Portside Peril (Cruise Ship Christian Cozy Mysteries Series Book 2) by Hope Callaghan Read Free Book Online Page A

not in Millie’s opinion. 
    “So the couple are staying on?  The friends?” 
    Cat grabbed a bottle of glass cleaner and sprayed the top of the counter.  “That is one of the things I asked.  You know, after all, it sounds like they were good friends and such.”
    Millie hoped they were staying.  She was planning on the fact that they were staying.  There was more to their story than they were letting on and Millie planned to get to the bottom of it. 
    Then Cat dropped a bombshell or, as Millie liked to describe it, another wrench into the mystery.  “Yes.  They’re finishing the cruise.  Not only them, but Kyle’s ex-girlfriend, who also happens to be Courtney’s sister.”

Chapter 8
    Millie shook her head as if to clear it.  These young kids were beginning to sound like the old soap opera, “Peyton Place,” where everyone seemed to be running around with everyone else.
    Cat stuck her hand on her hip.  Millie could tell she had something juicy to add.  Probably another unexpected twist.  “The girls – Courtney and her sister, Chloe, were identical twins.  You know.  They look, or looked, exactly alike.”
    Millie’s forehead crinkled.  This did add a new level of intrigue and mystery to the case.  Zack had dated Courtney and he was at the scene of the first incident.
    The friends didn’t seem particularly shaken up by the murder/suicide of their close friends.  On top of that, Courtney’s twin sister, Chloe, was still on board the ship and she had dated her sister’s fiance!
    “You have any idea who the friends are?  Do you know their names?”
    Cat shook her head.  “Nope.  I tried to keep them in the store, make enough small talk where they mentioned it or even called each other by name but they never did.”
    “What about looking at their room cards when they – ahem – purchased their goods?” Annette asked.
    Cat frowned.  “I did glance at the card the woman handed me and I saw the name.” She let out a sigh.  “For the life of me, I just can’t remember what it was.”
    Millie snapped her fingers.  “I have an idea on how we can get their names.”
    Maybe Donovan Sweeney could help her.  After all, he was the purser on board the ship.  Didn’t he have access to all the records of the passengers?  She wasn’t sure if it might be against company policy but at least it was worth a try!
    Millie added it to her to-do list.  First, she planned to make a run back to the dressing room to see if Zack was around.   
    Millie’s heart sank when she spotted several of the dancers clustered in a small group in the dressing room back stage.  Zack was right in the thick of it.  He looked upset, his face flushed and swollen. 
    Millie thought he looked as if he might cry.  When the others saw Millie coming, they stepped aside and busied themselves at their respective counters.
    Zack didn’t seem to have much luck keeping the women in his life alive.  First Olivia LaShay had been murdered and now Courtney Earhart. 
    Millie made her way over to Zack, leaned forward and gave him a warm hug.  A small sob escaped his lips.
    “I can’t believe she’s gone.” The words escaped Zack’s lips in a low moan.  “She didn’t kill herself.  I just know she didn’t.”
    Millie didn’t think so, either, considering the condition she had left her in. 
    She led Zack into Andy’s small cubicle and motioned to the chair.  She pulled a tissue from a nearby Kleenex box and handed it to him. 
    Zack wiped his eyes and loudly blew his nose.  Millie eased into the chair next to him.  “They’re already questioning me as if I’m a suspect.”
    Millie wondered who “they” were.
    “You know. Dave Patterson.” 
    Millie nodded.  That made sense, since Dave had been one of the first people on the scene when Kyle went overboard.  On top of that, he was head of security.
    “What do you think happened?” she asked.
    “I don’t think Courtney killed herself.  I don’t