Death on the Bella Constance (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 6) (8 page)

The man thanked the doctor, and then pushed the wheelchair
down the hall.

“Come in,” the doctor said to Bella. “Steven is going to be
fine.”

Bella turned to Billy and me and motioned for us to follow.
Billy and I looked at each other and then to
Savannah
and McCoy.

“Go ahead,”
Savannah
said. “We don’t mind waiting out
here.” She smiled at Bella. “Watch out for these two. Their experience and
knowledge might shock you.”

“Honey, not much shocks me anymore,” Bella replied as she
turned and walked into the room. Billy and I walked in behind her, leaving
Savannah
and McCoy in the hallway, waiting.

The room was much larger than I had expected. It was equipped
with two gurneys separated by a curtain, medical paraphernalia, and what
appeared to be an overhead x-ray machine over top of one of the gurneys. “Wow!”
I exclaimed. “This is really nice! You could almost operate in here.”

The doctor laughed while gesturing to his team of four, and
then turned back to me and said with a true Southern accent, “You must be Jesse
Watson Blackhawk. It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Dr. Henry Whitley.”

“What a coincidence!” I said. “I used to work for a company
called Whitley Chimney Sweep!”

“Did you crawl down chimneys?” he asked, and then let out a
hearty laugh.

“No, I didn’t.” I looked around the room and thought for a
minute before saying, “Let me ask you something, Dr. Whitley.”

He nodded.

“Are you from
Georgia
like everyone else on this ship?”

“No, I’m from
Florida
,
but I spend most of my time on this ship. This is my second home.”

“I was just wondering why so many people who live in
Georgia
come all the way to
Norfolk
to board this ship.” I looked at
Bella. “Your girls live in
Georgia
, so I assume you and Loukas do,
too.”

“You are correct, my dear,” Bella answered. “And the family
took our private plane, and then rode here in a limo from the
Norfolk
airport—separate limos, I can assure
you. I assume the rest flew here by plane also. This ship only sets to sea out
of
Norfolk
. A lot of cruise ships leave out of
Miami
, but not us. We wanted to be different from the rest.
And if you want to cruise on the
Bella Constance
, you have to embark in
Norfolk
.”

“We’re just one big happy family,” Steven replied as he
walked out from behind the curtain, followed by Jena, Loukas, and Loukas’ two
body guards—Jacob and Allison.

Billy and I looked at each other, stunned to see Steven in
such a good state of health for someone who had just suffered a heart attack.

“What…” I started to ask.

“It’s a long story,” Loukas said. “Let’s talk.”

We gathered together, while Loukas stood next to the doctor,
preparing to give us a rundown on the situation. “First, let me say that Steven
didn’t have a heart attack. It was just an attack of severe indigestion.”
Loukas laughed, and Bella let out a sigh of relief. “He’s going to be fine. He
hit his head when he fell out of the chair, and almost knocked himself
unconscious. He’ll have a nice little bump for a few days.”

“Thank goodness, he didn’t have a heart attack!”
Jena
said, happily.

 “Here’s what we have so far,” Loukas explained. “We suspect
that the man who had the heart attack and was taken off the ship might have
been poisoned. Dr. Whitley examined the body and saw signs of what he suspects
to be poisoning. He’s not positive, but blood tests will tell us whether or not
his suspicions are correct. The wife said her husband drank the champagne in
their room and then had to lie down immediately. The leftover bottle of
champagne and even the glasses were sent with the body for examination. The
doctor thought there might be a connection because he knows that we don’t
supply the staterooms with champagne. The statement by the wife about the
complimentary champagne sent up a red flag.”

I looked over at Bella. She stared back, knowing exactly what
I was going to say before I had a chance to say it.

“I should’ve paid more attention,” she said. She looked up at
Loukas. “Jesse mentioned the bottle of champagne left in their room. There was
so much talking… I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” She looked back at me. “I need to
listen more closely.”

Billy paced for a second, thinking, and then said, “The dead
man had a bottle in his room, and we have a bottle in our room. How many others
are out there?”

“We have a bottle,” Steven said. “I poured a glass, and then
Jena
said she was ready to go. I sat the glass down, and
left it.”

“Did you actually drink any?” Billy asked.

“No, I didn’t. I put the glass to my mouth, but didn’t take a
drink.”

