Cruise to Murder (Z & C Mysteries, #2) (6 page)

“Nice!” Claire snatched it and hid it behind photos of others.

“Good idea. I would hate for Butch to see that one.”

“Mother, what did I just say about him?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

They laughed, strolling to the next photo board.

“And look! There’s one of Marilyn
.” Claire pointed.

“Pretty darn good,
except didn’t the real Monroe have blue eyes? This one has brown eyes.”

“I didn’t catch that. Good one, Mom. Wait! Wait a minute…”
She pulled the picture out of its slot.

“What?”

“Look at those earrings.” She lowered her voice. “Gold starfish, just like the one I put on the coffee table from off of Mr. Belmont’s floor.”

“
That means Marilyn was in the Belmonts’ room?”

They
stood there speechless a moment, trying to make sense of it. “Oh, my gosh! Maybe that was Marilyn with Mr. Belmont, Mom.”

“On top of the waterfall?”

“Yes…”

“
And for that matter, has anyone seen Mr. Belmont since then? We might have a love triangle murder.”

Zo raised her eyebrows. “Let’s
take this picture with us. Who do we get a hold of…?”

Claire considered
, then said, “Customer Service!”

“Why didn’t I think of that? I wonder if the President and the CIA know about Customer Service?!”

After a long line of people asking questions and trying to straighten out room problems, they finally reached a un
iformed lady with an Italian accent. She was thoroughly entertained by the explanation Claire was giving for why she needed help to contact the right people about their hunch.

Claire thought the
woman probably thought she was crazy and wouldn’t have any idea of how to handle their issue; but, Elsa immediately called Ship Security.

Security
spoke to Claire and Zo, asking questions and telling them the picture and info would get given over to the Island Detectives who were handling the Belmont case.

Right when the discussion seemed to be coming to a close, one asked,
“How was it that you were in the Belmonts’ room?”

“Woo, didn’t see that one coming,” exclaimed Claire, later.

“It’s a good thing he accepted the door was open and we
were calling to Belmont to give him information. We didn’t have to tell them that I went and stole a magazine from his bathroom and then you broke a picture, did we?” She batted her eyes in a look of innocence.

Claire laughed. “Well, you breaking down in tears in front of security
, mistakenly taken as sympathy for the Belmonts, didn’t hurt any.”

“
Did I look guilty?! Because I felt guilty!”

“You can relax. It’s time we had some fun. Let’
s go to the dinner show and see what has become of our Marilyn entertainer. Maybe they’ve got her down at the police station.”

The Starlight Room’s stage was dramatic with its sparkling backdrop of curtains and soft music. People were already looking for seats. The Kanes ended up choosing a corner table, looking the length of the stage. Compared to other open seating, it afforded the best view. Zo moved in first and gave Claire the outside part of the red vinyl, buttoned and padded bench.

The ship began to rock in slow motion, side to side. The
waiters started taking orders. Claire ordered lobster and Zo had turkey with dressing.

When the dinners arrived, they were
artistically arranged on their plates. Claire’s green beans were bundled and tied with an edible vegetable string. The turkey had cranberry zigzags across the white meat, with a bit of dark meat in the center. The dressing was neatly placed in a small ceramic container. Zo added a desire for onion soup when her plate was delivered. It was brought hot, cheesed with melted Swiss on toasted cubes.

“Mom, I feel like my brain is being pulled every time we rock one way or the other.”

“Interesting phenomenon, isn’t it? Oh look, our Red Hat friends. Hi, ladies!” Zo and Claire waved.

Several hands went up in waves with giggles in return.

“Laaadies and Gentlemen. It is time for our favorite magician, Larry Potter!” A big drum roll promised a spectacular entrance. When the curtains opened by five feet, the bunny was sitting quietly by himself in the middle of the stage, his nose twitching. Then a large Vaudeville hook was interjected from stage-right around the rabbit’s haunches and he was scooted off. He didn’t even blink.

The
curtains closed and there was another drum roll. The curtains re-opened to find the bunny there again, sitting quietly, staring at the audience. People laughed. This time Larry walked out in a black suit and red tie. He picked up the bunny and stroked his back, handing him to someone behind the curtain and whispered, “Get him a carrot… and fifty bucks!”

“Hello
, everyone. As some of you recall, I am Larry Potter. No relation to Harry. Yada yada yada… You can call me Larry the Great, as well. Tonight, I am selecting a brave person to enter into a special cabinet.” The stage hand rolled it out, black with gold ornate hinges.

“This cabinet
here is no ordinary cabinet; this has special qualities. It will take you just this side of the underworld where werewolves and ghosts exist side-by-side in a chilling, grasping world of the undead.” His voice lowered to a menacing tone of warning. “All manner of horrible will confront you and only the very bravest can survive the experience of the awful damned!” He breathed heavy, as if exhausted with just the thought of it. “Now, who would like to be first?” he asked in a delighted tone.

“No one? How a
bout you, in the little red hat and purple feathers?”

The dark-haired woman’s friends began
pushing her to get her to move. She finally walked up the stage with a nervous laugh.

“Okay
, we have our hero volunteer!” He handed her a writing pad and asked her to write her next of kin on it. “That’s good enough,” he said. “Your friends will take care of the rest for you.”

They laughed.

The woman stepped in his magical box and Larry shut the door. He pulled out a wand and said, “Mother’s pie!” He turned to the audience and said out of the side of his mouth, “That was always a disaster.”

The cabinet
gyrated, then stopped, remaining motionless. He looked at his watch and said, “We better bring her back.”

