Chapter 10 #3
“I think I mentioned back in Copenhagen that I grew up on a boat,” she continues.
“My parents were sailors—they lived aboard and traveled constantly. I was homeschooled until I was twelve, up until we finally set roots in Boston. And fast forward to college, that’s where I met the love of my life.
His name was David.” She swallows hard as she says his name.
“We got married right after graduation, and for fifteen years, we were happy as can be. Really happy.”
“What happened?”
Her expression darkens. “He died. Heart attack at forty-two. No warning, no time to say goodbye. One day he was fine, and the next day he was gone.”
“Oh, Marina. I’m so sorry.”
My heart breaks just hearing it.
“Thank you.” She wipes at her eyes quickly.
“After that, I threw myself into work. Hospitality, event planning, anything that kept me busy and kept me from thinking too much about anything. I’ve spent the last decade working nonstop, and I’m good at it.
I’m really good at what I do. But I’m also so very exhausted. ”
“I can see why. All work and no play will do that to you.” I pause for a moment. “No romantic interests since?” I ask carefully.
Marina looks off at the falls and seems to struggle with how to answer. She clears her throat. “No. No romance since.”
“She’s lying,” a woman chirps from behind, and I look up in time to see Celeste floating over us with her white gown billowing in the wind.
I frown at the gorgeous specter with her platinum blonde hair and ruby red lips, and, well, that heaving bosom doing its best to ripple right out of her ethereal gown, though I think she might be right.
There’s something Marina isn’t telling me.
Marina might be good at keeping secrets, but her face is lousy at hiding just about anything.
“Trixie?” Marina looks concerned. “Are you okay? You just went really still.”
“I’m fine. I just—I just thought I saw something.”
The sound of tires over gravel pulls my attention toward the parking lot for a moment, where I spot Wes jumping out of a car.
He looks unfairly handsome in dark jeans and a gray sweatshirt that makes his eyes look even greener.
He’s got that easy smile on his face, the one that makes women forget their own names, whether or not he’s wearing the captain’s hat.
“Wes!” I call out and he quickly jogs over. “So how did it go escorting the corpse off the ship?”
Marina inches back a notch as Wes’s expression sobers.
“Poor Gideon,” I clarify, wincing. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”
“It went as well as could be expected,” he says. “But it’s done, so I rented a driver and thought I’d join you all to take in the beauty of this place.” He glances between Marina and me before his eyes latch back onto hers. “Have you ladies hiked closer to the falls yet?”
“No, we haven’t,” Marina says.
“How about I join you?” he asks, looking directly at Marina when he says it, and I swear I can see her defenses crumbling in real time.
“I’d love that,” she says, suddenly far perkier than she was a moment ago, and I’m glad to see Wes have that effect on her.
“Why don’t you two go on ahead,” I say quickly. “I’ll wait for Ransom.”
They take off together with Wes gesturing animatedly toward the waterfall, while Marina laughs at something he says, and I feel a surge of satisfaction. Maybe this cruise will have at least one happy ending.
“Boy, is he delicious,” Celeste purrs, floating after them. “I do love a man who knows how to fill out a pair of jeans.”
She’s about to glide after Wes when I step directly in her path—not that it stops her hand from slipping through my torso.
“You’re not going anywhere,” I tell her. “We need to talk about the killer.”
She pouts, her translucent form shimmering in the mist. “Can’t it wait? I was just about to enjoy the view.”
“No, it can’t wait. You said you know who murdered Gideon.”
“I do.”
“Then tell me.”
“And spoil the surprise?”
I cross my arms. “A man is dead, Celeste. Your supposed true love. Don’t you want justice for him?”
Her expression shifts and something darker flickers across her beautiful face. “Justice doesn’t bring people back from the dead. Trust me, I know.”
“Then what do you want?”
She floats closer, and I feel an icy breeze emanating from her.
“Trust me, I want to make sure the right person pays, and I will. But I want to have a little fun before I head back to paradise to have a little fun with Gideon. I had to wait nearly forty years for him. The least he could do is wait a few days for me. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that good stuff.”
“Fine. Have your fun. But you’re going to help me solve this case, or I swear I’ll find a way to send you back myself.”
She laughs, the sound echoing strangely over the roar of the waterfall. “You can’t get rid of me, Trixie Troublemaker. We’re stuck together until this is over.”
“Then let’s make it over quickly. Please just tell me who killed Gideon Vale.”
“All in good time.” She winks and dissolves into a shower of pink stars, leaving me standing alone with more questions than answers and a ghost who’s enjoying this way too much.
But here’s what I do know—the killer is a passenger on the Emerald Queen, probably on this very excursion, pretending to mourn while secretly celebrating their freedom.
Celeste won’t tell me who did it. Fine. I’ll find out the old-fashioned way.
After all, murder and I have an understanding—it shows up, and I show out.