Death on the Bella Constance (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 6) (7 page)

“Your ensemble,”
Savannah
said with a devilish smile.

“I think what she’s trying to tell you is that your clothes
were selected for you before you were even on board,”
Jena
explained.      

I looked back at
Savannah
.

“I’m guilty!”
Savannah
admitted. “When I told Bella that I had convinced you and Billy to choose their
cruise ship, she was delighted.” She glanced at Bella. “My friend has this
thing about giving gifts. She enjoys lavishing her friends with the finer
things in life, no matter what the cost is. She forced me to divulge, using my
best guess, your sizes, and then she and Jen put together several outfits for
you. Loukas chose the Armani tux Billy’s wearing, and had it sized according to
my notes and the photo I emailed them. Didn’t you think it was a little odd
that the pants didn’t need hemming?”

“That’s exactly what I told Billy. I’ve never heard of anyone
buying a fine quality suit where the pants didn’t need hemming to fit the
customer.”

“This little plot of theirs had quite an embarrassing moment
for me,” McCoy said. “Remember when we had dinner at your house the night you
were trying to make a decision about which cruise ship to choose? Well, Bella
and
Savannah
were already plotting their
exploits, and dragged me in on it.
Savannah
brought along her camera, explaining that she wanted photos of her new friends.
She took all those pictures, and then she wanted me to stand next to Billy, so
she could use me as a comparison for a suit size. I felt used… and dirty.”
McCoy laughed. “Oh, yes. Women love to plot…and surprise.”

“Your credit card was not charged,” Bella stated
emphatically. “And I don’t want to hear a word about it.”

“You’ll find a few more surprises when you get back to your
room,”
Jena
added. “Gifts from Mom and Dad.”

I looked at Bella and said, “Bella, we can’t accept …”

“Yes, you can, and you will… or I’ll be unhappy.”

“And you don’t want to make Mom unhappy,” Nell said, pitching
in her two cents worth into the ring. “She’ll nag you to death if you do.”

“Nell, stop it!” Loukas chided her.

Smartly,
Savannah
changed the subject quickly to avoid
an awkward moment between Loukas, Bella and Nell. She looked at me devilishly
and said, “I can’t wait for you to read my next book,
Killer in Greene
County
.”

“You’re kidding! Is it about what I think it’s about?”

“Could be. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

“I’m such a big fan of yours, Ms. Kelley,” Bertie said,
interjecting herself into the conversation as she gushed like a school girl.
“I’ve read every one of your books… twice!”

“Thank you,”
Savannah
said, politely. “I’m so happy you
enjoy them.”

Bertie went on to introduce herself and her sisters, and then
their bickering began.

The servers came around again with champagne, but I had to
say no. My first glass was coming back to haunt me. I was getting light-headed,
my words didn’t sound right, and one more minute of Bertie and Dorothy going at
it like two mad dogs was going to pluck my last nerve. Before I was pushed to
the brink of implosion, their words were drowned out when others at the table
started talking.

“
Savannah
and I would like to thank you and
your husband for inviting us on this cruise,” McCoy said, looking at Bella and
then Loukas. “We were planning to take some time off and go somewhere, but
things just kept coming up. The time was never right… until now. When you
called,
Savannah
and I said forget everything else,
we’re doing this for us.”

“This is going to be a fine cruise,” Loukas said, loudly.
“Billy and Jesse have agreed to sign on for the duration of the voyage as
private investigators, working for Bella and me.”

The chatter at our table stopped.

“They’re going to find out whose behind this threat on my
life and put a stop to it,” Loukas continued. “I can assure you that whoever is
behind this will be brought down.”

Bella cleared her throat.

“I am very lucky to have Bella as my wife, and we’re both
very glad to have our friends and family joining us on what is sure to be an
adventurous journey. I can promise you that.”

“And you always keep your promises!” Steven said, holding up
his glass. “I think I could use another drink.” He looked around, waved a
server over, and asked for one. “Fill her up, please,” he said loudly again,
this time belching as he spoke. His words were slurred and he didn’t act right
for a man who had, up until now, acted properly in public.

