psychic crystal 03 - killer cruise (12 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Juliette and Kate sat on chairs out on the balcony of Kate’s suite, watching the waves created by the ship’s wake. Juliette had hardly slept last night. Dark restless thoughts of the past had invaded her mind. No wonder she was exhausted.

Kate closed the bestseller she was reading, marked her place, and balanced the book on her lap.

“The view is amazing, but I feel like a prisoner,” lamented Kate. “We’re trapped on this ship, and Jack and Will won’t let us out of their sight.”

“How do you think I feel, being trapped in my cabin with the oversexed police chief? He won’t stop touching me. I know this togetherness is for our own protection, but any minute now I’m going to jump out of my skin.”

“I thought he might grow on you, being in such close quarters.”

“Too close. Of course they gave us a king-sized bed, since we’re on our ‘honeymoon.’ That is more than awkward. And he is plying me with bottles of wine in our cabin, compliments of the captain. It’s not that I don’t find him attractive. I find him too attractive. But he tries to take liberties every chance he gets.”

“Jack told me he finds you irresistible. That it was a curse. What did he mean by that?”

“Oh, nothing. Just men talking.”

“They think we’re helpless,” objected Kate, who held on to her hat to keep it from blowing away in the breeze.

“We’re far from it,” Juliette stated. “In fact, if we wanted to, we could easily get away from them.”

“What do you have in mind, jumping overboard?”

“Nothing that drastic. A simple slipaway spell. We’d be gone and they’d never even realize it.”

“Can you really do that?”

“Yes, and so can you.”

“It won’t hurt them, will it? I’m kind of attached to my husband.”

“I wish I weren’t attached to mine, but no, it’ll knock them out for a while, but they won’t remember a thing.”

Juliette reached into her beach bag and brought out a small pouch. From it she took a handful of tiny square crystals resembling sugar cubes. She placed them on top of Kate’s book in a circular pattern and recited a chant, which she asked Kate to repeat. Gathering up the crystals, she opened the glass door into the cabin, walked to the coffeepot, and chirped sweetly, “Would you gentlemen like some coffee?”

Jack and Will, seated in chairs across from the bed, turned to her eagerly.

“I’d love some, Juliette,” Jack said.

“Me too, angel face.”

Juliette cringed.

“Coming right up.” Juliette prepared two cups of coffee and slipped a pinch of the crystals into each man’s cup. She brought the cups and saucers over to where Will and Jack were seated.

“Fair warning,” she said. “It’s pretty strong.”

“Just like I like it, sugar.” Will swatted her behind.

Juliette smiled sweetly. “Exactly.”

Kate followed Juliette into the cabin.

Jack raised his coffee cup and drank it. Will did the same.

“Delicious,” Jack said. “Juliette, you make the best coffee. We’ll have to find out the brand and get it at home.”

“Thank you, Jack. I think everything just tastes better on the open ocean. The sea increases your appetite.”

Will winked at her. Then his jaw went slack and the empty cup slipped out of his hands and into Juliette’s waiting ones.

Jack stared at Kate through vacant eyes. He held the cup, but he was barely conscious.

Juliette removed Jack’s cup and placed the china on the table by the sink.

Jack’s head lolled listlessly and came to rest on the back of the chair. Will was slumped over.

“Juliette, are you sure they’re all right?”

“They’re in la-la land, and when they wake up, we’ll be back. For them, no time will have passed at all. Let’s get out while we have a chance.”

“How long do we have?”

“Oh, several hours, at least,” Juliette said. “Let’s make the most of it.”

Juliette and Kate picked up their handbags and walked out of the room like the two co-conspirators they were. They walked down the hall and got on the elevator.

“Where to?” Kate asked.

Juliette pushed the button for the fifth floor. “Back to the scene of the crime.”

When they arrived at the gallery, yellow crime scene tape still crisscrossed the opening, but Juliette managed to get around it and held the tape up for her daughter.

“Didn’t you say Jack received a report that all of the paintings we saw were stolen?”

“Yes, I was right. None of the heists was recent, though, so our thief and probable murderer sat on them for a long time. And he circulated the picture I drew of Wade Randall and didn’t get a hit. We thought maybe the killer was an established art dealer, but that turned out to be a dead end.”

The women returned to the spot where they had first met “Wade Randall.”

