CASINO FOIL

By Leena Clover

Meg Butler Cruise Cozy Mysteries #4

Copyright © Leena Clover, Author 2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, organizations and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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Chapter 1

The Grand Voyager was in Naples, Italy. I had my work cut out. An email had arrived the previous night, setting me the onerous task of evaluating a new tour the cruise line was collaborating with. After a light breakfast of eggs and fruit, I walked off the pier into the cruise terminal, looking for my tour guide.

None of my friends had shore leave so I was pretty much on my own, trying not to seem too grumpy. My name is Meg Butler and I am currently on a luxury cruise around the world. That’s the cover story. Actually, I’m a spy for the cruise line, keeping tabs on the dozens of restaurants, classes, shows and services offered across the ship. The bosses at our headquarters in Florida have sugar coated what I do and given me an official title of mystery shopper.

When I boarded the Grand Voyager in Los Angeles a few months ago, I had no idea I would run into my old friends. They think I’m living the high life, soaking in the sun while they work their tails off. Since my job is supposed to be secret, I just hope I never have to report on their behavior.

There was a pat on my back and a blue haired woman of seventy or so came to a stop beside me. Babs is a hoot, always up for trying something new. She’s a retired school teacher and a widow. I never realized when she became one of us.

“Do you see him?” Her eyes swept the crowded terminal. “Our guide? Time’s a wasting.”

I was about to shake my head when I spotted RK, head of staffing on the Grand Voyager. We go way back. I first met her when I was a summer intern on another cruise ship on the Alaska route. You can say she whipped me into shape. She’s my family, the person I rail against and run to.

“Meet Carla.” RK introduced a gorgeous girl with long black hair and caramel eyes. “She’s your tour manager for the day.”

Babs greeted the girl in Italian and rattled off a few lines. The girl gave a wide smile and they volleyed back and forth. It was impossible to follow what they were saying. The five phrases of Italian I had learned like ciao, prego, grazie etc. were going to be inadequate.

RK waved her hand around and soon there was a group of dozen or so around us. These were going to be my companions for the day. Most were pushing seventy. At twenty five, I was the odd one out but I didn’t mind. I wasn’t going to underestimate their enthusiasm or stamina which often surpassed mine.

“Have fun!” RK warned the group to stick to the guide and be back on time. “Make sure you don’t dawdle, Meg.” Of course she had a special instruction for me.

Some of the group glanced my way with varying expressions. They would blame me if anything went wrong during the day.

Carla led us out into a bright, sunny day. The sky was deep blue with a smattering of white clouds. People milled around, headed in different directions. We climbed aboard a van and set off for Sorrento.

Babs sat beside me, content to take the aisle and promptly fell asleep. We crossed the city and headed south. Traffic was light and we arrived in Sorrento an hour later. We had passed some citrus groves and a scent of lemons hung in the air. Some of the ladies started fidgeting, ready for a stop. Carla announced we had arrived at Piazza Tasso, the main square in Sorrento. We had one hour to walk around and shop.

Coffee was on my mind so I broke away from the larger group and wandered in search of a cup. Everything in Italy is ancient, going back centuries. There was a lot of pottery on display, with lemon motifs. I couldn’t resist buying some large platters to send home to my grandma. Then I looked around for a café. There was one with tables overlooking the sea. Luckily, a group of people from the van sat a few tables away. Babs was one of them. She waved her hand, beckoning me to join them but I stayed put.

My espresso arrived in a tiny cup and helped banish any remnants of sleep. It was too early for limoncello.

I stuck to the group after that because I needed to observe Carla. We visited the local cathedral and then it was time to head to a boat. Capri was next on the list. Everyone in the group was excited to see the glitzy destination. Why wasn’t I surprised Babs had been there before?

An attractive brown haired woman stood at the railing, looking like she was going to throw up the next instant. I struck up a conversation, hoping to divert her.

“Have you tried those seasickness bands?”

She held up a wrist, giving me a wistful smile.

“They work most of the time. Must be something I ate.”

I introduced myself, admiring her flawless appearance. She must be in the same late sixties – early seventies age group but she carried herself like a super model. Maybe she was one.

“Meg? Is that short for Margaret?”

If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard that question …

“It’s Meg. After Meg Ryan.”

Her eyes flickered and I sensed her withdraw.

“Your parents must love the movies.”

I didn’t want to get into the whole ‘my mom’s a Hollywood star’ spiel at that moment so I just gave a shrug.

The clear blue waters stretched around us and I could see the famous rocks, the Faraglioni, in the distance. We would be at the isle of Capri in the next few minutes.

“You’re brave,” I complimented her. “Spending months at sea, knowing you get sick.”

Her name was Anne Wilkins.

“But that’s just it,” she sighed. “This is my first cruise. People assured me I would get my sea legs in a couple of days.”

She lacked common sense. Why had this woman spent a fortune on a luxury world cruise without knowing if she was able to handle sea travel? I think my scorn was evident because she was quick to assure me she was fine.

“The first week was hard but I’m a seasoned sailor now. I was just so overwhelmed, my dear. Couldn’t wait a moment to get away.”

Apparently, Anne worked in publicity. She had been working part time for the past three years, dilly dallying over taking complete retirement. The Grand Voyager had provided the incentive she needed to take the plunge.

Our boat approached the marina and I extricated myself from Anne. She turned out to be a chatty Cathy.

We had just a few hours in Capri, not enough for an exhaustive visit. Whoever designed the tour had tried to give us a glimpse of the best spots. Lunch was on the agenda first. I was starving, eager to taste what the island had to offer.

The restaurant sat at the top of a cliff with a beautiful view of the azure water. We sat at a single long table and ate family style. I guess the food had already been ordered for us and was accompanied by white wine. The famous Caprese salad set us off. There was lemon spaghetti, fish in a tomato sauce and chocolate almond cake. The ravioli reminded me of my Grandma Anna and was only slightly better than hers.

After lunch, we wandered in the piazza and walked along a trail that provided a panoramic view of the rocks and the villas. Some of the group wanted to visit the famous Blue Grotto and there was a lot of grumbling when Carla told them we didn’t have enough time. I thought our time on the island was rushed but I’d rather make a flying visit than skip it.

Back on the boat, Babs and I relaxed, all set for our next destination. The Amalfi coast appeared and it was a jaw dropping sight, managing to impress the most jaded of the group. Entire towns perched against jagged cliffs, ending in rugged beaches. I had spent the past several weeks on a ship and crossed two oceans and many seas, but there was something magical about this coastline.

Italy’s Campania region had my heart and I was already thinking ahead, planning to return with my family.

Chapter 2

It was late afternoon and our bus was headed back to Naples. I sat alone at the back with my eyes closed, going over what I wanted to mention in my report. Writing on a notepad would have looked odd since I was doing this on the down low. A buzz of voices made me sit up, curious.

Carla was deep in conversation with our resident aristocrat. I had rarely noticed him on the Grand Voyager. Babs gave me the skinny on him while we sipped cappuccinos in Amalfi. I saw Carla shake her head repeatedly, her mouth turning grim by the second. She pulled up her silky black mane in a pony tail, exposing the red spots on her cheeks.

“Throwing his weight around, no doubt.” Babs muttered from the seat before me.

The entire bus load of passengers had abandoned their naps by this time and were watching the free show. Finally, Lord Cranford, or Basil, as he insisted everyone call him, shot up in his seat and started walking toward me.

“Silly girl!” With a thud, he collapsed in the seat beside me. “No regard for history.”

I offered him a bottle of water and sat back, sure he would elaborate.

“My dear, we must unite against this injustice.”

Basil was mad because Carla had announced we would skip Pompeii. It was part of our original tour but it was late in the afternoon. Traffic was unpredictable and we needed to get into Naples with time to spare. The Grand Voyager would not wait for us if we were late. Actually, I knew a little secret. The cruise line would not pay the tour operator if we did not get back in time.

“We can’t afford to miss our boat, Sir.” I reasoned with Basil.

He wanted us to skip our time in Naples in favor of the ruins of Pompeii. Skip eating the original Neapolitan pizza? I wasn’t ready for that.

A vote was suggested, raising the heat level in the bus. I sat back and folded my arms, staring out of the window. It was Carla’s job to handle situations like this. Finally, Babs placed two fingers in her mouth and let out a piercing whistle. The silence was deafening.

“You’re all acting like kids.” She glared at Basil. “Wasn’t it you who ordered those extra rounds of limoncello?”

She was right. Lord Basil had ordered a special type of pastry at Capri, making us late. Then he insisted we visit some obscure shop that sold bottles of the local liquor. It was hard to find and we ended up losing an hour in our schedule.

“It’s your fault, old boy.” Anne piped up, followed by others.

They ran out of steam quickly though. I thought Basil would go back to his seat but he stayed put, grumbling under his breath.

“Is it too much to expect, I ask?”

I looked up to see him staring my way. He actually wanted a reply. I gave a shrug and pointed at something outside the window, hoping he would take the hint.

“My grandfather must be rolling in his grave. A Cranford’s wish meant something.” He sniffed. “It’s a strange world we live in, my dear.”

I tuned him out. Our driver handled the bus like a maniac and deposited us in Naples well in advance. Basil accosted Carla again, accusing her of skipping Pompeii on purpose. Babs pulled me away in the nick of time.

“Let’s eat some pizza and gelato.”

Babs is like my soul sister. We went on a pizza crawl, rating the different slices we ate. After a quick trip to the famous galleria to shop for souvenirs, it was time to head back home. Yes, yes. I mean the Grand Voyager.

Mickey stood at the top of the ramp, welcoming the passengers. He is the Assistant Cruise Director and my friend. Maybe more than that. It’s hard to tell because he’s never consistent. His face split into a broad smile as I approached and he stepped forward in a rush. I held my arms out for a bear hug that never came. Mickey swept past me. I whirled around to see him fawn over a bald giant with heavily tattooed arms, accompanied by a blonde fashion plate.

“It’s an honor, man!” Mickey gushed, finally noticing me. “Come and say Hello, Meg.”

How had a seasoned cruise ship employee like Mickey abandoned his training?

“You know the Torpedo, right?” Mickey dug an elbow in my side. “The greatest basketball player of the decade.”

I played along and assured the man I was happy to make his acquaintance. Mickey listed the Torpedo’s many achievements. He chuckled and beamed, happy with all the attention. A little crowd gathered around us. They all wanted to capture the moment. Someone handed me their phone and I spent the next few minutes, clicking picture after picture as they posed with their idol.

“Thanks babe!” He touched my arm, making my skin crawl. “Don’t you want one?”

I realized he was talking about a photo. Mickey snatched the phone from my hand and signaled me to stand close to the star. RK appeared out of nowhere and gave me a wide eyed stare. I flashed a sweet smile, held my temper in check as Mickey clicked half a dozen pictures and thanked the basketball player again.

“Anything for my fans.” He grinned before leaving us, the dazzling woman in tow.

The ramp was backed up and I didn’t want to make a scene so I decided against giving Mickey a piece of my mind. RK gave me a quick smile and moved forward to attend the passengers. I saw the relief in her eyes. She was glad I was back in one piece.

I rushed to the atrium, eager to meet Ashley. Then I realized she must have clocked out. We were all meeting for dinner later. Ashley didn’t know RK had reserved a table at Dolce, the Italian restaurant on board. Tomorrow was Ashley’s birthday and the party was a surprise.

I ran into my room steward Jimmy outside my cabin on Deck 10.

“All set, Meg.” He winked.

A bottle of champagne would be waiting when we returned to the cabin later that night. I thanked him and went in.

Ashley sat on the bed, wearing a colorful tie dyed top I had bought for her.  It was perfectly paired with black harem pants.

“Meg!” She paused, lipstick in hand. “You’re late.”

There was no time to tell her about my day. I washed off the day’s dust in the shower and got ready.

“Am I overdressed?” Ashley gazed at herself in the mirror. “Where are we going, Meg?”

“You’ll see.” I promised.

We stepped out, arm in arm, and headed to the elevators. Babs was there, wearing a black cocktail dress and high heels.

“Din Din.” She smiled. “What a day, hunh, Meg?”

Ashley was quiet as we headed to the restaurant. Her eyes grew wide when we came to a stop outside Dolce.

RK, Mickey and Grady were already seated, sampling the bread basket.

“Surprise!” Mickey stood up to embrace Ashley. “We thought we would begin the celebrations a day early.”

“Happy Birthday!” Grady handed her a gift wrapped package, blushing a bit.

He was the new entrant in the group but was fast becoming indispensable.

“The Shipboard Sleuths are all here then,” I beamed.

“As long as they are out of work,” RK gave a groan, inviting Ashley to sit next to her. “The only mystery I want to solve right now is what we’re having for appetizers.”

We urged Ashley to order all her favorites. She was in high form, glowing with happiness. I was happy to see her sit back and enjoy herself for a change. She was on her feet for several hours every day, managing the gift shop on board. Hardworking and sincere, she was the model cruise ship employee, always putting the customer before her own needs.

The chef had taken advantage of the local produce and presented many delicacies like fried squash blossoms, cheese stuffed ravioli and a lemony pasta that reminded me of my day in Sorrento. I picked up my wine glass and gazed around the room, surprised to see Babs with a large group a few tables over. She raised her glass in salute and winked.

It looked like all the passengers from the bus had bonded, despite the brouhaha.

“There was a special incident on the bus.” I whispered, staring at my plate.

It was code for altercation. RK heard me and quirked an eyebrow. I gave a subtle nod toward the other table.

“They were all part of my tour today. Anne, that one with the fake brown hair …”

“Meg!” RK interrupted. “Must you speak before you think?”

I told her to relax. The group of seniors had consumed plenty of wine and were completely oblivious to us.

“Anne’s British,” I continued. “So is Lord Basil, of course. Don’t know the rest of them.”

RK wasn’t pleased to hear we had skipped Pompeii. I knew she would expect more details from me later.

Mickey was excited about our stop in Monaco.

“I’m wearing my tux, of course. You girls better dust off those ball gowns.”

Ashley had the next two days off. Mickey only had one while Grady, being the most junior, was going to stay on board.

“Rome tomorrow and Monte Carlo the day after,” I giggled. “We’re gonna have fun!”

RK recommended a few spots in Rome. She had been there several times but had never ventured into the casino at Monte Carlo.

“Come with us!” we chorused.

She promised to think about it.

RK is a work horse who hardly ever takes a break. I vowed to make sure she accompanied us.

Loud laughter traveled from the other table. Basil was in his element, pampering the ladies. All his earlier bluster about missing out on Pompeii seemed to be a thing of the past. I wondered how the bickering group had made up so soon.

“Do you think it’s the wine?” I mused. “They were quarrelling like kids just hours ago.”

“Must have found some common ground,” Mickey offered.

Our main course arrived, followed by a chocolate torte studded with sparkling candles. Ashley’s eyes were moist as she blew on them and cut the cake. I knew she must be thinking of her grandmother who lived in a special care facility back home in the States. She had stopped recognizing her granddaughter years ago.

“Make a wish,” I urged my friend.

There was a group hug, of course, and tears were shed. Only the women were honest about them though.

Chapter 3

Jimmy knocked on my door at 5 AM. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the cabin. Ashley stirred and sat up in bed. We’d called it a night just four hours ago but it was enough to rejuvenate us for the day ahead.

I warmed my hands around my coffee mug and ventured out on the balcony. The Grand Voyager was docked in Rome. A new day beckoned with the promise of adventure.

“Don’t linger too much, girls,” Jimmy warned. “Passengers are already lining up to disembark.”

The crowds in Rome are infamous. Mickey and RK had both advised us to leave early if we didn’t want a bunch of strangers spoiling our photos. A private car with driver was going to pick us up at six. It was my latest assignment. The bosses wanted to know how many sights could be crammed into a day using this mode of transport. Ashley thought I was splurging for her birthday and had frowned at the big expense. I assured her she was worth it. My pants were on fire but I was bound by the contract I had signed with Gold Cruises. None of the crew could know about my real purpose on the ship. RK was the exception, being head of staffing. It was her job to ensure my general wellbeing while checking if I was toeing the line.

Breakfast was light on purpose, just some pastries and fruit.

“Is it just the two of us in the car?” Ashley asked again, spreading jam on a croissant. “Seems like a waste.”

I thought of Babs. Maybe she would like to spend the day with us? I picked up the room phone, hoping she wasn’t asleep.

Babs sounded her usual perky self.

“Thanks for thinking of me, young Meg. But I’m spending the day with a friend.”

“Is it someone on the ship?” I couldn’t hold back.

She laughed. “No, sweetie. It’s a local. An old colleague of mine.”

How did a retired school teacher from a small town in America have a colleague who lived in Rome? Babs is a mystery I haven’t solved yet.

“Have fun, Babs!” I hung up.

Ashley was in the shower. I packed a tote with sunscreen, energy bars and a couple of apples, just in case. It’s always better to be prepared for a contingency.

Ten minutes before six, we walked off the ship’s ramp into the port of Civitavecchia. Our driver was waiting, a big point in his favor. There was a slight chill in the air and a faint glow skirted the horizon. Some of the passengers were climbing into buses. I spotted Babs enter a black sedan with dark windows, dressed like a heroine from the old Hollywood movies I liked to watch with my mom.

The Trevi fountain was our first destination. Ashley and I had our fingers crossed, hoping to get there before the hoi polloi. Apart from a middle aged woman taking selfies, the area was deserted. Ashley whooped with delight and we spent the next few minutes taking dozens of pictures, pouting and posing before the camera. Then it was time to scale the Spanish Steps.

We took a break at one of the cafes in the square, sipping cappuccinos and devouring cream filled pastries. The driver took us to the Via Condotti, insisting a day in Rome was incomplete without a walk down the famous street. Ashley and I gawked at the big name designer stores, knowing we couldn’t afford anything they sold. The day passed with more visits to jaw dropping venues, not the least among them the Sistine Chapel. Finally, I insisted we stop for lunch.

Here's a tip for finding the best places to eat when you’re in a foreign country. Ask the locals. The driver had recommendations and I told him to take us there. We ordered pizza, of course, with gnocchi and cacio e pepe spaghetti. I had just taken a big bite when I spotted a familiar face.

“Babs!” I exclaimed with my mouth full, jabbing a finger in her direction.

Ashley twirled pasta on her fork and took a bite, telling me I was obsessed with the woman. I wiped my mouth with the napkin and shook my head.

“She was wearing that scarf this morning.”

Ashley gave a dismissive snort. The woman I was staring at looked our way just then. Sure enough, it was Babs. She waved and walked to our table.

“Hello, girls! Small world.”

She sat and ordered tiramisu. I couldn’t help being nosy.

“Weren’t you spending the day with your colleague?”

“Half the day,” she grinned. “I’m done with that now but I have to meet some people from the ship in an hour.”

Why couldn’t they meet on board?

“You’ve made a lot of new friends all of a sudden,” I probed. “Ashley was wondering why.”

“Don’t throw me under the bus, Megs.” Ashley laughed.

Babs pulled out a gift wrapped package from her bag and urged Ashley to open it.

“This is gorgeous!” Ashley squealed and got up to hug Babs. “But I can’t accept this.”

It was a silk scarf. We had seen one very like it at a storefront on the Via Condotti that morning. All I will say is it cost a lot.

“Be kind to an old woman, Ash.” Babs urged. “I rarely get a chance to spoil anyone. You and Meg are like the daughters I never had.”

She must have meant granddaughters, considering she was on the wrong side of seventy. But it’s the thought that counts.

Ashley teared up, again. I wasn’t going to let go of such a prime opportunity.

“So? Tell your daughters what you and your cronies from the bus are up to.”

Babs looked over her shoulder. It was so unlike her that I was flummoxed. Was she afraid of someone?

Our dessert arrived. I was debating picking up an entire cannoli by hand when I was pushed forward. Before I knew what was happening, Babs jumped to her feet and set off on a run.

“Thief!” Ashley cried, pointing at her.

I turned around and realized the cross body bag I had hung over my chair was missing. Belatedly, I looked up to see Babs tackle a raven haired youth without worrying for her safety. He tried to break free but Babs twisted his arm behind his back, making him cry out. She released a string of Italian, swear words, no doubt. The boy cringed and began saying sorry over and over again. My bag was lying on the street. I went over and picked it up, before it caught the eye of another enterprising criminal.

Babs told me to open the bag and check if everything was in there. I followed her advice.

“There were fifty euros in here!”

The boy was about to flee. Babs pulled her arm back and landed a fist in his shoulder. With a yowl, he pulled my cash out of his pocket and fled.

Fortunately, Babs did not pursue him this time.

Ashley had inhaled her pannacotta and urged me to leave. My cannoli was on the ground where I’d dropped it. Babs took in my glum face and offered to treat us to gelato.

We got in the car again, heading to the best gelato shop in town according to Babs.

“You’re not getting off that easy,” I told her. “What’s cooking with those sulky seniors?”

Ashley suggested Babs was soft on the aristocrat.

“Oh please!” Our super woman rolled her eyes. “Bondurant came up with the idea. It has a good chance of making us rich.”

I barely remembered the short, bald man she described. According to Babs, he was a legend in financial circles. People still talked about the time he had made a billion dollars in an hour.

“He knows money, see?” Babs gleamed. “If we’re not going to listen to a successful hedge fund manager like him, we might as well give up.”

Give up what? I wasn’t sure. Babs was talking in riddles.

Ashley wanted to know more.

Babs told us the bizarre plan this Bondurant had come up with. Five of them would put up a certain amount. They would all play different games in the casino at Monte Carlo. Any winnings would be distributed among everyone.

“We will each play to our strengths,” she explained. “Roulette, blackjack, craps, poker and slots.”

Weren’t they all games of chance?

“You’re going to lose the same amount of money,” I pointed out. “I don’t see any advantage in this mad scheme.”

Babs agreed the liability was the same. But the chance of winning was higher. Whatever amount they won would be added up and split among all of them. This gave her a better chance of recovering at least part of her investment.

We went back and forth over this until we reached the gelato shop. Then we called a truce for the time being, more concerned with choosing the best flavors on offer.

It was late afternoon and we still hadn’t visited many places on our list. The sun disappeared behind a bank of dark clouds and the day grew cooler. Babs declared she was going back to the ship.

“Don’t breathe a word about this to anyone, girls,” she warned. “I’m serious. Bondurant swore us to secrecy. We don’t want every doddering fool on that ship to copy our plan.”

Chapter 4

Monaco can be summed up in two words – glitz and glamor. At least that’s what I expected, based on the images of a tuxedo clad James Bond placing atrocious bets at the roulette wheel, martini in hand and a sultry, scantily clad woman beside him. They say you can walk across the tiny country in an hour, a fact I had no desire to verify.

Ashley and I were on cloud nine, ready to live it up. It was my day off too. There was no secret agenda, no excursion or service I needed to review for the boss. We’d ogled the fancy yachts in the harbor as the Grand Voyager entered Port Hercules. The casino was our first stop, of course.

The Grand Voyager is a luxury ship. No expense has been spared to make it live up to its name. Our atrium, with its sixty foot waterfall, rivals that of many luxury hotels around the world. So forgive me if I was a bit jaded when I entered the casino at Monte Carlo. The brochures called it opulent and grand but I felt I’d seen it all before. My eyes popped out when we entered the famous marble atrium. Massive pillars soared to the sky on either side. The roof was made of glass. It’s hard to find the words to describe the glittering details.

“Megs!” Ashley squealed, hopping from one foot to the other. “We’re actually here!”

Just when I thought she couldn’t be any more excited, she screamed and placed her hands on her mouth. I followed her wide eyed gaze to a crowd of people from our ship.

“That’s him! Noah Campbell!” she hushed. “Where’d he come from?”

“Who?” I was beginning to lose my patience. “Shall we play blackjack first?”

She ignored me and hurried after the group. I followed and grabbed her arm, making her stop.

“Campbell who?”

“Haven’t you heard of Noah Campbell?” She rattled off a list of films that sounded familiar. “My grandma worships him.”

Apparently, this guy was a famous movie star from way back before I was born. Before my mom was born too, I guessed. Ashley called out his name, spots of red on her cheeks. He stopped and planted his feet apart, clasping his hands behind his back, and flashed a knowing smile. This was a man who expected adulation wherever he went. The strong jaw and aquiline nose were striking. He was tall and fit with not an ounce of extra flesh on his body.

“I’ve watched all your films with my grandma,” Ashley gushed. “Dozens of times. She always wanted to meet you.”

He chatted with us for a few minutes until one of his group came back to get him. It was Babs. She gave me a wink but said nothing. I remembered Noah Campbell had been on the bus in Naples. Clearly, he was part of the crazy cabal Babs had involved herself in.

Ashley couldn’t stop talking about him long after he was gone.

“He’s a dedicated philanthropist, Meg. Did a lot of social service in London’s East End.”

We entered the casino floor and gravitated to the slot machines. I have never been to Las Vegas, or to any casino. Ashley acted like she belonged there, letting me pull the handle every time she fed the machine. I grew bored after it ate up most of my money. Lord Basil had a captive audience at the roulette table. He asked me to choose red or black and slid some chips toward the dealer. I didn’t wait to see if he won.

“Let’s play a hand of blackjack,” Ashley wheedled. “Then we can get out of here.”

I spotted Mickey’s favorite basketball player. He towered over the crowd at a table, berating someone. I went closer and wasn’t surprised to see it was his wife. She protested weakly. Torpedo turned ripe as a plum and his eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. Clearly, he had a vile temper. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him dig his fingers in her arm and moved swiftly, placing myself between the couple.

“Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Torpedo,” I beamed. “Are you a champion gambler too?”

I know, I know. It wasn’t the smartest thing to say to a person who had already flipped the lid. I chose to blurt whatever came to mind.

“Call me Dave.” His eyes traveled to my chest region.

Ashley and I had taken pains to dress like James Bond’s girlfriend. That doesn’t mean either of us wanted to act like one. I wore a strapless gown that fit like a second skin but I still had enough room to knee him where it hurt.

“We have to go.” Ashley avoided an altercation. “See ya back on the ship, Torpedo.”

I didn’t know she was into basketball. When did she have the time?

“He’s a frequent customer at the gift shop,” she murmured as we left the scene. “A very good one.”

Ah! It was a familiar pattern. I kept my counsel and climbed up a stool at a blackjack table. Ashley played a few rounds, winning just enough to keep us in the game. There were many more games in progress around us. I spotted one of the oldies from the bus and couldn’t hide a smile. So Babs and her group were acting according to plan. I sincerely hoped one of them would win big.

Ashley called it quits when the twenty bucks we’d started with disappeared.

“That was awesome!” she sighed.

“You just lost your money.”

“But I played blackjack in Monte Carlo, just like James Bond.”

I reminded her James Bond wasn’t real. Unfortunately, the money she’d lost was. Very much so.

“It’s mine to lose, isn’t it?” She clammed up but I can read between the lines.

What Ashley meant was she busted her back every day earning that money, unlike me who did nothing. I wasn’t in a position to confess the truth so I let it slide.

“Where do you want to go next? Palace or beach?”

There’s one good thing about Ashley. She rarely holds on to a grudge.

“Lunch first, Meg. I’m starving. You don’t think we can afford the restaurants here?”

