Death on the Bella Constance (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 6) (11 page)

“Did you see that? He grabbed her butt!”

“She’s a crew member,” Malcolm interjected, slowing the video
down. “As you can see, she spilled her tray of drinks, but still had a smile on
her face. She was trained well.”

“Hey, look,” I said. “I like the part where Billy grabbed his
arm and jerked him around.”

“Are they going to fight?”
Savannah
asked. “Nope. See. My husband intervened.”

“Billy would’ve kicked his butt!” I exclaimed with pride.

“He’s such a creep!” Bella said, disgusted. “Nell should’ve
never married that bum. I’ll be so glad to get rid of him.”

Savannah
and I gave her a quizzical look.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “What I meant was,
the minute he no longer has a job with Constance Enterprises, he’s sure to up
and leave Nell. It’ll be the best thing that he could ever do for her. The man
is a leech. He’ll suck her dry eventually. They’re almost broke, because of
him. I think he’s been stashing money behind her back. I just don’t know where
he’s putting it.”

“I bet Billy could find out.”

“I’m counting on it.”

“After that,” Malcolm said as he fast-forwarded the video.
“Your husbands left the bar around 3 A.M. Utah left at
4:30
.”

“I want to see the hallway on deck five,” I said. “I’m
playing a hunch I have, and if it pans out like I think it will, I know who
we’re going to visit when we leave here.”

“Choose a timeframe,” Malcolm said.

“An hour after everyone was aboard, until now.”

We sat there and watched as the people came and went. At
precisely
six o’clock
, Teresa walked past her room, down
the hall, and stopped at someone’s door.

“Pause it right there!” I said. “Now, run it at normal
speed.”

We stared at the screen as Teresa knocked, and then entered
the room.

“Can you give me a room number?”

“Let’s see.” Malcolm pressed a few keys, and then said, “Room
527.”

“I knew it!” I said. “Can you fast-forward it and see how
long she stayed in the room? You have a counter, don’t you?”

“I sure do.”

A few seconds later, Malcolm said, “One hour and ten
minutes.”

“Mighty long visit with a man she’s supposed to be scared to
death of, wouldn’t you say so, ladies?”

“You’re good!” Bella said. “What made you suspicious of those
two?”

“Something stuck in my craw when Maggie seemed to be just a
hair more upset by his presence on the ship than her daughter did. Oh, I know
Teresa acted scared, but it was just an act. There were a couple of times I saw
her roll her eyes at her mother. She didn’t think anyone saw her, but I did. I
let it go, because her mother was so obsessed, and I figured she might be tired
of her mother’s behavior. But now…”

“What are you thinking, Jesse?”
Savannah
asked. “I can tell you what I’m
thinking. I think that hour and ten minutes speaks for itself.”

“I agree,” Bella added. “There’s something fishy about those
two.”

“You mean, Teresa and Peter?”

“That’s exactly what she means,
Savannah
,” I said. “Has anyone other than me
noticed how Maggie Anderson’s behavior has gotten extremely erratic? It’s as if
she’s on something.”

“Perhaps she’s on a new medication,”
Savannah
suggested.

“I would venture to say that possibly someone has switched
her medication, and who would have a better opportunity to do that than her
own, loving daughter?”

“Are you serious?”

“I’d be interested in knowing what kind of medication she’s
taking… if any. I’m sure…”

“Billy can find out,”
Savannah
chimed in.

“Is there anything else you ladies would like to see?”
Malcolm asked.

The three of us stood up, knowing full well what was next on
the agenda. We had things to do!

“No, thank you, Malcolm,” Bella said. “You’ve been a very big
help. Thank you so much for letting us invade your space.”

“It was my pleasure. Come back anytime,” he said as we were
about to leave. “One of us will be glad to assist you.”

“Thanks, fellers,” I said as we exited the room.

All of them stood up, each one with a smile on his face, and
waved to us.

“Did you see that?”
Savannah
asked as we made our way to the elevator. “Don’t you just love it when men are
such gentlemen?”

We made our way to the elevator intent on… I didn’t know
what, but before we went off half-cocked and did something we’d regret, I was
going to slow these ladies down.

“Take a breath,” I said as we stepped into the elevator.

The minute the doors closed, Bella pushed the button for the
fifth deck. She had a big grin on her face.

I reached over and hit the stop button.

