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

The drinks I consumed earlier today were wearing off, and I
felt like you do when that happens. I was tired and on the verge of being
cranky. I wanted to shower, dress, and have a good meal. I didn’t want to
listen to two hysterical women, but I did, and with a smile on my face. They
say smiling makes you feel better. I hope so.

“Have a seat, ladies,” Billy said, motioning to the two
chairs across the room. “Tell me about your talk with Captain O’Riley.”

The ladies went on to explain how they approached the captain
and told him all about Peter.
Dawson
. “The captain took the picture and
checked the passenger manifest,” Maggie said. “Captain O’Riley said there was
no one by that name on board, but he would keep a lookout.”

“I asked him if there was anyone who was on this cruise
alone,” Teresa added. “He said there was one passenger, a male, taking this
cruise by himself.”

“But he wouldn’t tell us which room he’s staying in,” Maggie
said, jumping in. “He said he would check out the guy, see if he looks like the
one in the photo, and get back with us.”

“I tried to tell him that Peter works with a community stage
theater,” Teresa said. “Peter knows all about stage make-up and costumes. He
can change his looks, and you can’t even tell it’s the same guy.”

Maggie started to say something, but Billy cut her off. “I
want you and your daughter to go about your business as if nothing is wrong,
but stay together. I’ll personally check out this single passenger, and I’ll
let you know the minute I find out anything.”

I was standing beside Billy, listening to the conversation,
both of us still dressed in our swimming attire. I felt uncomfortable in my
bikini, but I was so glad I had on a shirt. When I looked Billy over, I lost
interest in how I might have looked. He was wearing his swimming shorts, an
open-chest, short-sleeved print shirt, and a pair of deck shoes—without
socks—and he looked so good. I was proud of my man. Not only was he handsome,
but he looked great sparsely clothed. For a second, I caught Teresa checking
him out, too. I ignored her because I know Billy, and went back to listening to
him give them further instructions on what to do next.

“You both need to stop acting like you’re terrified,” he
said. “You’re on a cruise. You’re supposed to be having fun. You need to act
like it. I’ve alerted a crew member to be on the lookout, and I’m sure he’s
already told a few of the others, so you have plenty of folks looking out for
you.” Billy politely ushered Maggie and Teresa out, assuring them we were on
the case. Money was never discussed. When he closed the door, I stripped out of
my clothes, leaving them on the floor, and headed to the bathroom.

“Are you coming, Heap Big Warrior?”

Billy tore his clothes off and hustled to follow. We showered
together, spent the next twenty minutes making love, and then showered again.
It was naughty… and nice… and I felt wicked. We both did. I can’t help myself.
I’m amazed at how physically attracted I am to Billy. I can tell you one thing
for sure—age doesn’t matter when you’re in love. Not only are we in love, but
we’re soul mates. We share almost everything, and we like doing the same stuff.
Of course, our family comes first, and then snooping is next on the list. And
we’re good at it. Together, we’re almost unstoppable. When you add Billy’s
bounty hunter brother, Jonathan, to our team, we are unbeatable. Too bad he
wasn’t here. What am I saying? This trip is for Billy and me. Jonathan’s not
invited.

We listened to the computer while we dressed in our recently
purchased formal attire, and laughed at the antics of three married couples
getting ready to go to a dinner that none of them wanted to attend.

Billy had blacked out the screen. Neither one of us liked the
idea of watching people while they were changing clothes. That was personal,
not something that should be viewed by anyone other than the person or persons
in the room. We drew the line there.

“You look beautiful, `ge ya,” Billy whispered, kissing me on
the neck. “I’ll be the proudest guy at the ball tonight.”

“It’s not a ball, silly. It’s just dinner.”

“A dinner that requires a nine-hundred dollar dress and a tux
that costs almost as much.”

I held out my wrist to show off my diamond bracelet and said,
“Yeah, but don’t you feel magnificent?” I smiled.

“Yes, I do,” he said, smiling back.

“Then it was worth it.”

