Death on the Bella Constance (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 6) (18 page)

I grabbed my undies, a pair of jeans, and the polo shirt. I
was dressed and ready to go—dry hair and all—within fifteen minutes, much to
Billy’s astonishment. At
six
fifty-five
, we left our
stateroom and headed next door.
Savannah
and McCoy were ready and waiting, and they were also wearing their
Bella
Constance
polo shirts. We got a chuckle out of that, especially when
Savannah
said we’d blend in with the others,
and no one would recognize us.

“I don’t think anyone would mistake who you are,
Savannah
,” I replied with a snicker. “You’re
their very own private mystery maven.”

Savannah
just smiled.

The four of us made our way to the top deck—death box ride
included—and joined the many other passengers in line at the buffet table. A
crew member approached us and asked if we’d like to have a table by the window,
or would we care for a more private place to have dinner.

“I can seat you with the captain, if you wish. Tonight is
informal night, so you don’t have to dress for dinner. Your attire is
completely appropriate.”

I looked around the room and saw the same white polo shirt on
almost every one of the other passengers. My first thought was: cattle being
led to slaughter. We all looked alike. Lord only knows why that came to mind. I
guess Billy was right when he said I was a suspicious one.

“We have business to discuss, otherwise, I’d say yes,” Billy
answered, and then looked at McCoy. “Unless you’d rather…”

“No, that’s fine with me,” McCoy said after looking at
Savannah
and getting a positive nod. “As Mr.
Blackhawk said, we have private business to discuss. A table by the window
would be nice.”

The crew member stood, waiting until we were ready to be
seated, and then showed us to the same table I had shared with Bella and
Savannah
when Maggie made her presence known.
I was a little leery at first, but decided what the heck. The big
buffet/stabbing scene had already played itself out. No more forks coming our
way!

“The storm has passed, so you should be able to walk the
outer walkways, if you’d like,” the crew member said. “And we should dock in
St. George before
noon
tomorrow. So, please enjoy your
meal, and if I can be of service to you, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

We thanked him for the weather update and the docking
information, and then told him we’d be fine. He walked away, and as soon as he
did, Billy began explaining his internet findings while we enjoyed a fine meal.

“Captain O’Riley is squeaky clean, but the doctor has had
some trouble.” He went on to tell
Savannah
and McCoy what he had already told me. “But our pal,
Utah
, has a colorful past. He’s been arrested twice: once
for stealing a car when he was twenty-six, which his folks got him out of, and
once for assaulting his wife six months ago. Of course, you know Nell dropped
the charges. In between stealing the car and beating up his wife, he has been accused
of many things. But he’s never been prosecuted.”

“Like what?”

“Bribery, extortion—to name just a few. Yes, I’d say this is
one bad dude. Nell really got herself a loser when she married him.”

“There’s no accounting for who you fall in love with,”
Savannah
said. “When you love someone, you
tend to overlook their weak points. I write about stuff like that, not from
personal experience.” She looked at her husband lovingly.

The dinner was enjoyable up until the moment the three
sisters from
Georgia
stopped by our table. Dorothy was
doing much better even though she had to use a cane, and the conversation went
downhill from there. We managed to get rid of them when Billy suggested we go
to the bar and have a couple of after dinner drinks, and of course, the sisters
from
Georgia
didn’t want to intrude. We left it
at that, not inviting them, and then excused ourselves. We headed for the exit
as fast as we could without making it look as if we were trying to run from
them, which we were. Once we got out in the hallway, none of us could help but
laugh as we made our way to the bar.

From then on, the evening went smoothly. We sat at the bar
with none other than Utah Hawks—the criminal—and his wife Nell. After two
drinks, I was ready to get up and dance. So, we danced, drank more booze, and
then danced some more. All in all, it was a nice evening, even with the crabby
Utah Hawks in our presence.

Around two in the morning, I’d had enough. I’d only consumed
three, maybe four drinks, but I was already seeing double. Billy looked at me,
and knew the time had come.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to take my wonderful bride
home. She’s finished for the night.”

“I’m going to have to agree with you,” McCoy added. “I think
Savannah
’s had more to drink tonight than
I’ve ever seen her drink before.”

“But I only had woo drinks.” She counted on her fingers as
she slurred one of her words.

I looked at her, and we both burst out laughing. I almost
slid off the barstool… and then she did.