Of the three of Loukas and Bella’s girls,
Jena
seemed to be the most out-going and friendly one, and
her husband, Steven, the same. I believed Nell to be a battered wife, and her
husband,
Utah
was not only a wife-beater, but he
was also a dangerous ratfink. It was hard to size up Ruby and Jeff. They said
very little, just like their body language. Maybe they were that way because
Jeff was such a computer geek, and computer geeks have their minds on their
work all the time. Ruby, being the wife of a computer geek, most likely wanted
nothing to do with computers, leaving very little for them to talk about. Or…
she could be a computer fanatic, too. Who knows? I could’ve been way off base,
but I didn’t think so. My first instincts are usually right. But—not always.

Jena
looked at her husband in bewilderment, and then scanned the faces at the table.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He’s only had one glass of champagne.” She
thought a minute. “Oh, he did have a very small amount of the champagne in our
room. About an hour after he drank it, he said he felt nauseated. Then he started
feeling better.”

“You know how men are,” Bertie said, adding her apparent
expert knowledge. “I’ve been married five times, and I can tell you a thing or
two about them.”

“I’m having a good time!” Steven yelled, sloshing his glass
around, and then spilling some in his lap. “I feel much better now. My
stomach’s fine.” His outburst silenced Bertie. I almost laughed out loud at
her, until Steven went to wipe the champagne from his lap with his hand, and
then jerked back, clutching his chest. He tried to speak. “I… can’t… breathe,”
he managed to get out before he slumped over, fell out of his chair, and then
landed on the floor face down. He didn’t move.

Everyone jumped up out of their chairs, prompting an
immediate reaction by the captain. He waved at someone, and within ten seconds,
a response team had arrived.

When Steven fell out of his chair, he attracted the attention
of the others passengers, who one by one, wanted to see what was happening.
They started to crowd in as chaos was reigning free at our table until a
security team arrived. They cleared the way for the response team and moved the
crowd back away from us. I don’t know where the response team came from, or if
they had been at-the-ready the whole time, but they were there so fast, I was
totally astounded at their speed. Not only did they arrive more quickly than
any team I’d ever seen, but they did a first-rate job attending to Steven. They
had him stabilized, on a gurney, and heading for the exit in what I was sure to
be record time.

Loukas put his arm around his daughter’s shoulder as she
cried uncontrollably. He turned to us and said, “You’ll have to excuse us. I’m
taking my daughter to be with her husband.” He looked at Bella, and she, in
return, gave him a nod.

Captain O’Riley turned, motioned for Loukas and
Jena
to follow, and then led the two of them out.

“Everyone, sit down,” Bella commanded. “Please. Let’s try to
enjoy our meal.”

Frightened, speechless, and concerned for Steven, we obeyed.
We quietly sat down and waited for Bella to speak again. She had remained
standing, so it was obvious to us that she had something else to say.

The crowd of people went back to their tables and continued
their meals in hushed tones.

“I’m sure Steven is going to be all right,” Bella said. “I
suggest we have dinner, but if anyone doesn’t want to, it’s understandable.
Please feel free to leave.” Bella sat down and waited.

Nobody moved.

Bella smiled and waved to a server, who then turned to his
staff and started giving orders. The soup arrived first, followed by plates
piled high with a variety of seafood. Baskets of bread lined the table, and
when champagne was brought around again, no one at the table seemed interested.

“I think I’d like a soda with my dinner,” Bertie told the
server. “I don’t want to fall out like Steven did. I don’t know what you put in
that stuff, but I think it’s toxic.”

A little chuckle passed everyone’s lips. Even Mabel snickered
at what her sister had said. “You’re loony,” she said, brushing off her
sister’s statement. “There’s nothing wrong with the champagne. I’ll have
another glass, please.” Mabel looked at the server, and held out her glass.

“I agree with Bertie,” Dorothy said. “The champagne could be
tainted.”

“Then why aren’t we all sick?” Mabel asked, trying to get her
sisters to shut up and calm down. They were working themselves into a frenzy.
“My sisters have a way of stirring up trouble.” Mabel looked back and forth at
the rest of us. “They say the most ridiculous things.”

Regardless of Bertie’s assumption that something was wrong
with the champagne, some at the table ordered more, and some didn’t.

“I’ll pass,” I said. “I’d like a glass of sweetened iced
tea.”

“Jesse,” Bella said. “I can assure you the champagne is safe
to drink.”

“I was only going to have one glass, anyway,” I said. “Those
drinks I had at your place earlier, and then this glass of champagne are enough
for me. I told you I’m not much of a drinker.”