Billy leaned down, pulled me up into his arms, and kissed me
passionately. My heart skipped a beat. When he let go of me, I just stood there
mesmerized for a second.

“Now, that’s what this cruise is about!” I said. “Love, sex,
and fun. What else do you need?”

“We need to get moving if we don’t want to be late.”

I kissed his cheek and then walked over to the bed to get my
purse. That’s when I noticed the bottle of champagne sitting in a bucket of
water. I turned to Billy as he was putting stuff in his pockets and said, “We
forgot about our champagne, and now the ice is melted.”

Billy glanced over at the table and said, “We’ll get more ice
later. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of champagne floating around during dinner.”

“We’ll save this bottle for later,” I remarked. “I’m sure
it’ll be fine sitting right where it is.”

Billy looked up at me and said, “I’m ready. How about you,
pretty lady?”

“You know the right thing to say at just the right time.”

“It’s easy around you.” Billy kissed me again, and the minute
our lips touched, in the background through the computer speakers, we heard a
man’s voice rising almost to a yell. We turned our attention back to the
computer, and listened to a woman cry.

“Somebody’s getting violent,” I said. “He just slapped his
wife.”

Billy turned, walked back over to the computer, and hit a
key. The screen came up, instantly displaying the split-screen showing the
three rooms. I stood beside him and watched the monitor. Two of the couples
were changing clothes. Billy hit a key and blacked out their rooms again,
allowing us to concentrate on the room where the two people were arguing. The
woman was holding her hand to her face as if she’d been slapped. The woman was
Nell and her violent husband, Utah Hawks.

“Don’t you ever put your hands on me again!”
Nell
yelled
.

“And just what are you going to do?”
Utah
asked in a sneering way. “Go cry to your mommy, or
better yet, your old man?”

Their arguing continued, but the intensity slacked up. It was
obvious that Nell was trying to smooth things over. She walked up to him and
spoke softly, so softly that Billy and I couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“Let’s go,” I said. “They’re making up. He slapped her, and
now she’s begging for his forgiveness. We know how that’s going to end. It’s
always the same old thing. The abused tries to find a reason to let the abuser
off the hook. I want to slap them both.”

“You sound as if you speak from experience. You never told me
anything about some guy slapping you around. I’ll kill him! Who is he?” Billy
joked.

“You know I’m not talking about myself.”

“I know. It was one of your friends. Her husband beat her,
you told her to leave him, and then he got killed in a car wreck. Now, the
friend isn’t your friend anymore, because … I don’t remember. May we go now?”
Billy hit a key and the screen went black.

“I’m ready,” I said, looking back at the computer. “Maybe she
wasn’t whispering sweet nothings in his ear, maybe she was threatening him.
Loukas is her father.”

“Jesse…”

“If Loukas found out that
Utah
beat up on his daughter, he’d have a conniption fit.”

“Stop, right there,” Billy calmly said as he put his hands on
my shoulders. “Your wild imagination is at it again.”

I took a deep breath and then replied, “You’re probably right.
My mind can get a little hyper. Sometimes I imagine all sorts of things. I’ll
bet that’s why I’m such a great private investigator.” I grabbed my purse,
walked over to the door, and when Billy opened it, we were greeted by the three
sisters from
Georgia
. Bertie had her hand raised as if
she was just getting ready to knock.

“Hello, ladies,” Billy said with a smile. “We were just
getting ready to leave for dinner. Is there something we can do for you?”

Not again. Lord, please don’t let these women be seated at
our table, I prayed to myself. I think I might go off the deep end, if they do.

“We won’t keep you, I promise,” Bertie said. “But we have
some information that can’t wait.”

“You’ll want to hear what we have to say,” Dorothy chimed in.

“May we come in?” Bertie asked as she walked passed us into
the room. Dorothy and Mabel followed. Mabel stood off to the side and remained
silent while her other two sisters talked. Occasionally, she would shake her
head. She obviously wasn’t the instigator of this visit. Her eyes begged for
forgiveness.