“That’s it,” McCoy said as he grabbed
Savannah
before she hit the floor. “You’ve
had enough for one night.”

“Boy, I thought I was a rookie,” I said, laughing at her.
“You’re lame, girl! No more booze for you!”

Savannah
and I started laughing and didn’t stop until our husbands separated us at our
stateroom doors.

“Can’t we take a stroll on the outer walkway, Billy? The guy
said it was safe now. I want to…”

“Not tonight, `ge ya.”

“You’re the boss.” I looked over at
Savannah
and said, “Good-night,
Savannah
. See you in the morning.”

“Night, Jesse.”

Our husbands took us to our rooms, and I can only assume
McCoy did for
Savannah
what Billy did for me. He undressed
me and put me to bed. I didn’t even brush my teeth. What would my mother say if
she saw me like this? I crawled in between the sheets and fell asleep. I slept
soundly until I heard the blast of the ship’s horn, and a few seconds later,
what sounded like a canon blast. I sat upright in bed and thought, either we
have docked, or the ship was under attack. I looked over at the clock on the
wall. It was ten-twenty, and the sun was out.

“Billy, wake up. We slept late. The ship has docked, and I
heard a canon go off.”

Billy sat up in bed, looked at the clock, and then said, “I
never sleep this late.” He rubbed his head as if in pain. “I have an awful
headache. I hope we have some aspirin.”

“We do,” I said. “How many drinks did you have last night?”

“I had about half as many as you did. You don’t think I’d tie
one on, do you?”

“I should know better,” I answered. “Hey, if you didn’t drink
much, why do you feel so rough? I bet Utah Hawks spiked our drinks, so we’d be
out of his way while he continued with his murderous plot.” I was joking.

Billy jumped out of bed and said, “Get dressed. We need to
check on Bella and Loukas.”

“Hey, I wasn’t serious.”

“I was.”

I had to take a shower
.
My body reeked of alcohol, and my mouth had a taste in it that I
wouldn’t want to describe to anyone. So, I jumped in the shower, and when I
finished and walked out with a towel wrapped around my head and body, Billy had
already ordered coffee and pastries.

“Hmm… that smells good. I could sure use a cup of hot
coffee.”

“I called Bella and Loukas to get an update on his
condition,” Billy said as he headed to the bathroom.

“How’s he doing?”

“He’s fine. Bella said he wasn’t feeling all that great, but
at least the doctor didn’t have to pump his stomach. It was just a case of sour
stomach, not food poisoning.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Billy took a shower while I dried my hair and drank coffee.

“I’m going to call
Savannah
.”

“I already did,” Billy called out to me over the noise of the
running water in the shower. “She said they just got up, too. I guess we all
had a little too much to drink.”

“At least you didn’t make a fool of yourself.”

“Neither did you, `ge ya. You and
Savannah
were kind of cute, acting all silly
and everything. McCoy said she doesn’t normally drink, so he wasn’t surprised
at her behavior.”

“What about lunch at Bella’s?”

“We’re going to skip it. That horn you heard was the signal
that the ship has docked, so Bella suggested that we have a late lunch ashore.
She said there’s a great little restaurant in town. She wants us to join them
for lunch, and then we’re going sightseeing. She said to dress informally…
shorts, T-shirt… something like that. Is that all right with you? I told her it
would be. I hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s fine with me. I can’t wait to get off this ship and put
my feet on dry land.”

Billy turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. A
few seconds later, he walked into the room with just a towel wrapped around his
waist. “She said to wear our I.D. cards and to carry our passports.”

“Okay,” I replied as I looked him up and down. “You look
mighty sexy there, Mr. Blackhawk.”

“And you do, too, `ge ya. We have an hour before we’re
supposed to meet up with Bella and her entourage.” He started doing that eye
thing like men do when they’re suggesting we partake in a little hanky-panky.

“What is it with you guys? You’re always…”

He walked over, kissed me softly, and a half-hour later, we
were crawling back out of bed.

“What a way to start the day!” he said. “I’m so glad I’m
married to you.” The he started singing that song about feeling like a natural
woman, and I had to laugh at his silliness.

“I’m the one who should be singing that song.”

Billy put on a pair of cargo pants and a T-shirt, and then
went searching through one of the dresser drawers.