“That’s right,” she replied. “You did.”

Billy looked at Bella and said, “Jesse would talk you all
senseless if she consumed much more alcohol. She would tell you all her
secrets, and that’s not good for a private investigator to do. I’d have to cut
her off.”

Small talk.

Twenty minutes later, the captain returned and said to Bella,
“Steven is going to be all right. The team got to him in time. Doc thinks he
had a minor heart attack. He’s at our
Med
Center
, and you’ll be able to see him
soon.”

“That seems to be happening quite a bit here lately,
captain,” Bertie said. “Must be something in the air.”

I wasn’t paying attention to Bertie. I had my eyes trained on
Captain O’Riley. Words spoken by a man with the kind of worried look he had on
his face, told me something was up. He was holding something back.

“Please continue with your meal,” he said. “I’m afraid I have
matters that need my attention. Please, excuse me.” He turned and walked away.

“See,” Bella said. “I told you Steven was going to be fine.”

Although everyone tried to enjoy dinner, it didn’t take us
long to realize that our appetites weren’t sufficient to consume all the food
placed in front of us. No amount of small talk could ease our worry. Steven had
a minor heart attack, the captain had said, but what does that mean? A heart
attack is a heart attack—minor or major—it’s still bad news. Mom had a minor heart
attack a while back, and it freaked me out. She was healthy, so I couldn’t
figure out why it happened to her. Luckily, she rebounded as good as ever.
Maybe Steven would do the same. I sure hoped so. One more death on our first
day out would spell the end for me. I’d want to get off this ship faster than a
bird could fly.

I looked at Billy, and he looked back at me. We both knew
there was more going on here than we were being told, but we never imagined
things were going to get much, much worse.

The evening came to a close for all of us when Bella said, “I
can’t eat anymore. I’m worried, and my heart just isn’t in it. I want to go
check on Steven.”

“Jesse and I will go with you,” Billy said. “You will need a
little moral support, and we want to be there for you.”

“We’ll go, too,”
Savannah
said, looking at Bella, and then at McCoy. McCoy shook his head in agreement.

“Why don’t we all go?” Bertie asked.

“We can’t go with them,” Dorothy said. “This is a family
matter, and we’re not family.”

“Then why do they get to go?” Bertie pointed in our
direction.

“Stop it!” Mabel commanded, and then looked at Bella. “You
will let us know how he’s doing, won’t you?”

I couldn’t help but think about how petty and ridiculous that
question was. Petty because Bertie was jealous that Billy and I were in Bella’s
inner circle, and she wasn’t. Ridiculous because Bertie would find a way to get
the information she wanted. There was no doubt in my mind that she perceived
herself as an amateur sleuth, but unfortunately, I didn’t think she had any
idea what dangerous territory she was stepping into. She might consider what
she does as fun, and even exhilarating, but snooping is not a job for someone
who has the habit of blabbing everything she finds out—whether it’s true or not.
One day, her mouth was going to get her in trouble.

“You all can come,” Bella said. “However, the doctor will
only let a certain number of people in the
Med
Center
. The rest of you are welcome to wait
outside.”

Bella’s announcement delighted Bertie. “You’re such a
thoughtful person. I can see why everyone adores you.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Nell muttered under her
breath.

“If you have something to say, Nell, speak up,” Bella
demanded. “I’m getting a little hard of hearing.”

I had my doubts about that remark. I’m sure it was her way of
saying she heard every word.

“No matter… where … we are,” Nell replied, her speech
slightly slurred, and her body language showing signs that she had consumed
more champagne than she should have. “You always find a way… to put down…
Utah
. You’ve never… liked him.”

“I don’t think this is the time or place to discuss my
feelings about your lousy husband.”

Zing!

Bella stood up, looked around at everyone and said, “I will
be leaving now. Those of you who would like to go may do so.”

Everyone arose as if they were being commanded by a general,
and then gathered at the head of the table beside Bella. Billy stood beside
Bella, presented his arm and suggested that he be her lead. “May I escort you
to your destination, Bella Constance?” he asked. “However, you might have to
show me the way.”

She locked arms with him, and then insisted that I walk
alongside her. “We can’t have your delightful wife tagging behind like a
puppy.” She giggled, looking at Billy and then back to me. “I’m so glad the two
of you came into our lives. I feel as if I’ve known you forever.”

