Death on the Bella Constance (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 6) (17 page)

“You obviously don’t know my wife,” Billy replied as he
headed to the door. He turned back around before leaving and said, “If I’m not
back, call Bella’s room as soon as you hear from the doctor.”

“If you’re not back soon, I’ll come looking for you.”

Billy just shook his head as he closed the door behind him.

Savannah
and I sat on the bed and looked at each other.

“What now?” she asked.

“I guess we wait.”

She stretched out on the bed while I tried to get interested
in one of her books. Unfortunately, my mind kept coming back to Billy. I always
worried about him when he isn’t with me. I kept reading the same lines over and
over, until finally I put the book down and stretched out on the bed beside
Savannah
.

“A sad pair we are,” I mumbled.

“Ain’t that the truth?”

“Ain’t! You better not let Bella hear you use that word. You
being a writer and such. She ragged on me earlier about my use of an improper
adverb… verb… or something.”

We made small talk to pass the time. Ten minutes passed, and
then fifteen, and I was getting worried.

“He should’ve been back by now, don’t you think?”
Savannah
asked. “All he was going to do was
check on Loukas. You don’t think something happened to him?”

“Billy can handle himself. He’s not the one I’m worried
about. Something must be seriously wrong with Loukas.”

“Should we go…”

The ship phone rang. I jumped up to answer it at just about
the same time I heard the keycard being stuck into the slot of the door.

“Billy’s back!”
Savannah
exclaimed. “I’m so glad. I was starting to get really concerned.”

Billy walked in the same minute I answered the phone. “It’s
for you,” I said. “It’s Dr. Whitley.” I handed Billy the phone, kissed him on
the cheek, and said, “I was beginning to get worried.” I walked back over to
sit down next to
Savannah
on the bed. We waited to hear the
news.

The phone call was brief.

“What did the doctor say?” I asked. “And what about Loukas?
Is he going to be all right?”

“I was right about the fork,” Billy replied. “Dr. Whitley
said he saw what he believes to be a very tiny metal fragment lodged between
two of Peter Dawson’s ribs. They’re going to send him to a hospital as soon as
we dock.
Dawson
has developed a low-grade fever,
welts on his back and a rash on the palms of both hands. He isn’t doing so
well. The doc seems to think he might have an allergy to the metal.”

“That’s strange,” I said. “I’ve never heard of anyone having
a metal allergy.”

“I have,”
Savannah
said. “Nickel.”

“What?”

“I have a friend who is allergic to nickel. She has a list of
foods she can’t eat, and was told to only use aluminum or stainless steel
cookware. I don’t remember all of what she told me about her allergy, but I do
remember those ugly pustules on the insides of her hands. They were awful
looking. Really nasty.”

“There’s more,” Billy said as he took off his jacket and laid
it across the chair. “Dr. Whitley said he had to stop sedating
Dawson
. The more immobile he is, the worse
it can be. He has to give him antihistamines to fight the allergic reaction,
and with him being so sedated it would be like double-dipping. The guy could go
into a coma and die. Something like that. Medical jargon. The doc explained it
all, but what I got out of it was that Peter Dawson is going to be wide-awake
soon.”

“He might die. Wouldn’t that be poetic justice?”

“Jesse, you don’t mean that,”
Savannah
said, softly. “You wouldn’t wish harm on anyone.”

“Don’t bet on it. He has done some pretty bad things.” It
suddenly dawned on me what Billy was saying. Peter Dawson was going to be free
again. I gasped at the thought. “You mean to tell me that psycho is going to be
up and about, free to roam the ship as he pleases? Say it isn’t so, Billy. He
almost killed Teresa! If it hadn’t been for us, she’d be dead by now!” I was
quickly becoming unglued. The thought of that man lurking around every corner
gave me the chills. I could see from the look on
Savannah
’s face that she felt the same way, too. Her body seemed to
shiver the minute I mentioned the prospect of a nutcase being turned loose on
society. I was scared, and so was she. We stepped closer together for comfort.
Women do that when they’re scared. Men just grin and bear it—or hide it.