“There’s only one problem here,” Billy said. “Suppose the man
actually died from a heart attack? The poison could be a false assumption.”

“Suppose he didn’t?” Loukas asked. “To be on the safe side,
the captain has sent crew members around to every room to look for more bottles
of the champagne.”

“What is he telling the passengers?” I asked. “I hope he has
a good story.”

“He’s a very clever man,” Loukas replied. “He got his crew to
load up their carts with fruit baskets and complimentary bath gifts, and told
them to tell the passengers that they were checking to make sure they had
gotten theirs. They will alert him if they find any bottles of supposedly
complimentary champagne.”

“That’s going to be mighty costly,” I said, and then stopped.
“But I guess when it comes to passenger safety, money isn’t top priority.”

“It’s getting pretty late,” Billy said. “What will the crew
members do if the people in the rooms are asleep?”

“People stay up late on a cruise ship, especially the first
day,” Loukas said. “They don’t want to miss a minute. But if someone is asleep,
they’ll get up to receive a free gift, and they won’t get mad. No problem. The
crew members will knock first, but they have access to all the rooms, with the
exception of a few. So, we’re covered.”

“And which few would that be?” I asked, curiously. “Because
I’ve been meaning to talk with Bella about this… and since we’re on the
subject…” I looked at Bella. “I really feel funny about people letting
themselves into our room. I know this sounds silly, but I’m just not
comfortable with it.”

“I’m so sorry, my dear,” Bella replied. She looked at Loukas.
“We’ll have that situation remedied. You will have your privacy.”

I never got an answer about the few staterooms the crew
couldn’t enter, but it didn’t take me long to figure it out.

“There’s more to this,”
Jena
said as she walked over behind the curtain, and then returned with a pair of
high heels. She held them out for me to see.

“They look similar to mine, except they’re beige!” I looked
down at my feet.

“Yes, and if you had chosen the camel-colored gown that I
also had in mind for you, I would’ve suggested this pair.” She hesitated.
“They’ve been tampered with.”

“Somehow, someone took off the heel and then glued it back
on. They intended for the heel to snap off and injure the wearer,” Loukas said,
pointing at it. “We don’t know how he gained access to the merchandise. The
woman in the wheelchair who just left was the person who purchased the shoes.
The heel gave way, and she fell down a flight of stairs.”

“She could’ve died from the fall,” Dr. Whitley added. “She
was lucky she didn’t, but she took a real beating. This is going to be a
painful cruise for her. Poor girl.”

“I will have to see to her,” Bella said. “She should be
compensated for her injuries.”

“Are you saying,” I asked, reluctantly, not paying attention
to what Bella had just said. “Are you saying those shoes were meant for me?”

“I’m afraid so,”
Jena
answered. “I picked them out myself.”

“Oh, my!” Bella cried. “It’s a conspiracy! Whoever is after
Loukas has sabotaged the ship. Someone is trying to hurt people other than my
husband.”

“Or kill them,” the doctor added.

“What else is going to happen?” Bella was getting very upset,
and the doctor’s comment didn’t help. “Are we going to find a rattlesnake in
someone’s bathtub?” She started walking back and forth. “This is worse than I
thought. That animal hurt that woman. What will he do next?”

“Calm down, Bella,” Loukas said as he touched his wife’s arm.
“We’re going to stop him in his tracks, aren’t we, Billy?”

“Yes, we are,” Billy agreed. He walked over to Bella. “Don’t
worry. I’ll find him. I told you I would.”

Someone knocked on the door. The doctor walked over, opened
it, and Captain O’Riley walked in.

“What have you discovered?” Loukas asked, walking up to him.
“How many bottles did you find?”

“We found six bottles,” Captain O’Riley said. “We turned this
ship upside down. My crew did an outstanding job in such a short period of
time.” He motioned to a crew member who had come in behind him, who, in turn,
walked over, grabbed a gurney, and shoved it out the door.

“They always do.” Bella acknowledged. “Stop beating around
the bush and give us the news. Where’s he going with that gurney?”

“He’s…”

“Who had the champagne?” Loukas butted in.

“All three of your daughters had a bottle, the Blackhawks had
a bottle, and the three sisters from
Georgia
had one,” Captain O’Riley replied, distracted from Bella’s question. “Another
bottle was found in Maggie Anderson’s room.”

“She’s the mother of Teresa Anderson—the two women Billy sent
to you for help,” I said. “The daughter is convinced her stalker is on this
ship. She’s terrified.”