He called off stage, “Bring a gurney and an IV for this braaave woman.”

After the gurney arrived by stage hand, and the IV was rolled out hanging on a hook, Larry tapped the cabinet with his wand. It vibrated again. “Please, ladies and gentlemen, do not gasp or faint at what we are about to see.” He pulled open the door all of a sudden, and there… sat the bunny with a red hat and feather boa across its neck.

“What are you doing here?” he angrily whispered.
“You’re supposed to be over at the twenty-one table in the casino. Remember? Joan Rivers is expecting you!”

The c
ontrary rabbit hopped off stage-right.

Larry closed the door
again and tapped the cabinet, saying, “Please come back. Please, please, please.” Then he jerked open the cabinet door for all to see the smiling face of the lady, wearing her red hat and boa again. The audience applauded heartily and everyone was smiling.

He turned
to face the crowd with a wide smile. “Okay, now, who would like to be sawn in half?!”

The waiter stood before Claire and Zo
. “Would you be ready for dessert? There is melted chocolate cake and hot apple pie.”

Zo took the apple pie. Claire chose the melted chocolate cake; it was a fudgy brownie filled with a chocolate pudding.

“Ladies and gentlemen
,” Larry announced, “The Monroe Show has been cancelled for tonight. But another Bingo Extravaganza will begin in fifteen minutes. So, stick around.” He then disappeared behind the curtain.

“Do you think the police nabbed her?” Zo asked.

“Oh, look, Mom. There’s Mr. Belmont.” He was walking up an aisle of tables and going out of the restaurant.

“Claire, dear. You have someone very interesting sitting next to you.” Zo looked very amused.

Claire looked over to her right and there sat the bunny staring at her and chewing. He was wearing a black satin bowtie. “He is so cute. Do think he might bite?”

Larry
peeked from behind the curtains, looking across the restaurant. “I don’t see him anywhere,” he quietly said to an unseen someone.

Claire raised her hand and w
aved it to get the attention of the magician. Instead, another man came out from behind the curtain and looked across the restaurant, spotting Claire waving. “There!” he was heard to say.

Soon
Potter was approaching their table with smiles. “He is so independent,” he said. The rabbit made his way along the table’s bench so he could pick him up at the other end.

“We so enjoyed your show
,” Claire complimented.

“Thank you.” He moved a little sun highlighted hair off
his forehead. He wasn’t wearing his stage glasses. “I’m having a little private party this evening. Would you two care to join us? It will be backstage at eleven p.m.”

Claire just sat smiling. Zo answered, “Thank you. We would love to attend.”

“Great! Just go through that door over there. I’ll be looking for you. Save a little room for more to eat—lobster and crab, already shelled. See you then.” He bowed, turned and headed back with Zo’s and Claire’s thanks following him.

“Gosh, he sure looks different without the glasses!” Claire remarked. “Cute.”

“Honey, look carefully to your right. What do you see standing lined up with the other waiters in their black waistcoats?” Zo looked down and adjusted her neckline to be inconspicuous.

Claire nonchalantly started to generally gaze around the room
, until her eyes rested on a waiter who was not chatting with the rest, but was staring with vacant black eyes at Zo.

“
Mom, want me to go beat him up?”

When the two looked back again, he was gone.

The ladies got up from the table and headed down the hall, joking about all the different things they would do to him, if they had the chance.

Back at their
suite the two were getting ready in their separate rooms for the after party Larry had invited them to.

“I think I
will be the lady in red tonight!” Claire called. “You ought to wear that gold and pink number, Mom!”

“Got it!”
her mother called back. “…Claire! Guess what I found in my purse?!”

Claire
met her in the sitting room. “What?”

“Recognize this?” She held up a grass doll. “I haven’t been to any shops where this could be bought. Bruce destroyed the doll that I thought I had accidently picked up. W
hat does this tell you?”

“
Oh, Mother. That stuff is only in the movies—a voodoo doll? Is that what you are thinking?”

“I don’
t believe in this stuff, either; but, it tells me someone is not wishing me well, so I am going to be studying those around me. You watch, too.”

“No doubt! Butch must have recognized that doll he unraveled. So the game’s afoot, Sherlock.”

“This makes me madder than blazes.” Zo had a determined look to her light brown eyes.

Larry Potter had everything organized beautifully. An ice sculpture of a dolphin on a wave was the stage’s centerpiece. Crab and shrimp cocktails were set out around it. He rubbed his hands together in what appeared to be anxiousness. He pulled up a sleeve to his suit to glance at his watch, when suddenly the mother-daughter duo entered through the stage door.

The women paused a moment, as if posing. They were taking in the scenery before continuing. Claire’s sleek dark hair was pulled into an elegant twist at the back of her neck. She was wearing
gold hoop earrings that matched a long gold-chained necklace—a medallion landing right at the bust of her shimmery red dress.

Zo
’s pale pink draped dress, the style of a Greek goddess, was accessorized by one gold arm cuff and a large dinner ring. The sides of her hair were pinned with ornamental combs, causing a cascade of sensual strawberry blond locks.

Larry blinked a couple times and then exhaled
.

“Pretty amazing, huh?!”

“Oh, hi, Butch. Yeah, their kind of flair is rare.”

“
Kind of like old Hollywood glam.”

Larry turned his head and took a long look at Butch. “I didn’t expect that kind of sensibility about you
, Butch.”

“There is a lot about me people don’t expect. That’s what I like. In fact, my native name means,
Unexpected man who reaches lofty places
.”