“I still can’t understand how he got these paintings on board and how he thinks he’s going to offload them. The whole crew is looking for him.”

“Perhaps he had some help,” Juliette suggested. “Maybe the gallery manager, Pierre Dumas, is cooperating with our thief. I didn’t like the look of him.”

“That makes perfect sense,” Kate reasoned. “Or it could be one of the crew. Wade could have bribed someone to help him. The captain is checking the crew and passenger manifests. Pierre Dumas claims there were no paintings hidden behind the paintings in the frames, but I think we need to recheck them ourselves, right now.”

“I wouldn’t have any idea how to do that,” Juliette said.

“I do. In the gallery where I used to work, we were called on to do everything from framing to sales.”

Kate began the tedious process of checking, painting by painting, to see if anyone had tampered with the frames. “I have a feeling we’re overlooking the obvious. That the answer is right in front of us.”

“Aren’t we docking in Bermuda tomorrow?” Juliette wondered.

“Yes, and you know the killer will be disembarking, too. He won’t want to stay on the ship. We’re on the island for two nights. If he does decide to stay on the ship after it leaves Bermuda, then he’ll offload the paintings on the island and have them mailed somewhere. Jack has alerted the police in Bermuda. I don’t see how this man can get away.”

“He’ll only become more dangerous and enraged if he’s cornered, like a wild animal that’s trapped,” Juliette predicted. “We really shouldn’t be here alone. No one knows we’re here, and he could return at any moment.”

“I’m not finished checking these canvases,” Kate said, working furiously, moving from painting to painting. “So far, I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.”

“I doubt he left something so valuable here,” Juliette said. “Not at a crime scene. But he may be planning to come back during the auction.”

“That would be very risky.”

“I have known many evil men, and to them, risk is thrilling, part of the game.”

Juliette checked her watch. “It’s been several hours. We’d better be getting back to the cabin. Jack and Will may be waking up soon.”

The women left the gallery and took the elevator back up to Kate’s cabin. When they arrived, Jack and Will were still sleeping off the effects of the slipaway spell.

Kate nudged Jack. “Jack, get up.”

Juliette lifted Will’s head. “Okay, cowboy, time to get up.”

Will stirred and came awake. “Juliette?”

“Kate and I are hungry. How about taking us down to the dining room for dinner?”

Jack got up from his chair.

“I’m starving. Let’s go. I must be more tired than I thought. I think I fell asleep.”

“Me too,” said Will. “What have you girls been up to? Working on your tans on the balcony?”

Kate and Juliette looked at each other. Both women were dark-skinned, both had been labeled mysterious-looking, and neither tanned easily.

“That’s exactly what we’ve been doing,” Juliette said.

Chapter Sixteen

The two couples arrived at the dining room and were seated by the window at a table for four. Most of the passengers had already eaten, and the dining room was almost empty.

“What a lovely view,” said Juliette, looking at all the sparkly lights out the picture window as she opened her menu. The server poured each of them a glass of water and asked if they’d like anything else to drink. Will and Jack ordered beers, and the women decided on a sweet white wine—a Moscato d’Asti.

“What looks good?” Jack asked.

“Everything,” said Kate. “I think I’ll start with a bowl of the Bermuda fish chowder, since we’re going to be in port tomorrow. It will get me in the mood. Then I’ll have the Cornish game hen.”

Juliette ordered the roast chicken. Will and Jack each ordered a twelve-ounce bone-in ribeye.

“So, Jack, what’s next on our agenda?” Will asked, closing his menu.

“After dinner, we’ll stop by and check on the conference. They’re having an unscheduled night meeting. But the captain has assured me that other than the usual verbal disagreements, everything is quiet on the banking front. We’re docking at the Heritage Wharf cruise ship terminal at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda first thing in the morning, and Kate and Juliette, you’ll need to be standing at the pier during disembarkation to make sure our thief doesn’t slip by. You said the man we’re looking for is tall and has a beard, but he may have shaved, and he may be wearing a disguise. After everyone has left the ship, we’re free to explore, and while we’re out, we’re to keep our eyes open. The crew will do another thorough search of the cabins.”

“Juliette tells me you’re going to be our tour guides.” Will lifted an eyebrow at Jack.

“Kate and I spent our honeymoon there, although we hardly left the room, so we’re looking forward to this second chance to see the island.”