“What are you looking for?” I asked as I slipped into a pair
of shorts and a T-shirt.

He pulled out our stringed I.D. badges, and slipped mine over
my head for me. “Now, I’ll know who you are.” He snickered. He grabbed our
passports, and slid them in a pocket of his cargo shorts.

“Why do we have to carry our passports with us?”

“In case we get left behind, or get in trouble with the
police.”

“I hope that doesn’t happen. You don’t think the ship would
leave without us, do you?”

“They might if we go off somewhere and can’t be found in
time. I don’t know, but I’m not taking any chances.”

Someone knocked on the door. Billy walked over and opened it.

“Hello,” he said to
Savannah
and McCoy. “Is it that time again?”

“Yes,”
Savannah
replied, walking in the room, and
then over to me. “Another day of adventure. Ah, I see you have your I.D.
badges. Good thing. We’d hate to lose you. Bella said to be sure to wear them.
Did you hear that canon blast?”

“What was that?”

“The Town Crier. He does that to signal the arrival of a
ship. It’s some kind of ritual or something.”

“I thought we were under attack.” I walked over and picked up
my purse to take with me.

“Don’t bring that,”
Savannah
said. “Carry your credit cards, cash, and passport in your pocket. You won’t
need your camera either.
Jena
is an expert photographer, and she’s
going to take pictures for everyone.”

I didn’t have to ask her why. Tourists are always at risk for
purse-snatchers wherever they go. We must have the word tourist plastered on
our forehead. The crooks always see us coming. No lugging a camera. That was
terrific. I lay the purse back down after I pulled out a credit card and then
stuffed it in the pocket of my shorts.

“You don’t need that card,” Billy said. “I have everything we
need in my wallet.”

“Okay,” I said, replacing the card back in my purse. “I guess
I’m ready to go.”

Billy put the keycard to our room in his pocket after he
closed the door behind us. “We’re off!” he said as we made our way down the
hallway to Loukas and Bella’s room.

People were coming and going as they, too, were getting ready
to disembark the ship. They were excited and extremely talkative. I heard one
woman say she couldn’t wait to get her feet on dry land after that terrible
storm. I smiled. It felt good not to have that feeling of unsteadiness. The
ship had tossed me around enough.

As usual, Bella and Loukas had a room full of people. Besides
them, their entourage consisted of all three daughters and their husbands, six
very large bodyguards that I’d seen around before—and that number didn’t
include Allison and Jacob, who were also present—the four of us, and last but
not least—the three sisters from Georgia—imagine that.

A big, red flag went up—so big that if there had been a gust
of wind, I would’ve smothered to death from being wrapped up in it. Why would
Bertie, Dorothy, and Mabel be included in our jaunt to the island? They weren’t
friends in Loukas and Bella’s inner circle… or were they? Bertie did save
Jena
’s life. I’m sure Bella and Loukas never forget that.
Those sisters are a package deal, so when Bertie saved
Jena
, all three of them were taken into the fold. That’s
the only good reason I could come up with… unless… Bella invited them along
just to torment
Utah
. She wouldn’t be that devious, would
she? Yes, she would, and she would enjoy it. Watching
Utah
squirm would probably make her day.

“It’s time to go!” Bella demanded like a General commanding
her troops. “Allison and Raphael, I want you two to lead.” She reached over,
grabbed mine and
Savannah
’s hand, and then said, “You two walk
with me.” Her next command was that Jacob and Kelvin would follow us, with
Billy, McCoy and Loukas coming after them. “Sanchez and Dominique next, and
then my girls, and the three sisters, followed by
Utah
, Steven, and Jeff.  Mick, you and A.J. will bring up
the rear. Any questions?”

“Not on your life, Commander Bella!”
Utah
shouted. “We wouldn’t think of questioning your
authority. We know who wears the pants in the family.”

Loukas turned, walked over to
Utah
,
and then said, “And you would be wise never to forget that fact.”

Everyone laughed, but we all knew Loukas’ words were true. He
meant what he said.

“Shut up,
Utah
!” Bella yelled to him. “You need to
come with us so that if anything happens, you’ll have an alibi.”

That shut him up right quickly. Nell snickered. “You know
never to go up against my mother. What’s wrong with you?” She looked over at
Bella and said, “Mom, we’re ready anytime you are.”

I could see it coming.
Utah
was going to show his butt.

