her friends to join her.

  “I’ll send your drink over there,” Demarcus promised before turning back to Lana. “Like I said, I’m not serving you. It’s simply not going to happen.”

  “Oh, no?” Lana changed her tone quickly and planted her hands on her hips. “Well, then I guess I’ll have to talk to the captain. We met him today, by the way, and became fast friends. If you don’t serve us, I’m going to call him and he’s going to fire you. How do you like that?”

  The threat was the final straw for Quinn. “I’m going to have to nip this in the bud,” he grumbled as he got to his feet. “I can’t let this continue.”

  “Do you want backup?” Nick offered.

  Quinn shook his head. “That would put me in a precarious position. I’ve already texted for backup. I have men who will escort them to their rooms. They most certainly can’t stay here.”

  Maddie nodded solemnly. “I don’t envy your job.”

  “Most of the time it’s not this bad.” Quinn squared his shoulders and sauntered over to the women, a friendly if stern smile on his face. “Hello, ladies. Nice night, huh?”

  “Oh, it’s you.” Connie practically oozed flirtatious energy when she caught sight of him. “I’m so happy to see you.”

  “I’m happy to see you, too,” Violet offered. “This guy won’t give us any drinks. You need to tell him that he has to serve us.”

  “I don’t have to do anything of the sort,” Quinn countered. “Demarcus is of the opinion that you’re at your limit ... and I happen to agree. You’re done for the evening.”

  Violet’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. “Excuse me?”

  Quinn refused to back down. “You’re done,” he repeated. “This is like any other bar. It’s our job to ascertain when somebody should be cut off ... and all three of you are well past the limit. I have men on their way to escort you back to your room.”

  “Oh, you’re a spoilsport.” Lana made a whining sound that set Quinn’s teeth on edge. “I don’t like that you won’t let us play. We paid a lot of money for this cruise because it was supposed to be fun. This isn’t fun.”

  “It’s not fun at all,” Violet agreed. There was something dark and dangerous about her expression, something Quinn was having trouble pinning down. All he knew was that the glare made him distinctly uncomfortable. “I guess I’m going to have to add that to the list of things I sue you for once this cruise is over.”

  “That’s certainly your prerogative,” Quinn agreed, not missing a beat. “You can threaten me all you want, though. You’re not getting another drink tonight.”

  Lana frowned. “I’ll call the captain.”

  “I can do that for you,” he offered. “I have him on speed dial. Of course, he can order you locked up in the lower deck holding cells for the evening, something I’m not sure you would enjoy. Do you want to risk that?”

  Lana worked her jaw. “I don’t like you.” She grabbed her purse from the bar and stormed past him. “I really don’t like you.”

  “I’m crushed.” Quinn folded his arms over his chest and watched the women stride out. He was unsure what to make of any of it ... although he was legitimately bothered. When he risked a glance at Rowan, he found her surreptitiously snapping photographs of the women with her phone. He didn’t have to ask her what she was doing. He already knew. She was checking to see if any of the women would find trouble this evening. He appreciated the effort.

  After a few minutes, she made her way over to him. Anyone who didn’t know her would think it was a normal visit. Quinn knew better.

  “What is it?” he asked under his breath. “Is one of them going to die?”

  “Not die.” Rowan held up her phone, Violet clearly visible in the photograph. “She has the other omen, the one we think means danger ... or trouble. It’s the one we can’t figure out exactly what it means.”

  “I thought we landed on danger.”

  “We did ... mostly. It hasn’t popped up enough for me to be comfortable with it.”

  “Fair enough.” Quinn took the phone and stared at the photo. “Well, crap. I guess that means I’m going to need to assign men to that room to make sure they don’t leave again. That’s not going to go over well once they realize what’s happening.”

  “Do you have another choice?”

  “No.”

  “Then that’s your answer. They’re not going to protect themselves. You’re go
ing to have to do it for them.”

  “Apparently I am. Wait here. I need to make a call.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Twelve

  As a natural morning person, Quinn was used to being up before Rowan. She was a tad more sluggish in the morning. For the second day in a row, though, she was already awake and staring at him when he opened his eyes.

  “You haven’t been taken over by an alien, have you?” he murmured.

  Her eyes lit with amusement. “No. Why? Do you have a fetish I don’t know about?”

  It took Quinn a moment to realize what she was referring to and he barked out a laugh. “Not last time I checked. Although ... I’m open to suggestions.”

  “I’ll give it some thought and get back to you.” She snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist as he struggled to clear the cobwebs from his mind. “Do you know what I was thinking?”

  “That morning sex makes everybody happy.”

  She laughed again. “Not really, but I’m not opposed to it. I was thinking that today is the first day of the rest of our lives.”

  He studied her for a beat, uncertain. “It is,” he agreed after a moment’s contemplation. “I might still be half asleep, sweetie, so you’re going to need to spell out for me what you’re talking about.”

  She was in a good mood so she couldn’t even muster an eye roll. “It’s nothing heavy. It’s not a test. It’s just ... this is our new room.” She gestured toward the space, which was three times larger than her old room. “We actually have multiple rooms ... including a little living room.”

  “Yeah, the living room is basically a couch and a television. It’s nice to have a space to watch sports if you go to bed early, though.”

  This time the eye roll came easy. “I had no idea you were missing out on such an important part of your life,” she said dryly. “I don’t know how you managed to survive up until this point.”

  “It was a sacrifice I was willing to make ... but only because you’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” He planted a kiss squarely on her mouth. “By the way, have I mentioned lately that I love you?”