I had a yearning to be out in the sun. We headed to Larvotto Beach in search of a café with a view of the sea. The weather was cool enough to be pleasant. We sat sipping wine, enjoying fish prepared in a delicate broth, accompanied by crusty bread and a rustic spread made from the local olives.

“This is the best birthday I’ve had in a long time.” Ashley threatened to become sentimental. “My father threw a big party for my tenth. He was gone three months later.”

Ashley’s father, a cargo ship captain, had been lost at sea. Her grandmother had raised her after that. Ash was a sophomore in college when the dear woman was diagnosed with dementia.

“Are you studying for your exams?” Mickey and I had forced her to enroll into some distance education courses.

“When do I have the time?” she shrugged, a bit belligerent. “How does it matter? I’m living the life of my dreams.”

The sea had always held a lure for her.

“You’re doing fine now,” I agreed. “And I’m proud of you, Ash. We all are. RK says you’re the youngest manager in the cruise line’s history. But you can’t do this forever. None of us can.”

I bit my tongue. She wasn’t supposed to know I was employed.

“Will you be my tutor, Megs?”

I promised to help any way I could. The beach was dotted with bright red umbrellas and was a pretty sight. After a short walk through the clear turquoise water, we decided to go shopping.

Two hours later, I was back on the ship, headed to my cabin. The Grand Voyager was due to sail in the next hour. Ashley and I planned to put our feet up and relax on the balcony, admiring the sunset as the ship left port.

Babs was the first person I saw on Deck 10. She was coming out of her cabin, dressed for dinner.

“Howdy Babs!” I was curious to know how her group had fared. “Win the jackpot?”

“No need to rub it in, squirt.” She puffed her cheeks and blew out a breath, looking crushed. “We won a bob or two. I got back some of my money which is not bad, I guess.”

What was she complaining about?

“Did you have fun though?” Ashley smiled. “Meg and I had the best day.”

“It was a stupid idea, girls. Don’t know how I fell for it.”

Our jaws dropped open when she mentioned the amount she had contributed to the casino pool. How had a savvy woman like Babs been so gullible?

Chapter 5

The Grand Voyager was in Marseilles, France. To be honest, I was a bit exhausted from the back to back port days. Ashley shook me awake.

“Grady called, Meg. He’s meeting you in the atrium in thirty minutes.”

I peered at her, trying to coax my eyes to open fully. She was dressed for work.

“Can’t you come with us?”

She bit into a Danish, sipping her coffee. I hadn’t even heard Jimmy come in with the breakfast.

“I don’t mind, Megs. The last two days were the best I’ve had in a while. Now it’s time to earn my keep.”

None of my friends are slackers. When I first met Ashley, she came across as a party girl, intent on living it up. Over a period of time, I realized she is never idle when it comes to work and I respect her for it.

I tried to recollect the day’s itinerary in the shower. Apart from a restaurant in Provence my boss wanted me to check out, I was free to do what I wanted. Grady finally got shore leave and he was going to accompany me.

I sipped my coconut water as I got ready, dressing in layers, making sure I chose the smartest clothes I possessed. Mom would be proud of the care I took with my appearance. Truth is, French women are known for their fashion sense and I didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. I made sure I wound an old Hermes scarf around my neck and painted my lips red with my Dior lipstick.

The atrium was deserted. Grady whistled as he rove an appreciative glance over me.

“You look gorgeous, Meg!”

Mickey materialized out of nowhere.

“Make sure you take care of her,” he growled. “She almost got robbed in Rome.”

Babs must have tattled to him.

“Why don’t you come with us if you’re so concerned?” I frowned.

“You know I don’t have the time off, Meg.”

Mickey looked so miserable I felt sorry for him. I made a rash promise.

“Never mind. You can take me to dinner.”

“It’s a date.” He promised. “Be safe, honey.”

I smirked and took Grady’s arm, determined to have a good time. Mickey wasn’t going to make me feel guilty. And I was working too, except I couldn’t tell him about it.

We had a hearty breakfast before walking off the ship. Cafes in France open late and I think better on a full stomach. Grady asked if there was any particular place I wanted to visit. I mentioned going to Aix.

“There’s a restaurant Mom likes. I was hoping to go there for lunch.”

Grady is a very easy going guy. We both agreed to try and squeeze in as many sights as possible. We walked off the ship and took a bus to the city of Aix-en-Provence. The first place on my list was the Cours Mirabeau, the famous fountain lined street of the town. There were sidewalks lined with plane trees and cafes on terraces. We spotted a waiter setting up the tables at one and stopped for some refreshment. There was a good view of La Rotonde, the large fountain you often see in travel brochures.

Grady smiled over the rim of his coffee cup.

“You’re happy! Glad to strike off another country off your list? How many has it been now?”

“I stopped counting.”

We visited Cezanne’s house and a museum with a lot of art by famous Impressionist painters. Then it was time for lunch. The restaurant was at one end of the Cours Mirabeau, on a shaded terrace. RK had seen to it that a table was booked in my name. A petite fiftyish woman with gray eyes greeted us warmly and ushered us to our seats.

My knowledge of the French language is nonexistent but Grady surprised us. The woman spoke passable English but her face split into a smile as she listened to Grady. She shook her head a few times and I wondered what was happening. Finally, she left us with a smile tugging at her mouth.

“What was all that?” I smirked. “Are they going to feed us or not?”

Grady laughed. He often teases me about my voracious appetite.

“Don’t worry, Meg. She says there’s no fixed menu but they will honor any preferences. It’s like a chef’s table.”

I was worried about the portion sizes. A server came out with a basket of bread and small pots of dips. The bread was warm. He rattled off a line or two of French and left. Grady translated for me.

“Olive oil with garlic and parmesan,” he pointed at one of the pots. “Freshly ground tapenade.”

The bread was so delicious I could’ve made a meal of it.

The waiter came back with steaming bowls of soup that smelled like the sea.

“Bouillabaisse.” The waiter announced with a flourish, except he pronounced it differently.

I took a tentative sip and closed my eyes so I could relish all the flavors. A vaguely familiar voice intruded. Looking around, I spotted the Torpedo and his wife at one of the tables on the terrace. We hadn’t noticed them before.

Grady’s gaze followed mine and he almost called out. I grabbed his hand and shook my head.

“Come on, honey,” the Torpedo wheedled. “Take a sip. Just one sip.”

His wife sat back in her chair, arms folded, refusing to pick up her spoon. I was surprised to see her assert herself.

“It’s the region’s specialty. You can’t come to the south of France and not eat Bouillabaisse.”

“But I don’t like fish, David.”

I was doing my best to ignore them but I was fuming. There was a faint cry.

“There!” The Torpedo chortled. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

There was a gagging sound.

“I ordered a Nicoise Salad for lunch. You’re going to love it.”

“But I want chicken,” his wife pleaded. “Please, David. I feel sick.”

Smoke was coming out of my ears. Grady looked bewildered.

“No point interfering between man and wife, Meg. They’ll sort it out.”

“That man is a bully!” I spat. “And it boils my blood to see him get away with this kind of abuse.”

Grady thought I was overreacting. I was disappointed. He was more sensitive than most men I knew but he couldn’t see what was staring us in the eye. I took a sip of wine, trying to calm down.

“You’ve grown pale.” Grady took my hand and began rubbing it. “What’s the matter, Meg?”

My past comes back to haunt me sometimes. I remembered a dark, ramshackle house that smelt of mold. A blizzard raged outside and a pack of kids sat around a dimly lit table, eating watery oatmeal. The red headed man at one end of the table barked at the woman who served us, forcing her to eat his discarded meal.

“I break my back earning a few bucks so we can eat bacon for breakfast, Mother.”

The woman begged him to let her eat the oatmeal. She’d owned a pet pig when she was a child and thought of him whenever she saw bacon.

“Oats are for the brats. The government don’t pay us enough to feed them eggs and bacon.”

He held the woman by her hair and forced a strip of bacon down her throat.

None of the other kids dared to look up from the table. One day, I decided to speak for the woman. I had been taught a lesson for being impudent.

“Meg! Meg!” Grady was calling my name, a worried frown creasing his brow. “What’s going on?”

There were several fresh dishes on the table. Ratatouille, Coq Au Vin and yes, Salad Nicoise. I hadn’t realized when the waiter brought the food.

“Sorry,” I tried to reassure Grady. “I’m fine. Just a bad memory.”

“You just zoned out.” Grady was gentle. “Don’t worry, they are gone.”

I turned around and sure enough, the Torpedo and his wife were nowhere in sight. The waiter was clearing their table.

“Abuse can take many forms.” Grady expressed what I was leaving unsaid. “But she’s chosen to live with him.”

He was right, of course.

“The next time you idolize that monster, remember he’s just a bully who mistreats his wife.”

I’d lost my appetite but I needed to provide detailed feedback so I made sure I tried everything. The food tasted like sawdust. I drank more wine, hoping it would trigger my hunger.

“How’s the food?” I asked, hoping Grady would make some discerning comment.

“Like a dream.” He didn’t disappoint. “The fish is dressed to perfection and the chicken is so tender, Meg. Like eating butter.”

I picked up a thin pancake topped with olives and onions, surprised to find it was savory.

“What is this?”

Grady told me it was called socca and was made from chickpeas.

The waiter brough dessert, assorted marzipan. It was accompanied by fresh coffee.

“Cheer up, Meg. We’ll keep an eye on the Torpedo from now on, I promise.”

Chapter 6

I woke before the sun rose the next morning. Mickey had pulled out of his dinner date due to a last minute work issue. Exhausted by my day in Provence, I ordered some room service and fell asleep long before Ashley came in. The back to back port days had worn me out. We had a sea day after a long time and I was determined to take it easy, fall back into my usual routine.

There was a faint orange glow at the horizon. The sea was calm and I could feel the moisture in the air as I stood on the balcony, breathing in lungfuls of the fresh air. It was a bit cool but my run would warm me up. I went in and pulled on my gear and was lacing my shoes when there was a discrete knock on the door. Jimmy had arrived with my coconut. Mouthing a silent thank you, I sipped my daily elixir and shut the door quietly behind me.

My muscles protested a bit as I started with a slow jog on the sports deck. I felt free as a bird as I picked up pace and managed a dozen laps on the track. It put me in the mood for a hearty breakfast.

The buffet area was half full. I presumed many people would take the opportunity to sleep in. Putting in an order for my favorite sausage, pepper and cheese omelet, I filled a bowl with fruit and bagged a window table. My favorite server, a Vietnamese girl called Cai, brought coffee and toast. I chatted with her as I ate, asking where she was headed after the cruise ended.

There was a sudden influx of people and the noise became so overwhelming, I decided it was best to take myself somewhere else. It was too early for the pool so I thought I would go look in on RK. I hadn’t seen her for one whole day, which was rare.

She was buried in a stack of files, a cup of coffee teetering on the edge as she pushed some papers away. It was cold, of course. RK didn’t notice me so I walked to my usual café in the atrium and got her a fresh hazelnut latte, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa. Before you judge me and roll your eyes, it’s not really a mocha. It’s the way RK likes her coffee.

“Miss me yet?” I sang out when I reached her office again.

She looked up this time and sighed. There were dark circles under her eyes.

“You’re working too hard,” I chided, placing the coffee in her hands. “I guess you skipped breakfast.”

She took a sip and closed her eyes, leaning back in her chair.

“I’ll have an early lunch.”

That was a bluff if I ever heard one. I told her she was coming ashore with me the next day.

“I’ve never been to Morocco,” she admitted. “But who’ll take care of this?” She pointed at the files. “We’re getting close to the end of this cruise, Meg. I need to wind up everything before we arrive in Florida.”

I had an idea I wasn’t ready to share with her yet. We could pull an all nighter on the Trans Atlantic portion and help her.

“All work and no play …” I wiggled my eyebrows. “Have you heard from Grandma yet? We want you to spend a week or two in Dolphin Bay.”

“Anna emailed.” RK blushed. “I am going to take her up on the offer.”

“And?” I prompted, not willing to give up that easily.

She promised she would try and get off the ship the next day, shooing me out.

I wandered around the atrium, staring at some window displays. Then it was time for the pool. Dressed in my favorite bikini, I headed to my usual spot on the Lido Deck, looking for Babs. She was nowhere in sight. Bright sunshine sparkled on the water around us and the breeze was just cool enough to be pleasant. It wasn’t like Babs to miss her morning by the pool. Clearly, she was running late. Purely by habit, I placed my tote bag and coverup on the chair beside me, saving it for her.

After I had slathered some sunscreen on my arms and legs, I lay back with my arms behind my head. I dozed on and off but was aware of what was happening around me. There were the usual poolside sounds, women gossiping and ordering drinks, kids running around and jumping in the water with a splash. Someone came and sat in the chair on my other side. The faint perfume indicated it was a woman. She placed an arm on my thigh and shook me.

“Hello Meg! You’ve got a nice tan.”

It was Janet, a woman I’d encountered before. She was the uppity sort so I was surprised she was talking to me. I didn’t want to be impolite so I returned the compliment. She waved a hand in the air and a server arrived with a tall glass of iced water.

“Did you visit Monaco?” She took a long sip and turned around to face me. “I don’t suppose you’re the one they are all gaga about?”

Reluctantly, I sat up and asked what she meant.

“Haven’t you heard?” Janet gushed. “Everyone’s talking about it.”

What was the latest buzz on the grapevine? Jimmy hadn’t said a thing that morning so it must have circulated since then. I asked her to enlighten me.

“One of the passengers won the jackpot!” She widened her eyes until her eyebrows shot up to her hair line. “Five figures, Meg! That’s what I call luck.”

I couldn’t hold back a laugh. It sounded fantastic. And Babs had already told me her group hadn’t won anything of note.

“That’s impossible.”

Janet responded with a smirk. I realized it wasn’t that farfetched. It’s called a jackpot for a reason. Maybe someone other than Babs and her casino group had got lucky. It would be quite a blow to them though.

Needing to get away from Janet, I stepped into the pool. A few desultory laps later, I found a shaded spot and indulged in some people watching. My bag sat on an empty chair. Janet was gone but Babs had not made an appearance. Could she have lied to me? I dismissed the thought and waded out, ready to address the burn in my stomach.

None of my friends had any spare time that day. After a leisurely lunch in the main dining room, I headed to the spa for a massage. It was just what I needed. Every inch of my body was loose and relaxed and I was in a good mood. The weather had been mild all day and a glorious sunset was in the offing. I went up to the Lido Deck for a sundowner.

Jeremy Costa sat at the long bar, nursing a beer. He barely gave me a nod.

“Are you mad at me?” I climbed up on the stool next to him. “I’m very, very sorry.”

Costa is a bit rough around the edges and he’s from Chicago. Can you blame me for wondering if he’s above board? I had suspected him of murdering his friend and obviously, it rankled.

“I was fooled by your pretty face. Been your mother’s fan since I was younger than you.”

How could I make him believe I was sincere?

“I didn’t believe it, really. But I had to consider it in order to eliminate you.”

The bartender had deciphered my silent signal and placed a fresh beer before him. Costa drained half in one gulp and smirked.

“You think you’re a hot shot detective, missy. But you don’t know everything.”

I gave a shrug and rubbed the stem of my wine glass with my thumb and forefinger. He was entitled to a rant.

“Do you know a passenger won big at the casino?”

“Five figures.” I was smug.

“Half a million!” Costa laughed and corrected me.

That convinced me there was no winner. Someone had floated a rumor just for fun, knowing it would be blown out of proportion via the grapevine. Chances were, it was one of the crew. There would be bets on how high the figure would rise as it travelled across the ship.

Two more beers later, Costa had grown subdued.

“I forgive you.” He patted me on the back. “Think twice before you accuse anyone else. You might antagonize the wrong man one of these days.”

He was right, of course. I gave him a hug and walked to the elevators, debating where to go for dinner. The steakhouse won. After all the excellent Mediterranean food I had enjoyed ashore for the past few days, I craved something American. Although they did not advertise it, the steakhouse had gourmet burgers on their menu. Their fries were hand cut and made fresh.

Moishe, our security chief, sat alone at a table in Tenderloin. He frowned when I entered. Of course I had to go and needle him a bit.

“So? A cat?” I pulled up a chair. “You never told me her name.”

“I found her during a raging storm in the middle of the Indian Ocean,” he replied. “She was hiding under a tarp on a lower deck, about to be swept away.”

Moishe thought she must have sneaked on board in one of the ports. He named her Typhoon.

“So she’s a stowaway.” I grinned. “Does the captain know?”

A waiter arrived with his order, a porterhouse with all the trimmings.

“All that red meat is bad for you.”

Moishe ordered the waiter to show me to a different table.

I began telling him about the mysterious jackpot winner. There was a chance the person had come to him, asking for more security. Then I dismissed the thought. Moishe was getting impatient, ready to begin his meal. He would not be interested in a silly rumor.

Chapter 7

My dinner hit the spot. I was so engrossed in the meal, I did not mind being alone. The waiter brought a whiskey infused peach cobbler for dessert. I tasted it and gave him two thumbs up. It was still early in the evening and Ashley would not get off her shift for some time. I considered going to the theater to watch a show. Half way there, I changed my mind and took the elevator up to the Lido Deck. A walk in the fresh night breeze sounded so much better.

A stroll around the deck put me in a contemplative mood. I finally allowed myself to think of the man who had jostled me at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Had I imagined the malevolence in his eyes? Although I hadn’t shared my suspicions with any of the gang, I had subconsciously been watching the face of every man I came up against on the ship. Sure, I hadn’t suffered any recent mishaps but I couldn’t help wonder if I was in any real danger. Was the unknown man just biding his time, waiting for the right opportunity to strike? The anticipation was wreaking havoc with my mind.

By sheer force of habit, I gravitated to the bar. The guy working there flashed a smile in greeting and placed a glass of iced water before me. It had lemon and cucumber slices floating in it, with sprigs of mint. Maybe I needed chamomile.

I finally noticed the movie playing on the screen. It was Casablanca. My mother’s favorite and now mine. I felt a tear slide down my face, suddenly homesick. The Grand Voyager would be in Florida in little over two weeks. I had meetings at the Gold Cruises corporate office which would take a week or so. After that, I was boarding the first flight back home to Dolphin Bay.

Mickey had a hand in the movies they chose to play and he often cued all my favorites. The Grand Voyager was headed toward Morocco so Casablanca was the perfect pick to set the stage for a day in Tangier. As I can never watch enough of this film, I made my way to one of the deck chairs by the pool and settled down with a blanket over my knees, just in case I was cold later.

Very soon, I lost track of time, silently mouthing every dialog as the movie progressed. There were people around me, eating popcorn and slurping sodas. Many chatted softly amongst themselves, commenting on every scene or making plans for the day ahead. It didn’t matter much since none of them seemed to be watching the film for the first time. A couple of women a few paces to my left were in the thick of some debate. One of them suddenly raised her voice, grabbing my attention with a familiar name.

“Bondurant is the bad penny. He always planned to dupe us.”

Her friend wasn’t convinced. I detected a British accent and realized the voice belonged to Anne, the woman I’d met in Naples.

“I’m ready to bet my pension on this. That bald, skinny crook has our money. Do you know he ran a Ponzi scheme and fleeced people of millions?”

“You never worked a day in your life, Val,” Anne countered. “And what is this Ponzi scheme? Was he ever convicted?”

They went back and forth over this. I listened with a keen ear. My attention had shifted from the screen. Maybe I would find out who the elusive jackpot winner was.

Anne railed at the other woman for not speaking up first. If she had an inkling of Bondurant’s bad character, why hadn’t she warned the others? They would never have pooled their money and signed up for the mad scheme at the casino. The woman admitted her greed had blinded her. And Bondurant was a smooth talker. He had been so confident they would win big that each of them had been taken in.

“I think you are wrong about this.” Anne was firm. “Lord Basil is the culprit. You don’t know these people like I do. They have taken advantage of the poor for centuries and have no qualms in robbing anyone for their own benefit.”

There was a gasp.

“Not Lord Basil? I can’t believe he would swindle us, Anne. He’s so polite.”

“As dodgy as they come,” Anne muttered.

She launched a tirade against rich land owners who had never had to lift a finger in their lives. I wasn’t sure if it was a general gripe against titled people or specific to Lord Basil. He had several estates and a big mansion in the country but it was crumbling. And he was a notorious gambler! He spent half the year in Monaco and similar places, making extravagant bets he could not fulfill. Anne stated he was doing the same on the ship’s casino.

The woman sat up and claimed she had to use the bathroom. I think it was a clever ploy to get away from Anne. I would’ve done the same.

A fierce wind began to blow and it got chillier. It was time to seek shelter. I walked to the elevator and was surprised to see Mickey step out when the doors opened.

“Hey Megs!” He punched my arm playfully. “Walk with me.”

Before I could complain about the cold, he slid out of his suit jacket and placed it around my shoulders.

“Thank you.”

“You needn’t be so surprised. My mama raised me right.”

I giggled. Mickey was chivalrous alright, jut not trustworthy. He hadn’t actually done anything to make me believe so. It was an impression I couldn’t shake. Maybe it was because he had tried to sabotage my job when we first met.

“Do you think it’ll rain?”

“A tiny shower or two.” He shrugged. “The Mediterranean is very pleasant, Meg. Can’t say what will happen when we enter the Atlantic.”

He told me about the various times he had experienced a Trans Atlantic crossing. Our ship was taking a southern route which he said was more comfortable. I called him out for missing our dinner date.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he promised. “Mark your calendar for the day after we reach Florida. We’ll spend the whole day together. Just us.”

I couldn’t tell him I was expected at the cruise line’s office so I hedged.

“Let me think about it.”

His grin said he was sure I would give in. Well, Mickey Singh was in for a shock.

We stood by the railing and watched the waves get rougher. A few drops of rain fell and we ran inside before we got drenched. He asked if I wanted to share a bite with him in the officers’ mess. I pleaded exhaustion.

The elevator dropped me off at the atrium. Ashley was walking out of the gift store with two other girls. She bid them good night and hailed me, giving a deep yawn.

“Hungry?” Her dinner break would have been hours ago.

Ashley patted her stomach, trying to make a decision.

“I am, but I don’t feel like going to the buffet.”

“We can order room service.”

She shook her head. “Why don’t we get some ice cream?”

That sounded like a great idea. We walked arm in arm to a café that served enormous sundaes and ordered one to share.

“Anything interesting happen today?” she asked.

There wasn’t a trace of envy in her voice. As far as she knew, I was living the good life, enjoying a pricey world cruise on my mother’s dime. You’d think that might have created a wall between us. But Ashley’s a genuinely happy person. She makes the most of whatever is handed to her. That’s what makes her my bestie.

The sundae arrived in one of those monster mugs, coated with fudge and sprinkles. It had four or five different flavors of ice cream, chocolate chips, hazelnuts and gummy bears. Yes, Ashley loves them. And it was topped with a jelly donut and more fudge.

We picked up the super long spoons provided and dug in. I came up for air after a few bites. I had brain freeze. The guy at the counter came toward us, carrying a similar sundae, except, this one had a chocolate donut and caramel.

“We didn’t order that!” Ashley sat back with a sigh.

He tipped his head at someone behind us.

“It’s for that lady over there.”

I peered around a large plant, curious to see who was crazy enough to eat so much sugar before bed. The woman was in her pajamas with her back to us but she felt familiar.

“I think that’s the Torpedo’s wife,” I whispered.

“Who?” Ashley was loud, startling the woman, making her peer over her shoulder.

The fear in her eyes convinced me. It was Mrs. Torpedo. I realized I didn’t know her name, something I would have to remedy if I was going to keep running into her like this.

Chapter 8

Another day. Another country. The Grand Voyager was in Tangier, Morocco. It wasn’t Casablanca but it was good enough. I was signed up for another group tour that would show us the sights in the first half of the day. Ashley had some time off and she would join me in the afternoon. It would give us a few hours to check out the city on our own.

Bright sunlight bathed everything as we walked out of the cruise terminal. I spotted some familiar faces in our group. Here was a golden opportunity to find out more about the casino mystery.

We started in the old city. Walking down the tiny, winding streets felt like traveling back through time. Mom would say they were the perfect set for a high speed chase, the kind you’d expect in an Indiana Jones movie. There was a stall selling olives, the kind I had never seen anywhere. Some of them were as large as limes. We stopped at a hole in the wall eatery for tea and snacks.

You can’t visit Morocco and not taste the mint tea. I was skeptical before taking my first sip but it wasn’t bad. The owner offered a taste of the local soup called bisarra. It was thick and creamy with a hint of cumin. I added a generous dash of paprika, another drizzle of olive oil and took a sip. It was so delicious I ate the whole bowl. I knew I could get the recipe and try to recreate it but it would lack the secret ingredient of that Moroccan street on a sunny spring day.

Bondurant sat at the table next to me, with two women I had never noticed before. One of them spotted a small kiosk selling some scarfs and squealed.

“Those must be made of camel wool. My neighbor got some on her last cruise. They are supposed to be very soft and warm.”

They crossed the street and rushed toward the shop, eager to buy some.

Bondurant was alone. Dressed in khaki shorts and a floral shirt, he cut an innocuous figure. Skinny and shorter than average, he wasn’t very imposing until you looked into his eyes. They were blue like the Mediterranean on a clear day. His hand shook as he wrote something on the newspaper before him. I recognized the copy of the Daily Voyager, the ship’s paper.

“What’s that?” I asked, aiming to get him talking.

“Crossword.” He grunted without looking up. “Solve it before 11 AM every day.”

“Is it hard?”

“It’s not the New York Times.” He shrugged. “Have I seen you before?”

If I had a dime for every time someone’s asked me that question!

“In Monaco?” I quipped. “At the casino.”

He didn’t respond so I dived in at the deep end.

“Did you win the jackpot?”

He abandoned any pretense of solving his crossword and tossed his pen on the table. Leaning back in the spindly chair, he took a sip of the mint tea which had grown cold long ago.

“That’s the rumor going around the ship. Apparently, you won big. Five figures! I’ve heard some women talking about it.”

He laughed when I told him what they suspected.

“I’ve seen you hang around with Babs. She told you about our little group, hunh?”

My cheeks flamed, giving him his answer. But I didn’t actually say anything.

Bondurant asked if I trusted her.

“How much do you know her? She’s the biggest liar I’ve met on this cruise.”

“Not true.” I defended my friend.

“Everything she says is a lie. Whoever has heard of a retired school teacher affording a luxury cruise like this?”

Babs might have used her life savings, I pointed out. That prompted a chuckle from him.

“Where did she get the money for our little casino caper?”

I acted shocked to learn they had all put in five figures. Four zeros. I was certain Babs had a source of income I knew nothing about.

“Maybe an old aunt died and left her money.”

That annoyed him for some reason.

“It’s not just the money. What about her family? Our group bonded on that trip to Naples. Everyone shared pictures of their kids or pets or houses back home. There were funny stories from the past. Babs had zilch. She didn’t volunteer a single personal fact.”

So she was a private person.

Bondurant cut me off, saying she was a sly fox.

“You mean there is no big winner?” I quizzed. “So you lost like fifty thousand in that casino? Just gambled it away?”

He pulled out his wallet and placed a ten dollar bill under the glass of tea.