Bella turned, gave the go signal, and the twenty-three of us
departed the room. We turned right instead of left toward the death box, walked
down the corridor out onto the outer walkway, and were greeted by bright
sunshine and a heavenly warm breeze.

“Welcome to
Bermuda
, ladies!” Bella announced joyfully.
“We’re going to have the time of our lives today. Raphael, lead the way!”

As if in true military form, Raphael, the bodyguard, took the
lead, and the rest of us followed. Today, we were all going to see what a true
controller Bella could be. She had planned out everything from our
transportation to the sights we would see. She explained this to
Savannah
and me as we walked toward the exit
ramp.

We were asked by the captain to please step back and let two
men from Dr. Whitley’s
Med
Center
take Peter Dawson off the ship.
Dawson
was strapped down on the gurney, handcuffed to the railings, and he didn’t look
so well. But he was well enough to shout obscenities at us as he passed.

“What’s going to happen to him, Captain O’Riley?” I asked.

“He’s being transported to KEMH where he’ll be treated and
then sent back to the states to await the authorities.”

“KEMH? What’s that?”

“King Edward V11
Memorial
Hospital
over in Paget Parish.”

“We wouldn’t want
Dawson
to escape,” I said. “That’s for sure.”

“He’s not going to,” Captain O’Riley promised. “You can bet
on it. See all those cops down there? They’re going to make sure things go as
planned.”

“How are Maggie and Teresa holding up?”

“Better now that they know he’s off the ship.”

“I think we all are.”

“I know I am,” Bella added.

“He put them through some pretty rough times,” the captain
said. “From some of the stuff they told me, I’m surprised Maggie didn’t go crazy
long before now. That man is certifiable. He should be locked up.”

“She didn’t go crazy. She was driven over the edge by those
medications he tampered with. He did that to her. And, he tried to kill her
daughter. I think I’d be a little nuts myself, medication overload or not.”

The captain had little to say about that, instead, he gave us
the go ahead to disembark after Peter Dawson was removed. And then the captain
disappeared.

As we walked, I couldn’t help but ask the question I was so
eager to ask Bella. I whispered to her, “Do you think you have enough
bodyguards?”

“Oh, dear, they’re not just for me and Loukas. They’re also
here to protect the rest of you. We’re all together, so if one of us is a
target, others could get hurt. I don’t plan to let that happen.”

“That’s good to know,”
Savannah
said, a little shaky.

“Are you all right?” I asked, looking at her. “You seem a bit
nervous.”

“Yes, I noticed that,” Bella agreed. “You’re not frightened,
are you?”

“Writing about murder is a lot different than being a part of
it. It kind of freaks me out to know something’s probably going to happen, and
we’re right in the crosshairs. Yeah, I’m a bit spazzed. I don’t think drinking
last night helped.”

“I can relate.”

“Oh, ladies, stop worrying. Everything is under control,”
Bella said, trying to put us at ease. “Let’s go explore the town of
St. George
. Did you know that St. George was
the first capital of
Bermuda
? The town was first inhabited by
shipwrecked British settlers way back in 1609, but most of them went on to
Jamestown
,
Virginia
. So, we kind of have a connection.”

“You know all about this place,” I said.  “How many times
have you been here?”

“Way too many times to remember the exact number.”

As we left the ship, I had an uneasy feeling that when we
returned, things would be quite different. We were traveling with a man and his
wife who could be killed at any moment by an assassin, and the rest of us could
be collateral damage. The thought of that made my stomach do flip-flops. I
turned, looked back at Billy, and watched as he smiled at me, and then winked.
He must have been reading my mind, or he just knew me so well. I’m sure it
didn’t hurt that the look on my face pleaded with him to set me at ease… and he
did.

After going through the ship checkpoint, and then being
greeted by the Town Crier, we gathered together and waited to hear what Bella
had planned.

“We’ll be taking the tour bus we chartered,” Bella said as
she pointed in the direction of the bus. “The first stop on the list is Dennis’
Hideaway. You’ll love their food. So, let’s get on the bus.”

The first thing I noticed was the name on the side of the
bus—
Bella Tours
. I should’ve known. The second thing I noticed was the
quirky signs. There was an arrow pointing both ways to
Town
Center
in King’s Square indicating to me
that all roads in
St.
George’s
led back to
Town
Center
. Interesting.