“Billy, I saw the evil in that man’s eyes. If he’s turned
loose, I’ll be the next victim on his list. I just know it. He as much as told
me so. He was the one who rigged the elevator. He said he could control the
ship, and after that death box ride, I believe him.”

“We stopped him in his tracks, Jesse. He no longer has
control of anything. You know that. Remember?”

“The man has many tricks. I don’t trust him. He has other
irons in the fire. I’m sure of it. And now he’s going to be released to prey on
the rest of the passengers on this cruise.”

“No, he won’t,” Billy replied. “He’s too sick, and Marshall
Wagner handcuffed him to the rails of the gurney. He’s not going anywhere.”

I let out a sigh of relief, along with
Savannah
.

“Thank goodness!”

“I bet he’s not going to be very happy when he comes around,”
Savannah
said with a weak smile on her face.
“I surely wouldn’t want to be there when that happens, handcuffed or not.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. How’s Loukas?” I asked. “It must not
have been very serious, or you’d be in a state. That’s all you’d be talking
about.”

“He’s going to be fine. He has a stomach ache and a slight
case of….” Billy’s words trailed off as he looked over at
Savannah
. Slightly embarrassed, Billy
continued. “Let’s just say that he might be spending a lot of time in the
bathroom.”

Savannah
laughed out loud. “You don’t have to be shy with me Billy Blackhawk! You’ve
seen me at my worst. When you and Jesse rescued me, I had blood on my clothes,
my nose was all snotty and runny from crying, and I had wet my pants—only a
little bit, though. I’m sure I must have smelled rather rank.”

“I was too busy to notice,” Billy replied.

“Bull. You don’t miss anything! You’re just being a
gentleman.”

“That’s me! The perfect gentleman!”

“Yes, you are,” I agreed as I walked over and kissed his
cheek. “You’re so perfect in so many ways. I couldn’t have chosen a better man
unless my mother had picked one out for me.”

We all laughed at that.

A tap at the door settled us down. Billy walked over, opened
it, and let McCoy in.

“I see my girl’s in good hands.” He walked over and put his
arm around
Savannah
. “You okay, honey?”

“I’m doing fine. Jesse and Billy are good company, especially
when they get to talking about bodily functions and psychotic killers. After
I’m around them for a little while, my mind goes into book mode. I’m sure
there’s a fictional novel working up right now in my head. Yes, I’ll call it,
Death
on a Cruise
, or something like that.”

“Glad we could be of help,” I said, smiling. “Maybe we should
take vacations together more often.” I chuckled.

“Hey, that’s not a bad idea,”
Savannah
agreed. “I’d love to visit
Egypt
, or perhaps
Africa
.”

“That sounds pretty good to me. What do you say, Billy? An
African safari or the pyramids?”

“I say we make it through this cruise, and then we’ll see.”

“I know what that means, “
Savannah
replied as she rolled her eyes.

“Oh, no,
Savannah
. He’s serious. If I want to go to
Africa
, I can assure you, he’ll take me. Won’t you, heap big
warrior… my hero?”

Someone knocked on the door, startling us all out of our
fantasies.

Billy opened the door to a frazzled looking captain. “Come
in, Captain O’Riley. You look as if you’re carrying the weight of the world on
your shoulders. What’s wrong?”

“Loukas has taken ill.”

“Yeah, that’s what we heard. He has an upset stomach.
Overindulging will do that to a person.”

“No, I mean, he’s really sick. Dr. Whitley says he has food
poisoning. He said he might have to pump his stomach.”

“Man, that doctor can do almost anything, can’t he?” I
suggested.

“He should be able to. He was a general surgeon until… well,
that’s another story. The point of the matter is, Loukas is very ill, and Bella
wants to know why. She has asked me to come get you.” He looked at Billy and
then me. “You, too, of course.”

“Of course,” I remarked in the same tone of voice.

“I have to check on everyone who was at their luncheon to see
if anyone else is sick, so please excuse me. I have to run.” He looked at
Savannah
and McCoy and asked, “Both of you
feeling all right? No stomach problems?”