“No risk, no return. That’s the simplest life lesson I can offer a kid like you.”

Our guide blew on his whistle and it was time to leave. It saved me from thinking of a smart reply.

A cat strolled beside me as we walked to our bus, stopping every few steps to turn and glare at me. Cafes were opening up and old men sat on black chairs with their backs to the wall, watching life pass by.

After a quick trip to a museum, our bus took us to Cap Spartel, a vantage point with a view of the Strait of Gibraltar. It is touted as the northernmost point of the African continent. You can gaze over the water to the meeting point of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The bright sunlight had persisted and our guide waved a hand in the distance at the Rock of Gibraltar.

I took plenty of pictures, of course, and wished any of my friends were with me. There were camel rides on the beach and I marveled at the tenacity of our passengers, scrambling over the stinky beasts for a five minute ride. I opted out.

The Caves of Hercules provided the wow factor I was looking for. I stared at the waves splashing on the jagged rocks through a gap in the rocks. They say it resembles the map of Africa.

Our tour ended at a restaurant where lunch had been ordered for us. Ashley was there. We took a table away from the group and ate everything that was offered. Marinated olives and hunks of wheat bread were in abundance. We ate tagines, straight from the peculiar earthen dishes with the cone like lids.

“What are we doing next?” I asked Ashley. “We can just hang out on the beach or walk through the old city.”

She wanted to see the point where the oceans met. I didn’t mind going there again. We would have to shell out for a cab.

A familiar whine fell on our ears. Ashley’s eyes widened. She speared a plump apricot and tipped her head to the left.

“Not her again!” I whispered. “What’s he forcing her to eat now?”

The Torpedo’s growl trounced Ashley’s reply.

“You will have to answer me, Sally! Who was that man?”

There was a moment of silence. At least we had a name for the woman.

“Either you know him or you don’t which kinda sounds worse.” The Torpedo thundered. “If you feel I’m the sort of guy who stands by while a stranger mauls his wife, you’ve got another think coming, Sal.”

Hushed murmurs followed. We guessed it was Sally offering a defence.

A waiter brought a bowl of fruit drizzled with honey and toasted nuts. Ashley reminded me we needed to hurry.

“Are you cheating on me?” the Torpedo roared.

“No!” Sally was more vocal this time. “I don’t know him, Dave, honest.”

I couldn’t wait to tell Mickey. The man he idolized was a bully and was most probably on the verge of insanity. He was clearly paranoid.

“You think he wants to dump her?” Ashley provided another theory. “He’s just building some background to accuse her of adultery. I bet there’s another girl in the wings, younger and hotter than Sally here.” She gave a gasp. “You think it’s one of the dancers on the crew?”

There are some beautiful East European girls who perform in the shows on board. Men have been known to fall prey to their charms.

The afternoon passed quickly. Ashley and I got a really great photo with the Rock of Gibraltar in the background, although it’s just a speck that’s barely visible. But we know it’s there.

A coffee break was called for. It was an excuse to people watch, of course. We sipped our drinks, marveling over our good fortune. I had a sudden urge to powder my face, as my grandma would say, and went in search of the facilities. A grizzled waiter gave me complicated directions, sending me down a warren of lanes behind the café. I turned a corner and came face to face with a man I could never forget.

The malice in his cold eyes made me shiver. The memory of them was impinged on my brain, ever since I had locked gazes with him in a crowded elevator in Dubai. Call me fanciful, but I was convinced this man was trying to kill me.

The random accidents I had encountered on the Grand Voyager had been attributed to the murders on the cruise. The perpetrators of those crimes had been apprehended. But my sixth sense told me I wasn’t home free.

Now I was sorry I hadn’t mentioned the Dubai incident. Was it going to cost me big?

My nemesis swept past me without showing a hint of recognition but I was on to him. I broke out in a cold sweat, trying to stop thinking of the vulnerable spot I’d been in. He could have swatted me like a fly. It was time to come clean to my loved ones. But not right then. I didn’t want to spook Ashley.

We barely made it back in time. RK sighed in relief when we climbed the ramp, asking us to hurry.

“We almost left without you.”

I know she would’ve talked the captain into waiting for us.

“Dinner in an hour?” I asked. “Don’t be late.”

We giggled as RK rolled her eyes and told us to get lost.

We met in the officers’ mess later. Mickey and Grady were already there and RK arrived two minutes after us. For a change, nobody had to leave early.

The boys went to the buffet and brought a platter of chicken wings and pints of beer. We gorged on the food and regaled them with all the fun we’d had.

“The cats!” Ashley exclaimed suddenly. “We saw dozens, walking on the streets or lying in the sun.”

I thought of Moishe and snorted. RK frowned, giving me a warning look.

Grady brought up the jackpot winner. The sum had gone up to a million.

“This is crazy!” he laughed. “This guy will probably have more gold than Fort Knox by the time we reach home.”

Mickey told us he knew the identity of the winner.

“It’s that British actor, Noah Campbell. A bartender I know heard it from his girlfriend who got it from her roommate.”

No doubt the roommate would have heard it from a maid and so on. The rumor mill was in full swing.

“Prepare yourself, RK.” I drawled. “Before you know it, every passenger on board will have won a million at the casino.”

She left after that but we lingered. Very reluctantly, I came clean, beginning with what happened in Dubai.

There was an uproar. Mickey was so angry he could barely speak. Grady wanted a description. I tried to be as elaborate and precise as possible.

“Why can’t she look at passenger photos?” Ashley questioned.

There were privacy issues and wading through a thousand plus pictures was not going to be easy. Mickey thought he might be a crew member.

“RK would know.”

I absolutely forbid them from mentioning this to RK. She had enough to worry about.

Chapter 9

Ashley and I were at Feast for breakfast the next morning. Refreshed after a full eight hours of sleep, I was ready to head into Lisbon, Portugal. The Grand Voyager wouldn’t be there until 11 AM, giving me enough time to fortify myself.

One of Ashley’s coworkers had opted out of going ashore at the last minute and swapped shifts.

“Why does she want to stay on board?” I was curious.

“She’s been there before,” Ashley shrugged. “Wants to take it easy, I guess. She’ll be on the job but we don’t get many customers on a port day.”

Lisbon was the last stop before we crossed the Atlantic. Many of the passengers would go ashore and make the most of it.

“Good for us,” I crowed, happy she was going to spend the day with me.

Ashley brought up the jackpot winner.

“Do you believe Noah Campbell is the winner?”

I told her it was all a hoax. Campbell had been on the bus with me in Tangier. If he had really won a million dollars and was hiding the fact from his partners in crime, he would’ve disappeared in Morocco.

“He’s back on the ship,” I stressed.

Ashley agreed she had seen him last night.

“And where’s the money?” she wondered.

Someone would have noticed him lugging a bag of cash, although I wasn’t sure how the casino paid out. A thief would opt for cash, I mused, because it could vanish without a trace.

Ashley nodded, cutting a piece of her Belgian waffle. She couldn’t believe a word against Campbell. He was known for helping the needy and was a gentle soul.

“He’s got truckloads of money, Meg. I don’t think Noah Campbell would cheat anyone.”

“I’m sure he has a price, like everyone.”

We couldn’t agree on the point. I poured maple syrup over my pancakes and cut a generous piece, gasping when I looked up and saw Campbell walking toward us. He walked past and sat at a table near us.

Ashley was surprised when he nodded a greeting and wished us Good Morning.

Our server brought coffee and asked if we wanted anything else.

“Chef just brought out a pan of chocolate croissants,” she told me with a wink.

I can’t resist this kind of temptation and gave in, sliding my chair to get up. My eyes landed on Bondurant. He moved faster than I believed a septuagenarian could and landed on the chair in front of Campbell.

“You can’t get away with it, Noah!” he rasped. “I’ll tell everyone you’re a thief. I’ve come across a lot of shady characters in my life but you take the cake.”

Campbell munched on a piece of toast and pretended to be oblivious. Bondurant raved for a couple of minutes, slamming his fist on the table.

“Cat got your tongue? Be a man and say something, you scoundrel.”

“Down, old boy.” Noah Campbell finally muttered, casting a furtive look around the room.

It was easy to see he was embarrassed.

“I don’t know how you got this crazy idea, Bondurant. Stop being ridiculous, will you?”

Ashley and I had lost interest in our food and were listening openly.

“You stole our money!” Bondurant accused. “I want you to confess to the group. My reputation is on the line. They think I won a million dollars and got away with it.”

“Did you?” Campbell raised an eyebrow in question. “What is this reputation you speak of, man? Everyone and their aunt has heard about that Ponzi scheme you ran. They say you targeted widows from marginal communities.”

Bondurant straightened his back, claiming nothing was proven.

“Don’t think you’ll get away by raking my past, Noah. I’m gonna make you pay.”

I realized the buffet area was almost empty. The ship had slowed and must be about to dock. We needed to make a move.

Ashley’s coworker was waiting outside my cabin on Deck 10. She had changed her mind and wanted to go ashore. All our plans for the day were foiled. Finally, I ended up going to Lisbon by myself. My boss hadn’t given me any task and the whole day belonged to me.

The cruise terminal is half a mile from the city center. I decided to walk. The day was cloudy and cooler than I’d expected. There were the usual taxi drivers promising to take you to the best spots in town at a good price. After a ten minute walk that seemed endless, I gave in. The guide talked a lot in good English and promised to show me the best view in the city.

I asked him to drop me off in the famous Alfama neighborhood. A segue ride gave me a good coverage of the area. My throat was dry and I stopped at a café for a bite. I ordered a sandwich made from the local cheese and enjoyed every bite. Mickey had recommended the tram ride and the café owner informed me that I was very close to one of its stops. Ten minutes later, I had boarded the yellow car and was lucky enough to find an empty seat. Guess who sat next to me?

None other than Sally, the Torpedo’s wife. I hadn’t spotted him in the car and wondered if he’d already dumped her.

“How’s it going?” I smiled. “Isn’t Lisbon beautiful?”

She nodded in response but said nothing.

“Where’s your husband today?” I probed.

The tram had been full when she boarded and he had to stay behind.

“Good,” I sighed. “It gives us a chance to talk.”

If I’d been in her position, I would have been longing to talk to someone other than my bully husband. But Sally made it clear I was disturbing her. Was she unfriendly by nature?

“It’s not too late, you know.” This was me, grabbing the bull by the horns. “You can leave him while there’s time.”

Her scowl deepened.

“And why should I take this silly advice?”

She wasn’t making it easy for me but she was the victim. Once I decide to help someone, there’s no holding me back.

“You’re in a toxic situation, Sally. The cycle of abuse will continue until you take a stance. You need to get away from the Torpedo as soon as possible.”

Sally had turned white.

“I think you have the wrong person. Please leave me alone or I’ll have to call the police.”

There were helplines for people like her, and shelters, I told her. And I was willing to help her myself. Dolphin Bay is a bit secluded and the perfect haven for a troubled soul. I was sure Grandma and her friends would help Sally get back on her feet.

She was beyond redemption, firmly in her husband’s clutches. I watched her hop down from the tram at the next stop. My conscience should have been clear but I felt I had failed.

The tram wove through different neighborhoods and I watched the sights. We stopped by a cathedral and a well rounded woman with large blue eyes climbed up, helped by two locals. I thought I’d seen her on the ship. She barely glanced my way as she walked to the back of the tram. Ten minutes later, there was a commotion. I turned around to see the woman weeping, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. A local woman beside her fired questions in a foreign language, presumably Portuguese. Then I noticed him.

Noah Campbell stood beside the woman, a stricken look in his eyes.

“Valerie, my dear, this won’t do.”

I recognized the woman now. She’d been on the Naples tour and Babs had mentioned her once. She was a widow who lived in New Mexico.

“Don’t pretend you care, you, you traitor! You pirate! How could you deceive all of us?”

Here was another one from the casino group. How many were there, I mused. They seemed to be popping up everywhere, like ants out of the woodwork.

Noah continued to plead. Valerie stopped crying but refused to speak to him.

I got off at the next stop, eager to get away from all the drama. This was our last port in Europe. The Grand Voyager would begin her Atlantic crossing tonight. I felt it was a big moment and planned to make the most of it.

After strolling through a garden and grabbing a snack at another café, I took a taxi back to the ship. The sky had cleared in the afternoon and the sun was low in the sky. I figured we still had a couple of hours before sunset. There was no way I was going to miss it and planned to be on the Lido Deck with a drink in hand to watch the spectacle.

My room was in perfect order and a towel whale greeted me from the bed. A tray of chocolate covered strawberries was on the coffee table, thanks to Jimmy, my room steward. I bit into one and flung myself on the bed. There was an envelope on my nightstand. My heart fluttered in anticipation of a date.

Mickey was taking me to dinner. He had a table at the Taj Mahal, the gourmet Indian restaurant on the top deck. I was to meet him there at 7:30 PM.

I glanced at the tiny travel clock Grandma had insisted I carry with me. There was enough time for a leisurely shower. I took time to dress well, choosing a darker lipstick for a change. That Mickey wouldn’t know what hit him.

Babs was just outside when I stepped out. She was dressed to the nines, diamonds sparkling in her ears.

“Hello young blood!” She teased. “Hot date?”

In a rush, I brought up Noah Campbell. Did she believe there was a winner?

“Anything’s possible.” She sounded evasive rather than flippant.

“You think Noah stole from all of you?” I couldn’t ignore the steely glint in her eyes because it was so unlike Babs. “Ashley says he’s not that kind of man.”

Babs knew nothing about him but she promised me one thing. If he had fleeced her, she would make him pay.

“No one messes with Barbara Green.”

Chapter 10

Dinner with Mickey was magical. That’s all I’m going to say about it.

Ashley and I stayed up late, drinking hot chocolate on the balcony. She didn’t have to be at work until ten the next morning.

“I saw him, Megs.” she confessed, just as I was falling asleep. “At least I think it was him.”

The description she gave could have matched many people. It was the eyes that clinched the deal.

“Lifeless,” she whispered. “It’s like they suck your soul.”

I wouldn’t blame her if she’d run for her life.

Ashley, my fearless protector had been ready to gouge those eyes out but one of the passengers foiled her plans. It was a woman who frequented the gift shop and was under the misconception that Ashley was at her disposal twenty four seven. By the time she’d answered her many questions, my stalker was gone.

“At least you know I didn’t imagine him.” I made a feeble joke.

“I never doubted you, Megs.” She turned on her side and fell asleep, her soft snores filling the room in minutes.

I stared at the ceiling, wide awake, trying to count all the good things in my life. Stalker or assassin, whatever he was, I would not let him terrorize me.

We slept in and ordered breakfast in the room, giving full justice to the crispy chorico or Portuguese sausage the chef sent with our poached eggs.

“Five days at sea!” Ashley cried. “We can’t reach the Caribbean soon enough.”

She would be rushed off her feet at the gift store. There was a stack of assignments waiting for me too. I opened my laptop the moment she left, expecting something from the boss. There was going to be a flash dance in the buffet area while we were in the Atlantic. He wanted me to note how the passengers reacted to it. More details would follow.

I spent the morning in bed, writing detailed reports of my last two assignments and sent them off. It was past noon and I needed to rush if I wanted to eat in the main dining room. Half an hour later, I entered the cavernous space and looked around, disappointed to see it almost full. The head waiter came forward and promised to find me a place. I’d met him at one of the crew parties and he was a bit in awe of me. Don’t ask me why.

I sat at a table of strangers and began perusing the menu. It’s okay to order more than one entrée or appetizer here. I couldn’t choose between arancini and shrimp cocktail so I decided to have both. Then I added in a Caesar salad to balance the meal.

There were two couples at the table, both eating dessert when I arrived. They left, leaving me on my own. It was perfect because I don’t like people judging what I eat.

The waiter arrived sans any food and bent forward to speak in my ear. Had they run out?

It was a message from RK. She wanted to see me in her office. Although the message did not include the word ‘immediately’, it’s always implied when she summons you.

Tossing my napkin on the table, I walked out of the dining room, trying to ignore my hunger pangs. The atrium was packed and I had to wade my way through groups of people who were either heading to lunch or looking for something to do after their meal. RK’s door was open and she was pacing outside, tapping her hand against her thigh.

“You’re late!”

The only way I could’ve got there sooner was by teleporting so I said nothing. My brain was trying to guess why she was flustered.

I followed her in and closed the door.

“Sit down, Meg.” RK expelled a deep breath. “This must stay between us. That’s an order.”

Was she going to ask me to spy on Mickey or Ashley?

“Sure.” I played along. “My lips are sealed.”

What she said came out of left field.

“A passenger is dead. Noah Campbell. Did you know him?”

I gave a shrug. “The name is familiar but I can’t place him.”

RK told me I was lying through my teeth.

“You will stay out of this, Meg. No haring around the ship, bothering passengers and crew. Promise me you will not play amateur sleuth.”

Did that mean there was a mystery around Noah Campbell’s death? I asked her outright. RK refused to divulge any more.

“Do I have your word?” she asked in her no nonsense voice.

I’m sterner than I look. Even when RK was my overbearing boss, I hadn’t cowered in front of her.

“Why? How did he die? Do you suspect foul play?”

RK hemmed and hawed but finally admitted the doctor thought so. She didn’t have any more details and I believed her.

“Can I go now?” I sprang up. “I was about to eat when you called me. It’s way past lunch time.”

She waved a hand to dismiss me and turned toward her computer screen. I crept out before she remembered I had never committed to anything. For a moment, I wondered if I should’ve asked her to grab a bite with me. But there were other things on my mind.

The first order of business was to go to the horse’s mouth. Seeing the long line at the elevators, I took the stairs to Deck 3 and went to the infirmary. The nurse on duty was an old friend and greeted me with a scowl.

“The doctor’s busy.”

“I don’t see any one here.” I moved past her. “He called me for a follow-up.”

I tumbled into the doctor’s office before she could question me more.

“My favorite patient!” Dr. Flores grinned. “Any new aches and pains?”

I placed my hands on the table and locked eyes with him.

“What is the cause of death?”

He raised his eyebrows in question, pleading ignorance.

“You know I’m asking about Noah Campbell!” I boomed. “Tell me how he died, Doc.”

“That is classified, Meg. You can’t barge in here and ask me to reveal that kind of information. You’ll have my job one of these days.”

I pleaded for a hint but he didn’t budge. Retreat was my only option. I ignored the smirking nurse on my way out and took the stairs up to the atrium.

Ashley spotted me before I entered the gift store and came out. Her eyes were moist. The grapevine was faster than me.

“That poor man!” she cried. “He’s gonna be missed.”

Not by any of the casino group, I reckoned.

“What a way to go,” Ashley continued. “Drowned in the bath.”

My mouth hung open. Why hadn’t RK shared this?

“Are you sure?” I quizzed. “Did he fall asleep?”

She had no idea. I wondered why Dr. Flores was calling it a murder. He must have found some evidence that made him think so. I shared what I knew with Ash. It was her turn to exclaim in shock.

“Who would kill Noah Campbell? He was an icon, Meg. Millions worshipped him.”

But someone didn’t. I pointed out the obvious.

“RK’s warned me to keep a lid on this. Dr. Flores also clammed up. Don’t they care about the truth?”

Ashley reminded me I had enough to worry about. RK felt responsible for me and was keen to deliver me home safe and sound in a single piece.

A gaggle of women entered the gift shop. Ashley had to go and cater to them.

I hadn’t set eyes on Grady in two days. Was he hiding from me? I questioned a security guy and found he was doing some inventory on Deck 5. Once again, I ditched the elevator and climbed up the stairs. My stomach growled, reminding me I needed to eat.

Grady looked happy to see me. He hadn’t had lunch either and we decided to get some pizza on the Lido Deck.

“How’s your day going?” he asked, picking up a slice of the steaming hot pie. “Ruffled any feathers yet?”

“Funny you should ask.” I took a couple of bites to take the edge off. “What are your thoughts on this murder?”

That Grady. He’s got a fine poker face.

“Don’t know what you mean, Meg.”

I prodded and poked but Grady wouldn’t give an inch.

“You’re not my only friend on this tub.” I gathered all the crusts and dipped one in the extra tomato sauce I’d ordered. No point in wasting good food. “But I will remember this.”

He threw back his head and roared with laughter. Really, tears flew down his eyes. Don’t you just hate it when someone laughs at your expense?

“Good luck,” he offered, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

I beat a quick retreat. No, it wasn’t feigned.

Mickey and I were in a good place since our dinner date and I wanted to keep it that way. There was a fair chance he knew more than Ashley and Grady since he has many contacts across the crew. His own fan club who will do anything for him. And this club comprises of beautiful women, mostly single. I would agonize over who told him something and how he knew her. It was a fool’s errand.

In his defence, Mickey worries about my safety. He claims I give him sleepless nights. I didn’t want him to fuss over me, begging me to watch my back. Any truce between us had never lasted more than twenty four hours and I was determined to break that record.

There was no other option. I would have to go to the people.

I went back to my cabin and pulled on my favorite swimsuit. Tying a colorful sarong I’d bought on the streets of Bali, I went up to the Lido Deck. The plan was to tap into the ship’s grapevine.

Maybe I would pick up some chatter by the pool.

Chapter 11

The pool didn’t yield much gossip. I found myself getting restless. A frosty drink did nothing to improve my mood. Sometimes, the angst just builds up no matter how hard you try.

I headed to Moishe’s office, steeling myself for opposition. He would probably throw me out. How much could I get out of him before that happened?

The Grand Voyager’s security chief sat facing the wall, trying to coax his cat to eat some fish.

“This is cozy!” I drawled. “No matter what happens on the ship, you find the time to pamper your cat.”

Moishe put the plate of fish on the table and spun around to face me.

“What now, Meg?”

I reminded him I was a passenger on the ship, entitled to some service. He offered to call the Guest Services Coordinator so I could air my grievances.

“Never mind that. What about Noah Campbell?”

The cat had scarfed down his food and jumped onto Moishe’s lap, vying for attention. I couldn’t compete.

“Haven’t we had this conversation?” Moishe cooed and petted Typhoon.

Had we? For a moment, I second guessed myself. Then I rallied around.

“You never told me what you were doing to catch Campbell’s killer.”

Moishe didn’t respond. I stood my ground, ready to play the waiting game. As I expected, he finally looked up and gave a shrug.

“I don’t report to you, Meg. Stop wasting my time.”

I tried again but Moishe told me to butt out.

“You know what?” I bristled. “Be that way. What do I care?”

Moishe told me I was acting like a teen. Whatever that meant.

Stomping out of his office, I walked to the elevator, trying to calm down. Then I decided to take the stairs. I needed to take my mind off the murder and just relax. Actually, I had barely known Noah Campbell. There was no need for me to put myself in danger and go sleuthing again. RK would be relieved to hear that. If I could give her some peace of mind, why not? She’d always had my back.

I was panting when I reached the spa. The thought of a massage had suddenly seemed appealing and I wanted to surrender myself to a skilled masseuse and forget everything that was happening around me. There was a persistent ache in my lower back and my feet had never stopped hurting. All those back to back port excursions had worn me out. I really don’t know how the older crowd could withstand so much activity.

Of course the spa was booked. There wasn’t a single empty slot for a body massage of any kind.

“What about one of those reflexology sessions?” I pleaded. “I have coupons.”

The girl at the desk scrunched her mouth and apologized.

“You’re Mickey’s friend, aren’t you?” She sized me up. “Look, do you want to check in an hour? I’ll try to squeeze you in if there’s any cancellation.”

I thanked her and left. What she had wanted to tell me was she knew Mickey. I wasn’t surprised.

The Grand Voyager is like a big mall but sometimes it can get claustrophobic. I longed for some fresh air and laughter. Maybe the second more than the first.

The sports deck offered the lively atmosphere I was looking for. I could stand by the railing, gazing at the bluish gray waters of the Atlantic stretching around us and watch the many games in progress. After watching a group play croquette, I moved to the mini golf which I love. It is always entertaining to watch others try to outdo each other, competing for bragging rights.

I spotted Babs among her cronies. She was in the lead, bossing over the others in her friendly manner. It’s hard to be mad at her, even when she insults you. I think it’s the smile that accompanies all the outrageous statements she makes. But she has a big heart.

She looked my way after a while and waved. I gave an answering smile and went to the bar for a sundowner. The bartender wasn’t very chatty and the drink lackluster. My cabin seemed more appealing and I trudged to my room and sat out on the balcony. I finally began to feel calm and the noise in my mind receded. The sky provided a pretty enough spectacle, turning into a mosaic of pinks and violets. On a whim, I dialed my mom. She was in the gym, working out with Bobby, her best friend who’s a celebrity trainer. He’s my honorary uncle. My mood began to improve with news of home. We made plans for the summer and I couldn’t get home soon enough.

“You don’t sound like yourself.” Mom remarked. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

I wasn’t going to tell her there had been another murder on the ship. So I shrugged off her concern, telling her I was fine. Cassie Butler wasn’t born yesterday. She didn’t buy it.

“Put on a new frock and go have dinner at one of those fancy restaurants,” she ordered. “Do you want to take a flight home from Barbados?”

I assured her that wasn’t necessary.

We promised to catch up soon and hung up. I decided to take her advice and rifled through my closet, picking out a red halter dress I’d bought in the South of France. A sudden craving for sushi helped me decide where to go for dinner. I spritzed some perfume behind my ears and was pulling on my favorite pair of stilettos when there was a loud banging on the door.

Was the ship in danger? That’s always my first thought when something drastic like this happens. I flung the door open, steeling myself for the worst.

Babs barged in, her face dark as a storm cloud. She stalked to the balcony door and whirled around, hands on hips.

“What is the meaning of this, Meg?” she glared.

I took a can of soda from the refrigerator and poured it in a glass.

“Why don’t you take a load off?” I coaxed, placing the drink on the table and gently nudging her toward the sofa.

Babs collapsed and exhaled. Her anger dissolved and a frown appeared between her eyes. She sipped her drink and sat back with a sigh.

I was trying to be patient, wondering if one of the crew had insulted her. Ashley or Mickey would never do that. Nor would Grady.

“I’m being followed.”

My thoughts flew to my unknown assailant. Had my nameless adversary begun to target my friends too?

“Did you get a look at them?”

“It’s the security men, Meg. I know because I have seen them carry out their duties across the ship.”

And she also had super powers that noticed these kinds of things. But I said nothing.

“I’m not doubting you,” I spoke quickly. “I just wonder why.”

“That’s what I want you to find out. I’d rather have some inside information before I confront them.”

What would prompt the guards to follow a passenger? I gasped. Was Babs in danger?

“They must be trying to protect you, Babs. It’s what they are here for.”

“But why?” she burst out.

Did Babs know about Noah’s murder? I wasn’t sure if we had discussed it. She had been AWOL for most of the day and there had been no time for us to exchange gossip.

“Moishe must be keeping an eye on Noah Campbell’s friends.”

She opened her mouth to protest.

“Acquaintances,” I corrected myself. “People he came in contact with.”

Moishe and I have our differences. And he’s not a very talkative person. But he’s not a shirker. If Moishe assigned a security detail to someone, it must be to protect that person. Did that mean Babs was a target?

She must have worked out the same thing I did because she voiced what I was thinking.

“Does that mean I’m in danger?”

