Drama in the Bahamas Cruise (Cruising Through Midlife: Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries #9)
Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
E merald Queen of the Seas , Royal Lineage Cruise Lines
Itinerary
7 Day Cruise
Day One = Departure from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Day Two = Nassau, Bahamas
Day Three = Sunset Cay Resort Bahamas
Day Four = Freeport, Grand Bahama Island
Day Five = Bimini, Bahamas
Day Six = Relaxing Day at Sea
Day Seven = Return to Fort Lauderdale
Three hours from now…
The Victim
The deck of the Emerald Queen sparkles under a canopy of stars as the ship gently moves through the warm Florida breeze.
Twinkle lights crisscross above us, casting a soft glow on the crowd gathered for the Bachelorette Bonanza, a cheesy but fitting name for the kickoff party for a second marriage celebration.
Sharp cackles break out every now and again, a sure sign the liquor is doing its job, and rather quickly, too. Soft rock music plays from unseen speakers, creating the perfect atmosphere for just about any celebration.
I sip my champagne and survey the scene. The ship has hardly left port, and yet the cruise is already brimming with people, far too many people for my liking. I can only imagine what the pool situation will be like. I’ll have to plan on going early tomorrow morning so I can get some pool time to myself before it turns into a petri dish of germs and bodily fluids.
One of the girls we’re traveling with jumps into the middle of the deck and howls while doing her best to coax the rest of us to shake our bodies along with her. And sure enough, a few of us do so with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
Need I remind them we’re a book club, not a dance club? And judging by some of these moves, it shows.
The scent of grilled burgers wafts from the buffet and it’s making my stomach claw at itself as if a rabid lion were trying to claw its way out.
If there’s one thing I plan on doing in abundance during this trip, it’s eating my weight in all the delicious food I can handle—starting with those burgers. I don’t see why not, I’ve essentially already paid for every bite of it and then some. Heaven knows there’s not a lot in my cupboards as far as food goes these days.
I lean against the railing, watching as the guest of honor glides across the deck in a radiant white dress—a sundress, but still. I have a feeling white is the only color we’ll see her in until she’s hitched herself to that buffoon.
If I were her, I’d wear black from here on out, and I would be in mourning until one of us finally keeled over—or opted for another divorce. Statistics show that second marriages hardly stand a chance.
I shake my head at the sight of the bride-to-be as she struts her stuff. Her face is flushed with happiness and it’s a stark contrast to the things I know—the things I’ve seen. I’ve tried to warn her, but it seems I’m the last person people listen to these days.
Some people prefer to believe in a fairy-tale ending rather than face the harsh truths that reality offers.
Although I have been warned not to meddle. But then again, meddling seems to be what I do best.
My eyes wander to a corner where that annoying gnat who won’t leave me alone holds court with a small group of women. Her laugh rings out, overly loud and shrill, grating on my nerves. That woman has always been a thorn in my side, constantly vying for attention and trying to outshine me at every turn. I wish she would just leave me be and stop turning everything into a ridiculous competition. A competition that I won a long time ago.
I cast a glance at the deep blue water as the ship sets sail for the Bahamas, and my past comes to me in snatches. I can’t help but feel a twinge of regret over the direction I’ve decided to take my life. There were decisions I made, chances I took that led me to this very moment.
Who I am today is a testament to the lengths I went to escape my past. It was a fresh start, a new life free from the burdens I once carried that I was after. But it also comes with its own set of complications and secrets, ones I guard fiercely.
The music shifts to a slower tempo, and my thoughts drift back to my old life, a life filled with financial woes, romantic woes, and unfulfilled dreams.
I left all that behind, or so I thought.
Yet, the shadows of my past still loom, threatening to surface at the most inconvenient moments. And ironically enough, my life today isn’t all too different.
I turn my attention back to the party, forcing a smile as the guest of honor approaches.
“Having fun?” she asks, her eyes bright with excitement, and yet there’s an undercurrent of darkness in them reserved just for me.
“I sure am,” I say. “This party is perfect, just like you deserve.”
Her expression hardens before she moves on, leaving me alone with my thoughts once more. I glance at the horizon, to the endless expanse of dark water reflecting the twinkle lights from the ship.
Life has given me a second chance, but it is a fragile one, constantly threatened by the secrets I harbor and the people I have to manipulate to keep them hidden.
I can’t take it anymore. That’s exactly why I’m determined that this trip is going to turn everything around for me no matter what the cost to her might be.
But there’s something nagging at my conscience. I can’t shake the feeling that my carefully constructed life is on the brink of collapse. The evidence I hold over certain individuals—the secrets I keep buried—they all feel like ticking time bombs. That’s because they are.
They know what I want. I explicitly let them know what my demands were before we left port. And once we get back, they know exactly what they have to do to keep me quiet.
The music starts to fade, and the party begins to wind down. The Bachelorette Bonanza eventually disbands as everyone eagerly takes off to get ready for dinner.
Guests drift away in pairs and groups, some heading back to their cabins, others lingering by the pool for one final drink.
I take off in haste with my mind still buzzing. I’m finally in the driver’s seat and I don’t know how to handle it all.
Maybe they were right. I’m not meant for success. I’m destined for mediocracy, and maybe I should stay in my own lane.
But I didn’t.
And I won’t.
I make my way to my cabin and my heart skips a beat when I see a familiar face standing in the middle of the room.
“What are you doing in here?” I ask, taken aback by the intrusion. “Wait, we’re not sharing a room, are we? I specifically asked for a single. Sure, it cost more, but that’s why I opted for the interior cabin.” I squint over at her. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
There’s no answer, only a cold, calculating stare. The silence is heavy and it seems to be pressing in on me from all sides.
I glance around, noting the disarray of my once tidy cabin. Something is very wrong.
And then I see it—the knife in her hand.
“No,” I say, taking a step back. “You don’t have to do this,” I whisper, but the words fall flat in the air.
There is no mercy in those eyes, no hesitation as she steps forward, the knife gleaming with a deadly intent.
I think of all the secrets I’ve kept, the lives I’ve affected, the desperate scramble to protect my own fragile existence. It all flashes before me in an instant, a lifetime of choices leading to this final, irreversible moment.
As the knife rises, I belt out a scream, but it’s quickly buried beneath a chipper dinner announcement that carries over the speakers.
I fall to the floor as the ship moves across the water, oblivious to the end of my journey.