“Not yet,”
Savannah
replied, looking over at McCoy.

“I’m fit as a fiddle. No stomach problems, but I do have a
headache.”

“Take an aspirin,” the captain replied. “It’s probably coming
from the damp air and the change in the barometric pressure. Storms will do
that to a person. It shouldn’t last long.”

“Thanks for the advice,” McCoy responded kindly.

As soon as the captain left, I turned to McCoy and said, “I
don’t like him. He was being rude to you.”

“I’ll get over it.”

“I don’t trust him,”
Savannah
said. “But I thought it was just me.”

“No, it’s not just you,” I said. “He’s not what he appears to
be. He’s a fake. I think we’re going to see the real side of him very soon.”

The beast was about to come out of hiding, changing Loukas
and Bella’s life forever.

After the captain left, Billy suggested that the three of us
stay together while he went to see Loukas. There wasn’t any need for me to tag
along, he explained. He knew of my aversion to someone vomiting. I would gag,
and before long, I’d be doing the same thing. I had to agree with his decision.

“I’ll be back shortly,” Billy said. “As soon as I find out
the severity of Loukas’ illness, I’ll know more about the situation. It might
not be anything. I’m sure he’s just like everyone else. Upset stomachs are a
part of life. Everyone gets one sometime.”

“You think someone did this to him, don’t you?”
Savannah
asked.

“Right now, I don’t know what to think. I don’t have all the
facts.”

“People don’t die from food poisoning,” McCoy said as he
looked at Billy. “Do they?”

“I would say not, but it depends on what they ate and how
long they waited to seek treatment. It’s like being bitten by a copperhead.
Rarely does one die from the bite unless they wait too long to get treatment.
However, it could be a distraction for what’s waiting.”

“I can’t imagine anyone eating food so foul that they
wouldn’t know something was wrong. When food goes bad, usually it smells bad.”

“You’d be surprise at the bacteria that lives in what you
eat, and you’d never know it by the smell.”

“We’ll stay here with Jesse until your return,” McCoy said.
“I know you don’t want her to be alone.”

“Thanks,” Billy replied as he turned to leave. “By the way.
How is Maggie holding up?”

“She’s going to be okay. She’s still a little out of it.
Teresa said her mother made up the bit about the acid. I thought as much. If
she’d been handling any kind of acid, I’m sure she’d have burns on her hands.
You can’t just play around with that stuff. The woman is really out of whack.
Those meds she was taking have made her delirious. I’m glad you called me in to
help her. There’s no telling what she would’ve said without someone there to
stop her.”

“That’s why I got you involved. I knew you would get at the
truth.”

Billy left with a promise to return as soon as possible, so
Savannah
, McCoy and I sat around and talked
about what had happened so far. We talked about everything from the minute we
stepped foot on the ship, until now, and then went down the list of people we
suspected of being the one behind the plot. At one point, we decided that
almost anyone could be guilty. We came to the conclusion that this cruise was
going to be a rough ride, and not because of the storm.

“It’s scary to think there’re so many devious people in this
world.”

“There is,” I said. “I see so much ugliness sometimes, I just
want to scream. People do bad things. What gets me the most is…”

“Oysters!”
Savannah
said out of the blue. “Loukas was
the only one I saw eating oysters. I noticed because I can’t stand oysters, and
I said so when he offered them to me. And then I noticed that no one else was
eating them. I just thought they were like me, and disliked the slimy little
creatures.”

“Yuck!” I added. “I tried them once, and that was enough for
me. If I could get past the way they look I might like them.”

“The worst part is they were raw oysters from a jar. Loukas
told me so. He said they were delicious, and I told him to help himself. I
didn’t want anything to do with them.”

“Now that you mention it,
Savannah
,”
McCoy said. “I don’t remember seeing anyone else eating oysters either. I made
a comment about them being raw. I don’t mind cooked ones, but I sure don’t want
to eat them raw. Loukas offered to have some cooked oysters brought in, but I
told him not to bother.”