Okay, so she wasn’t quaking but there was a little bit of apprehension in her eyes. I promised to find out more.

Babs needed cheering up so I asked if she wanted to have dinner with me.

“I have booked a table at Bluefin.”

She stood up, suddenly looking her age.

“Thanks, honey. But I think I’ll call it a night and order some room service.”

I would make sure Jimmy took care of her.

Chapter 12

There was no point in putting it off. I needed to confront Moishe right away. His office was empty. It was the dinner hour so it was possible he was in the officers’ mess. One of the kitchen staff there told me he was at the steak house.

The Tenderloin was my next stop. Sure enough, he sat at a table by himself, cutting into a loaded baked potato.

“Thrice in a single day!” he mocked. “Must have done something right.”

I ignored the jibe and sat down, without an invitation.

“Don’t you need a passenger’s permission before assigning a guard to them?”

He must have known what I was talking about. His eyes flickered but he said nothing, taking a bite of filet mignon. That pushed my buttons alright.

“What I mean is, shouldn’t Babs have a choice whether she wants protection or not?”

“You’re making me sound like a mafia don.”

Wasn’t he acting like one?

“How many people are in danger, Moishe? As a concerned passenger, I demand to know if there is any threat.”

He put down his knife and fork and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. There was a smidgen of steak sauce on his chin but I wasn’t going to point that out.

“Your friend Barbara is not under protection, Meg. She is the top suspect and is hence under surveillance.”

I was speechless. It doesn’t happen, unless I’m totally blindsided. This one came out of nowhere.

“Say that again?” I finally mumbled.

Moishe outraged me further by stating that Babs, my Babs, was the top suspect in Noah Campbell’s murder. He had ordered his men to keep an eye on her round the clock so she couldn’t hurt any other passenger.

If this man was trying to provoke me, he was doing a fine job of it.

“You’ve lost your marbles!” I cried.

It’s a phrase I’ve learned from my grandma.

“Of all the ridiculous ideas I’ve ever heard …”

I unscrewed the salt shaker and dumped it on his plate. In my defense, I didn’t know what I was doing. It was a moment of temporary insanity as I tried to make sense of what he said.

“Babs is the kindest person on this ship. She’s like a lamb. I’m telling you she would never hurt anyone, Moishe.”

His mouth drooped more than usual and he gave a shrug. It was his way of telling me he wasn’t going to rescind his order.

“I’m going to prove you’re wrong.” I slammed the salt shaker on the table, surprised to find it empty. “Just wait and watch.”

There were hordes of people outside, going somewhere. I walked around like a headless chicken, trying to come to terms with Babs being a suspect. She had taken me under her wing since the beginning of the cruise. Actually, she must be twenty years older than my grandma but she met every day with a zest that was enviable. The rapport between us may seem odd to others but it was real. As the cruise progressed, we had moved beyond friendship to something a lot deeper. Although I had a lot of questions about her past, I couldn’t imagine not having her in my life.

After what seemed like forever, I found myself in the atrium. Ashley was leaving the gift store, her bag slung over her shoulder.

“Wow!” she exclaimed when she saw me. “You look gorgeous, Megs! Hot date?”

My eyes filled up.

“What’s wrong?” Ashley wrapped me in a hug. “Tell me everything.”

That’s the kind of friend you need in life. Ash had been on her feet all day, no doubt catering to one tough customer after another. She must be tired and hungry but her concern for me overrode her own needs.

“Let’s go find Grady first.”

I would tell them both at once.

We didn’t have to go far. Grady walked out of the elevator, his eyes growing wide when he spotted us.

“Meg! You look stunning.”

“And what about me?” Ashley demanded, giving him a playful punch in the arm.

“You are as beautiful as ever,” he replied smoothly, offering each of us his arm. “Now, can I take you two pretty ladies to dinner?”

I realized I had completely forgotten about my dinner reservation. None of us had the patience to peruse a menu and wait until our food arrived so we headed to Feast, the 24x7 buffet. A craving for a creamy macaroni and cheese hit me and I felt a burst of guilt.

“We can take a quick break for dinner, Meg.” Ashley offered. “Can your news wait until then?”

Grady was curious but I assured him we could grab a bite first.

With the ease that comes from practice, we loaded several plates with our favorites and Grady put in an order for pizza. I tasted the fried shrimp and grilled chicken kabobs, moving on to pasta. Ashley popped a cheddar biscuit in her mouth and nodded.

“What’s bugging you, girl?”

I gave them the latest scoop. Grady’s shock was genuine.

“I’ve been stuck in an office all day,” he told us. “I have no idea about any new developments.”

“This is Babs we’re talking about,” Ashley countered. “Do you seriously think she would hurt anyone?”

I told her to cut him some slack.

Our pizza arrived, bubbling with sauce and cheese, studded with pepperoni. I ate half a slice and set it down, sharing what I’d been thinking.

“Why Babs though? Moishe must believe she has a motive.”

Ashley shook her head. What could Babs have against a faded movie star from the 70s? Or was it the 60s?

Grady had no idea but he promised to keep an ear open.

“You know I’m the junior most member of the security team. I just do what I’m told.”

He was not consulted for any strategic decisions, he meant. I could empathize with him. Who likes to be invisible?

We split up after dessert. I had a brownie with ice cream and asked one of the servers to pack two slices of carrot cake, thinking ahead. Ashley and I would probably stay up late to come up with a game plan.

Ashley wanted to stretch her legs. Grady agreed to join us. We strolled on a lower deck, watching the whitecaps rolling beside the ship. I thought I saw a dark shape in the water and pointed it out.

“Is that a whale?”

Grady thought it might be a submarine. The conversation derailed after that as we tried to outdo each other, coming up with crazy options.

A group of four – two couples – sat in a cluster of chairs, engrossed in an animated discussion. I almost stopped in my tracks when I heard the word jackpot. Ashley must have heard it too. We slowed and tried to listen in without making it evident that we were eavesdropping.

They were talking about the casino winnings. Now that Noah Campbell was dead, where was the money? Had someone found it? One of the women thought it was obvious. Noah had been murdered for it. The killer had absconded with the cash.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Couldn’t she see the ocean that surrounded us? Where would this person go with the loot?

Grady was yawning his head off and we split. Ashley and I took the elevator up to Deck 10 to my cabin.

There was a message near the phone. RK wanted me to call her. Jimmy must have answered the phone while he was in there. A plate of chocolate chip cookies sat on the table, the chewy kind.

With a leap, Ashley collapsed on the bed. I took the chair and put my feet up.

“If I close my eyes now, I’ll fall asleep in seconds,” I groaned.

Ashley echoed my feeling. Nothing made sense to her at that time.

“What about a nap?” she proposed, stifling a yawn. “We can go to the atrium café at midnight and have a proper planning session.”

It was a good plan. My mind would work better after some rest.

“Do you think this is all about money?” I frowned.

There was no response.

“Did Noah Campbell die because he won the jackpot?”

Ashley was fast asleep. Like a good friend, I followed her lead and closed my eyes, slipping into oblivion.

Chapter 13

I had fallen asleep in the chair. There was a crick in my neck and I braced myself for a good natured ribbing from Ashley.

“Rise and shine!” she greeted me from the balcony, eating some fruit. “I must’ve been very tired last night. Hope you don’t mind, Megs.”

I shook my head and stretched. My coconut was on the coffee table and I sipped some of its water as I changed into my fitness gear.  A run sounded very appealing. It would at least clear my mind and allow me to think straight.

Ashley picked up where we had left off the previous night.

“Do you believe money was the motive behind Noah Campbell’s murder?”

It was possible. I believed that with more conviction in the light of the day. But how did Babs come into the picture?

“I don’t know why Moishe is so confident Babs did it.”

“He’s not a big talker but he’s not lax in his duty, Meg. There must be some reason for it.”

“But what?” I laced my sneakers. “I’m going to figure it out.”

Ashley came inside and brushed some pastry crumbs off her uniform. Her eyes held a resigned look.

“You’re not going to get involved in anything dangerous again, are you Meg?”

I thought it was a rhetoric question so I didn’t respond.

“You promised!” She slung her bag over a shoulder. “Is it worth it? Have you begun to enjoy risking your life?”

A knock on the door interrupted us. Babs barged in, her face dark as thunder.

“I just came out of my cabin to go to breakfast. And what do I see outside my door? Or shall I say who?”

Ashley and I both shook our heads, although we knew the answer.

“A big, fat security guard, that’s who. What in the name of heaven is going on, Meg? Why won’t these people leave me alone?”

My face suffused with color. The truth would hurt, no matter how much I sugar coated it. And I wasn’t sure I could put a positive spin on it again.

Babs is very perceptive. She sensed I wasn’t being upfront. Her scowl deepened.

“What are you hiding, young Meg? I did not expect this from you.”

Once again, I promised I would look into it. I didn’t say I’d already tried and had been unsuccessful.

“Why don’t you go about your day as usual?” I urged. “Just ignore those men.”

This advice didn’t sit well with her and she swept out, slamming the cabin door.

Ash clutched the arms of the chair she sat in, her eyes wide. The Babs we knew was jolly and playful, willing to ignore anything unpleasant.

“That did not go well!” she breathed. “You’re in a tight spot, Meg.”

I perched on the edge of the bed, thinking about who might have had it in for Noah Campbell. The obvious answer was the gambling pool. Each of them was disgruntled that Noah won the jackpot and hid it from them. Let’s face it. Who likes being duped? That too, in such a spectacular fashion? They must have all wished him to hell. One of them had gone too far.

“I guess you’ll tell me to ignore her and just enjoy the rest of the cruise.”

Ashley sighed. She did not finish college due to a change in circumstances but she’s very astute. I’m sure she had worked out the same things I had.

“You will have to question that group, one by one,” she replied, glancing at her watch. “I gotta go, Meg.”

I followed her out and went up to the sports deck. The sky was dark and a storm was in the offing. Very few people had braved the wind and the choppy waves. I was just beginning my second lap when a few drops fell, turning into a downpour in seconds. I was drenched.

Food is my answer to most crises. When I was a foster kid, I was fed just enough to survive. There were very few treats so it became the thing I hankered for. After I reunited with my family, my grandma did her best to fatten me up. I was spoilt for choice. She cooks when she’s tense so we ate come rain or shine.

What I’m trying to say is, I had a hearty breakfast. I needed it after the morning I’d had.

My awesome boss wanted me to review a salsa dancing class. I wasn’t very keen on it because I didn’t fancy trying out those hot moves with a stranger. For a moment, I thought of asking Mickey or Grady to join me there but they would both be at their jobs. Determined to grin and bear it, I headed to the dance studio.

As I expected, the instructor was a Spaniard, with dark eyes that had a certain look in them. I was a bit late and apparently, he and his partner were giving a demo for the benefit of the class. The woman he was prancing around with was quite limber and they set the floor on fire. He twirled her and pulled her close, so she was facing me. My eyes popped out of their sockets. It was none other than Anne Wilkins. Anne, that stuck up British woman with the generous curves and mole on her lip. The baggy shirt should have given her away.

Her eyes locked with mine in that instant and she winked. I was enraged. Why was Babs suffering when this woman seemed to be having the time of her life? I tried to tamp down my anger and paired up with a fiftyish woman, hoping she wasn’t going to be too gung ho. These classes are meant to be a fun way to pass the time. But some passengers can get quite aggressive. Luckily, she was laid back and we did our best to mimic the instructor’s moves, laughing until there were tears in our eyes.

Anne came over to talk to me after the class ended, saving me the effort. I praised her dancing skills. She blushed and said something about a summer she had spent in Spain, decades ago.

“Wanna grab a coffee?” I tried to sound impulsive. “I know a place that has the most fudgy brownies.”

“Just the thing I’m craving.” Anne smiled.

We walked to a café on Deck 5, away from the usual crowds. I ordered cappuccinos and brownies, hoping Anne was in the mood to chat.

“So how’s the cruising experience?” I began. “Would you recommend it?”

Anne was all praises. She had already booked another cruise in the fall, one that went around the British Isles.

“Hollywood is all glitz and glamor but it can be exhausting!” she took a bite of her brownie and moaned in delight. “I had second thoughts about retirement but this cruise was just what I needed, Megan. No more pandering to spoilt clients. I’m going to pamper myself for a change.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Mom and Bobby had so many stories about the quirks of stars.

“Well, my mom is more down to earth than most of them.”

That’s when I realized she hadn’t recognized me. Anne’s eyes widened when I told her Mom’s name.

“Silly me!” She smiled. “You are Cassie Butler’s daughter, of course. You look just like her. How did I not see that before?”

She’d met Mom twenty years ago, the year she won her first Oscar award.

“Shy and well behaved, that’s how I remember her.” Anne sipped her coffee. “You are kind of like her.”

This was my in.

“Do you love dancing or did you just take this class to kill time?”

Anne set down her coffee, animated.

“Oh, I was taught ball room dancing as a child. Ever since then, I simply love to dance.” Her face fell. “I’d forgotten how much, actually. But it’s one of the things I plan to take up again.”

“A group of flamenco dancers came aboard somewhere in Europe,” I told her. “They were going to perform in the theater.”

She had no idea.

“I think it was the night we sailed from Lisbon. They had two shows after dinner. Did you go?”

Anne laughed. “Not a chance. I was so knackered I turned in early and slept like a log.”

We parted soon after. She was meeting a friend at the pool. I went to the atrium in search of Grady. Thankfully, I didn’t have to search too hard. He was on break and wanted to grab a snack. We headed to a secluded coffee kiosk that has great sandwiches.

“Did you learn anything?” I asked as soon as he took a bite of his ham and cheese.

He held up his finger while he chewed, ignoring my protest.

“Campbell drowned in the bath tub,” he replied. “But I guess you already know that.”

Why were they sure it was a murder?

“They found bruises on his body. It’s clear someone forcibly held him down until he died.”

I sucked in a breath. This was cold blooded. Grady swallowed another bite of his sandwich and shook his head from side to side. I waited for his insight.

“Whoever did this is strong, Meg. They have good upper body strength. Campbell must have fought back.”

My thoughts flew to Babs. Sure, she was older than my grandma. But she was in the pink of health. I’d seen her work out in the gym and swim laps in the pool. And what about that pickpocket she had punched in Italy?

Grady snapped his fingers, trying to gain attention.

“What are you thinking?”

“A person with average strength can summon a lot more in the heat of the moment.”

Grady nodded, encouraging me to continue.

I pulled myself back. What was I thinking? That Babs manhandled Campbell in the heat of the moment, causing his death? Did she want him to die or had she just been trying to scare him?

“I’m waiting.” Grady popped the last bit of sandwich in his mouth and stirred sugar in his coffee. “You have five minutes.”

There was no way I was going to share my crazy thoughts with him. At least not right away.

“Sorry, I was distracted.”

Grady gave an exaggerated groan.

“I thought this was important. But never mind. It’s best you sit this one out. Why don’t we have dinner tonight? You can pick the place.”

Chapter 14

I accompanied Grady to the atrium. The pool would be crowded and I thought of taking in a fun class. I approached the guest services counter to get a copy of the Daily Voyager to check the schedules. The girl at the desk looked happy to see me.

“Hi Meg. I was about to ask someone to locate you.”

Was I in trouble already? For what?

“Boss lady wants you,” she explained. “Better you than me.”

I pouted, trying to look convincing. They didn’t need to know that RK did not strike terror in my heart. At least not anymore.

She was in her office, furiously typing something at her computer. Her face lit up when I walked in through the half open door and sat down.

“We have work to do.”

That’s RK. Straight to the point. How else can she do the work of ten?

“I can spare an hour or two,” I hedged.

RK abandoned her keyboard and sat back, pinning me with her stern gaze.

“Now listen, Meg. There’s a big project and I want you to take the lead on it. I’ve already squared this with the folks in the corporate office. You have been assigned to me until we dock in our next port.”

I was going to be at her beck and call, she meant. Things could be worse.

“Yay!” I pumped a fist in the air. “What fun!”

She ignored the sarcasm and told me to shut up.

“The Grandma of the Seas pageant will be conducted over the next four days.”

I swim a lot and the water often gets logged in my ear. There’s a name for it but I couldn’t recall it at the moment.

RK rapped on the table, making me jump.

“Pay attention, Meg.”

“Of course. For a moment, I thought I heard something about a beauty pageant but that couldn’t be right.”

“Grandma of the Seas,” she nodded seriously.

I howled with laughter.

“Is this some kind of prank? Mickey must have put you up to it. I can imagine him coming up with something ridiculous like this.”

RK put her head in her hands and groaned in despair.

“It was my idea!” She glared. “We have a lot of sea days clumped together. Passengers get antsy, especially on the Trans Atlantic crossing. Gold Cruises conducts different contests at this time to keep them entertained.”

A pageant for grandmas! Now that I’d had some time to process it, the idea had merit.

“Pure genius!” I beamed, letting her know I was on board. “Do we have different rounds? Tell me more.”

RK slumped in relief. The announcement for the pageant would be made shortly and the applications would be in by the evening. I was to help her shortlist candidates for round 2, based on basic criteria. My smile broadened as I listened to an overview of the other rounds. This was going to be fun!

Babs would be one of the first to sign up.

“Have you heard about Babs?” I blurted. “Moishe’s overreacting.”

RK said he was just doing his job. It was the kind of nonsensical response you can expect from older people.

“Be honest,” I implored. “Do you believe she’s capable of murder?”

RK and Babs had spent a lot of time together during our trip to India. She’s astute and a good judge of people, given her experience in human resources. I was eager to know her opinion.

“Actually, no.”

When life grants you apples, you better make apple pie.

“That’s it, then. We need to prove she’s innocent. And the only way we can do that is by uncovering the real killer.”

She wasn’t keen on the idea.

“How can I allow you to risk your life again, sweetie?”

I sensed her unease. “I won’t be alone. The Shipboard Sleuths will help.”

That wasn’t entirely accurate since Babs herself was one of the Shipboard Sleuths.

“Keep a low profile,” RK advised. “Moishe shouldn’t suspect what you are up to.” Her smile was weary. “And don’t hesitate to ask for my help.”

I wanted to hug her. She surprised me by coming around her desk and wrapping me in a tight embrace.

“I’ll spread the word about the pageant,” I promised.

Being on stage is not everyone’s cup of tea. At the same time, I think every woman secretly dreams about it. I decided to go up to the Lido Deck and walk around, prepared to give a slight nudge where needed. The plan was to encourage as many women as possible to sign up for the contest.

The elevator had a sole occupant. Mickey. He planted a quick kiss on my head and asked about my day.

“Getting better,” I grinned. “Have you had lunch?”

He hadn’t had a spare moment.

“There’s a tussle in the cigar bar. I’m on way to sort it out.”

Curiosity awakened, I accompanied him.

The tall man with the angular jaw couldn’t be other than Lord Basil. A pudgy man with thick eyebrows sat before him, arguing loudly. Cards on the table indicated they were in the middle of a game.

Mickey went up to the table and cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry for the interruption, Sir, but you will have to stop this.”

Neither man paid heed. Mickey tried again, going closer to the table this time.

“We have a strict rule about gambling outside the casino.” Mickey was stern. “It is not allowed. Why don’t I ask someone to usher you there?”

Lord Basil finally looked up, a patronizing smirk on his face.

“Relax. We’re just having a bit of fun.” He looked at the man before him. “Right?”

The pudgy man nodded vigorously.

“Just a game of cards.”

There was a wad of cash on the table. Mickey’s gaze landed on it and he shook his head, warning them he would call security.

The men relented. Lord Basil stood up, clearly unhappy.

“Can I go to the bar for a drink?” he quipped. “Or do I need permission for that?”

Mickey stretched his face into his broadest, most official smile. Only I knew it was fake.

“By all means … what’s your pleasure, Sir? A single malt? It’s on the house.”

Basil smiled in triumph. I had no doubt he was going to milk this offer.

“Well, since you insist …”

Pudgy man had made himself scarce. Mickey held up a hand to the bartender, tipping his head toward Basil. A silent communication occurred. The bartender would ply the man with all the alcohol he could handle. And more.

Mickey gave me a slight pat on the arm on his way out. I decided to keep Lord Basil company. By the time I clambered up a bar stool, he had already asked for a second drink.

“How’s it going?” I placed my own order for tonic water.

The cigar bar doesn’t make the fruity, umbrella studded cocktails I’m partial to. Plus, I wanted to keep a clear head.

“No gin?” he asked, staring at my drink.

I told him I’d imbibed a bit much the previous night. He thought I needed the hair of the dog and asked the bartender to bring me the finest gin on offer.

“Did you win big today?” I jerked my thumb at the table, still spread with their cards.

“Oh that!” he shrugged. “The cards are not in my favor today, my dear.” He swallowed his drink and asked for more. “Never mind. It’s all just a bit of fun.”

How can losing money be fun? Had Lord Basil ever toiled to earn anything? Or was he just gambling away the wealth of his ancestors?

“You mean you’re not playing for money?” I asked, wide eyed. “Why did you let Mickey disrupt your game?”

It’s easy to make people think I’m stupid. First, I’m a woman. Second, I look a lot younger than twenty five. Third, I’m good at acting. Clearly, I have been blessed with my mother’s genes.

“Let me tell you the most important fact about gambling. You can’t win every time.”

“That’s deep, Lord Basil.” I praised, raising my gin infused tonic in a toast. “I lost ten bucks at the casino and still can’t stop thinking about it.”

He chuckled but said nothing. Did he really not care about losing five figures in Monte Carlo?

Chapter 15

I left Lord Basil to his libations and came out, feeling a bit buzzed. I needed solid food and pronto. Who should I see walking toward me but Chef Lovely?

“Meg!” he greeted. “Care to test my new menu?”

He didn’t have to ask twice.

I followed him down a few flights of stairs and along a long corridor to a kitchen. Did you know there are several kitchens on a ship?

“Welcome!” He waved a hand around and walked deeper into the galley like space.

A dozen or so junior chefs were at their stations, boiling, chopping, sauteing and all the different things these culinary artists do to make our food not just delicious but spectacular.

I sat on a stool as instructed. Lovely clapped his hands and a procession began. I tasted a variety of items in no particular order. Appetizers, main courses, side dishes, vegetables, poultry, seafood and so on. The ones that stuck were a teriyaki glazed salmon that was moist and flaky with lots of ginger. There was shrimp cocktail in a paprika flavored cocktail sauce, inspired by our recent Europe visit.

“I know you like pasta.” Lovely placed a dish of linguini before me. It had a creamy sauce that was bursting with the flavor of lemons.

“Sorrento?” I asked and he nodded.

Finally, I placed a hand on my stomach and put my fork down. Even my appetite has a limit.

Lovely coaxed me to try a whiskey infused plum cobbler and asked me how I was doing.

“I hope you have enjoyed your travels.”

Chef Lovely and Mickey are cousins but they couldn’t be more different. Lovely is very shy and rarely surfaces out of the kitchen. I asked what had been his favorite port.

“What port?” he laughed. “I haven’t got off the ship, really.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He hadn’t set foot on solid ground in months. How was that possible?

“No time,” he shrugged. “I did go up to the top deck once or twice to take in the view. And wait, I did go to the market when we were in Mumbai. But that’s my home country.”

Being a busy body, I wanted to remedy the situation at once. I planned to talk to RK to fix this.

“We’ll be in the Caribbean soon. You must spend a day ashore.”

He asked me to pick my top five dishes. Four were quite easy but I took some time choosing the fifth one. Then it was time to leave.

I strolled into the atrium, hoping to look in on Ashley. She stood outside the gift shop, looking like she was about to burst into tears.

I jogged toward her, taking her by the shoulders.

“What’s wrong?”

Her eyes filled up. I took her arm and pulled her toward the wall of water. It was our favorite place to sit. We found an empty chair in a copse of potted palms and squeezed into it.

“Grandma’s got the flu.” She had recovered her poise a bit. “Poor thing. She must be so lonely.” Then she gave a dry laugh. “Who knows, right? What must it be like, not remembering a single person from your life?”

I let her speak. I even suggested going to my cabin so she could cry her eyes out. But she rallied after a few minutes.

“Coffee, I think, with lots of whipped cream.” I winked. “Then I’m going to tell you the news of the day.”

“Not another murder?” Her eyes widened.

I warned her to stay put and went to the café to place our order. She was staring at the water when I returned with two large mochas with extra whipped cream, a turkey and cheddar sandwich and a double fudge brownie.

Ashley gasped and giggled between bites as I spoke about the Grandma of the Seas pageant.

“The real drama will happen off stage,” she cautioned. “Grandmas are a competitive lot.”

We got a first hand example of this when I went back to the gift shop with Ashley. Loud voices reached us, ten paces before the entrance. Ashley ran in, eager to diffuse the situation at once.

Two older ladies were squabbling over a swimsuit. It was a red one piece with a deep neckline and high cuts at the hips. If you ask me, it had a lot of wobble potential.

I recognized one of the women. She was from the Naples crowd, maybe also the casino group. Babs would know. I think her name was Val.

“I saw it first.” She pulled one end of the suit.

The other lady pulled it back. It was a good test of the stretchiness of the material.

“It’s just like the one those girls wore on that TV show,” Val stressed. “The one about the lifeguards on the beach and all the daring rescues.”

“You can’t even remember the name.” The other woman exclaimed in disgust. “Maybe you’re too old for this.”

“At least I wasn’t born during the Hoover administration,” Val shot back.

Ashley stepped between them and gently tucked the garment out of their hands.

“Ladies, ladies. No need to worry. I have another piece like this in the back.”

Val cheered up but the other woman grimaced.

“On second thought, it’s not that appealing.”

I guessed what had happened. She wanted to be the only one wearing that suit. If there were plenty like that in stock, many other grandmas might appear in them, taking away her advantage.

Valerie sighed in relief when the other woman left the store.

“Would you like to try this on?” Ashley offered.

Val was looking at Ashley in a certain manner.

“You know Noah, right? Noah Campbell?”

Ashley has a good poker face. Better than mine. She feigned ignorance.

“That British actor from the 70s? Before you were born, I know. But I saw you talking to him.”

“Oh, him.” Ashley began folding the swimsuit.

“How well do you know him?”

It was my turn to rescue Ashley.

“Dozens of people visit the store every day. The staff has to be polite to everyone but they don’t always remember them later.”

Val stood her ground. I mean she looked around for a chair and sat in it, claiming her knees were hurting. Her steely blue eyes didn’t soften.

“Everything’s out of whack. Babs is in a dark mood. I haven’t laid eyes on Noah since yesterday. I have a bad feeling about this.”

Ashley told her many passengers found the Atlantic crossing daunting. The idea of so many days at sea made them nervous. She advised Val to stay busy.

“Why not sign up for a baking class? Or dancing, if you enjoy that? I will ask the guest services desk to get you a ticket for the theater tonight.”

Val’s cheeks were pink. She wanted to be taken seriously.

“I thought the crew is always up to date on what’s happening across the ship.”

Ashley nodded. “You are perfectly safe, Ma’am. There’s nothing to worry about.”

That irked her more.

“Did I say I feel unsafe? What are you hiding, girl?”

Ashley’s eyes flew to meet mine. I heard her silent plea for help. I also saw a good opportunity to get some information out of Val.