“What did you do that for?” she asked. “I thought we were
going to visit Peter Dawson.”

“We can’t do that,” I said. “We don’t have all the facts.”

“What do we need? We know he’s in league with his girlfriend,
and this stalking thing is a joke. I want to know why they’re doing it. Maybe
they’re planning on killing Maggie Anderson. She has lots of money, and perhaps
they see a way of getting it.”

“This sounds like something you’d read in one of my…,”
Savannah
started to say.

“Excuse me for cutting in,
Savannah
, but if we don’t push a button within the next thirty
seconds, an alarm will go off on the captain’s deck.”

“Okay,” I said, reaching over and pushing the button for deck
six. “But we need to talk this over. We can’t just go barging in on the guy
without a plan.”

The elevator starting moving, and then stopped at our
destination. Bella was the first one out. The three of us stood in the hallway,
quietly discussing our next move as other passengers walked by.

“The first thing we need to do is find out what Billy knows,”
I suggested. “He was so tired this morning, we didn’t get a chance to talk much
before he went to sleep. I know he’s found out something. He always does.
Suppose he knows about Peter and Teresa, and has more information than we have.
We have to wait. It could be dangerous if we go harass this guy. If they have
some big plan in motion and we get in the way, there’s no telling what could
happen. No, I think we need to hold off on revealing that we’re onto him. He’s
surely not going anywhere. We have to be rational.”

“What would it matter if we just talk with the man?”

“Bella, one or all of us could get hurt. We don’t know what
this guy’s capable of. All we really know is that they spent an hour and ten
minutes together.”

“And you know what they were doing in that hour—probably
having sex—which makes a lie out of everything Teresa’s been saying.”

“That’s probably true,” I said. “Look Bella, I like a good
adventure just as much as anyone, but as a private investigator I’ve learned
that you don’t act unless you’re pretty much sure what the outcome will be.”

“She’s right, Bella,”
Savannah
said. “We should listen to Jesse. She does this for a living. If she says we
need to wait, then we should wait.”

Bella had a disappointed look on her face when she said,
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s just that it makes me angry they lied. I know
they’re planning to do something bad. Why else would they put on this elaborate
show? Teresa’s screaming that her stalker is on board, and then we find out
they spent time together. It just doesn’t add up. I can feel it in my bones. I
guess we do need to step back and get all the facts. Someone is planning to
kill my husband, and I figure that everything we learn will help put the pieces
of the puzzle together. You never know who is in on this. What if they’re part
of it?”

“I think they’re too busy with their own soap opera, and I
don’t think one has anything to do with the other. We don’t want to put
ourselves in harm’s way. I suggest we put our little conspiracy to invade on
hold.”

Bella settled down and said, “Okay. It’s almost
noon
. Why don’t we check on our husbands, and if they’re still
asleep, let’s have lunch?”

“Sounds like a plan to me. How about you,
Savannah
?”

“I’m all for it. I could use some food.”

“Snooping works up an appetite, doesn’t it?” Bella asked.
“I’m starving. I need food!”

“Then it’s agreed,” I said. “We’ll check on our husbands, and
then meet back in the hallway in ten minutes.”

“What if they’re awake? What do we do then?”

“Bring them with us. They have to eat, too.”

“Why don’t we just call each other instead of hanging out in
the hallway waiting?”

“That’s probably the best idea.”

Then a thought occurred to me. What if Bella decided to go
off on her own? She was hyped up, and people who get like that usually do
something they later regret. I didn’t want Bella to do anything rash.

“On second thought,” I suggested. “Why don’t we stick
together? We’ll wait for Bella to check on Loukas, and then we’ll check on our
husbands one at a time.”

“You don’t trust me!” Bella said. “That’s why you want to do
it that way. You’re afraid...”

“You’re absolutely right. I have to keep my eyes on you. I
know how you are. You don’t let anything stop you, and I don’t want you to get
into something you can’t get out of.”

“I’m hurt that you think I’d do something so silly.”

“Don’t be hurt. Go check on your husband.
Savannah
and I will wait right here for you.
I promise we won’t leave without you.”

Savannah
and I stood there looking at her. Bella relented. She turned, walked to her
room, and opened the door. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

As we waited for her in the hallway,
Savannah
looked at me and said, “She is
easily excitable, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is. That’s why I didn’t want to give her the
opportunity to give us the slip. I haven’t known her long, but I know her well
enough now to know that when she sets her mind to something, nothing stops her.
If she’s not careful, her inability to put a hold on her actions is going to
get her in trouble.”