“That’s like eating raw fish,” I concurred. “I’m sorry, but I
want my seafood cooked. You can have your sushi and all that mess. Just give me
a good old piece of fried flounder or steamed crabs.”

An hour passed before Billy returned. The news wasn’t all bad.

“Dr. Whitley says Loukas doesn’t have food poisoning,” Billy
said. “He called it sour stomach, and said he’d keep an eye on him. Of course,
dinner in their stateroom is off. Loukas isn’t going to be far away from a
bathroom for a while, and he’s in no condition to have guests. Bella sends her
regrets, and suggests we all get together tomorrow for lunch. She’s going to
stay in her room with her husband. I told her that was fine, and I’d check on
Loukas later. She said not to bother. She wants us to enjoy our evening. She
assured me she would summon me if she needed me. I said okay, and I’d see her
in the morning.”

“Summon, huh?”

“You know how she talks.” Billy smiled. “She’s a fine lady.”

“That she is.”

“I’m sorry Loukas is feeling sick,” McCoy said. “I’m just
glad he’s going to be all right.”

“Same here,” I said. I looked at Billy. “What’s on the agenda
for the evening now that we’re not going to dine with Bella and Loukas? Other
than the nasty weather and the crazed killers on board, we have nothing to fear.
I suggest we dress down and hit the buffet. You know, lay low.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Billy replied. “I’m not in
the mood to get all fancy. I could sure use a quiet, relaxed evening.”

McCoy looked at
Savannah
and said, “I think we should go and leave these two lovebirds alone.”

“Why don’t you join us?” Billy asked, looking at me for a
sign that I didn’t mind. I shook my head in agreement. “See, Jesse’s all for
it, too. Unless you two want to be alone…”

Savannah
and McCoy looked at each other, and then
Savannah
said, “How about seven? That will give us time to relax a little also before we
go out and do battle with the uglies.”

“The uglies? Hmm… I like that,” I said, smiling. “That’s a
good name for them. And you’re right,
Savannah
.
Just going out in public you’re liable to run into at least one ugly at any
given time.”

Savannah
snickered. “Jesse, you’re so funny sometimes.”

“So I’ve been told.”

As McCoy and
Savannah
headed for the door, Billy said,
“We’ll stop by around seven. If anything changes, let us know.”

“You do the same,” McCoy replied as the two of them left.

“Alone at last,” I said the minute the door closed. I put my
arms around Billy and hugged him. “This has been a wild trip, hasn’t it?”

“I’ll just be glad when this storm passes and we dock.”

“So will I! The captain says we’ll dock in the morning. A lot
can happen between now and then.”

Billy kissed me on the cheek and said, “That’s why I want to
check out that doctor.” He let go of me, walked over behind the screen to the
computer, and started pecking away on the keyboard.

I walked up behind him and said, “Forget the doctor.
Concentrate on the captain. He’s the key. It’s a conspiracy, you know. There’s
no way one person could get close enough to Loukas to kill him, unless that
person had help. One man… or woman… could not do it alone. Not with the way
Loukas is protected.” I thought for a minute, and then said, “You suspect the
doctor now because of what the captain so conveniently let slip… the bit about
him being a general surgeon until—the operative word being until—until
something happened. The captain paused long enough to get our attention, if we
were paying attention, and then went right on rattling away. I picked up on it.
I know you did. It’s what the captain didn’t say that was meant to cast doubt.
I know he planned it that way. It sure wasn’t a Freudian slip. I can tell you
that!”

Billy craned his head and said, “I bet you got that from
Savannah
.”

“I did. She’s pretty smart. We discussed a lot of things
while you were gone. Women do that you know.”

“I’m not ruling out anyone right now. Friends, family,
anyone. Usually, in cases like this, the least likely suspect turns out to be
the one who’s the bad guy.”

“In that case… oh… let me think for a minute.” And I really
tried to. I went down the list of all the people on the ship with any kind of
connections to Bella and Loukas, and when I narrowed it down to just one person
I would least expect it to be, I came to a ridiculous conclusion. “It’s
Jena
! Yeah, she’s the one behind it all. She plotted to
have her dad killed, or, better yet, she’s going to kill him herself.”