“When did you last meet your friend?” I ventured.

Val took her time before she answered.

“You know what? I’m not sure. He went ashore in Lisbon but he wasn’t part of my tour group.” She paused. “I saw him at a restaurant during lunch.”

I encouraged her to go on.

“You’re doing great. What about the later part of the day? Did you see him after you came aboard?”

Val shook her head. She had spotted Noah in the line for boarding the ship. He had been many spots behind her. They had made loose plans to meet for a drink before dinner.

“Not like a date,” she rushed to explain. “It’s an informal group that meets for dinner. Whoever doesn’t have other plans turns up. That way we don’t have to eat alone.”

Val was traveling on her own, which could be daunting. So had she met him for drinks, I pressed.

“He didn’t turn up. I haven’t seen him since the ship left Lisbon.”

Chapter 16

RK droned on, giving me instructions. The printer on the desk behind her had already thrown out a hundred or so applications and was still going strong.

“The response for the pageant is unexpected,” she gushed. “Beyond anything we imagined.”

The deadline was fast approaching and I had the enviable task of helping her weed out the applicants for Round 2.

“Round 1 sounds fake,” I grumbled. “They are not actually doing anything for it.”

RK argued there had been some thought provoking questions on the application form. The ladies had answered them to the best of their ability.

“But aren’t you going to ignore all that?” I shot back.

She had asked me to single out the top 50 applications based on age. Whatever they had written on the form did not matter at all.

“Those poor ladies!” I sympathized. “They must have wracked their brains to answer those intrusive questions.”

The cruise line must be trying to gather some customer data, I guessed. Who cared how many grandkids a woman had and if they had gone to college?

“It’s good practice for the future rounds.” RK was dismissive.

She tapped her forehead with a pencil.

“Some of them can get a bit mixed up. They will drop out soon enough.”

My head was reeling. It was partly because I wasn’t really keen on the task thrust upon me. And I was hungry. My snack with Grady was hours ago.

“So all I gotta do is pick the top fifty based on their ages?”

“In descending order,” she stressed. “You do know what that is?” A chuckle escaped.

You can’t fight every battle. I learned that long ago in the foster system. Doing extra chores was a lot preferable to going without dinner.

“I think this is discrimination.” Being righteous is not the same as picking a fight. “All of these women trust you to be fair.”

“It’s all in the fine print, Meg.” She sighed. “Are you going to help me or not?”

I began gathering all the papers the printer was belching out.

“I’m hungry!” I blurted. “It’s been one thing after another today. I didn’t even have a proper lunch.”

She pointed at the phone and told me to order whatever I wanted. I shook my head. Nothing could be worse than sitting under her eagle eye, trying to get the work done.

“Can I sit somewhere else?”

“As long as you keep it confidential.”

The stack of applications was quite heavy. RK handed me a tote bag to hold them. I swung it over my shoulder and left the dragon’s lair before she started breathing fire.

I wanted a quiet space while I segregated the applications. The cabin wasn’t a great idea since I was likely to hop into bed and nap if I went there. The elevator took forever to come. In a huff, I took the stairs and went down one level. There was a tiny office near the infirmary that was often empty. It would serve my purpose.

Grady was in the cramped, windowless room, clicking at the computer screen.

“Must be my lucky day,” he grinned.

I hefted my bag on to the table and pulled out the stack of applications. Was I allowed to talk to Grady about the pageant? He was on the security team and I didn’t think he would go blabbing to any of the ladies.

“Need any help?”

Grady can’t help being chivalrous. Someone has raised him right. He’s the man you can count on in a tight spot.

“This is all hush hush. So please don’t make me lie to you.”

He stood up and stretched. The room suddenly felt very hot.

“Am I allowed to get you a drink?”

I asked for a large frappe with plenty of whipped cream. He gave me a mock salute and left. With a sigh, I transferred my attention to the job at hand. And the first thing I did was fan myself with a stack of the applications.

Arranging them in descending order of age took longer than expected. Grady was back before I was halfway through. He placed a giant frappe before me. It was drizzled with caramel and topped with shaved chocolate. There were some tiny cucumber sandwiches, the kind they served for high tea in the dining room.

“I filched them off a serving cart,” he laughed. “Just a light snack to go with the coffee.”

He knows me well. Bread is so underrated. I know it is very modern to label it as evil but all those carb haters probably never went to bed hungry. I popped one in my mouth and sipped my coffee, focusing on getting my task done.

The sandwiches were gone by the time I picked out the top 50 applications. So was Grady. I took the stairs again and trudged to RK’s office. She wasn’t in so I put everything on the table and added a note. Then I hotfooted it out of there before she could come back and dump more work in my lap.

There was a lull near the elevators. I rode the car up to the Lido Deck, glad to be out in the open at last. Taking deep breaths, I filled my lungs with the fresh, salty air and walked to the railing. A clear blue sky festooned with pink ribbons greeted me, rivalled by the deep blue water of the Atlantic.

A tall, pink drink with a tiny paper umbrella welcomed me at the bar. I thanked the bartender and took a sip, letting the cool, potent flavors roll over my tongue.

“You look like you’ve been through the wringer, kid.”

Babs reposed on a bar stool a couple of feet away, one knee slung over the other. She wore a cocktail dress that exposed her bare arms. They were slim and toned, considering her age, with not a bit of sagging flesh.

“Hey!” I nodded, trying to quell a sudden burst of anger.

I wanted to confront her then and there, ask her to give me the complete truth.

“Any luck getting these lemurs off my back?” She jerked her thumb at a guy standing at the other end of the bar, sipping a glass of water.

He was one of Grady’s friends and we’d met at a crew party. His name was Tim or Tom or similar.

“He’s harmless.”

Babs told me that was beside the point. Why did he need to follow her? I asked if he’d kept her from doing anything she wanted.

“It doesn’t matter. You were going to talk to the security chief and get him off my back.”

“You overestimate my abilities, Babs. Moishe doesn’t take orders from me.”

Or I hadn’t tried hard enough, she smirked.

“Did you even want to?”

This was a direct attack on my integrity. How could she?

“Tell me one thing. Where were you the night we left Lisbon? What did you do after coming aboard?”

The confusion on her face was real. My question had thrown her off.

“How is that relevant?”

I quirked an eyebrow in question. Her brows came together in a frown and I could tell when she got what I meant. Her face turned white, then pink in rapid succession.

“Oh my goodness!” She slammed her hands on her mouth. “Is that what this nonsense is all about?”

Yes, yes. I wanted to cry out. Babs was the top suspect in a murder. But I didn’t have the guts to say it out loud. Maybe because there was a part of me that still believed she was innocent.

“Meg Butler.” She swore under her breath. “Are you for real?”

Her eyes sparkled with barely suppressed emotion. Anger, I presumed.

“After everything we’ve been through together …” she swallowed a lump.

Do you think this wasn’t affecting me? I had finished my drink and picked up the fresh one the bartender supplied. After all, we were offering free entertainment for his pleasure.

“You think I’m capable of murder.” She shook her head. “Say I was, I’m not strong enough to push a two hundred pound man under water and hold him there.”

My drink went down the wrong way and I spluttered, breaking into a coughing fit. Babs slithered from her stool and thumped my back until I was able to breathe again. If you thought this was funny, you’re not the only one.

Here I was, accusing my good friend, mentor, honorary grandma, fellow sleuth, of murder. Instead of berating me, she was trying to keep me from choking on my drink. The irony has not escaped me.

The devil on my shoulder brought my head out of the clouds. How did she know Noah Campbell died by drowning? Moishe had not released that information. Other than the security team, the only person who was privy to it was the killer himself. Or herself. I pulled myself back from sliding down that slippery slope.

Over a dozen people on the ship knew the facts about Noah Campbell’s death. Any one of them might have shared them with another crew member. Or a passenger could have heard someone talking. It was almost impossible to keep a secret on the ship.

Wasn’t it more plausible Babs came upon this information via the grapevine?

Chapter 17

The face off with Babs left me nauseous. I wandered around the ship, ending up in my cabin. Jimmy brought in a fresh plate of chocolate covered strawberries.

“You alright, Meg?” He loitered at the door.

What was I gonna say? Stretching my lips in a fake smile, I gave him a nod and thanked him. But I was miserable inside. Before I knew it, I was puking my guts out in the bathroom.

I have an iron stomach. Mom jokes I can digest pretty much everything. I guess it’s all the stale bread I was fed as a kid. Something was off.

Was there an outbreak of Noro virus on the ship? I know how the staff closes lines if that happens. There hadn’t been any such signs at the buffet. It had been ages since I ate anything there. All I’d eaten in the past hour was the chocolate covered strawberries Jimmy provided. I trusted him with my life but there was a chance they were tainted.

My mind flew to the other option, one I did not want to consider.

I picked up the phone and called my friend Dr. Flores. He ensured me there was no deadly virus outbreak on the ship. It could be an isolated case of food poisoning.

“Not from our kitchens,” I vouched. “I know the chefs are very particular.”

“In that case, it must be a case of malicious poisoning,” he declared and dissolved into peals of laughter.

“Very funny!” I slammed the phone down.

There was a good chance he was right but I didn’t say anything. Dr. Flores would probably dismiss it as a conspiracy theory or think I was trying to gain attention. I collapsed on the bed and closed my eyes.

I must have lost track of time, engrossed in my thoughts. The phone rang, startling me. It was Ashley.

“We’re all here, Meg. You’re late.”

With a start, I realized the group was meeting for dinner in the officers’ mess. I promised to leave right away.

Normally, I like to dress for dinner, maybe take a shower. But it would be rude to keep everyone waiting.

They were all there, looking concerned. Mickey, Grady, Ashley and RK. Each of them fussed over me in their own way. I kept any wild theories about poisoning to myself.

“Do you need help with the pageant?” RK offered. “I can assign an intern to help you.”

Mickey brought a bowl of creamy chicken soup with a bottle of hot sauce. Grady told me they were playing Casablanca on the top deck that night and offered to watch it with me.

“Spit it out.” Ashley was more direct. “Why do you look so out of sorts?”

Steam wafted from the soup, making me realize I was hungry. I plunged my spoon in and tasted it. Then I told them about the incident with Babs.

“You accused her to her face?” RK was shocked. “That was very unkind, Meg.”

She reminded me I’d gone to her, insisting Babs was innocent.

“Let’s talk about the Grandma of the Seas.”

“What?” Mickey was eating a bowl of chili topped with cheddar and sour cream. “I’ve heard of mermaids but this is new.”

I saw the smile lurking at the corner of his mouth. Grady was more serious.

“Is that a legend in the Atlantic?”

RK set her knife and fork down and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. I was glad to see she was eating meatloaf with buttered vegetables. She rarely gets in a square meal.

“Customer satisfaction is at an all time low. You know these crossings are the worst, Mickey. So we came up with this idea to build morale. Everyone can have some fun.”

Everyone other than scapegoats like me, I muttered. Ashley gave me a curious look. She would take me to task later. I got up to fill a plate and came back with roast chicken and scalloped potatoes.

“The grand prize is a 7 day Northern Lights cruise,” RK was saying. “And bragging rights, of course. Knowing our customers, they will be in it for the title.”

Mickey praised her for thinking of the pageant. There was only so much karaoke and trivia people could indulge in. Inspite of the new shows they offered every fortnight and the variety of classes, he could sense boredom amongst the ranks.

“I’m ready for something new myself,” he confessed.

RK told him she was counting on him to emcee some of the upcoming rounds for the pageant.

Grady had been quiet as he ate a bowl of beef and broccoli with sticky rice.

“What about Noah Campbell? Is it common knowledge that he was murdered?”

“No matter how much we try, we can’t control the grapevine.” RK frowned. “Most of them know he died. Hopefully, very few people know it was deliberate.”

I could attest to that, since Babs was aware how he died. The alternative was not something I wanted to dwell on.

We had apple pie for dessert and went our separate ways. Mickey was conducting a karaoke session, RK was dealing with her backlog and Ashley was putting in extra time. Grady offered to keep me company but I could tell he was exhausted.

“I’m fine.” I yawned. “An early night sounds very appealing right now.”

Sleep was the last thing on my mind. The ship was buzzing with activity as people made their way to dinner, theater or some entertainment. A group of ladies swept past me, on their way to watch the bingo tournament. This was ongoing for the duration of the cruise. There would be a grand winner who won a lot of money. Based on popular demand, the cruise line had added extra games for people who were just playing for fun. These games offered nominal prizes like gift certificates to the spa or coupons for one of the fancy restaurants on board. It was a stress free way to pass time.

I decided to look in on the bingo game. The first person I saw was Jason Chang. We chatted for a while under the critical eye of his tiger mom. Then I spotted a familiar bald man sitting by himself at a table.

“Expecting someone?” I asked, pulling up a chair opposite him. “One of your casino group, maybe.”

He answered with a grunt. There was a rift between them, obviously. I doubt they were talking to each other.

“Your money’s gone,” I observed. “Now that Noah’s dead.”

Bondurant didn’t even look up. Wasn’t that rude? I didn’t expect him to crack right away but a simple answer wouldn’t hurt. Not ready to give up, I blabbered on and on, trying to get a rise out of him. Two minutes later, I did.

He leaned forward, twirling a dauber between his fingers. That’s a bingo pen. You know the one that makes a big, bold circle without much effort. It makes marking the numbers really easy.

“Who says Noah won the jackpot?” His cold eyes bore into mine. “Could’ve been anyone.”

“Ha, ha!” What was this, a new mind game?

I reminded myself I was facing a highly manipulative man. If he could convince thousands of people to invest in some fraudulent scheme, his powers of persuasion had to be exceptional.

“That’s quite a turnaround.” I smiled. “We saw you that morning. And we heard the whole squabble.”

He acted ignorant, of course. But I’d anticipated that.

“The morning we docked in Lisbon.” I placed my elbows on the table and spun the dauber. “You and Noah were going at it like two boxers in the ring. And you accused him of stealing your money. Why are you changing your story now?”

Bondurant’s eyes were like ice. His face lacked emotion but the hand holding the pen shook. He must be really angry.

“Go home and play with your dolls.”

“Never had any,” I quipped. “Some foster kids are not pampered with toys.”

I had managed to surprise him. He confessed he had grown up in the projects himself. He knew what it was like to do without.

“I never take money for granted.”

Was that why he was mad when he lost at the casino?

“It was a risk worth taking,” he shrugged. “What did I tell you? No risk, no return.”

But he did suspect Noah Campbell. Why was that?

The tables around us had filled up while we were talking. One or two women had paused near ours, then walked away when Bondurant glared at them.

I sensed I was running out of time. One of Mickey’s assistants was on the stage, holding a mic. The game would begin in a few minutes.

“Listen to me, kid.” Bondurant urged. “Stay out of this business. It’s not wise to meddle in what doesn’t concern you.”

Was he threatening me?

“Don’t you have a young man or two?” He pulled a Ben Franklin out of his pocket and slammed it on the table. “Go drink yourself senseless. Act your age!”

I picked up the note. I’m not stupid enough to give up a hundred dollars.

“Are you saying Noah Campbell paid a price for his sins?” I widened my eyes. “Someone got him out of the way, huh?”

That rattled him. He asked me to stop the allegations.

“Just come out and say it. Stop the insinuations.”

A trickle of sweat appeared on his forehead. Actually, I noticed his whole pate was glistening. Had I gone too far? RK would never forgive me if he had a stress induced stroke or something.

“I just feel you’re holding back. Why don’t you tell the whole truth? If you are innocent, it will make no difference. In fact, it can only lead us to the real winner.”

Bondurant managed to shock me. He confessed he had made a pact with Noah. They were going to split the winnings. So he had no motive to kill the man. They planned to back each other up and maintain there was no winner at the casino.

Had that been the plan all along? Bondurant was not to be trusted. Now that I’d spent some time with him, I wondered how the casino group had been taken in by his grand plan. I couldn’t figure out all the details yet but I was sure he would have benefitted in any scenario.

I thought of the many heist movies I loved to watch. Didn’t they kill each other until only one of them was left?

A sly crook like Bondurant would never be satisfied with only half the winnings. His greed must have taken over and he killed Noah Campbell so he could keep all the money for himself.

Chapter 18

The bingo game was a great distraction. I won a hot stone massage at the spa. Since I had already benefitted from the blissful experience once or twice, I would pass it on to Ashley. She needed it.

I was back in the atrium, looking for her. She was aghast when I came clean about the puking incident.

“This is getting out of hand, Meg.”

I read the worry in her eyes. No doubt she could smell my fear.

“What have I done to deserve this?” I cried. “Do you think I’m being mistaken for someone else?”

We tossed a few theories back and forth.

“Nothing actually happened to you.” She narrowed her eyes. “Maybe this is just intimidation.”

I was pretty sure I’d just been lucky.

“It felt real, Ash.” I sighed. “Whatever it is, there must be a reason this psycho is targeting me.”

“That’s it,” she latched on. “Could it be this person is mentally ill?”

I promised her I would bring Mickey and Grady up to speed on the condition they didn’t smother me.

She took the hint and tried to cheer me up.

“You feelin’ up to a crew party? One of the girls at the store has a birthday and I promised to have a drink with her.”

There are a few spots on the lower decks reserved for the crew. You can often find off duty members lounging in the hot tub or enjoying a swim in the modest pool. The area turns into a party zone around midnight. When I was an intern, I’d been shocked by how hard the crew partied every night. It’s a way of blowing off steam after a hard work day.

The music was deafening, as usual. We spotted Mickey right away. A long legged Russian trapeze artist was plastered on his arm. He nodded when he saw us. I followed Ashley into the crowd. The birthday girl was located and there were a few shots and toasts. Someone grabbed my arm and we plunged into the center of a gyrating group. I danced for some time until Mickey appeared beside me. He placed an arm around my waist and led me out.

Ashley and Grady stood by the door.

“Let’s get outta here, Megs.”

I took her hand and we trooped out. It was past midnight. We got into the elevator and none of them protested when I pressed the button for Deck 10. They would all want to put their feet up and it was only possible in my cabin.

Ashley disappeared into the bathroom while Grady collapsed in the bedside chair, putting his feet on the table.

“You don’t mind?” he asked, courteous as usual.

“Of course not!” I assured him.

Mickey had taken off his shoes and jacket and was reclining on my bed, his arms behind his head. His tie was loose and I had an impulse to take it off.

Ashley appeared in her pajamas, her face freshly scrubbed. She scrambled on to the bed and huddled next to Mickey. I decided to follow her example and change into something comfortable myself.

“Anyone hungry?” Grady asked.

There was a chorus of ‘yes’ and ‘of course’. I told them to handle room service.

When I came out of the bathroom in my own pajamas, one of them had raided the tiny fridge and they each had a drink in hand. I pulled out a ginger ale for myself.

“Pizza should be here soon,” Mickey said.

I landed on the bed, asking Ashley to scoot over. The balcony door was open and the breeze blowing in was cold enough to make me shiver. Our food arrived and we served ourselves, gorging on the steaming pie and breadsticks.

“So?” Grady teased after he had picked up a second slice. “Have you solved Noah Campbell’s murder yet?”

It was all Moishe’s fault, I complained. Then I admitted I was stumped.

“He has latched on to Babs for some reason. Can you really imagine she would kill a man in cold blood? Our Babs?”

My outburst was greeted with silence. Did that mean they also believed in her guilt?

“Come on, guys!” I cried. “This is Babs we’re talking about. She’s innocent, of course.” She had to be, I muttered under my breath.

That Mickey always needs to steal the spotlight. Isn’t it enough he’s living his dream, spending most of his life on stage with a microphone in hand?

“You have a short memory, Megs. Have you forgotten all the doubts you’ve had about her?”

Ashley backed him up, supplying the details. Babs was too rich to be a retired teacher. She had toured the world multiple times, another thing a retired teacher would never be able to afford. She knew several languages, had contacts in European cities etc. etc. All details that had bothered me in the past.

“Babs is an enigma alright.” Grady frowned, biting into a chicken wing. “What do you really know about her, Meg?”

My heart knew. They would have teased me mercilessly if I said that.

“Maybe she’s hiding the money right here on this deck.” Mickey’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “You never know!”

He was spewing nonsense and I told him that.

“Okay, okay.” Ashley pushed us apart with both hands. “Forget Babs. Who are your suspects, Meg?”

She wanted to confirm if it was the bunch of people who had formed the gambling pool at Monte Carlo. The casino group. If there really was a jackpot winner, they had all been duped. We could assume each of them had the same motive.

“I saw Bondurant and that woman Val argue with Noah Campbell,” I agreed. “So yes, they were pretty mad at him.”

Grady picked up the last slice of pizza and set it down. He was very particular about how much he ate.

“You sure you don’t want that?” Ashley asked.

He handed her the plate and sipped from a bottle of sparkling water.

“Let’s agree they all had a motive. Were any of them in the vicinity of Noah’s room?”

I explained how I had tried to question some of them. Mickey told me to be careful. Moishe or RK would not be pleased if any of them lodged a complaint against me.

“They can say you are harassing them,” he warned.

How was I supposed to get information without asking questions?

“I can be subtle,” I protested, ignoring the smirk on Mickey’s face. “Those two women say they never went anywhere near his cabin. Anne and that woman Val. Lord Basil acts as if he doesn’t care about the money. He told me that himself.”

Bondurant was the most cunning, of course.

“And get this,” I narrowed my eyes. “Bondurant, the man who came up with the whole crazy scheme, says he made a pact with Noah. They were going to split the money.”

This was news to them.

“What about Babs?” Ashley spoke.

I hadn’t asked her that because we never got around to it. Babs had put up a wall I could not penetrate. This only made her look more suspicious.

“She told me something else,” I sighed. “Babs claimed she isn’t strong enough to control a two hundred pound man.”

There were a series of exclamations around the room.

“That means she knows how he died,” Mickey pointed out the obvious.

“Right.” I pressed my lips together. “That threw me off.”

Grady thought the next course of action was clear. We needed to establish where they had all been on the night in question. The night Noah died, I mean.

“We?” I smiled. “Does that mean you’re all ready to help me? Truth is, I can’t do this without you.”

“Of course!” they chorused.

“Shipboard Sleuths in action,” Ashley squealed.

We tried to make some plans but it was just a lot of talk without coming up with anything concrete. Finally, we agreed to just dig for information however we could. The goal was to establish the casino group’s alibis.

Mickey wasn’t sure it could be done without ruffling any feathers.

“Only one of them is guilty,” I reasoned. “Let’s hope we don’t tip them off.”

Chapter 19

I ran laps on the track, glad I was wearing a jacket. The sky was dark and there was a distinct chill in the air. The fierce wind had discouraged all but the most dedicated of runners. The sun hadn’t made an appearance yet that morning. My fingers were frozen and I could barely feel my cheeks.

It was time for breakfast.

After a quick dash to the cabin for a nice hot shower, I dressed in one of the athleisure outfits Bobby, my honorary uncle, has designed for his brand. Normally, I would only wear that to yoga or the gym but they were advertised as multipurpose. The whole yoga pants controversy had fueled a demand for them.

The buffet area wasn’t too busy since I was a bit late. I craved a hot meal, something more hearty than my usual omelet. There was a sausage and cheese casserole on offer. A chef was making fresh burritos. I placed an order, choosing adobo grilled steak, eggs and guacamole to go in it, along with fried potatoes. Grabbing a bottle of hot sauce from a side board, I looked around for a good table. My gaze fell on Jeremy Costa. He waved and pointed at the empty seat before him. Not the person I wanted to chat with first thing in the morning but he always made me laugh.

“Good Morning.” I set my plate down, noting there was barely any room on the table. “You believe in the breakfast of the champions, huh?” I teased.

He laughed readily, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

“I make it a point to sample everything on offer. And why not? I’ve paid a bundle to be on this cruise. The food was advertised as top notch.”

And had it met his expectations, I asked, plunging my fork into the creamy casserole. He kissed his fingers and exclaimed loudly, declaring how pleased he was.

“What are you up to, kid?” He dipped a chunk of pineapple into a creamy dip. “Not involved in any murders again, are you?”

I stared at my plate, trying to control my blush. He didn’t need to know what I was up to.

“How’s the bingo treating you? Have you managed to defeat Jason Chang yet?”

Costa bared his teeth, his glee leaving no doubt what he thought of himself.

“I’ll defeat him, you’ll see. I have a feeling about this, Meg. Chang and I have been swapping the top spot on the leaderboard but I’m going to end up at the top.”

A shy Vietnamese girl arrived with my burrito. It was huge and just what I’d expected. I took a bite and almost groaned with pleasure.

“This!” I pointed at the burrito, my mouth half full. “You gotta try this.”

He smacked his lips and nodded at the girl, requesting one for himself.

“Have you come up with a strategy then? Or are you just buying up as many tickets as you can?”

Costa replied Lady Luck was going to shine on him. But what if she didn’t, I countered.

“You must be willing to lose a lot of money.”

“I know my limits,” he sobered. “You know I come from a blue collar background, Meg. It was tough growing up as an immigrant.”

Why was he indulging in a game of chance then, I couldn’t understand.

“No blue blood in these veins,” he sighed. “Not like those aristocrats you see in magazines. The only person who will take care of Jeremy Costa is Jeremy Costa himself.”

I had been engrossed in dousing my burrito in hot sauce. Was he suddenly getting maudlin or had I missed something?

“What are you saying?”

“Take that Lord Basil for instance. Owes me thousands.”

I dropped my burrito. Don’t worry, it fell on my plate so I could still eat it.

“But he said he doesn’t care about money!”

“Of course he doesn’t!” Costa was bitter. “That’s because he has no intention of paying anyone back. What did I tell ya, Meg? These aristocrats think it’s their birthright or something.”

He shocked me further by telling me that Lord Basil had borrowed from several people across the ship. Not all of them were passengers. It seemed he wasn’t shy or picky. I was stunned.

Costa is a big fan of my mother. He asked about her latest movie and I told him about our trip to the Taj Mahal. We chatted over coffee and went our separate ways, he with some reluctance.

“Why don’t you take in a yoga class?” I suggested when he complained of a stiff shoulder. “It will loosen you up.”

It was time to look in on RK. She wasn’t in her office which was a surprise. I sat down and waited, trying not to nod off. There was a new picture on her desk. I recognized the bay in the distance right away. The photo had been taken when RK visited us in Dolphin Bay and featured all three Butler women standing outside grandma’s café with her, under the magnolia tree. It made me long for home. I’d secretly started counting the days when the cruise would end.

“Meg!” RK was quite chipper. “This pageant is the best idea we’ve had.”

Actually, I had no hand in coming up with it but I was ready to take credit.

“I could’ve told you that,” I scoffed. “Based on the number of applications.”

She told me the mood across the ship was already upbeat. Grandmas across all decks were scurrying around, getting ready to put their best foot forward. They were accompanied by spouses, daughters, sisters, friends – family members who wanted to help them.

“The gift shop has sold a record number of swimsuits,” she crowed. “We ran out!”

All the forty women who had made it to Round 2 were determined to flaunt their bikini bodies, it seems.

“You got any work for me?” I stifled a yawn.

“Isn’t this your time to relax by the pool?”

Was she a bit acerbic? Working on the perfect tan is no walk in the park.

“Sort of,” I muttered, defensive. “Only when I have no other task waiting.”

