Cruel Capers on the Caribbean: A Kate on Vacation Mystery (The Kate on Vacation mysteries) (2 page)

Cora put a well-manicured hand, bedecked with several rings, on Kate’s arm. “I’m so sorry, sugar. Ya shouldn’t have had to witness that. My mama taught me better than to fight in public.”

Kate’s eyes scanned the packed room. “Well, since I was occupying the only private spot available, you didn’t have a lot of choice.”

Cora smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. They were shiny with unshed tears. “Y’all are very gracious. My, it’s so warm in here.” She took her hand off Kate’s arm and fanned herself. “Please do excuse me. I think I need a breath of fresh air.”

Even in this crowd, Skip was easy to spot. He stood a good head above everyone else. He skimmed long fingers through the perpetually unruly forelock of his straight brown hair, then cocked his head toward the man next to him, who was talking rapidly.

Kate nudged and excused her way through the crowd. She tugged on his arm while saying to the man, “Please excuse us. I need to talk to my husband for a moment.”

The man gave her a vague smile and wandered off.

Skip leaned down. “Thanks for rescuin’ me, darlin’,” he said in a low voice.

She stood on tiptoe and whispered, “You’re welcome, but that wasn’t why I came over.” She told him about her discovery in the bathroom and the argument between their host and hostess.

“We oughta get out of here,” Skip said. “Getting caught in a drug raid wouldn’t be a great way to start a vacation. I’ll find Rob and Liz.”

“I’ll make our excuses to Cora.”

Kate found her on the balcony. The woman quickly patted her cheeks with her fingertips.

Kate mustered a smile. “Sorry, we’ve got to go. We’re all kind of beat from traveling.”

“Of course. I understand. Thank y’all so much for comin’.” Cora held out a slender hand. It was shaking slightly.

Kate felt a surge of warmth and sympathy for the woman. She took the hand in both of hers. “Thank you for inviting us. You take care of yourself, okay?”

Cora nodded and squeezed Kate’s hand.

Back in her cabin, the Franklins were sitting at the small table by the window. Skip was cross-legged on the bed. They were all sipping from water bottles from the mini-fridge. She gave them the details of the argument she’d overheard.

Rob frowned. “Uh, I think we’re done rubbing elbows with the rich and famous.”

“That was my reaction,” Kate said. “I’m not sure how severely they enforce drug laws on cruise ships but I don’t particularly want to be considered guilty by association and end up in the brig.”

“Hey, I’m happy,” Liz said. “I got to meet Cora Beall. That’ll keep my coworkers green with envy for months to come.”

B
y the next morning, Kate had forgotten about Cora Beall. She and Skip and the Franklins were headed for Deck 5, where the breakfast buffet held center stage in a room three times the size of the ground floor of her house.

She recalled the sumptuous four-course meal they’d been served the night before in the main dining room.
Better make sure I get plenty of exercise this trip!

A few minutes later, they were all settled at a round table. Her plate piled high, Kate was alternating between devouring her eggs and bacon and looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the sun sparkling on the water. “Where do you think we are at this point?” she asked no one in particular.

“Somewhere in the Caribbean, I presume.” Rob flashed her a teasing smile.

Skip was leafing through a brochure as he chewed on a piece of toast. “It doesn’t say when we arrive at the Caymans, just that we can go onshore starting at eight a.m. tomorrow.”

“So what are we doing on Grand Cayman?” Rob asked.

After some discussion, it was decided that snorkeling would be the top priority. “I’ll go sign us up for it after breakfast,” Skip said.

“Today Liz and I are going to the spa,” Kate said.

“You doing that right now?” Rob asked.

Liz patted her stomach. “I don’t know. Might be a good idea to take a walk around the decks first, walk off some of this breakfast.”

“May I join y’all?”

They swiveled their heads around. Cora Beall was standing behind Kate’s chair, a container of yogurt and a spoon in one hand, an apple in the other.

“Sure,” Kate said. “Have a seat.”

Skip stood up and pulled out a chair for her.

Once settled, Cora said, “Did I hear somethin’ about the spa?”

“Yes, we thought we’d spend part of our day at sea being pampered,” Liz said.

“That sounds like a lovely idea.” Cora pried the foil cover off of her yogurt and ate a spoonful. She was trying to appear cheerful, but without much success. Yesterday, she had been bigger than life, sparkling like the gems that adorned her fingers. Today, she looked like someone had turned down the dimmer switch by quite a few watts.

