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“Yes, I do, Dooley. That’s what cruises are all about: the monotony lulls you into a sense of peace and calm. It soothes and relaxes, and by the time you’re ready to go back to your regular life, you’re feeling completely refreshed and relaxed. It’s called a holiday.”

“Boredom makes me feel stressed, though, Max. It doesn’t make me feel refreshed.”

I sighed deeply.“You know what, Dooley? I feel exactly the same way.” Then again, cruises probably weren’t designed for pets. If they were, they’d have special playrooms for pets, and hair salons for pets, and places where pets can gather and shoot the breeze. As it was, this ship had none of that. It had plenty of swimming pools, and restaurants, and shops and spas, a movie theater, shuffleboard and even a surf simulator, but no pet paraphernalia.

And now even this murder business had been resolved without us having had even the slightest bit of input.

Very disconcerting, I must admit.

But then it was time to head on out and enjoy a nice dinner.

I just hoped we wouldn’t run into Jack and Frank again.

18

Breakfast was a laid-back affair. Everyone was happy that Lil Thug’s killer had been caught, and everyone expressed surprise over how easy the assistant had allowed herself to be nabbed by the local police.

“She wasn’t a very clever killer, was she, Max?” said Salvatore, who’d once again joined us for breakfast.

“No, apparently she wasn’t,” I said. I still had my reservations about the outcome of the investigation, but had decided to keep them to myself. No need to trouble other people with that kind of stuff—or other pets.

“I think it’s a good thing,” said Salvatore as he intently studied a piece of broccoli that had rolled between his paws. “This murder business was hanging like a pall over this trip. I can tell you right now that David suffered a nightmare last night. He woke up screaming, which just goes to show that all of us being under investigation was a terrible burden to bear.”

Salvatore had finally decided that the broccoli wasn’t worth his attention and had cast it aside with a flick of his paw. “Did you have a list of suspects, Max?” he said. “Pray tell, who was on that list?”

“The assistant, for one,” said Dooley. “Wasn’t she number one on your list, Max?” He turned to Salvatore. “Max is Hampton Cove’s number-one sleuth. He’s solved so many crimes he’s lost count.”

“Thanks, Dooley,” I said. “I merely try to help out my human,” I added modestly when the small Maltese gave me a look of interest. “She’s the real sleuth in this family. I’m just her humble assistant.”

“So the assistant?” Salvatore insisted. “Was she number one on your list, Max?”

“No, in fact she wasn’t on my list at all. I didn’t even know Mr. Thug had an assistant until she was caught trying to sell her employer’s collection of expensive snuff boxes.”

“So who was on your list?”

“Well, the influencers, of course,” I said. “Both in urgent need of an influx of cash, and desperate not to have to return to their day jobs and leave this nomadic life of luxury and five-star hotels behind. And then there was Ruby Kettering, though I’ve since taken her off my list. I very much doubt a girl of her young age would go so far as to murder one of the victims of her kleptomaniac attacks in cold blood. Besides, kleptomaniacs always go for the easy mark, and cutting a diamond from a man’s face doesn’t seem to fit the bill.”

“So yes to the influencers and no to Ruby Kettering,” said Salvatore, who was keeping score. “Who else?”

“Well…” I cut a quick glance to the humans gathered around the breakfast table along with Odelia and Chase, who were now swapping stories and pictures of the trip to Kingstown yesterday.

“You didn’t thinkmy humans had anything to do with this crime, did you?” said Salvatore, sounding a little indignant.

“I did for a brief moment, yes,” I admitted. “Bertha loves to go on cruises, but her financial situation wouldn’t allow her, so conceivably David could have decided to find a permanent solution. Twenty million buys you a lot of cruises, Salvatore.”

“David would never do that. He’s a good person, Max.”

“Even good people have been known to commit crimes, Salvatore.”

“But I can vouch for him.”

“You told us you could only vouch for Laura.”

“What I mean is, I can vouch for his character. The man is beyond reproach.”

“If it turned out David was the killer, Salvatore could have acted as a character witness,” Dooley suggested. “To get a lesser sentence,” he explained for Salvatore’s sake.

“Well, that’s all moot now,” I said, not wanting to point out the obvious: that there are probably very few judges who’d allow a dog to act as a character witness in their courtroom. “The killer was caught. Case closed.”

“So what are your plans for today, Salvatore?” asked Dooley.

“Just toddle along, I guess,” said the tiny ball of fluff as he studied a piece of bread that had dropped down from the heavens. Once again he decided it wasn’t worth his attention, and discarded it with a deft flick of the wrist.