She waved off my concern.

“No, no. I want you to go there and hang out. Keep an eye on what’s going on and report back to me.”

Did she expect any mishap? RK said the grandmas were out there, practising their walk.

“A little friendly competition is okay but we don’t want them hurting each other.”

I thought the idea was ridiculous. But hey, I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I promised to be vigilant and went back to my cabin to change.

The sky was still dark when I entered the Lido Deck. Pale sunlight filtered through the clouds and the wind was stronger than it was earlier. Only the very brave or very foolish generally ventured out at such a time. I was shocked to see hordes of women lining the periphery of the pool, dressed in a variety of swimsuits. There were goosebumps on their skin and a few almost shivered in the cold. I headed to my usual spot, expecting to meet Babs.

Well, she was there alright, in her favorite chair that gave the best view of the pool. The spot next to it had belonged to me. But not today. A dumpy woman wearing a voluminous kaftan reposed on it, sipping a frosty drink with a paper umbrella.

My chair, my drink! I wanted to cry out.

“Hey Babs!” I stood across the foot of her chair, compelling her to look up.

“You’re blocking my view.” Her voice was colder than the harsh wind.

I turned my attention to the interloper.

“This is usually my spot. Always has been, since the cruise started.”

The poor woman turned red and struggled to get up, flustered. She began to apologize.

“Stay put, Rita!” Babs ordered. “The chairs are first come, first serve.”

So it was going to be like that? Babs was sending a message loud and clear. There was a lump in my throat and a sharp pain in my chest. Only my iron will kept me from bawling my eyes out.

I walked along the periphery of the pool, trying to pick up the conversation. Some of the ladies strutted around like peacocks. They would ace the catwalk. Others were timid, reluctant to stand tall.

There was a scuffle and one of the grandmas dug an elbow in another, causing her to fall in with a cry. Her companion retaliated by pulling the first one until they both landed in the water. Do I need to tell you about the mayhem that ensued?

Some of the poor souls had forgotten they couldn’t swim. Lifeguards jumped in the water to rescue them and security arrived. Crew members began to hand out fresh towels as the grandmas were fished out of the water. I saw Grady standing by the bar, trying to hold back his laughter.

“For shame!” I chided with a smile when I walked over.

He was on break. We made our way to a café on Deck 5.

I was bursting with questions but I held myself back until we reached the place and found a table. The cafe was not occupied which was good. It would give us a chance to talk without worrying about being overheard.

I warmed my hands around the hot mug, savoring the warmth.

“So? Any luck?”

Grady’s mouth curled upward. That meant he had found something.

“I talked to the crew who were working on Noah’s deck that night.” He dunked an oatmeal cookie in his latte. “Asked if any of our casino group had been seen there.”

“And what?” I prompted, unable to be still.

“Get this.” He grinned. “One of the maids was cleaning the room opposite his. “She heard raised voices.”

I hope she had listened in. She thought there was some argument. A woman had stormed out a few minutes later. Noah slammed his door and turned on the Do Not Disturb sign.

“She wanted to ask if he needed anything, like fresh towels,” Grady continued. “But she decided to leave him alone.”

I wanted to know who the woman was. From Grady’s description, I concluded it was Anne.

“She lied to me.” I had thought we got along, with our connection to Hollywood. I didn’t want her to be guilty. “But Noah was alive when she left.” I tried to vindicate her.

Grady’s made of sterner stuff. He was thinking ahead.

“That’s fine, Meg. But who’s to say she didn’t go back?”

Chapter 20

RK was applying a fresh coat of lipstick when I entered her office later.

“Oh good! We have to go.”

The second round of the pageant was about to begin in thirty minutes in the theater. I was still in my swimsuit with a transparent cover up.

“Do I need to change?”

She gave me a once over and shrugged.

“You’re not going up on stage. But that outfit could get uncomfortable after a while, I guess.”

She left it up to me. I still felt chilled to the bone so I decided to make a detour to my cabin, promising to meet her at the event.

The elevator gods smiled on me and I was back in my cabin in a jiffy. There was condensation on the balcony window and the rain was still coming down. I chose a pair of loose silk pants in a cream color with a matching shell and embroidered jacket. The layers made me feel cozy. After a spritz of perfume and a fresh coat of lipstick, I rushed to the pageant.

I had a feeling Mickey would be overseeing things and he was the first person I saw when I entered the theater. As always, some unknown instinct made him look up the moment I went in. His eyes sparkled in appreciation. He would have blown me a kiss if he hadn’t been on duty. No harm in hoping, right?

A ramp or catwalk had been constructed for the models. The grandmas would feel like a million bucks as they walked down it. I admire any woman who dares to put herself out there. These ladies were special alright.

The forty grandmas wowed the audience with their pizzaz. The applause was spontaneous as they paraded in their best formal gowns first. After a brief break, they appeared in their swimsuits. I looked around me at the packed theater and congratulated RK on the success of the event. Mickey was at his best, wooing the contestants and the audience alike with trivia and jokes. Many impromptu prizes were handed out, making everyone happy.

RK pulled me aside after we exited the theater.

“Next round this afternoon. Don’t miss it.”

I assured her wild horses wouldn’t drag me away. Maybe Ashley could get away and accompany me.

“What’s going on between you and Babs?” she ambushed me. “I heard you argued with her in front of dozens of passengers at the pool. Show some respect, Meg.”

Babs abandoned me first and then rubbed my face in it, I told RK. How was that my fault?

“Didn’t I tell you she had nothing to do with Noah Campbell’s death? You just leave her alone.”

I nodded, but I wanted details. She refused to provide any.

“Trust me on this, Meg. Have I ever led you astray?”

“Does this mean you will talk to Moishe? Ask him to call off his dogs?”

I did not mean anything derogatory and hoped Grady wasn’t listening. Half the problem with Babs stemmed from the fact that the security guys were keeping a watch on her.

“It’s not that simple.” RK was contrite. “How can I say this? Moishe’s bent the rules for me a few times and I owe him. Can’t ask for anything more.”

Well okay, she was the boss. She looked over my shoulder and brightened.

“Good job, Mickey. Ready for the next round?”

He flashed his impish smile and winked. RK had been very secretive about what was happening that afternoon. Apparently, Mickey was in on it.

He grabbed my elbow as RK walked away at a rapid clip.

“Care for a spot of lunch, Megs?”

I was wide open. He needed to line up a few things and we agreed to meet in an hour. How was I going to spend it? I wandered around, ending up outside the yoga studio. I was reading the class timings on the board outside when Anne came out. Without much thought, I confronted her.

“Hey Meg.” She wiped her face with a towel, checking out my ensemble. “Are you going in?”

“You lied.” I rushed ahead. “I know you met Noah the night we sailed from Lisbon.”

Her face turned a deep shade of red, proving I’d hit my mark.

“I do not owe you an explanation. Who do you think you are, Scotland Yard?”

She went on the offence, trying to put me in my place.

“This is murder, Anne. And you were arguing with the victim minutes before his death.”

I was bluffing about the last part, of course. To my dismay, Anne just went to pieces. Her eyes filled up and tears began streaming down her face. I took her arm and pulled her into an alcove, looking around for a bottle of water. Where was the crew when you needed them?

“I’m sorry.”

There was nothing to apologize for but it was one way to make her stop.

“Noah and I go way back,” she confessed. “I’ve known him for years. He wasn’t the upstanding man portrayed in the media.”

Now we were getting somewhere. A server walked by with some drinks and I grabbed a bottle of cold water from him. I coaxed Anne to take a sip.

“Noah was a greedy pig,” she spat. “He would never help anyone from the goodness of his heart.”

How did she expect him to share his winnings? I asked her that.

“He wanted to come out of retirement,” she explained. “I promised to get him an audition with a big director. The film would give him the comeback he was hoping for.”

“But he still betrayed you?” I scowled.

Anne bit her lip, giving a hiccup. Noah had refused to admit he won at the casino. Is that when she decided to kill him, I probed. Actually, I already knew Noah had been alive when she left him. Either I got carried away or I wanted to needle her. People blurt out the truth when pushed in a corner.

“He was alive when I left!” she cried. “Ask Val. I bumped into her on the way to the lift. My guess is she was on her way to see him.”

How could she say that for sure? Had Val said so?

“She gave me a nasty look,” Anne replied. “I’m ready to bet she was on her way to see Noah.”

More betting! Hadn’t gambling got us here? What was wrong with these people?

“Err, how do I know you are telling the truth?” I questioned. “A woman in your position will say anything.”

Anne had regained her composure. Her solution was simple.

“Ask her.”

Chapter 21

Mickey was waiting for me when I reached the bar next to the theater. According to him, they served a light menu during the day. It was convenient since we didn’t want to stray too far. RK would not be happy if we arrived late for the next round.

“What will you have?” He was perusing a short menu printed on paper. “Roast beef, smoked turkey or chicken?”

We both chose the smoked turkey. It came slathered with a spicy cranberry sauce and smashed avocadoes and was huge. Enough to satisfy the appetite I had worked up. There were fries, of course, dusted with paprika and a dash of cinnamon.

Mickey told me he had almost confronted the stalker. He was conducting a trivia contest when he saw a man matching the description in the audience. Mickey kept an eye on him, planning to confront him as soon as he finished the current round. By the time he reached the aisle where he’d seen him, the man was gone.

“Slippery as an eel,” he muttered, running a hand through his thick hair. “Almost as if he expected me to go looking for him.”

I couldn’t rule out that possibility. The man must be aware of who my friends were. I panicked. What if he began targeting them too?

“I’m not going to look the other way when you’re in danger, Meg.” He huffed. “You must think I’m a coward.”

I deftly changed the subject.

“You’ve been working on new material.” I took a bite of the sandwich, pleased by the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors.

“Thanks Meg.” Mickey smirked. “A cruise director’s job is never done. I have started thinking of jokes and witty lines even in my sleep.”

I pointed out he wasn’t the cruise director yet. But he was getting good practice for becoming a standup comic.

“Don’t let my mother hear you.” He looked over his shoulder, as if the woman would conjure herself beside us from Queens. “She still believes I’m gonna run the family business one day.”

His family owned a couple of restaurants in New York city. I thought it was a good livelihood to fall back on, once he was done traversing the seas.

We caught up on news from home as we ate. I was halfway through my sandwich when he dabbed some fries in ketchup, giving me a slow grin.

“You know something!” I stared at him, surprised he had taken the time for small talk. “Tell me, quick.”

It was about Bondurant. He had been sitting in one of the cafes the night Noah died, in plain sight of several people. Why had he lied about meeting him?

“This makes no sense.”

“Hold on,” Mickey warned. “Did he mention when he went to Noah’s cabin?”

I shook my head.

“He could have gone there the previous day,” Mickey argued. “Actually, he just mentioned they made a pact, right. Did he say where?”

I realized Mickey was right. Bondurant had never explicitly said he went near Noah’s cabin. Why had I assumed that?

“You are sure about his alibi? He never budged from his spot?”

Mickey told me more than one person had said the same. Bondurant was in a public area all night, doing who knows what on his laptop. We could go through the security tapes to verify it. I had to accept that would be a waste of time.

“Let’s assume your sources are right.”

I saw Mickey’s eyes widen. His face split into a smile. A couple came in and sat a few tables away from us. It was the Torpedo with his wife. I should have known!

“Meg!” he hissed. “Did you see him? It’s the Torpedo.”

“No wonder you’re panting like a puppy dog.”

Mickey debated getting up to greet his hero. I thought he would not like being accosted at lunch. Sally looked up at that exact moment and gave me a slight nod. I noticed she was smiling a lot. That meant the couple was getting along well and I was happy.

“Time to go.” Mickey stood up. “Are you ready for the next round, Meg?”

Mischief lurked in his eyes and I pestered him to tell me what the plan was. He told me I would find out soon enough.

People were beginning to trickle in. Mickey went backstage and I looked around until I spotted RK. The lights dimmed as I made my way to her.

The next couple of hours were hilarious. I don’t remember when I had laughed so much. There was a stitch in my side. RK was grinning from ear to ear.

“Who came up with all this?” I wondered and was rewarded with a blush. “You?” I opened my mouth in awe.

The secret round was a fitness round, unlike any you have heard of before. The grandmas had to pick up a paper from a box and perform the task assigned.

The cardio round consisted of pushing a loaded pram or stroller through an obstacle course. Traffic cones had been set up on stage and the ladies pushed their prams in figure eights as fast as they could. There was a strength round called Toss the Baby. Swaddled bundles were provided. I guessed these were weights from the gym, wrapped in cloth. They had to lift the bundle, toss it in the air and catch it. Anyone who dropped it was disqualified, of course. And then there was the endurance round. The grandmas were timed on how many diapers they could change in a minute.

Don’t ask where they got the soiled diapers from.

Time flew and it was time to head up to the Lido Deck. The ship’s management had arranged a party for all the Grandma of the Seas participants. Everyone made a bee line for the elevators, hastened by the thought of sundowners and food. RK ordered me to go ahead and make sure all the arrangements were perfect.

The DJ was testing his equipment when I went up. As usual, the crew had done a great job, considering they must not have had a lot of time to prepare. Balloons and streamers decorated the whole deck. A group of dancers were lining up by the pool. And the food! It would have made the pickiest eaters drool.

The grandmas started arriving and soon the party was in full swing. Waiters circulated among the crowd, carrying trays of delicious canapes and glasses of cocktails and wine.

RK stood near the entrance, welcoming all the ladies as they came in. She waved a hand to summon me.

“This is awesome!” I almost hugged her. “Do we have the results yet?”

The judges were tallying the scores to declare the top 24 grandmas who went to the next round.

“We’ll announce them soon,” RK replied. “Why don’t you go shake a leg?”

The music stopped just then and Mickey appeared, holding a list. The crowd roared with triumph and groaned in disappointment as he read out the names.

Then the dancing resumed with renewed vigor.

I saw Valerie dancing with her cronies. They were holding hands and had formed a circle. Her blonde head was hard to miss. Mickey had just confirmed she had reached the next round.

Weaving my way through the enthusiastic ladies, I began dancing beside her.

“Congratulations Val. How do you feel?”

She thought the pageant was one of its kind.

“Why did you lie about meeting Noah?” I gave her no warning. “Is that a habit?”

Her eyes filled up and she rushed to the side, holding a hand over her mouth. It was my day to pacify weeping women. One or two of her friends gave me a nasty look.

I went over to Valerie and handed her a tissue.

“It’s okay. Calm down. Can I get you anything to eat?”

RK was frowning at me. Not that I could see her. I just felt her disapproval in my bones. She has that kind of power.

“It’s not what you think,” she sobbed. “I did not hurt Noah.”

Then why had she gone to see him, I shot back. I could never have imagined her reply.

“I live on a very fixed income, like most people my age. My son paid for the cruise because he doesn’t care to spend time with me.”

What a jerk! I couldn’t imagine being out of touch with Mom or Grandma.

“I clip coupons, you know. And never buy the big brands.”

She went on to elaborate how she saved every penny. I couldn’t understand why she was doing without if she had an assured income and asked her that. She wanted to buy a car for her granddaughter.

“Her birthday’s coming up and I wanted to surprise her.”

Valerie had saved just enough to buy a used car. Then she heard about Bondurant’s scheme. The thought of more money was appealing.

“I thought it would be nice if I bought her a new car with the winnings.”

My heart went out to her.

“So did you plan to convince Noah to give you the money?”

She turned a deep red. I let her have a moment. Then I raised my eyebrows, letting her know I was waiting for an answer.

“Noah’s been flirting with me all along, ever since Hawaii.” Her voice was hushed. “I was sure he was going to propose.” She swallowed a lump. “All the money would be mine once we got married, right?”

Tears started flowing again. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. There was only one way this story ended.

Noah had laughed outright. He ridiculed her to no end, calling her names. Anne had been right about his being cruel.

“Did you at least ask for the money?” I probed.

He owed her that, after the way he treated her.

Val told me Noah insisted he had not won the jackpot. No amount of pleading would make him own up to having the money. Finally, Val had left the room.

“I couldn’t wait to get out of there,” she sighed. “There’s no fool like an old fool, dear.”

Had she seen anyone else when she left? I urged her to think hard. The only person she remembered was Anne.

“I bumped into her on my way to Noah’s cabin,” Valerie admitted.

But I already knew that.

My eyes slid over the poor woman before me, wallowing in shame. As my Grandma would say, she was all skin and bones. Her petite frame would hardly come up to ninety pounds. I realized I had reached another dead end. There was no way Val could attack and restrain a man the size of Noah Campbell.

Chapter 22

Ashley sat on the sofa with her feet up and her hands behind her head, snoring lightly. She had the evening off and we had big plans. I gave her shoulder a gentle nudge.

“Meg.” She smiled. “You’re back.”

I told her about the shenanigans at the pageant and we laughed until tears flowed.

“We’re still on for dinner and the show, right?” I just wanted to confirm she wasn’t too tired. “I’ll understand if you want to order room service and stay in.”

“No way! I’m not giving up dinner at the Taj Mahal.”

The restaurant on the top deck was the most pricey on the ship and was hemmed by our friend Chef Lovely. He always made sure the meal was phenomenal.

There was some free time so we gave each other manicures while we discussed Noah Campbell. Ashley was relieved to hear I wasn’t pursuing Babs as a suspect any longer.

“You don’t really believe she’s a murderer, Meg. And RK must know something she’s not telling us.” She filed my nails until they were all the perfect shape.

“What if all of them are eliminated?” I mused, choosing a peachy coral polish. “Do you like this, or do you wanna go with red?”

We both chose the coral polish.

“You mean that woman Anne?”

“Well, Mickey trusts his sources so Bondurant is out. And Val is a miserable woman afraid of her own shadow.”

Ashley switched on a portable fan and dried her nails before it. I was sick of talking about Noah Campbell.

“Have you picked out an outfit?” I asked, mentally going through my own wardrobe. Did I have a dress I hadn’t worn before?

Ashley had chosen a figure hugging gold dress that hugged her curves, making her look like a bomb. I chose one in silver.

“We’ll be gold and silver.” She giggled.

We got ready in a jiffy. It’s a skill you develop when you work on a cruise ship. Cramped spaces and less time are a fact of life.

The Taj Mahal restaurant took our breath away. It was very softly lit so the brightly sparkling chandeliers could stand out. There was a table below the largest one, in the center of the room. Our server led us there and picked up the ‘reserved’ sign.

Some people at the neighboring tables turned to see who had been given the best table. An old lady caught my eye, giving me an indulgent smile. I knew we looked like a million bucks. So there was no reason for anyone to think we didn’t deserve the big table. One or two women snorted and whispered among themselves. I guess they recognized Ashley from the gift shop.

“Ignore them.” I smiled, trying to reassure my best friend. “I hope you’re hungry.”

Ashley had been a bit uneasy but she perked up when the server brought our menus. They were just for show, of course. Our experience would be better than a chef’s table.

An assortment of fried pappadums arrived with a trio of dips, followed by creamy chicken tikka, lamb kabobs and my favorite onion fritters. The talk around us faded as we began tasting everything, groaning and exclaiming over how yummy it was. Baby potatoes in a mustard sauce followed, with fish in a delicate coconut milk base. The highlight was seafood biryani, redolent with saffron and rose, studded with prawns, crab, mussels and salmon.

I sat back for a respite, sipping a dry Sauvignon Blanc that paired well with the food. Not that I understand much about these things. I either like or don’t like a wine. This one, I was enjoying a lot.

A group of pageant contestants sat at a table next to us. Two of them had never made it to the catwalk. One had not made it to the top 24. I was surprised they could all mingle with no hard feelings.

They were discussing strategy for the upcoming challenges. The one who had stumbled on the ramp and also dropped the baby, laughed as she munched on a turkey leg.

“We’re just having fun, Trish.” Trish was one of the popular contestants who had become a darling of the judges. “Otherwise we would all be plotting to kill you.”

There were titters and cackles. One looked uncomfortable.

“You mean like that Noah Campbell?” she queried in a low voice.

They all started talking at once. By this time, Ashley and I were both trying to listen hard, pushing our rice around our plates.

The woman Trish agreed Noah’s death was very suspicious. There were several nods, all of them agreeing that foul play was involved. So much for keeping it quiet. Did RK know Noah’s murder was the talk of the ship?

“Poor man died for nothing.” One of them bristled with anger. She hadn’t said a word all this time. “Noah never won the jackpot.”

This led to a series of exclamations among the grandmas. Trish, the boldest, challenged the statement.

“How can you be sure?”

I wanted to know that too so I turned around in my chair, abandoning all pretense. Many people in the room were now listening in, eager to get the skinny on the crime.

“He was on that tour I took in Lisbon,” the woman spoke loudly, oblivious of her captive audience. “In fact, we shared a seat. He took the window.”

After some spirited prompting from her group, she revealed Noah had been on the phone with some woman. He was begging for her forgiveness, apologizing for losing money at the casino. Clearly, he had not won any money.

There were a lot of hushed conversations around the restaurant. I had no doubt the grapevine would pick up this news, spreading it like wildfire.

Chef Lovely arrived with our dessert. His face fell when he saw all the uneaten food on our plates.

“Too spicy?” he asked Ashley. “Shall I make something else for you, ladies?”

We ate a few more bites to convince him it was all good.

“Delicious.” I licked the sauce off my fingers. “What’s for dessert?”

He placed a bowl before us, covered in gold and silver foil, garnished with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals.

“Phirni,” he announced. “It’s a pudding with milk and rice flour. Not very gourmet, actually.”

We asked a server to take our picture, Ashley and I flanking the chef with the dessert bowl on the table before us. I knew he must have used the gold and silver foil to complement our dresses.

Chef Lovely gave me a slight pat on the arm, warning me to behave. Then he was back in the kitchen.

The grandmas left and the restaurant emptied a bit. Ashley and I took our time enjoying the sweet pudding.

“This is my treat,” I reminded her. “Don’t you even dream of getting the check.”

Ashley told me there was no chance of that. Her grandma had needed extra care the past few weeks and she’d had to wire more money back home.

“RK promised she’ll give me as many extra shifts as possible.”

The raw pain in her eyes was hard to ignore. It wasn’t because she would have to work more. Ashley was really worried about her grandma. I hoped she’d be able to meet her after the cruise ended.

“Let’s walk around a bit,” I suggested as we came out of the restaurant.

The sky had finally cleared a bit and a sliver of moon was visible. Fortunately, the ship wasn’t rolling too much. The wind was still strong and it whipped my hair around my face as we strolled across the railing.

“It’s too cold out here.” Ashley declared after ten minutes.

I agreed with her.

We took the elevator to the atrium, gravitating to the wall of water. Ashley had goosebumps on her arms. When I mentioned that, she pointed at mine.

“Hot tea?” I laughed. “I’ll get it.”

Grady was at the counter when I walked to the café to get our tea. His eyes shone with admiration. Two hands landed on my shoulders just then and I whirled around to greet Mickey.

He gave a low whistle.

“That’s a hot dress, Megs.”

Didn’t he mean I was looking hot?

We took our drinks and joined Ashley. Grady’s gaze swung between the two of us.

“Gold and silver?” he beamed. “You’re both looking gorgeous.”

What were they doing in the atrium, Ashley quipped. Mickey claimed he wanted to check us out. That pesky grapevine again!

Grady was just getting a chamomile tea before turning in.

“You should sign up for the grandma pageant,” Mickey teased.

Grady ignored him and shared the most curious piece of news.

“I’ve spotted your stalker once or twice, Meg. You know I’ve been biding my time before I confront him. But I noticed something queer.”

Mickey told him to stop being dramatic and spill the beans.

“Someone’s following him.”

Ashley burst out laughing, guffawing until there were tears in her eyes.

“You hear that, Megs? Your stalker has a stalker!”

Mickey was smiling and I couldn’t help join him. Grady’s brow was furrowed. He must be thinking we doubted him.

“The first time I thought it was a coincidence,” he explained. “But it’s like a pattern.”

None of it made sense. I declared I had more important things on my mind and gave them the latest scoop. Funnily enough, Mickey did not have the update on Noah.

“Noah Campbell did not win the jackpot?” he repeated. “That means our efforts were for nothing.”

Grady agreed with him. Our suspects had been chosen assuming Noah had the money. He was right, of course. But I wasn’t ready to backtrack yet.

“We need to be really sure, guys.” I stared at Ashley, waiting for her to guess what I had in mind.

She didn’t disappoint.

“Meg and I are going to search Noah’s cabin.”

Chapter 23

Grady is a strait laced guy and he can never be counted upon to do anything remotely against the rules. Mickey has no such hangups and is my go to guy when I want to indulge in anything shady. It’s all for a good cause though.

Don’t ask me how but Mickey managed to get Noah Campbell’s room opened. He even accompanied me and Ashley to carry out a thorough search. I was hoping to find a duffel bag stuffed with cash but that would have been too easy. Actually, I had no idea how much money we were looking for. Was it a million or more? And would that fit in a duffel bag? But we had to start somewhere.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Ashley pulled out one piece of clothing after another from the closet and threw it on the bed.

I looked at Mickey. Doesn’t he claim to be worldly wise?

“You better have an answer for that.”

“Megs!” He exclaimed. “What am I? James Bond? I don’t earn enough to gamble my money away in a fancy casino.”

Ashley voiced what I was thinking. A bag of cash would be obvious. Other than that, what could we expect to find?

“A check?” I mused. “Or some kind of letter or IOU saying he won a certain sum?”

Mickey told us they sometimes gave those huge vanity checks to winners. The Grand Voyager does that too. It is mostly for photos, to be used in future publicity campaigns.

“There is no giant check lying around here.” Ashley spread her arms wide.

“The casino might have done a money transfer to his account,” Mickey pointed out. “We won’t find a thing if that’s true.”

But would there be some kind of receipt, I wondered.

Half an hour later, we gave up. Mickey claimed he needed a drink. We slipped out and made our way to the bar in the atrium. Ashley and I claimed an empty couch and dispatched Mickey to get the drinks. I was beginning to question if we were on the right track.

“What if Noah’s death has nothing to do with the casino?” Mickey asked when he got back. “Who had a motive to kill him?”

I was ready with an answer.

“Anne. She admitted they had some history. Unfortunately, Noah was alive when she left his cabin.”

“But she could have gone back,” Ashley argued.

Grady had already suggested that. I gave a deep yawn and nodded at her.

None of us had the energy to discuss anything more so we decided to call it a night.

I could barely open my eyes the next morning. Ashley was gone and there was a coconut on the night stand. Forcing myself to get up, I dressed in my exercise gear and went up for a run. The bad weather that had plagued us the day before was gone, replaced by bright sunlight. That meant the natives would be out in droves again. Back in my cabin, I showered and changed into my favorite yellow sun dress, ready to brave the day. But not before I fortified myself at the breakfast buffet.

After an omelet, French Toast and a cup or two of coffee, my mind was clear. I was going to talk to Anne. Grady would help me locate her on the ship.

Anne was the first person I saw when I got off the elevator at the atrium. She gave me a weary smile.

“We need to talk.” I took her arm and nudged her toward RK’s office, hoping it would be empty. She had mentioned having a meeting with the captain that morning.

“Are you abducting me?” Anne gave a nervous titter.