Stunned, Billy and I stood there with the door still opened.
Finally, Billy closed the door, turned to Bertie and said, “I’m sorry, but
we’re going to dinner, so we can only give you a couple of minutes. We don’t
want to be late.”

“Are you dining at the captain’s table?” Dorothy asked.

“That’s none of your business!” Bertie scolded her.

“I was just asking. You don’t have to be so snotty to me. I
can’t believe you’d be so hateful in front of them.” She glanced over at us,
and then continued, “You do this all the time. You have to have the final say
about everything.”

Disgusted, but not showing it, Billy said, “Ladies, please.”
He looked at his watch. “We really have to leave. Please say what you came here
to say.”

“The man you’re looking for is in room 527, right across the
hall from that poor girl,” Bertie said. “Don’t ask us how we know about him, or
how we found out his room number. You have what you need, now you can act on
it. As I told you at the dress shop, there’s not much that gets by me. I can be
a big help to you.”

Ah, so that was it! Bertie fancied herself a sleuth, and was
willing to dig until she got her answer. Maybe she could be of service to us.

Having left us with a tidbit of information, the three
sisters from
Georgia
walked out of the room as quickly as
they had entered.

We didn’t know whether there was
any truth to what Bertie said, but we would surely check it
out later. For now, work was going to have to wait. We were headed to the main
dining room to dine at the captain’s table, and all I could think about was how
exciting the evening was going to be. I felt like a princess being escorted by
my prince. I was full of joy. When we entered the dining room, we were
immediately approached by the maitre d’.

“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Blackhawk,” he said. “Please
follow me to the captain’s table.” He led us past the other diners and then
seated us across from Bella and Loukas at the end of the table next to Captain
O’Riley.

Captain O’Riley introduced us to the other folks already
seated. He gestured as he said their names, starting at the end of the table on
our side. “This is
Utah
and Nell Hawks, and across the table
are Jeff and Ruby Reed, and Steven and Jena Nelson. Of course, Bella and Loukas
Constance need no introduction. There will be others joining us who should be
here very soon.”

There were two empty chairs beside Bella, and three next to
me. I wondered who else would be joining us, but didn’t ask. I looked over at
Jena
and realized that she was the salesgirl at Bella’s
Boutique. “I know you,” I said as I sat down next to Billy, he and I being the
only two people seated on our side of the long table. “I didn’t realize you
worked at the boutique.” I was a little surprised that one of Loukas and
Bella’s daughters would be working as a salesgirl considering all the money
they have. Or did they? Just because the parents have money, it doesn’t mean
the kids do.

“Yes, I do,”
Jena
replied. “I love the work. I own my
own shop, Jen’s Boutique. It’s a spin-off from Mom’s. Once I saw the one on the
ship, I knew what I wanted to do with myself, so I opened my own boutique where
we live in
Georgia
.” When she said
Georgia
, Billy and I looked at each other
and smiled. “What?”
Jena
asked. “What’s that smile about?”

“It’s just that when you said
Georgia
, we both thought of the three sisters from
Georgia
we met shortly after we came on
board.”

“You must mean Bertie, Dorothy, and Mabel?” Bella said with a
chuckle. “They’re a trip, aren’t they?”

“To say the least. They’re such nice ladies.” I let my
opinion stop there.

Billy started laughing, and then
Jena
joined in, and before long, everyone at the table was
going at it. Everyone except…
Utah
. I noticed him out of the corner of
my eye, and couldn’t help but remember the fight he had with Nell. He wasn’t
laughing, and he wasn’t even trying to cover up his distain for our behavior.

“Those women are a nuisance,”
Utah
muttered. “They’re busybodies. They’re always sticking their noses in
everybody’s business. I’m surprised they’re allowed on the ship. They bother
the passengers.”

“We can’t refuse someone passage because they’re different,”
Captain O’Riley said. “If that were the case, half the people on board would
still be sitting on the dock.”

Utah
stood up, his eyes bulged, and his face turned beet red. “It’s your place to
screen the passengers before they board.” He shook his finger at the captain.
“I would think even you could come up with a way to keep them off our ship.”