“Mind if I tag along?” she asked.

“Of course not. That would be fun,” Kate said.

Cora’s “dimmer switch” walked into the huge dining room and looked their way.

Cora glared at Clem, then turned back to the group at the table, her smile now too bright. “Let’s get the works. My treat.”

“No, Cora. We can’t let you do that,” Kate protested.

“I insist. It’s on me.”

Kate looked at Liz’s closed expression and shook her head slightly. “We were going to take a walk first.” She gestured toward her empty plate. “We kind of overdid it here.”

“Sure, that sounds great.” Cora stood up abruptly, abandoning the still half-full yogurt container and untouched apple.

Rob and Skip stood up. “Good seein’ you again, Cora,” Skip said.

“You gentlemen have a great mornin’ now, ya hear.” Cora turned toward the open double doors, pointedly ignoring Clem who had settled in a chair several tables away with a cup of coffee. Kate and Liz followed her.

Out on the deck, the sunshine was warm. A soft breeze blew off the water. Cora stopped and took in a shaky breath.

Liz caught up with her. “I’m not really comfortable with you paying for our spa visit.”

Cora turned to her, the too-bright smile plastered on her face again. “But I in–”

Kate interrupted in a gentle voice, “We can afford to pay our own way.”

The woman’s hand flew to her mouth. Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I’ve offended you. Why, my mama would tan my hide. Can ya ever forgive...” Her face crumpled.

Kate put a hand on the woman’s arm. “Come on, let’s sit for a minute.”

Cora nodded, a tear trickling down her cheek. She allowed herself to be led across the deck to a bench beside the railing.

Kate dug a small packet of tissues out of her purse.

Cora dabbed at her eyes, then looked up at them sheepishly. “I am truly sorry. I guess I’ve been buying companionship for so long, I don’t even recognize when it’s freely given.”

“It’s okay,” Kate said. “You’ve had a rather rough twelve hours here.”

Liz nodded, her expression softening. “Kate told us what happened.”

“I apologize again, Kate. It just wasn’t right that ya had to be exposed to that.”

“Trust me. I’ve heard a whole lot worse.”

Cora looked confused and vaguely embarrassed. “I’m sorry. Did I hit a sore spot? You and that man of yours seemed so lovey-dovey.”

Liz’s laugh boomed out of her petite body, startling their companion. “She’s a psychotherapist, Cora.”

“Oh... Well, that explains why you’re so good at sayin’ just the right thing.” Cora’s smile had regained some of its natural brightness.

Kate returned her smile. “Do you need to talk about what’s going on with you and Clem?”

Cora shook her head but her eyes had teared up again.

“Come on, girl,” Liz said. “You might as well spill it. She’s not going to let us go to the spa until you do.”

“No, that’s okay,” Kate backpedaled. “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to.”

Cora dabbed at her eyes again. “We had a big row last night. He was mad ’cause I searched the place after the guests left, to make sure there were no drugs in there. We barely spoke to each other at dinner. When we got back to the cabin... I don’t even remember what set things off, but I ended up throwin’ him out. I called our cabin steward. Gave him a fistful of cash and asked him to find someplace else for the bastard to sleep.”

“Have you been together long?” Kate asked.

“Almost a year.”

“But I thought you were still married to that movie producer,” Liz blurted out.

Cora shook her head. “Bill and I’ve been goin’ our separate ways for quite some time now. But his latest floozy’s convinced him he should marry her, so now he wants a divorce.”

“So it’s been pretty serious between you and Clem?” Kate asked.

“Yes. I told him I wasn’t gettin’ married again. This is my third divorce, and I just refuse to be one of those gals who keeps gettin’ married and then unmarried. He’s not a bad guy. He just runs with the wrong crowd. He’s a writer, screenplays mostly. I guess he thinks he’s gotta take on that Bohemian persona.”

Kate arched an eyebrow.

“Seriously,” Cora said, “we have,
had
a good relationship. I just can’t take his so-called friends anymore.”

“For what it’s worth, he seemed like a nice guy to me,” Liz said.