“The man in room 527 is registered as Perry Dickerson, but
we’re still checking into the matter,” the captain replied. He turned back to
Loukas. “How he chose his victims doesn’t add up.”

“We’re assuming this is a man, and he’s acting alone,” Billy
said. “If that’s true, he really knows his stuff. He knew Jesse and I were
going to be on board before we ever arrived. He has inside information.”

“If the champagne really has been poisoned somehow, I surely
don’t know how he pulled that one off,” Loukas said. “The ship’s supply comes
straight from the maker.”

“Maybe he brought it on board in his luggage,” Billy
suggested.

There was a silence in the room for a second when everyone
noticed the strange look on the captain’s face, as if he had more bad news… and
he did.

“Finding this guy is urgent, but I have more pressing news.”
He looked at Bella. “We found two opened bottles. One was in Jena and Steven’s
room, and it’s obvious from the looks of both of them, they’re all right, but
the bottle in Nell and Utah’s room had been opened and was half-empty.” He looked
over at the doctor and then back to Bella again. “God… I hate to tell you this,
but Nell was lying on the bed, unconscious. The response team is taking care of
her, and that’s where my guy is taking the gurney. We’ll need to clear the
room. I’m so sorry Bella… Loukas.”

The doctor sprang into action. Orders were issued.

Bella collapsed into
her
husband’s arms, crying pitifully. The news of her daughter’s grave condition
was too much for her to handle. “I’m staying right here,” she said. “I’m not
leaving this room until I’m sure my girl is going to be all right.”

“Bella,” Loukas said tenderly, trying to console his wife.
“Nell is a strong woman. She’ll be fine. No one has proven that the champagne
has been tainted. Nell could’ve…”

“Stop it, Loukas!” Bella demanded. “Somebody is trying to
kill you, and if they kill one of our own, we’d be devastated. They know that.
Whoever is doing this will catch us at our weakest moment, and then move in for
the kill. It’s obvious they plan to kill you, and why not distract you by
hurting others first. Collateral damage is what they call it, isn’t it, Billy?”
She looked over at him.

Everyone was surprised by Bella’s statement, but it made
sense.

“Now, Bella…”

“She has a point,” Billy said. “Why not distract everyone and
then do the deed? Maybe that was the plan from the start. Cause chaos, and
everything falls apart.”

“Kill the ones who would cut the deepest into your heart,
such as your daughters,” I added. “I can see why they’d want Billy and me out
of the way, but what I don’t understand is why they would choose the sisters
from Georgia, or Maggie Anderson? Could the sisters and Maggie just be random
targets to throw us off the trail?”

“I know you think the sisters are nosey busybodies, and as
annoying as they are,” Bella said, “Bertie saved
Jena
from drowning in the pool when she was just a little thing. We were on the ship
heading for the
Bahamas
when Bertie heard a cry for help. It
was way past
midnight
, and
Jena
had somehow slipped out of the stateroom. There was no one in the pool and the
lifeguard was nowhere in sight when it happened. If it hadn’t been for Bertie,
our baby would’ve died. That’s why I tolerate their behavior. We owe them a
lot. And you know, to this day Bertie never mentions it. You would think you’d
never hear the end of her heroics, but she never talks about it to anyone. I
respect her for that. That’s why I refuse to let anyone treat the sisters the
way that loser
Utah
did tonight. I’d just as soon toss
him overboard than to have him hurt one of those women with his hateful words.”

“What about Maggie?” I asked. “Does she… is she…”

“No, I don’t really know the woman. I don’t know how she
would fit into this mess.”

The phone in the
Med
Center
rang.

The captain was bombarded with questions as he ushered all of
us, except Bella, Loukas, and their bodyguards, out of the room. We were left
standing in the hallway, waiting for Nell’s arrival and any little tidbits
concerning the day’s activities. And there had been plenty of activities.

Nell arrived looking very much dead. Her skin was ashen, and
she was motionless.

“Excuse me,” a member of the team told us as he parted the
gathering, and then entered the room. The door was closed behind them.

Five minutes later, Bella came to the door with a distressed
look on her face, and asked Billy to come inside. He turned and followed, not
saying a word. Another five minutes later, Billy came out and said, “Nell is
going to be fine. She almost died from alcohol poisoning, but fortunately, she
was found in time. She was not poisoned in the way we’ve been thinking. Bella
says not to worry, and to continue with your cruise. Everything is going to be
fine. There’s nothing to fear.”