“That’s ridiculous.” He continued his internet search.

“That’s what I was kinda thinking. See my point?”

“
Du-yu-yo-dv
!” Billy spat out in his native tongue. “
Do-i-s-di-hi-na?
The
nv-gi di-ga-nv-sa-di
! Unbelievable.” He was at it again. He had just
found something that either surprised him… or not.

“What got you so riled up? What did you find? I see a picture
of Dr. Whitley with a whole bunch of information that I assume is about him.
What does it say? And please, just give me the shortened version.”

“It pretty much boils down to the same old dirt. Dr. Whitley
resigned from his last actual job at a hospital because he was suspected of
taking drugs from the pharmacy for his own personal use. He claimed he was
innocent, but the hospital decided that the good old doc should seek employment
elsewhere. The doc, being the good man he is, upon their request, resigned. He
saved face, and everyone was happy. Then he met Bella and Loukas, and, as they
say, the rest is history.”

“Does he have a drug problem? We could go suck out some of
his blood and find out.”

“I don’t think so… and I don’t think the doc uses drugs. If
he really stole drugs, I think he did it for someone he cared about.”

“Right. When you’re finished with the doctor, check out the
captain. Wake me up when it’s time to get ready for dinner. I’m going to
stretch out on the bed. You’re going to be at this for a while.”

“Sure, `ge ya,” Billy replied halfway paying attention.

I stroked his hair, and then leaned over and kissed him on
the neck. His mind was not on me. It was on the computer screen in front of
him. Okay, I thought to myself. I’m going to leave him alone, and let him do
what he does. I walked over to the bed, crawled on top of it, and lay there in
complete comfort. I let my mind drift, and before I knew it, I had fallen
asleep. It seemed like only seconds later when Billy shook me and said it was
time to get up. I sat up in bed and looked around. When I realized it was still
the same day and we were going to eat at the dinner buffet with McCoy and
Savannah
, I jumped out of bed and headed to
the bathroom.

My jumping out of bed the instant he called me must have
taken him by surprise. As I closed the bathroom door, he said to me, “You must
be really hungry, or you can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. You
really love this suspense, don’t you?”

I poked my head out from behind the door and replied, “I’m
hungry, and I like
Savannah
and McCoy’s company. I only love the
suspense when no one dies, and we catch the bad guys.”

“Then this should be a real adventure for you.”

“Let me take a quick shower, and then you can tell me what
you found out about Captain Bligh.” I closed the door, stripped down, and then
jumped in the shower. When I finished and walked out with a towel wrapped
around me, Billy was already dressed.

“Did you take a shower?” I asked him. “When did you find
time?”

“Yes, I did. I managed to squeeze the time in between hacking
into the…”

“I don’t want to know. Save it for discussion over dinner.
I’m sure you’ll want to keep your other co-partner informed of your new
findings.”

“You aren’t jealous over my new working relationship with
McCoy, are you, `ge ya?”

“Just a wee bit. But I know I’m number one.”

“That you are, and always will be.”

Billy was dressed in jeans, a polo shirt, and deck shoes. He
looked mighty handsome with his long ponytail hanging down his back, and his
dark skin stood out against his shirt.

“I don’t look too hokey in this polo shirt, do I?”

“I don’t care what you wear,” I said to him. “You always look
good to me.” I looked at the emblem on the shirt and saw that it read,
Bella
Constance
. “Is there one for me? We could be twins if I had one.”

“Yes, it’s on the top of the dresser. A crew member dropped
them off while you were napping. Compliments of the
Bella Constance
.
Everybody gets one.”

“Bella and Loukas really know how to add that personal touch.
I just hope nobody messed with them and put some kind of chemical on them
that’s going to seep into our skin and kill us.”

“My, you are suspicious.”

“After the high heel incident, I’m afraid that I am.”

“I’m not itching or sneezing, and I’m not dead yet, so I
guess we’re good to go.”