Will inched his chair closer to Juliette while he questioned Jack. “How will we get around in Bermuda?”

“Well, there are buses, ferries, and taxis. But I thought it would be fun to rent motor scooters,” said Jack. “Tourists aren’t allowed to drive cars. Will, have you ever driven a cycle or a moped?”

“I used to be a traffic cop, so, yes. And I ride all the time at home.”

“Great, then it’s me and Kate and you and Juliette, on two-seaters.”

Will squeezed Juliette’s hand. “Have you ever been on a scooter before, sweetheart?”

“No,” she said, her eyes widening at Will’s new term of endearment. The reverend had never called her sweetheart. It felt good. She felt—loved.

“Nothing to be afraid of. Just hold on tight to me, and when I turn, you lean into the turn. Of course, you’ll be wearing a helmet.”

“Just be careful on the cycle,” Kate warned. “In Bermuda, remember, they drive on the left side of the road, the wrong side. And the roundabouts are killers. Everyone rents motor scooters, and they don’t always know how to drive them. Invariably, they spill their mopeds and end up in the hospital with road rash.”

“The food in Bermuda is amazing,” Jack said, digging into his steak. “And I already have reservations at our favorite restaurant for tomorrow night, the Waterlot Inn at the Fairmont Hotel in Southampton. You can try Bermuda fish chowder, and fresh lobster if it’s in season. But the restaurant specializes in steaks and chops.”

“Then when we’re in Hamilton, shopping, we thought we’d have lunch at the Lobster Pot,” Kate said. “They have these sinfully delicious hot apple fritters smothered in whipped cream, great for dessert. I can almost taste them now.”

“It all sounds lovely,” said Juliette, wondering how she was going to resist Will when she was clinging to him for dear life on the back of a motor scooter. Will and whipped cream. She didn’t even want to go there, but her traitorous mind had other ideas.

“And, of course, we’ll have full afternoon tea at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess in town,” Kate said. “I can’t believe we’re coming back to Bermuda so soon.”

“It’s our favorite place,” said Jack, who glanced at Kate’s belly and then into her eyes. “We made some beautiful memories.”

Kate blushed.

“And don’t forget the soft pink sandy beaches,” Jack said. “And Will, Bermuda is a golfer’s paradise.”

“It doesn’t sound like we’ll have enough time to do everything you want to do.”

“Well, we’ll do as much as we can.”

“Or nothing,” said Kate. “That’s the great thing about Bermuda. That, and the shopping.”

“What kind of shopping?” Juliette asked.

“Well, the list is endless. There are authentic Bermuda cedar wood gifts, soaps made with island fragrances, jewelry—especially the Bermuda longtails —and the moon gates, gold coins, sailboats, fine china, and crystal imported from Europe. Not to mention the quality linens and local gourmet products such as rum and sherry pepper sauce, and Gosling’s Black Seal® Rum, used to make the Dark’n’Stormy and Rum Swizzle cocktails. Front Street is a hub for shopping in big stores like A.S. Cooper & Sons Limited or in small boutiques.”

“What’s a moon gate?” Juliette asked.

“Moon gates are a traditional architectural element in Bermuda. They’re a symbol of the island, and you can find them all over. They’re stone arches typically found at garden entrances, usually free-standing or attached to a low wall. You can buy little replicas in the shops, just like you can buy Eiffel Tower replicas in Paris. They say that couples who kiss under a moon gate or make a wish as they step through the moon gate hand in hand are granted happiness and good fortune during their marriage and will have a long and happy life together.”

“We’ll have to find a moon gate, Juliette, and walk through it to guarantee us a happy ending,” said Will.

“Our marriage will be ending as soon as we debark,” said Juliette. “I don’t think even a moon gate will make a difference, in our case.” And the thought of that made her sad.

Chapter Seventeen

The ship’s photographer was snapping pictures of every passenger who left the ship, whether they wanted to pose or not. Just a second layer of security. Standing next to the photographer, Kate and Juliette tried to blend into the background.

“My eyes are starting to bug out,” Juliette complained.

The last single man walked off the ship, slathered in sunscreen, wearing over-sized sunglasses and sporting a sagging paunch, barely contained by a flowered button-down shirt, which fit loosely over khaki shorts. He walked up to Juliette and put his arm around her.