“Excuse me,” Loukas butted in. “This is not
our
ship.
This ship belongs to Bella and me, so if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if
you kept your mouth shut. You have nothing to say about how this ship is run,
so sit over there and shut up!”

Tempers were starting to flair, and dinner was off to a bad start.

“Listen, old man…”
Utah
said, but was stopped by Nell when she elbowed him in the side. “Never mind.”

Servers carrying bottles of champagne descended upon us in
the nick of time. They poured the bubbly into our glasses, and I was sure this
was going to be the cooling off point of the conversation… but no… that didn’t
stop the animosity from flowing along with the liquid.

“You know,” Loukas stood up and said, looking down the table
at
Utah
. “You can leave this ship any time
you want to,
Utah
. Nobody made you come on this
cruise. I, in particular, would’ve been glad if you hadn’t.”

“That’s enough!” Nell said. She stared her father down, and
then did the same thing to her husband.

Loukas stood his ground, waiting for
Utah
to show him the respect he deserved, by sitting down
first.
Utah
didn’t comply until Nell whispered
under her breath, “Sit down,
Utah
!”
Utah
grunted something inaudible, and then sat down in his chair.

A minute later, the maitre d’ escorted the three sisters from
Georgia
to our table, and then the fur
really started to fly.
Utah
jumped up and said loudly, “There’s
no way I’m going to eat at the same table with those hens!” Everyone gasped at
his rudeness The look on the faces of the three sisters was pitiful. They were
hurt by his words, and their embarrassment showed. Mabel was on the verge of
tears.

His behavior set me off. “I’d be honored to have these ladies
sit with us, and as far as I’m concerned, you can leave!”

Billy was stunned that I took up for three women that he knew
got on my nerves, but he was the first to start clapping. Others at the table
joined in. I stood rigid. This was another show of defiance.

“You tell him!” Ruby said. “Someone needs to knock him down
off his high horse.”

“Ruby, stay out of it,” Jeff whispered. “It’s none of your
business.”

“It’s everyone’s business when someone is deliberately being
cruel,” she shot back. She looked at
Utah
,
and then raised her voice. “I’m with Jesse. I think you should shut up, or
leave.”

“Suit yourselves,”
Utah
said as he looked around. “Come on, Nell. We’re leaving.”

“I don’t think so,” she replied. “Your behavior is
inexcusable. I’m so embarrassed, and I’m ashamed of you. If you want to leave,
go ahead, but I’m staying here.”

Utah
kicked his chair out from behind, knocking it over, and then stormed off. After
he had left the room, there was harmony once again. How long it was going to
last was anybody’s guess. This evening hadn’t gone the way I had expected so
far.

“Please sit down and join us,” Nell said to the sisters. “You
must excuse my husband’s behavior. He’s under a lot of stress.”

“Aren’t we all,” Steven said. “That’s no reason for him to
lose it.”

“I agree,” Nell replied. “All I can say is that I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize for him,” Bella said. “We know
he’s got a mean streak in him a mile wide. He doesn’t care about other people’s
feelings.” She looked at the sisters and added, “Please do join us, and forgive
our son-in-law. He’s a jerk.”

The maitre d’ seated the three sisters side by side… next to
me. I looked at Billy and smiled. Words were not needed. Billy says I have a
soft spot for the underdog, and that I get it from my mom and my aunt Edie. I
guess he’s right. As much as those three women were driving me crazy, I was not
going to stand by and watch them being humiliated. It just wasn’t right. I
looked at Bertie as she sat down beside me and said, “I’m so glad you could
join us.” And in a way, I meant it.

“We would’ve been here on time,” Dorothy said. “But Bertie
had other plans.” She leaned across Bertie and smiled at Billy and me. “If you
know what I mean.” She winked at us.

Oh, Lord, did I ever! It was my guess that the three of them
went snooping around room 527 to see what they could find out about the
passenger staying there. I was concerned that the guy might actually be the man
Teresa said he was, and if that were true, the sisters could be in danger.

“Bertie, perhaps you and your sisters should enjoy the cruise
and leave the detective work to professionals. You could get hurt.”

