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“Oh, some local singer is coming on board with her band,” said Odelia. “She’s supposed to be really good.”

“Wasn’t Lil Thug supposed to play tonight?” I asked, a little surprised that one day spent in Kingstown had made my humans forget all about the murder that had taken place next door. It just seemed a little callous, to be honest.

“Yeah, poor Lil Thug. He’ll be sorely missed. But at least we know who killed him.”

“We do?” I asked, greatly surprised.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? Yeah, they caught the killer.”

“They did? Who is it?” I asked, sitting up a little straighter now.

“It was the assistant,” said Odelia as she dove back into her shopping bag and started extricating the different items she’d bought. Mostly clothes, I saw, and not a sign of cat food. “Yeah, she was trying to sell some of Lil Thug’s personal items to different shops. Local police were alerted by a suspicious shopkeeper and they arrested her.”

“But… I didn’t know Lil Thug even had an assistant,” I said, much astonished by this unexpected denouement.

“Well, he had, and turns out she’d paid a visit to her client last night, shortly after dinner. She must have killed him then, and stolen the diamond and some other stuff.”

“But I thought the CCTV camera had picked up that no one had come or gone?”

“It hadn’t. This was before Garth’s initial time frame. It now looks as though the ship’s doctor established the time of death too narrowly. He thought Lil Thug died sometime after midnight, but it must have been much earlier, as the assistant was caught on camera leaving around eight. So she must have killed him then.”

“Midnight or eight is a big difference, Odelia,” I pointed out. “Are you sure the assistant did it?”

“She was caught selling off personal items belonging to her client,” said Odelia with a shrug.

“What personal items?”

“Um… a watch, jewelry, antique snuff boxes. Apparently Lil Thug was a collector.”

“That doesn’t mean she killed him. She could have had them in her cabin for safekeeping. What did she say when they questioned her?”

“I don’t know, Max. We only talked to Garth briefly when we arrived. He’s very happy that it’s over.”

She didn’t seem all that interested in the case. Too busy showcasing her Kingstown shopping haul to Chase, who underwent the procedure with an indulgent smile.

“So did they find the diamond?” I finally asked.

“Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they do,” she said, a little distractedly. “She must have sold it before the police caught up with her.”

“Okay,” I said dubiously.

This type of shoddy police work didn’t sit well with me, but obviously Odelia and Chase were happy to finally be rid of the case, so they could return to the enjoyment of their honeymoon. And who could blame them? No newly married couple likes to spend their entire trip on the hunt for a murderer or cooped up in a small office withthe ship’s security guy interviewing witnesses. They get plenty of that kind of stuff at home.

So I decided not to pursue the matter. If Odelia was satisfied that the rapper’s assistant had done the deed, then so was I. Besides, the official investigation had only just gotten started. Once the proper authorities took over, I was sure they’d be dotting those I’s and crossing the t’s like nobody’s business.

Dooley, dozing happily, now opened his eyes.“What’s going on, Max?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing much,” I said. “Just that Lil Thug’s killer was caught today.”

“He was? And who was it?”

“The rapper’s assistant,” I said as we both watched how Odelia changed into a pair of white jeans and a nice pink blouse, while Chase decided to don the cowboy hat he bought yesterday, making him look like a cowboy, complete with cowboy boots and a plaid shirt. They made a very handsome-looking couple, I had to say, and a twinge of pride expanded my bosom as I watched them enjoy themselves like a couple of kids.

“Lil Thug had an assistant?”

“Apparently. And probably more than one, too. And this assistant was caught this afternoon trying to sell off some items of value she’d stolen from her employer.”

“Oh, the bad person,” said Dooley, who has a very strong sense of justice. “That’s not very nice of her, is it, Max?”

“No, it most definitely isn’t,” I agreed.

“At least she got her earring back. She must have been worried when she lost it.”

I glanced at Odelia, wondering whether I should ask her about the earring, but clearly she’d lost interest in the case, so I decided not to bother.

“I’m happy the killer was caught,” said Dooley. “Now Odelia and Chase can enjoy their honeymoon the way they’re supposed to.”

“Exactly.”

“I like a happy ending, Max.”

“Me, too.”

“So now what happens?”

“Now we join Odelia and Chase on deck for dinner. And then we return here for another refreshing nap.”

“And tomorrow?”

“More of the same. Odelia and Chase will visit some town, and we’ll stay here. Then the next day the same thing happens, and the next, and the next, until the trip is over.”

Dooley studied me carefully.“Do you also feel like this cruise is a little monotonous?”