Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
O kay, so obviously Hattie didn’t read my mind , I muse to myself as we sit here in the Cottage Grill with Neelie, Bess, Nettie, and our new friends, Peggy and Clarabelle.
Although if Hattie did read my mind, I’d certainly feel bad about it.
But I’ll admit, Neelie is growing on me. She’s too good for Stanton. I’ll have to find a way to drive that home before the cruise is over.
Hattie gives a covert nod my way as if she were in agreement.
“All right, fine.” Neelie bites the air. “Merritt had on a pair of vintage Vera Veragamos and I had some cold, hard cash in my hand just hoping she’d kick them my way.”
“What if they weren’t your size?” Bess asks just as a slice of heavenly apple cheesecake slathered in caramel sauce lands before each of us, along with enough coffee to go around.
“Oh, who cares if they fit,” Neelie says, picking up her fork. “They’re old and worth a lot of money.”
“Sort of like Stanton,” Peggy says with a wink, and another laugh bursts from us.
Neelie tells them about how I stepped in and the aftermath that followed.
Little does she know, the aftermath entailed an ornery ghost—that of Merritt Garrett herself .
Hattie gasps as she looks my way.
“Are you okay?” I ask as the conversation streams on without us.
“Oh, I actually”—Hattie brings her fingers to her mouth as she studies me—“I’m fine, thank you for asking.”
Neelie goes on and tells us all about Quinn Riddle’s ridiculous shakedown of her. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t so ridiculous. I mean, Neelie is a contender for the killer, and right now she’s probably Quinn’s top suspect. Scratch that, she’s probably Quinn’s second suspect. I’m always Quinn’s top suspect.
Speaking of which, it’s probably best I kick this investigation into high gear and solve this case before I walk down the aisle. The last thing I want is Quinn gifting me a couple of silver bracelets.
I guess it’s a good thing Merritt came back to help with the case. Odd still, seeing that the deceased has never come back before. But then again, she did love herself most. And as much as I’d love to contribute to the conversation at hand, I’m sure I’d scare the socks off these poor women if they knew I could see the dead.
In fact, I’m thankful Bess and Nettie haven’t outed my transmundane abilities yet. They really seem to have taken a liking to Peggy and Clarabelle. It’s as if the four of them are old friends.
I catch Hattie staring at me and her eyes widening in fright as if she just had a revelation.
“Hattie, are you okay?” I ask again, this time convinced the poor girl is about to fall right out of her seat.
“Yes.” She sits up a little straighter. “I was just thinking about how horrible it is that my poor sister is mixed up in a murder investigation. Neelie is right. That’s usually my department.”
“And mine,” I muse, toasting her with my next bite of cheesecake.
“Neelie told me you’ve had your fair share of run-ins with homicides,” she says, carefully poking at her own sweet treat. “I guess that’s something we have in common.”
“Seems like it,” I say with a laugh. “The Emerald Queen seems to be a magnet for trouble. And I hear Brambleberry Bay isn’t exactly free of drama either. ”
“You could say that,” Hattie mutters while biting on her lip. “But then, I’ve always found there’s something about a mystery that’s just so satisfying to unravel. And for reasons unknown to me, the universe always seems to place me at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Same,” I sigh hard. “And it’s a killer in the truest sense.”
We share a mournful laugh just as dessert wraps up. It’s comforting, in a way, to know I’m not the only one dealing with odd twists and turns. I really like Hattie. If I wasn’t living on the ship, I’m sure we would be good friends. Somewhat lethal friends, but still.
She giggles to herself as if she heard.
Soon enough, dessert is over, and Peggy and Clarabelle exchange a knowing glance.
“Well, ladies”—Peggy says as she looks at Bess and Nettie—“what do you say we head down to the clubhouse and meet some of the finest gentlemen this town has to offer?”
“The ones with hair and money?” Nettie says while swatting the table with glee. “You know we’re in, Red.”
We all rise in unison.
“Come on, Bess”—Nettie says, hooking her arm to her bestie’s—“let’s go see if we can’t cause a little ruckus.”
They start toward the exit and I’m about to do the same when Hattie catches my arm and pulls me back.
“Not so fast.” She blinks a smile at me that quickly dissipates. “You’re not going anywhere.”