“How much did you hate Noah Campbell?” I shot back. “Don’t even think of dodging the question.”

She was quiet for a moment. I could see the emotions flitting over her face, trying to think about a response.

“You got me.” She admitted. “There was a time when I was really mad at him. I wanted revenge, Meg. But all that was twenty years ago. Life offered me other opportunities, and I gradually forgot about him.”

I pretended to believe her.

“Anyone else hate him as much?”

“Basil Cranford.”

“Lord Basil?” I burst out. “But why?”

It was the same old story. Back in the day when Noah was at the top of his career, he was the biggest heartthrob in Britain. Women flocked to get a glimpse of him. One of them had been Lord Basil’s sister Rose.

“She managed to get introduced to him, given her wealth and connections.” Anne sounded bitter. “They had a fling. The media went crazy and there was a lot of speculation around their wedding.”

Noah and Rose were the perfect couple and their romance was the stuff of legends. Until one day, Noah dumped her.

“For a younger woman?” I quizzed.

“Oh no! Rose was barely eighteen and very beautiful. The perfect English rose, they called her. He just got bored, I suppose.”

What a piece of scum!

As far as Anne could tell, Rose took it hard. The tabloid press reported she was locked away in a sanitorium. Her depression was so bad she never recovered.

“So you see,” Anne smirked. “Lord Basil had a strong motive to kill Noah.” She swung her chair around and leapt up. “I’m leaving now.”

I wasn’t very happy with her.

“Why did you wait so long to tell me this?”

Anne breezed out without a response.

I sat there, stunned. Maybe we’d been looking at the wrong reasons. Noah’s death was not about money. It was about how much of a scumbag he was.

My next course of action was clear. Common sense suggested I take someone along with me. Grady was the obvious choice, being on the security team. I headed to the guest services desk to have him paged. The girl told me she had seen him going toward the café a few minutes ago.

“Will you come with me?” I asked when I located him.

Nobody likes to be taken for a fool. I thought of all the times Lord Basil had patronized me. I had to admit I’d been a bit in awe of him, either because of his charm or good looks. My irritation must have been obvious. Grady forced me to sit and got me a coffee.

“You need to cool down, Meg. Let me check where we can find his lordship.”

Lord Basil hadn’t surfaced that morning so we decided to confront him in his cabin. I was feeling a lot better after stuffing my face with a chocolate donut. When a few polite knocks yielded no response, Grady banged on the door with his fist. A series of expletives greeted us.

Two minutes later, the door opened. Lord Basil stood there, wearing a silk robe over striped pajamas, his hair mussed, looking like thunder.

“I say, how absolutely rude! Can’t a chap sleep in peace on this floating bucket?”

We barged in. Well, actually I did and Grady followed after a minute. Lord Basil poured an amber liquid in a crystal glass and downed it one gulp.

“Why are you here?” He sat on his bed and barked. “I will call security if you don’t give me a reasonable answer.”

His highhanded manner was the last straw. I placed a hand on my hip and stuck it out, a power pose I learned from my mom.

“Why did you murder Noah?”

Lord Basil’s eyes bulged and his ears turned red.

“Mind what you say, young lady!”

Grady asked him to answer the question.

“I say!” Basil cried. “Is this some kind of joke? Do you know I am a Member of Parliament? I sit in the House of Lords, you know?”

“No doubt you’re an esteemed member of these lords,” I snorted. “That doesn’t mean you’re above the law.”

He demanded I explain myself. I watched his face crumple when I mentioned his sister.

“You know about Rose?” he whispered. “How?”

“Anne. She says Noah destroyed her life. You promised to take revenge.”

Basil poured another drink for himself. As an afterthought he offered us one. Grady and I both shook our heads.

“My darling Rose. She was never the same again, you know.” He sipped his drink slowly. “Once Noah was done with her, Rose was so ashamed, she never showed her face in London. She’s wasted her life in the country, living the life of a recluse. My precious sister!”

I felt sorry for them.

“Noah wasn’t a good man,” I agreed. “And he wronged your family. But that doesn’t condone murder.”

He met my eyes. I couldn’t deny the honesty in them.

“My dear, there are more than one ways to kill a man.”

Grady asked him to explain. Basil told us he had avenged his sister a long time ago. He was a powerful man in England, all said and done. Some choice words placed in the right ears had been enough. Noah’s career plummeted and he faded into oblivion, no longer the highly paid star he used to be.

“That was my revenge,” Basil explained. “Making sure he never worked again.”

Noah had lost the fame he cherished and lived a mediocre life. It was like slow death for him.

Muttering an apology, I signaled Grady. We told Basil he could go back to whatever he was doing and wished him a good day.

“Did Anne tell you they were engaged?” he called out as I opened the door.

I whirled around. Of course Anne had not shared that tidbit with me.

“Surely you know what they say about a woman scorned, my dear.” Basil swayed on his feet. “If anyone had a motive to kill Noah, it would be the woman he jilted at the altar.”

Chapter 24

The top 24 grandmas were in a flurry, beating eggs, whipping batter, chopping chocolate, all to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Babs was one of them. She ignored me.

I was there on RK’s orders to oversee the baking contest, keeping an eye on the grandmas to see if they needed anything. Most of the Grand Voyager’s demographic is north of fifty, so a panel of the youngest crew members had been chosen to taste the cookies.

One hour later, the cookies were produced for inspection and were evaluated by the judges. Only ten made it to the actual tasting, based on appearance. If I’d been a judge, I would have tasted each one. Why discriminate on looks?

I had summoned a meeting of the Shipboard Sleuths in the officers’ mess, minus Babs. They appeared one by one, curious.

“Do we have a breakthrough?” Ashely exclaimed.

“No such thing,” Mickey sighed. “We hit another wall.”

RK and Moishe arrived together. Both of them wore a frown.

“Why are you wasting my time again, Meg?” he grumbled.

RK shot me a look. I didn’t have to be reminded to be quiet about her indirect involvement. My lips can stay sealed when needed.

Ignoring Moishe, I gave a quick update of our conversation with Lord Basil. You think he would’ve praised me for my initiative but no such thing.

“I think you have done enough, Meg.” RK cleared her throat. “We’ll be in port in a couple of days. Let the authorities handle this. And this is the last stretch before we dock in Florida. Why don’t you make the most of it?”

All the young people in the room nodded.

Moishe was already scraping his chair back to get up. He left without a word. RK gave me a look that said we would talk later and followed him out.

Grady was getting coffee. Mickey and Ashley joined him. They all came back with our favorite lethal brew. Black coffee over soft serve.

“What’s the plan now, Princess?” Mickey winked.

Grady and Ashley smiled. My shock must’ve been evident because they laughed.

“We’re all too invested in this, Megs.” Ashley spoke. “And you’ll not give up so easily.”

“Do you think we’re going to let you do this alone?” Grady quipped.

Mickey saved me from getting too emotional.

“There’s a killer running loose on this ship. We gotta catch him before he strikes again.”

Him or her, I thought, trying to keep an open mind.

Grady and Ashley promised to tap the grapevine. Maybe we had missed something. The thing about rumors is they are not always false. One of them can be true.

I thanked them for pitching in.

“Babs is caught in the middle of all this and I really want to clear her name.”

Suspicion can ruin a person. My grandma had suffered that fate for several years because of some malicious gossip. The whole town of Dolphin Bay turned against her, ready to believe she murdered my grandpa. It was a ridiculous notion, of course. Just as it was inconceivable to think Babs would hurt anyone.

Grady poked me in the arm, snapping me out of my wool gathering.

I brought up the stalker’s stalker. Had he spotted him again? Grady nodded.

“I’m stumped, Meg. What’s going on?”

“Can you describe this guy?” I asked.

Tall, young, cherubic, wearing shorts and floral shirts, he was just a regular passenger on the Grand Voyager. Grady asked if he sounded familiar.

“Point him out some time,” I shrugged.

Fortunately, neither Mickey nor Ashley heard us. She was musing over the murder.

“If Lord Basil had his revenge years ago and Noah was alive when that Anne woman left him, who could be the killer?”

She was assuming Anne hadn’t come back.

Once again, we were supposing Noah had been killed for money.

“It must be the real winner,” Mickey suggested. “Only that person would know that Noah didn’t win. But he wanted everyone to think he did?”

I thought he was on to something.

“Yes! That must have been the plan all along. The real winner let everyone think Noah won the jackpot. Then he killed Noah, making us think the money was gone with him.”

“So the others would stop looking for the money,” Ashley roared. “That must be it.”

It’s very hard to trace how a piece of information hits the grapevine. By the time it propagates through a few dozen people, the truth is often twisted and distorted. How could we determine who exactly said Noah was the winner?

We had an uphill task. None of us could think of any concrete plan of action so we dispersed, agreeing to keep our eyes and ears open. The others had to go back to their shifts so we planned to catch up later.

I wandered around for a while. It was close to noon and hordes of passengers were heading to the buffet or the dining room. My head was bursting with too many thoughts and I wanted to relax for a bit. The girl at guest services was apologetic again. The spa was booked so a massage or facial was not an option. Maybe I could just get some sun and work on my tan.

After changing into my pool gear at my cabin, I chose a private area reserved for frequent passengers. It was guaranteed to be less crowded and the service was a notch above what you got on the Lido Deck.

There were plenty of empty spots. I chose one with a clear view of the ocean and made myself comfortable, stretching my arms above my head. A striped umbrella shielded my face from the sun. It was perfect! Who could blame me for dozing off?

I must’ve sensed a presence beside me. My eyes opened and I tried to focus, smiling when I spotted the server standing before me. He held a tray with glasses of iced water, muddled with fruit and mint. I thanked him and took a long sip, realizing how parched I had been. The server moved a few feet to the side and my gaze followed him. I was surprised to see the chair next to me was occupied.

“Hi!” It was a spontaneous greeting. Then I recognized the woman. It was Sally, the Torpedo’s wife.

“Hello.” She gave a shy smile.

I couldn’t help asking after her, marveling at her beauty.

“How are you enjoying our sea days?”

She was fine, she assured me. Then her face clouded. I braced myself. Was she going to own up to her husband’s predilections?

“I think I’m in danger, Meg,” she whispered, making me sit up. “The man who won the jackpot won’t leave me alone.”

My eyebrows shot up. This would have made no sense if we hadn’t discussed the possibility of another winner.

“Who is it?” I didn’t beat around the bush.

Was it Babs after all? I crossed my fingers behind my back, waiting for her response with bated breath. Sally couldn’t have shocked me more.

“It’s that old British guy. Tall, well dressed, with a scar over his eyebrow.”

I had seen him scratching that scar earlier that morning.

“Lord Basil?” I cried. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely!” Sally was looking belligerent. “My life’s in danger.”

Did she mean because of Basil? Or because of the Torpedo?

“Why do you think so?” I ventured.

She told me she had been attacked but couldn’t supply any more details. I thought that was highly suspicious.

“I’m the only one who knows he won at the casino,” she elaborated. “He’s afraid I’ll tell the others.”

I told her to watch out and stay in public areas. There is safety in a crowd, right? Then I was off to face the lion in his den, without sparing a second thought for my own wellbeing.

After a few strong knocks, the door opened, revealing Lord Basil holding a glass of whiskey. He was dressed in khaki shorts and a floral shirt and his hair was wet and neatly combed.

“Twice in one day!” he chuckled. “How can I be of service, my dear?”

Ignoring the sarcasm, or whatever it was, I confronted him right away.

“Sally told me you won the jackpot.”

He had retreated inside and I followed him, keeping the door open. It wouldn’t have made a difference if he suddenly pulled out a gun and shot me. But for some reason, I wanted to think the best of Lord Basil.

“And who is this Sally? Another charming young lady?”

I provided a description, knowing he was just stringing me along.

“Oh, that Sally!” He poured himself a fresh drink. “She’s been giving me a lot of signals. I won’t bore you with details, my dear. I thought I was very clear I wasn’t interested. She hovered around me in Monte Carlo. And how do I say this, she …”

“I have no interest in your fling with Sally,” I interrupted. “Did you win the jackpot?”

He offered me a drink. I realized Lord Basil wasn’t going to entertain any more questions so I hotfooted it out of there before I said something I would regret. He was lying through his teeth, of course. I had seen what a timid creature Sally was. She rarely lifted her head to look where she was going. And she was afraid of her own shadow. A tormented woman like that wasn’t going to flirt with a stranger. But why would a geriatric peer like Basil accuse a downtrodden woman of coming on to him?

I rushed to RK’s office, realizing I was hungry. Her eyes spoke volumes. She had guessed why I was there and she wasn’t happy about it.

“Sally came to me!” I exclaimed. “I didn’t go looking for her, RK. I was lying in a cabana, trying to enjoy the remainder of the cruise, like you said.”

With a sigh, she sat back and gave a nod, prompting me to tell all.

“You see the problem? There is no way to prove Lord Basil actually attacked her. Or that he’s the jackpot winner. It’s Sally’s word against his.”

RK shook her head, a smile dancing on her lips.

“If only you could search his cabin, the way you did Noah’s?”

I have learned never to wonder how RK knows things.

“Are you serious?”

She placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward until she was barely six inches from my face.

“Noah is dead and can’t complain about his rights. But Lord Basil Cranford can. He’s a powerful man, Meg, with connections in high places.”

Ricky owned Gold Cruises and he was my friend. Well, my mom’s friend. He would take my side if push came to shove.

RK told me Lord Basil could create a lot of problems for Ricky. Did I want that?

“So what?” I blurted. “We just let him off the hook?”

RK told me I was going to give her hives. But she would give me one last chance, against her better judgement. I stared at her, unable to believe what I’d just heard.

“Come on, come on.” She rapped. “Don’t let the grass grow under your feet.”

Unable to believe my luck, I sprang up and almost skipped to the elevators. RK has super powers. I was sure Lord Basil would sing a different tune when confronted with her. Later, I wondered if she had some kind of premonition.

As we neared Basil’s cabin, I thought of suggesting we have a security detail with us. No harm in carrying some muscle, right. As if conjured by my mind, Grady rushed past us and sprinted down the corridor. My heart skipped a beat.

RK grabbed my arm. She had left her walkie back in the office so we hadn’t heard the security broadcast. A cordon of Moishe’s men were huddled outside Lord Basil’s cabin. One of them saw RK and shook his head.

“Let’s go, Meg.” She pulled me away.

My feet were like lead as we trudged back to her office. The phone rang just as we entered. RK blanched as she listened to the voice on the other end.

“Basil’s dead.” She announced without warning.

I’d been afraid of that but I didn’t want it to be true. She could have given me a warning.

“What happened?” I croaked.

His head had been bashed against the wall, killing him instantly. There was no doubt it was murder.

“Poor Lord Basil!” My eyes watered. “He had charm.”

“Meg!” RK’s eyes bulged. “Did you have a crush on him?”

I twisted my mouth in disgust.

“Ewww … no! How could you think that?”

She managed to shock me again. Security had found a check for five hundred thousand dollars in his room. So Basil had really won the jackpot. He had managed to hoodwink his fellow gamblers and now he was dead.

Who had known his secret?

Chapter 25

A sober group assembled in the main dining room that afternoon. Lunch was over and it was an hour before they served high tea. RK made sure any passengers who ventured there would be discouraged. I just hoped they would serve food because I was starving. My prayers were answered and I heaved a sigh of relief when a few servers entered, bearing trays of sandwiches and cakes, along with tea and coffee.

Moishe sat between Grady and RK, stroking his beard. Everyone else filled their plates and began to eat. I was still stunned, unwilling to believe Lord Basil was gone.

“Is he really …?” I looked up to meet Grady’s eyes.

He gave a slight shake of his head. Some of the casino group had called him arrogant and condescending but I’d always thought he was a charmer. A ladies’ man, as they say. He had put me at ease.

RK asked who wanted to take the lead. Nobody volunteered so she began herself.

“We are here to brainstorm what happened to Lord Basil Cranford. It is clear that he won big at the casino in Monaco. Was that why he was murdered?”

I corrected her.

“He died because he won and kept it from the others. In short, because he deceived them.”

“But how did they find out?” Mickey spoke up. “That too, after all this time?”

No matter how much I wanted to shield Sally Hills, I had to mention her involvement. I told them she was probably the only one who had known about Lord Basil’s win. She must have blurted it out to someone. Any number of passengers might have overheard her, even when she was talking to me.

Moishe wanted to know more about the attack on Sally. When had it happened?

“I’m not sure,” I shrugged, trying to remember every detail. “She wasn’t very forthcoming about it. I even wondered if she was bluffing.”

That made them sit up.

“Why would she do that?” Mickey argued. “The poor woman must be scared out of her wits.”

I think he had a soft spot for her because she was the Torpedo’s wife. That’s all it was. He wouldn’t dare to flirt with her.

“When, Meg?” Moishe asked again.

I frowned. “Yesterday, I think. How does it matter?”

“That’s the earliest any of the casino group found out,” Grady outlined. “This woman must have reported the attack to someone, like she did to you. She must have been overheard.”

There was another possibility. She could have told one of them herself. Either way, the casino group were the top suspects in Lord Basil’s murder.

“He let this person in,” RK mused. “So he must have known his attacker. That’s another point in favor of our theory.”

I hesitated before mentioning I had visited Basil too. Twice, in fact. He had been a bit acerbic but he had ushered us in both times. So he wasn’t very choosy about who he let in.

“Lord Basil was drunk,” I told them. “Do you think that’s relevant?”

It would dull his senses, Grady pointed out, and weaken him. Ashley asked how he had died.

“His head was bashed against the wall,” Moishe answered. “The impact killed him on the spot.”

I tried to swallow the bile that rose up in my throat. It was hard to erase the gory image that had flashed across my mind. I focused on what the way he died meant for us.

“Must have taken considerable strength.” Mickey summed it up.

RK began to list our suspects one by one.

“That bald man, Bondurant. Is he the oldest of the lot?”

I mentioned the tremor I had noticed in his hand. Bondurant was a white collar criminal who talked his way out of a tight situation. He would have convinced Lord Basil to split the money. There was no profit for him in killing Basil.

“Anne’s quite young,” Ashley said. “You think she could summon this kind of strength if she was angry?”

She was a petite woman whereas Basil cleared six feet. I shook my head.

“I don’t think so. The same goes for Valerie. She’s very frail.”

That left Babs. Nobody mentioned her. Were they trying to spare my feelings?

Moishe was concerned about the safety of the passengers. He declared he needed to go and brief his team. Security on the ship had been tightened but it hadn’t been enough. Grady got up to join him.

“Stay.”

Moishe’s not big on words. I was glad to see him go. The conversation would flow more freely in his absence. We could now discuss our more outlandish theories without fear of being ridiculed or chastened.

“What does this mean?” I asked RK. “Are we allowed to carry on our investigation?”

She gave me a look that spoke volumes, or was intended to send some silent message. I can be slow on the uptake.

“Do whatever you like, Meg. I’m out of here.”

Mickey waited until the door closed behind her.

“That means she’s giving you the green light to go sleuthing. You know she can’t officially say that.”

Ashley leaned in and patted my arm. She had guessed what was bothering me.

“Babs may have impressive upper body strength but she could never do this.”

I wanted to believe she was innocent. I really did. But would that be fair to the others?

None of us had much to offer so we split up. The others had to go back to their jobs, of course. I went back to my cabin to do some soul searching. An hour or two on the balcony didn’t give me the aha moment I was hoping for. Then it was time to get dressed. The final round of the Grandma of the Seas pageant was going to be held at the big theater that evening. RK had requested my help backstage.

It wasn’t really a request. At least it made me feel useful.

I chose a shimmery green cocktail dress and paired it with gold stilettos. Babs had made it to the final round and she would be there. On a whim, I picked up the crimson Dior dress Mom had worn for the Globes last year. It was couture and an eye catcher. Babs would look gorgeous in it. I thought it would be the perfect ice breaker.

I began to feel positive as I made my way to the theater. Twelve grandmas had been short listed for the finals, based on the cookie round. They sat before the bank of mirrors, surrounded by friends and daughters. I spotted Babs in a far corner, staring at herself in the mirror.

She wore a waffle cotton robe in pale pink and was by herself. A black dress hung on a hook and I presumed she was planning to wear that. I rushed toward her, glad I’d brought the red one.

“Hey Babs!” I beamed. “Look what I got! We’re the same size more or less. You look hot in this color.”

She barely looked at me, sparking my anxiety.

“Babs.” I placed the gown against her shoulder, trying to gauge if it would fit.

She gave a jerk to shrug me off. An olive branch wasn’t enough. I opened my mouth to apologize.

“Do you trust me at all, Meg?” she cut me off. “No. Don’t say a word. I can see your answer in your eyes.”

Now she was being unfair.

“It’s not my fault you have a strong motive,” I cried. “What’s more, you make the most likely suspect.”

I started counting on my fingers. Bondurant had a slight figure and shaky arm. Anne was short. Valerie was frail. None of them seemed like they could wrestle with a six foot man.

“So what?” she demanded. “Am I going to pay for having a toned body? If only I’d never gone to a gym …”

I put the dress down and gave a helpless shrug. She hadn’t denied being strong.

“What if one of these people hired someone else to do their dirty work?”

A contract killer? Now that was a thought. We had never considered it but anything is possible, I guess. There were hundreds of passengers on the ship. Maybe one of them could be convinced to commit murder for money. It was a fantastic idea, considering the average passenger was above sixty five and well off.

“I give up!” I flung my hands in the air and left her to her fate.

Half an hour passed quickly as I helped the other grandmas with their makeup and fetched and carried for them. I lost count of the number of ginger ales I brought. Apparently, they were all queasy before going up on stage.

I couldn’t help but evaluate all the suspects as I did the menial work. My thoughts kept coming back to Anne. She was in reasonable shape and had history with the first victim. We really needed to establish if she went back to his cabin that night. Had Grady and Ashley been able to get something more from their coworkers? And what about the day of the second murder?

Where was Anne when Lord Basil was murdered?

Chapter 26

The final round was a hoot. Mickey made it so, with his witty comebacks. The grandmas were so competitive. I’m not sure if I’d want to be like that when I’m over seventy. In a way, it’s nice to know they still have that zest for life. On the other hand, I’d like to be more Zen as I grow older. Anyhoo, the finals ended in a tie breaker. Babs and another woman were vying for the top spot, their fate hanging on the mercy of the judges. I stepped out before the big exodus.

Feast, the buffet restaurant, was buzzing with activity. An area had been cordoned off for a little celebration for the grandmas. There was a drinks table with punch and those dainty appetizers that look fancy. I picked up a lobster puff and popped it in my mouth. There were pigs in a blanket, always a hit with any age group. The bacon was drizzled with honey, a nice twist. My gaze fell on Anne, having dinner by herself. It was kismet. Reluctant to miss the opportunity, I strode toward her.

“Hello Anne!” I didn’t give her time to respond. “Where have you stashed all the cash from the casino?”

Her knife clattered to the table. At least she didn’t attack me with it. She did point her fork in my face though.

“What absolute rot! Mind what you say, my dear. I can sue you for harassment.”

It was a lame threat at best. If Anne was guilty of murder, she wasn’t going to file any lawsuit against me.

“Where were you this morning, when Lord Basil died? Can anyone vouch for you?”

“Go ahead and arrest me.”

This was a different side of Anne. The woman I’d met before was a scaredy cat. She measured her words and was careful not to hurt anyone. Where had this new confidence sprung from?

She had called my bluff. I had no authority to take any action against her so I whirled around and walked away. It was time to admit defeat.

I almost walked into Grady. His arms came up to grab mine.

“Meg!” He laughed. “Watch where you’re going.”

At that moment, I wanted to fling myself in his arms and stay there. But I didn’t want to send any wrong messages. Now if this was Mickey, I wouldn’t have held back. Go figure!

I asked if he was hungry. He heard my plea and suggested going for a walk. We walked on a lower deck that wasn’t bursting with people. The waves were closer and they soothed me a bit. Grady was worried since I never walk away from dinner.

“Wanna catch a movie on the Lido Deck?” he suggested after a while. “They have popcorn.”

That didn’t sound bad. I relented and let him lead the way. We could always go back to the buffet. It was open twenty four hours for a reason.

It was a cold night. Fried Green Tomatoes was playing on the giant screen in the sky. I had never watched the whole movie before. All I remembered was two women in a nursing home, talking about another woman in their past. Or so I thought. I chose a couple of empty chairs, glad to cover my legs with a blanket.

Grady brought the popcorn.

“Fried Green Tomatoes!” he exclaimed, looking up at the screen. “It’s a classic. A bit dark though, huh?”

I munched on the popcorn, trying to follow the dialog on screen. It was a portion I had never seen before. Grady was quiet. Either he was also engrossed in the movie, or he was giving me some space.

“What a jerk!” I burst out after a while. “One of my foster dads was like that. He fed us well but he ran his poor wife ragged.”

Grady admitted he’d come across men like that. The stormy look in his eyes hinted he wasn’t telling me the whole thing. Had one of his family suffered from such treatment?

“Why should one person try to control another?” It was a rhetoric question. “Live and let live.”

My hackles rose as I said this and I felt the hair on my arm rise. I needed a moment to gather myself and make sense of what had happened.

“We need to go now!” I sprang up, barely conscious of the tub of spilled popcorn.

Grady followed me to the elevator without a single question. We rode down to the atrium. I wanted Mickey and Ashley with me when I voiced the horrible thought that had occurred to me.

As luck would have it, we ran into them the moment we stepped out.

“We were coming to find you,” Ashley cried. “You don’t look so good, Meg.”

I took her hand and pulled her into an alcove. Mickey tackled me the moment we sat down.

“Speak up, Megs. What are you thinking?”

He wasn’t going to like it.

“We all idolize someone,” I began, hesitant. “But how much do we know them? Like Ashley was a big fan of Noah Campbell but he turned out to be a crook.”

Ashley told me I was wrong. We already knew Campbell had not won at the casino. So he hadn’t stolen from anyone.

“Yeah, yeah.” I nodded. “I just wanted to give an example.”

Mickey told me to stop talking in riddles.

“Lord Basil thought a lot of himself, right?” I began again. “He told me Sally was coming on to him. But what if it was the opposite? What if he was the one hitting on her?”

It wasn’t a stretch since she was beautiful and Basil was a powerful man who felt entitled to whatever took his fancy.

“Where is this going?” Mickey frowned.

I swallowed a lump and forged ahead. Basil must have flirted with Sally in Monaco. What if her husband had seen it and flown into a rage? The Torpedo bided his time and taught Lord Basil a lesson.

Mickey was shaking his head, red in the face.

“Do you know what you’re saying? The Torpedo has a cult following. Millions worship him.”

That didn’t mean he wasn’t possessive. Ashley sided with me.

“We’ve seen how he treats his wife. Poor woman is like a slave, afraid of every word that comes out of his mouth.”

Grady stepped in.

“Let’s assume you’re right, Meg. But who killed Noah Campbell in that case? And if the Torpedo attacked Lord Basil in a fit of anger as you say, why did he wait so long?”

I’d never thought of that. It was almost a week since we’d been in Monaco. Something must have happened to trigger him.

“Sally was attacked,” Ashley reminded us. “Right?”

Mickey had been quiet after his initial outburst.