“What?” I asked. “But…”

“It is her wish. She plans cocktails before dinner in her
stateroom tomorrow evening, and we’re all invited. I’m sure she will contact
each one of her guests before the get-together.”

“But…”

“I don’t know why you’re being so secretive,”
Jena
said to Billy. “Something’s going on, and tomorrow
somebody’s going to get the grilling of a lifetime like steak on a hibachi. I
can’t wait to see it happen. I’m going to bed.” She looked at her husband and
asked, “Are you ready? You need to get some rest like the doctor ordered, and
I’d really like to get out of this gown.”

“We’re going to bed, too,”
Savannah
said. “If you say not to worry, I know I can sleep.”

When they walked off, I turned to Billy and said, “Give it
up, pal! I want to know what you know.”

“Let’s go to our room. I’m tired, and I have a few things to
do.”

“No.” I stopped him. “Let me in on it. What kind of things do
you have to do?”

“I’ll explain everything to you when we get back to our
room.”

We walked hand-in-hand down the hallway and stopped to admire
the ocean when we got to the outside walkway. Whatever was going on, I would
soon find out. At the moment, all I wanted to do was enjoy what was left of the
evening. Billy kissed me under the stars. It was the perfect end to an
otherwise strange day.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Billy said as he closed the door
to our stateroom.

“No way!” I demanded. “I want details, and I want them right
now.”

He started stripping out of his clothes as he spoke. “There’s
not much to tell. Bella wants me to do what I do best… find out everything I
can about anything that might lead us to the person who is responsible for the
sabotage she feels is going on.”

“What about this meeting in her stateroom tomorrow? What’s
going to happen?
Jena
thinks someone’s going to take a
beating.”

“For one thing, she’s going to declare that she and Loukas
are going to sell the business, and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.
It’s already in the works.”

“I thought that was a known fact.”

“If it wasn’t, it soon will be. Actually, the deal is almost
sealed.”

“I guess that’s going to infuriate her daughters’ husbands.”

“All but Steven. He agrees with
Jena
that it’s their choice. Now,
Utah
and Jeff might not be too happy.”

“Speaking of which, where is
Utah
?
He wasn’t with Nell when they brought her in.”

“No one has seen him since his outburst at dinner, but Bella
seems to think he’s probably at the ship’s bar. She says he spends most of his
time there while on board. Kind of ironic isn’t it? Her daughter is the one
with the drinking problem, but
Utah
’s the one who hangs out at the bar.”

“Poor Nell. What an awful man to be married to. He has a bad
temper, and I think he could be dangerous. Do you think he could be behind all
this—the tainted champagne and the sabotaged shoes? I’m with Bella. What else
can we expect?”

“I don’t know, but I say we try to see beyond what our eyes
are telling us,” Billy said as he kissed me on the cheek, and then headed to
the bathroom.

“What do you mean by that? I’m not an Indian. I don’t have
the ability to look at a tree leaf and tell from the way it landed on the ground
how the weather is going to be that day.”

Billy chuckled, and then became serious. “We have to be on
guard. Sometimes the most unlikely person could be the bad guy. Keep that in
mind. When I finish showering, I’m going to do some research on the computer.
Why don’t you go on to bed, `ge ya?”

“Will you let me know what you find out?”

“Of course, I will. I always do, don’t I?”

“Yes, dear,” I replied, and then thought about the three
sisters from
Georgia
. “Did Bella say how Dorothy was
doing after her fall? Is her ankle okay?”

“She’s going to be fine. A medic wrapped it in an ace
bandage, elevated it, and then placed an icepack on it. They wheeled her to her
room, making a fuss over her the whole time. The captain’s crew is well-versed
in how to handle difficult people. Bella says she’ll be up and about before
dawn, seeing what else she and her sisters can get into. She has a fondness for
those three ladies. She says they’re lonely women.”

“That’s what I think, too. Hmm. They need a good man.”

“Forget it, `ge ya. Matchmaking is not you at your best, kind
of like your cooking.” I heard him snicker. “But I still love you.”

I made no comment. My cooking is pretty bad.