“Me, too,” I replied.

As we walked toward the dining room exit with the rest of the
group following in succession, Nell, who had been walking beside Dorothy at the
end of the line, stumbled and fell to the floor. When she did, she took Dorothy
with her.

The group stopped, and turned to see what had happened.

“Not again!” Bella whispered. “She has to quit drinking.
That’s all there is to it.”

The sight of two women lying on the carpet tangled up like a
bunch of weeds climbing a rose bush was a sight to see. Dorothy let out a
screech and then cried out, “You made me twist my ankle! I knew you had too
much to drink. What’s your problem?” She tried to sit up and then slid away
from Nell as several crew members rushed over to help. Instead of rushing to
their sister’s side, Bertie and Mabel stood back out of the way.

Nell brushed the hair out of her eyes, and slowly tried to
get up. When she did manage to stand on her own, she looked at Dorothy and
said, “I’m so sorry, Dottie. I guess I had too much to drink.”

“My name is Dorothy,” she remarked, scolding her as she did.
“You have a problem, lady. You need to join Alcoholics Anonymous!”

“Yeah, she does have a problem and his name is
Utah
,” Ruby said as she walked over to her sister. “Let me
help you, Nell.” She looked at the crew and added, “Attend to Dorothy, please.
We’ll take care of my sister.” She took Nell by the arm and led her past Bella.

“We’ll take her to her room, and see that she gets into bed,”
Jeff said to Bella as he followed his wife, Ruby. He stopped just long enough
to say, “You know why Nell gets like this.”

“Yes, I do,” Bella replied. “Until she dumps that creep,
she’ll never change. She’ll drink herself to death.”

“I sure hope not,” was the last thing he said before taking
his leave of our company.

Bella looked around at the rest of the folks eating dinner.
“They pretend they don’t see what a dysfunctional family I have, but they
know.” She hesitated a second and then said, “Shall we go? I’ve had enough
drama for one evening.”

Two crew members helped Dorothy up off the floor, while
another summoned the response team, suggesting they bring a wheelchair.

“But shouldn’t my ankle be elevated?” Dorothy asked one of
the men helping her. “And I probably should be lying down. I need a gurney.”

Bella let go of Billy’s arm and walked over to Dorothy.
“These guys will take care of you, Dorothy,” she said to her. “And if you need
anything, anything at all, you just let me know.” Bella winked at the crew
members. “Take good care of my friend, gentlemen.”

They smiled back at Bella as they said in unison, “Yes,
ma’am.” The crew members had known Bella Constance long enough to know how she
operates. She’s a soother. She soothes everyone’s ego, especially when it comes
to someone like the sisters from
Georgia
.

Dorothy likes attention, just like her sister, Bertie, but
Bertie is the worse of the two. I could tell that the minute I met them. I
believe they’re good people and have good hearts, but they need something in
their lives they don’t have. Perhaps a man would be the ticket. I would mull
that one over later. Mabel seems to be content just being herself.

“We’ll stay with our sister,” Mabel said to Bella. “You go
see to your son-in-law. Thank you for allowing us to dine at your table. It was
quite an interesting evening.”

“You’re welcome, my dear,” Bella replied. “But it’s not my
table. It’s the captain’s table.”

Mabel gave her a smile and a knowing look just like the
diners had. She knew who had all the pull, and who the real lady of this ship
was—it was Bella Constance. Bella might have a messed up family, but she was
respected by everyone who met her, and she had power—much more than most could
fathom. Soon, Billy and I would find out just how much power this one little
lady had.

Bella tucked her arm back into Billy’s again and said, “Let’s
get out of here before we lose another member of this party.”

Savannah
chuckled as she said, “Bella, you just lay it out there, don’t you?”

“I just tell it like it is. Everyone knows our family.
There’re not many things we can keep private. Our secrets are out there for
everyone to see.”

“Except the secret of who is going after your husband,” I
remarked.

The look on Bella’s face turned from a smile to a frown. She
was more upset about the situation concerning Loukas than she had shown.

Billy looked at Bella and said, “Don’t you worry, Bella.
Jesse and I will flush out whoever is plotting against your husband. We will
find him and make him pay. He’ll go to jail for what he’s trying to do.”

“I hope you find him before it’s too late.”