“The Torpedo must have put a lid on it all this time.” he reasoned. “But the fresh attack made him flare up.”

It seemed a bit plausible but I admitted there were a lot of holes in our theory. We needed to find out where the Torpedo was when Lord Basil died.

“Can we sleep on it?” Ashley yawned. “I don’t know about you guys but I’m starving. The gift shop was so busy I couldn’t even grab a snack.”

None of us had actually had a proper meal that day so we decided to go to the buffet. Grady looked worried and I noticed he was continuously spanning the area around us.

“We have to brief RK and Moishe tomorrow.” He sighed. “But no more talk of crime tonight.”

Nobody objected to that.

We filled plates and bowls at the buffet and settled at a large table in the center of the room. I ate a bowl of Tom Kha soup before moving on to salmon in a red curry. Ashley and Mickey were eating a Hawaiian pizza while Grady chose barbecued ribs.

“You were good tonight,” I praised Mickey. “The audience was laughing till their sides ached.”

“So I can be a stand up comedian once I’m done with the cruising life?” he beamed, pleased by the compliment.

We talked about the pageant. Ashley wanted to know who had won.

“Babs won the tie breaker,” Mickey told us. “She didn’t look too happy though.”

I felt guilty for not waiting till the end.

“How did they resolve it?” I wondered.

We all burst out laughing when Mickey told us what the judges came up with.

“Neither finalist met their first condition. Both have been married more than once. It came down to who has their original body parts intact. The other woman was disqualified because she wore dentures.”

I dug my fork into a six layer red velvet cake. Babs was Grandma of the Seas and I was happy for her.

Mickey surprised me.

“Watch your back, Meg. You mean more to me than any basketball player.”

Chapter 27

I couldn’t sleep that night. Ashley was out as soon as her head touched the pillow, exhausted by a hard day. It wasn’t right to disturb her. The sky had lightened at the horizon and a few ribbons of orange had appeared when I dozed off. The bedside phone trilled a few seconds later, waking me from deep slumber.

Ashley was gone and my little travel clock showed I had grabbed a few hours of sleep after all. I was still groggy when I answered the phone.

“Hello.”

“Can you come to the gym now?” Grady sounded close.

Stifling a big yawn, I told him I would need ten minutes. Dragging my feet to the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face and pulled on my exercise gear. Grady knocked before I rinsed with some mouthwash.

“What’s the plan?” I asked, as we made our way to the elevator.

A little bird had told him about the Torpedo’s fitness regime. He began his day with a grueling two hour workout. This was our chance to question him.

We found him on his back, doing bench presses. My eyebrows shot up at the amount of weight he was lifting very easily. Almost three hundred pounds.

Grady handed me a ten pound dumb bell and began to illustrate a simple exercise. I tried to emulate him, grunting every time I lifted it.

“Come on, Meg.” Grady pushed. “Gimme three more.”

“I can’t,” I cried, flinging them to the floor.

We hadn’t rehearsed any of this. The idea was to gain the Torpedo’s attention and it wasn’t very difficult. Grady told me to pick the weights off the floor and begin a new set.

“You won’t lose those love handles unless you sweat it out, Meg.”

Love handles? I would make him pay later.

The Torpedo ambled toward us and stood beside Grady, arms folded, a cocky grin painted on his face.

“You need to work smarter, kid,” he butted in. “Not harder. I can give you a few tips.”

This was the time to encourage him.

“Really? Do you hear that, Grady? The Torpedo’s offering to help me shape up. Can I look as gorgeous as your wife, Sir?”

“Sure!” he smiled. “But you’ll have to lay off the carbs, okay? No bread, pasta or dessert. And absolutely no fried food.”

My eyes threatened to bulge with horror but I controlled myself in time.

“Is that what you tell Sally?”

He took it as a compliment. His chest puffed up as he outlined the stringent restrictions he had placed on his wife.

“Sally’s on a strict diet. But she sticks to it because the reward is worth it.”

I thought he was talking about her figure but I was wrong. Apparently, the Torpedo paid money.

“She gets a two carat diamond every time she loses five pounds.”

Yes, but she was virtually a slave. Were the rocks worth it? I didn’t allow myself time to ponder over that.

“I do have my share of admirers.” I thrust one hip forward and placed a hand on it, my favorite power pose. It had never failed to get me results. “Lord Basil said I’m very pretty, like a princess. He’s the perfect gentleman.” I gushed. “And so handsome.”

As expected, the Torpedo’s ego couldn’t handle that.

“That fat ass!! He’s got a forty inch waist and a bad knee.”

I fluttered my eyelashes and acted surprised.

“You know Lord Basil?”

He gave a shrug and spread his hands wide. Basil had asked for his autograph once. That’s all he knew about the man.

“And you must give out dozens every day,” I nodded. “How do you remember all of them?”

Grady complimented him on his memory.

Sally joined us then, her hair still wet from the shower. The Torpedo’s arm snaked around her waist and pulled her close with a jerk, with a little more force than necessary.

“Hey babe!” He planted a kiss on her head. “Great workout.”

For some reason, Sally was avoiding my eye. Clearly, she wanted to hide how well she knew me.

“What were you doing yesterday morning, around noon?” Grady asked suddenly. “We needed an extra judge for the pageant.”

The Torpedo didn’t evade the question or get defensive. He told us he’d been in his cabin with his wife.

My eyes swung toward her, an eyebrow quirked.

“Is that so?”

She gave a pause, then nodded.

“Oh yes, we were both back in our cabin.”

There wasn’t much to say after that. The couple left after the Torpedo warned me to skip the bread and pasta. We leaned against the wall of the gym and watched them go.

“I don’t believe her.”

Grady agreed with me but we couldn’t do much about the situation. We had made an error in talking to Sally in front of her husband.

“Sally will never contradict anything he says.” I sighed. “Game over.”

It was time to go to RK and admit defeat.

Grady offered to accompany me but I declined. This was my failure and I needed to own up to it. I didn’t want Grady to suffer any repercussions.

We parted at the atrium, agreeing to meet for breakfast in an hour. It was early in the day but RK was in her office, buried under a mountain of work.

“I give up!” I flopped on the chair before her, feeling like a loser.

She pulled her glasses off her nose and told me to take her through everything step by step.

“So you see?” I summed up. “Our top suspect has an unshakeable alibi.”

She wanted to know how much I believed in the Torpedo’s guilt.

“I’m spiraling, aren’t I?” I had let my prejudices enter a decision that should have been based on pure evidence. “I got nothing.”

RK deftly changed the subject.

“We have an awards function for the Grandma of the Seas pageant. You’ll be there.”

She wasn’t asking, of course. I gave her a nod and stepped out.

“Babs won!” she called out. “Have you congratulated her yet?”

Another not so subtle hint. One I didn’t need because I was looking forward to making amends. I was used to spending time with Babs every day, sharing the little things. We’d been at odds almost since we started on this Trans Atlantic stretch and I missed her.

I had another mountain to scale before I met the others. Moishe had never been my big fan. I expected a big rebuke and squared my shoulders as I knocked on his door.

“Come in, Meg.”

The cat Typhoon sat in the middle of the table, on a stack of papers. She turned her back on me. Moishe picked her up and set her down somewhere near his feet.

“I’m sorry,” I rushed ahead. “I guess I got overconfident.”

He told me all was not lost yet.

“It’s not like you to admit defeat.” He stroked his beard. “Give it some time.”

It was no use since the Torpedo’s wife was vouching for him. That made him smile.

“Did you consider she may be lying?”

Of course I had. And she most probably was. But how was I going to prove it?

“We have started going through the security footage. It might yield something.”

Moishe was going out on a limb to help me. That gave me a second wind. I needed to rest my mind a bit, distract myself.

“Thank you.” I beamed. “I’m late for a breakfast date.”

Chapter 28

Mickey was working on a stack of banana walnut pancakes. I placed an order for my cheese omelet and sat before him. Ashley and Grady arrived at once.

“Here.” Mickey pushed his plate toward me. “Have a bite. You look pale.”

I told them about my meetings with RK and Moishe.

“Your boss is acting nice,” I said to Grady. “I wonder why.”

Grady told me he wasn’t a bad man. He was responsible for every passenger and crew member and took the responsibility very seriously.

Ashley had to get back soon. She got a bagel and a slice of quiche from the buffet and started gobbling it down.

“It’s our last day at sea, Meg. We’ll be in Barbados tomorrow. I think you’ve done enough.”

Mickey proposed having dinner together and hitting a crew party.

“Sounds like a plan.” I gave in.

I buttered some toast and ate my omelet, listening to the others chat about nothing in particular. Mickey was going to conduct the awards ceremony for the pageant.

“You coming?” he asked.

I held up my cup of coffee. “You go ahead. I’m going to sit back and enjoy this.”

I sipped my coffee and closed my eyes, trying to savor the rich flavor. Everyone put this stress on my making the most of the cruise.

There was a scraping noise as the chair before me was pulled back and someone sat down with a thud. I opened my eyes and stared at a man I had never noticed in the past few months. But I realized who he was.

Luminous brown eyes twinkled at me from beneath long lashes. He peeled the layers off a croissant and smiled at me.

“Howdy!”

I tipped my head, unsure how to respond. Was he going to ask for money?

“You’ve filled out.” He smiled, revealing two perfect dimples. “And you look cute, almost pretty.”

A lot of people milled around, lingering over their breakfast. And the crew was never far away. He wouldn’t dare hurt me, I reminded myself.

“Thanks?” I grumbled. “Did your mother teach you to pay random compliments to strange women?”

He shook his head from side to side, his eyes growing troubled.

“I never knew her, Meg. At least, I don’t remember her at all. Just like you.”

He picked up his croissant again and tore off another small piece. My gaze landed on a stub attached to his pinky. A sixth finger! Where had I seen it before?

“Do I know you?”

He dropped the roll he was eating, his mouth settling in a pout.

“Of course you do, Meg Butler. Little Tootsie Roll!”

Only one person in the whole world had ever called me that. My skin tingled and my eyebrows shot up as a repressed memory from long ago surfaced suddenly. A ramshackle three story house that was always dark, watery oatmeal that served as dinner and the smell of stale booze hanging in the air. It wasn’t the worst place I lived in. At least I had a roof over my head and a guardian angel in the form of a scrawny sixteen year old boy who shielded me from the resident ogre.

“Walker!” I cried. “You saved my hide dozens of times.”

He probably had the scars to prove it.

“Look where we are now, hunh?” He spread his arms wide, bringing me back to earth.

Had he been on the Grand Voyager all this time? Why had our paths never crossed before this? I fired a volley of questions at him. He crumbled his roll, staring down at his plate, a smile on his lips.

“I thought you were ignoring me on purpose.” He admitted. “Not that I blame you. We lived through some pretty dark times. I guess you want to shut out that part of your life.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong.

“You were the bright spot, though, Walker. I’m so grateful for everything you did for me.” I was sincere. “Thank you for watching over me.”

His face clouded.

“We were brother and sister, Meg. I felt responsible for you.”

A lump rose in my throat and I blinked back tears. Memories from those days were flooding back.

“I appreciate what you did for me, bro. Now more than ever.”

“That’s one more reason why I kept my distance, Tootsie.”

He had given me that name all those years ago. A sense of foreboding made me sit up. Walker was the guy Grady had talked about, I was sure.

“A man’s been on your tail for a long time, but don’t you worry. I’m keeping an eye on him.”

To say I was speechless would be an understatement. I thanked him, saying I had to be somewhere and headed to the theater.

It was barely 10:30 but the theater was packed. There were a lot of minor awards like best talent, best swimsuit etc., along with the main prize. Babs looked radiant as the captain placed the sash around her head, proclaiming her Grandma of the Seas. The applause was generous.

I had been helping out backstage and rushed to embrace her. Hugging Babs was like placing my arms around a wall of stone. She was cold, to say the least.

“Will you ever forgive me?” I pleaded.

Mickey patted my arm and gave a nod, subtly encouraging me to pull away. RK watched from the wings, her face scrunched. At least she couldn’t say I hadn’t tried.

There was one more special event for the grandmas, a sundae bar. It had been set up on the Lido Deck. Groups of contestants stood before the elevators, still debating who should have won. Mickey and I left the crowd and rode a service elevator to the top.

“What’s the max number of toppings you’ve had on your sundae?” he quizzed. “Bet you can’t do more than a dozen.”

He had no idea.

The cruise line had gone all out again to make all the contestants feel special. Not only did the fancy desserts look good, they cost north of twenty bucks otherwise. RK appeared beside us and congratulated Mickey.

“You handled everything really well. The captain was impressed.”

Mickey’s face split in a wide grin. They embraced. RK told him he was exceeding expectations.

“Does that mean I’m up for a promotion soon?”

With a roll of her eyes, RK walked away.

“Hear that?” Mickey crowed. “The boss is happy. This deserves a celebration.”

I pointed at the big sundae counter.

“Let’s get in line then.”

The crew members dishing out the sundaes were experts. Half the people around us had already grabbed seats and were digging into the frozen treats.

I spotted Sally Hills a few places ahead of us. How had she managed to sneak in? Her number came up just as I reached her.

“Hey there.” The server greeted her like an old friend and pointed at the sample treats lined up on the counter. “Which one you want to try today?”

His name was Pedro and he was from Brazil. I’d met him at a crew party once or twice.

Sally hadn’t seen me yet. She pointed at the biggest one, festooned with sprinkles, drenched in caramel, with chunks of chocolate bars on top. I could see at least five different colors of ice cream in the glass. I don’t know if Sally knew it, but she was about to consume over two thousand calories at once.

“You like peanut butter monster?” Pedro asked, scooping ice creams and toppings into a frosted glass.

Sally muttered a thank you, took the sundae and swept past me toward the exit, her eyes on the floor. I don’t think she saw me.

Mickey and I were going to share. Pedro greeted us like old friends.

“Hey man!” he did some kind of fist bump with Mickey. “You the blue eyed angel Grandmas are talking about?”

We laughed. They must have meant blue eyed devil.

Pedro asked what we wanted. I pointed at the same dessert Sally had chosen.

“I’m crazy about ice cream,” I confessed. “We both are.”

He gave me a funny look. Did he expect me to say I was crazy about Mickey too?

“Ice cream is an obsession.” Mickey played with my hand. “Do you see a lot of the same passengers?”

Pedro nodded, pouring hot fudge over our tower of ice cream.

“That lady who was here?” he pointed toward the exit. “Comes to my counter before noon every day and gets one of these.”

I held my breath. Was he saying Sally dared to indulge in a monster sundae every day? That was impossible.

“You know what’s more weird?” Pedro continued. “She stares at the clock and eats really fast, but only half.” He paused, waiting for a reaction from us. “Then she puts the rest in the trash.”

That was very specific behavior, the kind that got stuck in the minds of the crew. Pedro couldn’t have mistaken Sally for anyone else.

Mickey asked why he didn’t wrap up the ice cream for her.

“She can take the glass, no? Maid will pick it up.”

Mickey gave me a nudge and we left the line after picking up our dessert. The ladies behind us were getting antsy.

We stood around a tall table, digging our spoons in. I took a few very large bites and got brain freeze.

“My teeth hurt,” Mickey complained. “They need to tone down the sugar in this.”

The only people who I’d actually seen eat these desserts were teenagers or young couples. And there were precious few of those on the ship.

I’m not shy about what I eat but even I couldn’t help feeling uneasy after eating the giant vat of sugar. I flung my spoon down.

“That’s it. I think I might throw up.”

Mickey had already given up.

“It has shock value, that’s all. I think it’s the thought of eating something outrageous that makes people buy these.”

There was a buzzing in my brain. What had Pedro said?

“That’s why Sally Hills eats them every morning. Before noon!” I widened my eyes, waiting for Mickey to catch on.

“So she wasn’t in the room with the Torpedo.”

We abandoned our half eaten dessert and ran to the elevators. Moishe needed to know this.

We got off at the atrium and rushed to RK’s office by habit. I wanted to get her opinion first. And yes, I wanted her to be the one to tell Moishe. No harm in having a buffer when you’re going out on a limb.

“Does this sound farfetched?” I shuddered to a stop and tried to catch my breath.

Mickey told me to take deep breaths.

“No Megs! You’re on the right track.”

Chapter 29

RK was eating ice cream, a sensible single scoop of vanilla with no toppings.

“This is going straight to my hips,” she groaned. “But I couldn’t control myself.”

Mickey told her she wouldn’t look any less gorgeous, making her blush.

Impatient, I blurted out everything. RK gave me a blank look.

“What? I didn’t get any of that.”

Mickey nudged me toward a chair and told me to sit. He began to explain everything we had just discovered, only in a calmer manner.

“Yes, that.” I murmured.

RK sprung into action. Moishe was the first person she called. He arrived ten minutes later with Grady and two other guys who stood outside.

Moishe and RK came to a decision without saying a single word. He gave a nod to the two men outside and they left. I presumed they would go and get Sally.

I was right.

RK told her to sit. There was no empty chair so guess who got up and stood against the wall? Yours truly, of course. Mickey and Grady kept me company.

Sally had her back toward me but I could see her tremble. The poor girl was in panic mode. I didn’t feel much sympathy for her since she had lied to me. Lied to all of us, in fact.

“You know there have been two unfortunate deaths on the ship since we left Monaco?” Moishe began.

Sally didn’t respond so he forged ahead.

“If you know anything about them, this is the time to speak up. You have been an accessory to these crimes, Madam. But I might recommend the authorities to go easy on you if you help us.”

Sally broke down and began to sob. RK stood up and went to her.

“Now, sweetie. Crying won’t help you. This is the time to tell us the truth.”

She pulled out a tissue from a box on the table and handed it to the weeping woman. Sally blew her nose and stopped bawling.

“Were you in your room yesterday morning?” RK asked softly. “Especially after 11 AM?”

Sally gave me a swift look over her shoulder.

“He means well, you know. David. It’s just that he’s a fitness freak.”

He was a freak alright. Of a different kind.

The story that unfolded was bizarre. David Hills, the Torpedo, went to the main dining room for lunch. Sally was forbidden from eating there or at the buffet because she couldn’t control herself. He thought it was best that she ate in the cabin.

“He orders a salad for me. It’s lettuce and some chicken with a dressing of lemon juice. No oil.”

That’s all she was expected to eat until evening. It wasn’t a stretch of imagination to think her dinner would be similar. Maybe he allowed her a piece of steamed fish.

“Let me get this straight,” I butted in, tired of being a silent spectator. “You’re supposed to sit in the cabin all by yourself and eat this boring salad. Day in and day out, every day.”

Sally bobbed her head in assent.

“But you don’t do that.” I winked.

There was a big pause, after which she began speaking in a low voice.

“No. The cabin steward helps me. He brings the salad to my room at the given time. David doesn’t leave until he comes.”

Sally would take a bite in front of her husband, after which the cabin steward transferred it to another plate and took it away. They left an empty soiled plate in the room, to make it look like she ate the whole thing.

She was quite enterprising for a girl who appeared so timid.

Sally would rush to the specialty ice cream shop and order a sundae, keeping a sharp eye on the clock. She ate as much as possible until she had to get back. When the Torpedo returned to the cabin, at roughly the same time each day, she would be there to welcome him back with a smile.

“But you’re so thin!” I cried, marveling at her toned body.

“I just have a good metabolism,” she replied with a shrug.

RK darted a look at me, signaling me to be quiet. Moishe picked up where I’d left off.

“Did you follow the same routine yesterday?”

“Yes.” Sally gave a firm reply. “But I couldn’t say that before David. He will kill me for disobeying him.”

She was finally speaking up against the tyrant. I wanted to do a little happy dance. Moishe was more collected, of course.

“Let me get this straight, Madam. Are you saying your husband is capable of murder?”

Sally backtracked. I mean, she stared at her feet and refused to answer. Moishe and RK threw a few more questions at her without any success.

“When did Lord Basil start flirting with you?” I poked the bear. “Did your husband know right away?”

There was another minute or two of silence. I thought we had hit a wall again. But Sally sat up suddenly and began to speak.

“It all began in Monaco.” She looked up at RK and asked for some water.

Mickey opened the small fridge RK had in her room and pulled out a bottle of mineral water. Sally opened the cap and guzzled half of it.

“We were on the ramp, boarding the ship. David asked what I meant by hugging another man.” She took a deep breath. “I explained the man had won a big jackpot and embraced me in all the excitement because I was standing next to him. It was a spur of the moment thing.”

That must not have gone down well.

“He asked if I could identify the cad. I told him I hadn’t got a good look at him and didn’t even remember what he looked like.”

Had she met the man again, Moishe probed. Sally shook her head.

“Are you sure?” I pressed, earning a frown from RK.

Sally had nothing more to add so Moishe asked his men to escort her back to her cabin.

“You’ll keep an eye on her though?” I quizzed.

Moishe answered with one of his mournful looks. She hadn’t done anything wrong and there was no connection with Noah Campbell. He had no choice but to let her go.

RK thought we all needed a breather. She picked up the phone on her desk and ordered coffee and something to eat.

Mickey and Grady had managed to acquire a few chairs and we finally had a place to sit. I was glad because my feet were beginning to ache. But my need for fresh air was greater. I slipped out without a word to anyone and took the stairs down to Deck 3. There weren’t many people around and I stood at the railing, breathing in large lungfuls of the salty air.

I went over everything Sally had told us. We had to be missing something. There must be some connection between Noah, Lord Basil and Sally. She hadn’t mentioned either of them by name. But Noah and Basil were both part of the casino group. And both of them had supposedly won the jackpot. A germ of an idea began to form in my mind. I closed my eyes to concentrate, coming up with a plausible theory. I sped up the stairs to RK’s office, promising myself a foot massage at the spa if I was right.

“You better have something for us.” RK grumbled, stirring sugar in her coffee.

Mickey handed me a cup. I dunked a chocolate chip cookie in it and ate the whole thing, trying their patience. Moishe cleared his throat, pinning me with a stare.

“I may be wrong.” I began with a disclaimer. “Sally told us her husband flipped because a strange man embraced her.”

RK told me the man’s identity was unknown.

“Yes,” I agreed. “But she let it slip that he won the jackpot.”

Sally had been trying to protect the man, afraid of what the Torpedo might do.

Then the rumor about the casino winner began. There was discord within the group and the grapevine branded Noah Campbell as the winner. The poor man denied it until he was hoarse but nobody believed him.

“David Hill found out, of course,” I suggested. “And he taught the poor man a lesson.”

Moishe told us they would check the security footage for David Hill’s whereabouts that night. He told me to continue.

“A new set of rumors began,” I shrugged. “This time, Lord Basil was touted as the winner. Also, there was an attack on Sally.”

The Torpedo must have confronted Basil. We all knew the outcome of that conversation.

“I can take it from here, Meg.” Moishe turned to Grady. “You stick to her until we know more.”

Mickey looked torn. He gave RK a pleading look. She relented and told him to take the next few hours off.

“If anything happens to Meg, I’ll make you walk the plank,” she warned.

I had my very own body guards. Ashley was going to be so jealous.

Epilogue

The sky was ablaze in shades of vibrant orange. The sun hung over the horizon, giving us a last glimpse before it set for the day. I sat at the bar on the Lido Deck, cradling a pina colada. We were nearing the Caribbean and the bartender was already offering drinks with island flavor.

I’d spent the day with Mickey, playing mini golf and shuffle board, eating half pound cheeseburgers and soaking in the tub. We went to the dining room for high tea, just because neither of us had experienced it before. Grady joined us. He had news.

Once the security team knew what they were looking for, it hadn’t taken long to gather the evidence. Moishe had put his best men on reviewing all the footage from the cameras. David Hills had been spotted on Noah Campbell’s deck on the night in question. One of the crew members had seen him enter the cabin.

According to the staff in the main dining room, David had not appeared for lunch on the day Lord Basil died. He had been spotted at three different places and times, establishing a clear path to Basil’s room. Moishe had put him in the brig. The Torpedo had not confessed. I didn’t expect him to. But the authorities would take over when we reached port.

The breeze brought a whiff of rich perfume and I whirled around, looking for the wearer of the familiar scent. Babs climbed up on the stool next to me. She was dressed to the nines, wearing a black dress with sequins, with ropes of pearls around her neck. Her skin glowed from all that time in the sun. The look in her eyes was contrite.

“You look nice.” I ventured, a sliver of hope rising within me.

“It’s formal night. We’re taking pictures.”

Oh yeah. Ashley had mentioned that. She wanted all of us to pose like passengers and have the official photographer capture our images for eternity. All these months on the Grand Voyager and none of us had thought of that. Everyone had agreed readily. Even RK. That’s why I wore a vintage designer number that had belonged to my mom.

“We’ll be in Barbados tomorrow.” I was just making small talk. “Have you been there before?”

Of course she had. Several times.

“Don’t forget we signed up for the snorkeling.”

“Does that mean you forgive me?” I asked outright.

Babs opened her arms and I fell into them, surprised at the tears rolling down my face. She had come to mean a lot to me and I’d missed her.

“You’re blubbering,” Babs complained. “Don’t spoil my makeup, kid. Took me an hour to put it on.”

Babs never used makeup. We laughed and signaled the bartender for a fresh round of drinks.

It was like we had never been apart. I was glad the rift between us was history. Babs was enjoying the limelight as Grandma of the Seas and had become an instant celebrity across the ship. People wanted to take pictures with her. Crew members offered special treats wherever she went. It wasn’t much fun without me tagging along, she said. That was her way of saying she missed me. We both agreed we’d been fools and apologized again. All was well.

“I gotta go.” She ate the chunk of pineapple off the little umbrella toothpick some time later and planted a kiss on my forehead. “You kids have fun.”

It was early and I had half an hour to kill before meeting up with the others at the atrium. The bartender offered me another drink but I declined, wanting to keep a clear head. A walk seemed like a good idea.

The deck was almost deserted. It was that time of the day when the sun worshippers left to get ready for dinner. The movie watchers wouldn’t be out until it got dark.

I walked toward the stern at a leisurely pace, marveling at the vibrant mosaic that was the sky. At times like these, I really wish I could paint. The frothy wake stretched behind the ship, drawing me into its vortex. I lost track of time, my mind flitting over a dozen different thoughts. Would I look good in the pictures? Where would Grandma Anna display it back home? What was Mom doing? Should I accept the role to play her younger version in the superhero movie? Was snorkeling the best use of my time in Barbados?

I almost didn’t hear the footsteps announcing someone’s arrival. Ashley must have come up to get me, or was it Mickey? I whirled around and stared into the pair of icy blue eyes that haunted my dreams. Eyes that suck your soul, Ash had said. I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out.

My stalker was ten feet away, but the triumph on his face was unmistakable. He had finally managed to corner me, his quarry. I blinked, belatedly noticing the gun in his hands. A shot rang out. I felt my knees buckle and everything went black.

*

Enjoying cruising the world on the Grand Voyager, solving mysteries? Stay tuned for more in Midnight Bullet, the next book in the series.

.

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to everyone who helped bring this book to life. I am grateful for your help and really appreciate it. I would like to specially mention those amazing people who take the time to leave a review or a comment on social media. You help other readers discover my books which makes a big difference. Please do keep the messages and emails coming because they inspire me to write more.

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