While Billy was taking a shower, I undressed, hung up my
evening gown, and was shocked when I saw the two new evening gowns hanging next
to the two new tuxes for Billy—tuxes that looked exactly like the one he
already had. I guess Bella wanted him to have fresh clothing.

A
midnight
blue sequined gown and an emerald
green satin and lace gown, both with matching purses and shoes were a sight to
behold. I took a hard look at my new shoes, wiggling them, and trying to see if
I could break off the heels, but they wouldn’t budge. I placed them on the
floor in the closet next to the new ones after I also gave them the once over,
and then hung up Billy’s clothes, closing the closet door after doing so.
Jena
was right, I thought to myself. Bella loves to shower
her friends with gifts. Saying no to her was out of the question.

I slipped into a pair of boxer shorts and a T-shirt,
preparing for bed. I looked around the room and noticed the fruit basket
sitting next to where the champagne once sat. I wondered if it too might be
tampered with. After what had happened in the past few hours, I didn’t trust
anything… fruit baskets, shoes, or the possibility of rattlesnakes in the
bathtub. I shook my head and tried to make myself forget about all the things
that could go wrong on this cruise. The first day had been full of
surprises—and not especially good ones. What was in store for all of us next?
One thing was for sure, I wasn’t eating any of that fruit, and champagne was
not on the menu for me anymore. And when were we going through the Triangle? I
slipped into the bathroom to brush my teeth, and stood there for a while
listening to Billy sing one of his Cherokee songs. I didn’t understand the
words, but the tune was nice. He has such a good voice, I thought to myself,
admiring him as usual.

“I’m going to bed, O Great Warrior,” I said as I walked out
of the bathroom, laughing quietly to myself. 

Billy mumbled something about seeing me in a little bit, but
by the time his words were out, I had already pulled the covers back, and
checked for any small creatures like tarantulas, man-eating worms, or black
widow spiders—anything that could be lurking in the comfort of our sheets. I
could tell that paranoia had set in. Gingerly, I crawled into bed, cinched the
covers up around my neck, and waited for Billy to finish his shower. I would
not fall asleep until he was by my side. That was my plan, but it didn’t work
out that way. I was asleep within minutes after my head hit the pillow.

My sleep was restless. Most of the time, I couldn’t tell if I
was dreaming or awake. One minute, I’d dream and then think I was awake, but
when I tried to sit up, I couldn’t. Then when I thought I was dreaming, I’d
look over and see Billy sitting at the computer. I think I must have spoken a
couple of times, because I was sure he told me to go back to sleep. That seemed
too real not to be. I don’t know how long I had been asleep, but at one point,
I had the ultimate scary dream of all time. Utah Hawks was standing at a table
with a row of champagne glasses in front of him. He was swabbing the insides of
each glass with poison using an artist’s small sponge on a stick. He laughed a
sinister laugh as he worked. Once all the glasses had been done, he popped open
a bottle of champagne, and poured the liquid into each one. All of us—Bella,
Loukas, Nell,
Jena
, Steven, Ruby, Jeff, the three
sisters from Georgia, and Billy and me—were sitting in chairs lined up opposite
the table. We were handcuffed and tied to our chair with heavy rope, from our
shoulders down to our ankles.
Utah
walked over to Bella, grabbed her by
the hair, pulled her head backward, and poured the champagne down her throat.
She gagged, coughed, and tried to spit out the poisoned liquid. Eventually, she
succumbed and swallowed. One by one, he did the same to all of us, laughing
that eerie laugh. When he had finished his dirty deed, he walked back to the
other side of the table, and waited for us to die.

I felt sick at first, and then I felt as if I were
suffocating. I just couldn’t catch my breath. The last thing I saw before
slipping into the darkness was the life leaving the eyes of my beloved Billy. I
struggled to scream, but the sound wouldn’t come. I closed my eyes one last
time, slowly dying at the hands of an insane killer. Suddenly, I gasped for
air, coughed, and sat upright in bed. I looked around the dark room and
realized that it had only been a dream—a horrible, scary, nightmare! I was so
relieved! It wasn’t real! I sat there for a while, trying to sort it all out in
my head. I was scared, and I felt as if someone was watching me. I wanted to
crawl back under the sheets, but I was afraid that if I did, I would have more
horrible dreams. It was then that I realized no one was watching me, and I was
alone. Billy wasn’t sitting at the computer, and he wasn’t in bed. I called out
to him. “Billy, where are you?”