“We will,” I said, reassuring her as I walked with her out of
the dining room. “We’ll unravel this scheme before the culprit has time to do
any harm.”

“I sure hope so,” Bella replied. “I don’t want to lose my
husband.”

“You won’t,”
Savannah
said. “Jesse and Billy will put a
stop to this madness.”

“They saved my wife,” McCoy added. “She was in an impossible
situation, but they brought her home safe and sound. I guess you know all about
what happened.”

The look that passed between
Savannah
and McCoy was proof that the mistake she had made by having
a one-night-stand, and the danger that followed, was behind them. They were
obviously in love, and were determined to make their marriage work. McCoy left
their home in Fancy Gap, Virginia, and moved to be with her at their retreat in
Dogwood
Valley
.
He left a thriving legal practice and started a new one in
Charlottesville
just to be with her. Their
separation, or whatever it was, was over. They were now together, and they were
happy.

“Yes, I do,” Bella said, knowingly. “People make mistakes.
You just have to pull yourself together and move on.”

“And we did,” McCoy replied as he reached over and took his
wife’s hand. He looked up at Billy and me. “I owe a lot to you and Jesse.
Thanks for being there. I don’t know what I’d do if…”

“It’s over, McCoy,”
Savannah
said, reassuring him. “I’m fine, and so is our marriage. That’s all that
matters.”

We walked down the large corridor heading toward a sign on
the left that read,
Med
Center
.
On the way, I noticed that not only were there clothing shops, there also was a
spa, a gym, a computer café, a bar, and even a small drug store. I pointed it
out to Bella and asked, “Can you get prescriptions filled there?”

“No,” she replied. “They carry the basics—aspirin, band-aids,
and the like. But we do have a fantastic
Med
Center
.” She grinned. “Things have changed.
It used to be that most ships were lucky to have a full-time doctor on board,
but now, too much happens on a ship. People fall and get seriously injured, or
someone has a heart attack. You have to have someone to take care of these
people. We don’t offer routine medical care, but we do have a doctor and a
small team to handle accidents or even deaths. Yes, things have changed.” Bella
had a far away look on her face by the time we reached the
Med
Center
. She was deep in thought.

“Are you all right?” Billy asked her. “You look a little
pale.”

“Honey, I am pale,” she replied, chuckling. “I’m fair-skinned
by nature.”

I looked at her and said, “I know what you mean. If I stay in
the sun too long, I’ll burn up. A lobster would have nothing on me. See my
shoulders? And I was wearing sunscreen.”

Bella giggled. “You are truly a down to earth girl, aren’t
you, my dear?”

“Yes, I am, and I can get just as down and dirty as anyone. I
can kick some serious butt if I have to. I might be small, but I’m tough. Why,
I could shoot the wings off a gnat at a hundred yards!”

Everyone laughed.

“Delusions of grandeur,” Billy whispered to Bella. “And you
offered her more champagne.”

“I heard that, husband.” I smiled and then looked at Bella.
She didn’t look so well. “Are you okay? You do look pale even for someone who
is pale to start with.”

“No,” Bella continued. “I am worried about Steven, but
mostly, I’m worried about Loukas. I can’t believe someone would want to kill
him. It just boggles my mind.”

“When you’re in big business you usually make a few enemies,”
McCoy said. “Try being a lawyer for one day. You’d lose your mind.”

“Not just big business,” Billy offered. “Look at Jesse and
me. Our list of enemies is a mile long, and that’s just been since we’ve been
together. I have past enemies from way back when. They could come out of the
woodwork at any time, and Jesse wouldn’t know them. That’s not something I like
to think about.”

Billy’s remark opened up a new window for me. I ran down the
list in my mind of all the people we had tangled with, and surprisingly, I
realized that Billy was right. We had made a few people angry together, so I
could imagine how many were left out there from Billy’s past. He’s been a
private detective ever since his boys were little. They’ve both since graduated
from college. That’s a long span to accumulate enemies.

The door to the
Med
Center
opened, and a battered and bruised
young woman was wheel-chaired out. She looked as if she’d been in a barrel that
had rolled down a long and bumpy hill. She had bruises from head to toe,
especially the toe part. Her foot was wrapped in an ace bandage and was propped
up on the wheelchair footrest. The doctor told the woman and her husband that
he would come by in the morning to check on her. “If you need me, don’t
hesitate to call,” he said.