Cora squared her shoulders. “Look, enough of this sad sack nonsense, as my mama used to call it. I am more than ready for a bit of pampering. Ladies, shall we find the spa?”

~~~~~~~~

T
wo and a half hours later, their toes and fingernails had been painted, their skin exfoliated, their pores cleansed, and their muscles massaged until they felt like limp noodles. As they stepped out onto the deck, Kate lifted her face to the sun and let out a contented sigh.

Her stomach rumbled.

“Sorry.” She glanced at her watch. “But it is almost lunchtime.”

Liz shook her head. “Cora, this is the most frustrating woman to hang out with. She eats like a horse and never gains an ounce.”

“It’s not my fault that I’ve got a good metabolism,” Kate said. “And I get a pretty hefty workout three times a week at
aikido
class.”

“
Aikido
, isn’t that some kind of martial arts thing?” Cora asked.

“Yeah. I really enjoy it. It’s all defensive. You use your attacker’s own expectations and momentum against him. Very empowering, and it burns a fair number of calories.”

“Hmm, I should probably try it out. I could use a little empowerin’ right about now,” Cora said.

Kate gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Hey, there’s a buffet set up over there on the deck,” Liz said. “I’m not quite ready for lunch, but I could use a cold drink.”

“A drink sounds good,” Cora said.

She and Liz got glasses of iced tea and found a table while Kate went through the buffet line. She piled a couple types of salad next to the herb cheese and roast beef panini on her plate, then joined them.

The April sun was already intense this far south, but a steady breeze from the water kept the temperature comfortable. “I can’t believe how wonderful this weather is,” Kate said between bites. “It’s still kind of cool and rainy up in Maryland, where we’re from.”

“Oh, where in Maryland?”

“The Baltimore area.”

“My daddy’s from southern Maryland. He came down to Georgia to go to college, met my mama and never went home again. Well, not to stay at least. We’d go up north to visit my Granny Beall.” Cora nudged Kate’s arm. “That man a yours can’t be from Maryland, though. I’d swear there’s a hint of the south in his voice.”

“He’s from Texas originally,” Liz said, since Kate’s mouth was full.

Kate hastily chewed and swallowed. “Uh, oh.” She’d spotted Clem coming toward them from the other end of the open deck. He had a determined look on his face.

The other women turned to follow her gaze.

Clem strode up to their table. “Cora, we need to talk.”

“I am engaged in a conversation with my friends at the moment,” Cora said. “Besides there isn’t anythin’ to talk about.”

Clem’s jaw tightened. “Why are you holding me responsible for other people’s actions?”

“Why do you insist on hangin’ out with those people?” Cora shot back.

“They’re my friends.”

“No, they’re not. They’re parasites. These good people are friends.”

“Yeah, you’ve known them what, twenty-four hours?”

“Clemens Johnson, ya owe these ladies an apology. And don’t ya fret none, I’m gonna pay for your expenses.”

Clem used two fingers to pull a plastic card out of the pocket of his skin-tight jeans. Kate wasn’t real sure how he managed to get even the thin card in there, much less the fingers.

He flung it on the table. “I had the purser issue one in my name. I’m not with you for your money, Cora.” He turned to Kate and Liz. “My apologies, ladies. Have a pleasant afternoon.”

He turned and walked away.

Cora’s face was red. “I am so sorry, girls,” she said through clenched teeth. “That was terribly rude of him.”

“No need to apologize.” Kate bit her lower lip to keep from adding,
And don’t you think you’re being a little hard on the man.
Instead she said, “You’re not responsible for his actions.”

Cora gave her a sharp look over the top of her sunglasses as she took a sip of iced tea. “No, I’m not, and he’s right. He’s not responsible for what those people do. But I’ve had it. He’s gonna have to make a choice. It’s me or them.”

Liz nodded. “That makes sense.”

“I’ll have to have me a little talk with the purser,” Cora said with a sigh. “Clem can’t afford to pay his own way.”

“Uh, if you hope to get back together with him, you might not want to do that,” Kate said.

“I’m with Kate,” Liz said. “I’d let it alone if I were you.”

Cora sighed again. “Y’all are right. I’d be stompin’ all over his ego. But it’ll take him two years to pay off his credit card bill.”

“A few months from now,” Kate said, “when everything’s smoothed over, tell him you’re feeling sooo guilty because you really did want to treat him to the cruise. Maybe he’ll let you pay off the bill.”

Cora gently smacked Kate’s arm. “Why, honey, I do like the way your mind works. That’s exactly what I’ll do.” She gave them the first genuine smile of the day.