45ebf3c490593574dd454e5dfd5a5758

He placed his chin on his paws and I could tell this notion of setting Salvatore up with a pet friend wasn’t going to leave him just yet. Probably not until this trip was at an end, in fact. And it touched my heart. Dooley is probably the nicest cat I know. He likes everybody and everybody likes him, and that’s because he wants nothing but the best for his friends. And as I smiled in the darkness, my mind soon returned to the question vexing it mightily: how to catch a killer who thought they could kill with impunity, and try to destroy a young girl’s life in the process?

[Êàðòèíêà: img_2]

Out on one of the ship’s many decks, the concert was in full swing, a reggae band giving of its best. Odelia found that she couldn’t throw herself wholeheartedly into the revelries, though. Her mind kept returning to the problem Max had suggested: that a woman had been wrongfully accused of the death of her employer, and that the real killer was still out there—and was in fact among them right now. On this boat, thinking they got away with murder.

Chase didn’t seem convinced that this was the case, and he was enjoying the concert while sipping a beer.

The singer performed all kinds of vocal acrobatics while the band poured an electrifying blend of pop and reggae over the crowd. Hundreds of happy vacationers swung to the rhythm and had the time of their lives.

Chase said,“Pretty great, huh?”

“Yeah, she is,” said Odelia without much excitement.

Chase studied her for a moment.“That murder business still bothering you?”

“Yeah, it is,” she confessed. “I can’t shake the feeling that it’s not over yet, Chase.”

“It’s over if you decide it’s over. And besides, it’s none of our business, babe. We’re here to enjoy our vacation—our honeymoon, in fact. Let other people deal with this stuff for once. Garth is a capable guy. He’ll figure it out.”

“But he won’t, will he? He thinks the case is closed, and he’s not bothered with such details as who stole that earring or why.”

“And you know who stole it? And why?”

“No, I don’t, but I know it’s probably got something to do with Lil Thug’s murder.”

“Look, we’re far from home, babe. This isn’t Hampton Cove, where I have jurisdiction, and you have a responsibility toward the people of your community. So just let it be already. Just try to have some fun.”

“I’m trying.” But she wasn’t exactly succeeding, was she? Not until she knew who killed Lil Thug, and she’d been able to secure the killer’s capture. “I’m sorry, Chase,” she said. “I’m ruining things for you, aren’t I?”

“Don’t be silly,” said her husband as he placed an arm across her shoulders and pulled her close. “You couldn’t ruin it for me if you tried. Look, how about we sit down with Garth tomorrow, and thresh this thing out once and for all?”

Her face lit up with a smile.“You’d do that for me?”

“No, I’d do that for Lil Thug.” He grinned. “Of course I’d do that for you. So you can stop worrying!” He tousled her hair and she laughed.

“Thanks, babe,” she said, hugging him close.

“And now let’s enjoy the concert, okay? I have no idea what kind of music this is, but it’s pretty great.”

“It’s reggae,” she said.

“Who’s gay?”

“Reggae!”

“If you say so!”

And so for the rest of the night, she tried to forget about rappers and twenty-million-dollar diamonds and earrings and have a good time. As Chase had pointed out this was, after all, her honeymoon!

26

The next morning we were all sitting together for breakfast: Odelia and Chase, the Bileses, the Ketterings and even the influencers, who seemed to have made up and were as lovey-dovey as I’d ever seen them.

“So is it true?” asked Bertha. “Did someone break into the captain’s cabin yesterday?”

“It wasn’t the captain’s cabin but the guy in charge of security,” said Chase. “But yeah, someone broke in and stole an earring.”

“What’s going on?” Chiquita cried. “First Lil Thug and now this? Security on this cruise is seriously lacking if they’re allowing this kind of thing to happen.” She directed a stern look at her boyfriend. “Maybe we should shoot a video about that: the lack of security aboard these luxury vessels. I’ll bet we’d get plenty of views.”

“It’s not exactly on-brand, though, is it, sweetie?” said her co-vlogger. “I think we need to stay on-brand and try to remain upbeat and, you know, do more of the happy peppy stuff.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Chiquita. “Thieves and killers are so depressing. Who needs that kind of energy?”

“She has a point, Max,” said Dooley. “Thieves and killers are depressing.”

“Especially if you’re the person being killed,” I said.

“Not really. If you’re dead you can’t be depressed, because you’re dead. And dead people don’t get depressed.”

It was a kind of infallible logic I couldn’t find fault with, so I merely smiled.

“You know what I heard?” said Odelia, as she speared a piece of watermelon and brought it to her lips.

“No, what?” said Laura. At this point everyone knew how involved Odelia and Chase were with the murder inquiry, and any news they had to impart was usually greeted with interest.