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about us,” she
whispered in her
Georgia
drawl. “We can handle ourselves.”

“I’m sure you can, but…”

Suddenly, voices in the room started getting louder, and then
someone started clapping. The next thing I knew, the whole place went into an
uproar. Folks around us started standing up, and they were still clapping.
Everyone at our table turned to look… except Bella. I glanced at her just
before turning my head to do the same, and saw that she was looking directly at
me. She smiled that devious smile that I noticed she gets on her face when she
knows what’s coming. I looked up to see Savannah Kelley and her husband, McCoy,
walking toward our table. That’s when it dawned on me why there were two empty
seats between Bella and
Jena
. They were being reserved for the
star of the night. I marveled at how beautiful
Savannah
looked in her stunning silver evening gown as she stood next
to her handsomely dressed husband. They were a gorgeous pair. I had no idea
Savannah
had such a large reader base. The
room was filled with her adoring fans. They loved her. It was clear from their
reactions when she entered.

“It’s Savannah Kelley!” Bertie screamed. “
Savannah
! Over here!” She waved both arms as
if she were a cheerleader at a football game.

“Stop it,” Mabel said. “You’re embarrassing. You act like a
teenager.”

“Oh, leave me alone,” she spat back and then looked at me. “I
hope she’s dining with us.”

“I’m sure she is,” I replied and then looked at Bella. “You
had this planned the whole time, didn’t you?”

“Actually,” she said, leaning inward toward me as she stood,
“it just happened. Senator Ball and his wife had to cancel at the last minute,
so I called
Savannah
and pleaded with her to join us, at
our expense.”

“You’re so generous, Bella. I’m surprised you’re not broke.”

“It’s only money.”

“It’s only money when you have plenty of it.”

“Anyway, I told her she would be on my deck, right next door
to you. They’re staying in room 612. I’m surprised the four of you haven’t run
into each other before now. The
Bella Constance
is not that big of a
ship.”

“You’re amazing, but oh, so devious!”

“I like you, too, Jesse.”

“I can tell,” I said. “Oh, I meant to thank you for the
bottle of champagne in our room. Do you do that for every passenger, or just
special ones like Billy and me?”

“What…” Bella never got to finish her sentence.
Savannah
walked up to her and gave her a big
hug. The people in the room clapped harder.
Savannah
raised her hand and waved to the diners. The applause got even louder.
Savannah
hugged Loukas, and walked over,
hugged me, and then hugged Billy. The crowd was in awe.

“I never realized you were such a celebrity,” I said. “They
love you.”

“Maybe you should read some of my books, Miss Private
Detective.” She smiled back at the crowd, and they in turn, waved to her again.

“I will as soon as I can get copies.”

“Funny you should say that. I brought you the first two. I
figured that would keep you busy, and maybe out of trouble, if that’s
possible.” She chuckled, and walked back over to join her husband, next to
Bella.

The room fell silent as soon as the captain picked up his
champagne glass and held it up. “I’d like to introduce all of you to McCoy
Kelley, prominent
Charlottesville
lawyer, and his lovely wife,
Savannah Kelly, world famous novelist.” He turned to the celebrity guests and
said, “Welcome to my table.”

We toasted the couple, sat down, and the chatter began. Our
table was abuzz. The rest of the dining patrons settled down almost to the
point that it was eerily quiet. I thought maybe they might be trying to listen
in on our conversations. Silly of me to think like that, I know.

“I’m so glad they came along on the cruise,” I whispered to
Billy.

“I could tell from the look of joy on your face. You lit up
like a Christmas tree.”

“I did not.”

“Yes, you did,”
Savannah
said, agreeing. “And I’m so glad that you’re glad we came. And by the way, you
look marvelous in that gown. Vera Wang? And that clutch purse. Kenneth Cole?
And I knew you’d love the Christian Louboutin heels. They’re a big hit. The red
soles were a smash the minute the shoes went public.”

“Who? What?” I asked. I had no idea who she was talking
about. Good fashion sense is not me at my best.