“I’ve known her for a long time, and you’re right. Nothing
stops her. She’s a determined woman. She’s the driving force behind Constance
Enterprises. It was her idea to sell the cruise line. I’m surprised she’s not
the one someone wants to eradicate. She controls everything.”

Savannah
’s
statement put a new perspective on the situation. What if Bella was the real target?

The thought that Bella might be the one they were really
after made good sense. The culprit or culprits wanted it to appear that they
were after Loukas. It would make it easier to get to her if everyone had their
attention on him. I told
Savannah
.

“I sure hope not,” she replied. “It’s bad enough to know that
a killer is after Loukas. I’d hate to think that we’re on the wrong track. How
do you handle something you don’t know about?”

“You put all the pieces together. Billy always says to look
at every angle. Since you told me that she’s the one who pulls all the strings,
I have to think that maybe we’re barking up the wrong tree. That’s why I wanted
to talk with Billy first. He might’ve already put it together.”

“You’re really good at what you do.”

“I learned from the best.”

The door opened and Bella walked out. “Loukas is awake, but
he said to go on without him. He’s going to relax and watch a little
television. We have a fully-stocked kitchen, so Allison or Jacob will fix him
something.”

“Where’s your purse?”
Savannah
asked.

“I don’t need it if we’re just going to have lunch,” Bella
replied.

“Most importantly, where’s your bodyguard? I can’t believe
Loukas would let you out without one. What little fib did you tell him?”

“I told him that I have a bodyguard. I have you.”

“And he was okay with that?”

“Of course.”

“Next stop,
Savannah
’s room,” I said as the three of us
headed down the hallway, and then stopped at her room. We waited for her to
check on McCoy. A couple of minutes later, she came out and said her husband
was still asleep. She left him a note.

“My turn,” I said as we walked one door down, and stopped at
my room. “Don’t either one of you go anywhere. Stay right here.”

“She sure doesn’t trust us, does she?” Bella asked
Savannah
.

I smiled as I stuck the keycard in the slot. Silently, I
opened the door and walked in. Billy was still asleep, sprawled out on the bed,
snoring lightly. I walked over to the computer table looking for a piece of
paper, so I could leave him a note, but instead, found a folder. I opened the
folder and saw a photo of Teresa and Peter standing together on the outside
walkway. It was nighttime. The shadows covered part of their bodies, but their
faces stood out. Now, there was no doubt in my mind that the two of them were
in cahoots and planning something. Something bad was going to happen, and it
probably was going to happen to Maggie Anderson.

Since we were going to have lunch in public, I figured I
wouldn’t need my gun. So, I took the gun from my pocket, tip-toed over to the
dresser, and pulled out a drawer. I stuck the gun in the drawer under some
clothes, and then walked back over to the desk and grabbed the photo. I
scribbled a quick note for Billy explaining that he would be able to find me in
the dining room with Bella and
Savannah
, and then slipped out of the room.

“He’s still asleep,” I whispered as I left the door slightly
ajar. I showed the photo to Bella and
Savannah
.
“This photo shows that Teresa is lying. The two of them were together last
night, probably after Maggie went to bed. Liar. Liar.”

Bella and
Savannah
looked at the photo in surprise.

“I can’t believe it!” Bella whispered. “They sure aren’t very
smart, are they? You’d think they’d have more sense.”

“I’d be willing to bet that Billy has paid a visit to the
guys upstairs like we did. That’s how he got this photo. It was probably
printed out from a still shot of a video.”

Bella’s excitement was apparent when she said, “We’re going
to bust those two.”

“Hold on!” I said, quietly. “We’re not going to do anything
right now. I just wanted to show you this photo. I have to put it back. Don’t
move!” I left the two of them standing there as I went back into the room,
replaced the photo in the folder, and then slipped back out. As soon as I
closed the door, Bella started walking down the hall at a brisk pace.

“Keep up, ladies,” she said. “We’re on an adventure! No
slackers or lollygaggers allowed.”

“She sure is a spry one, isn’t she?”
Savannah
asked me. “You’d think someone her…”

“Don’t even say it, dear,” Bella said, cutting in. “I can run
with the big dogs just as good as anyone.”

“Whoa! Hold on a minute, Bella,” I said, catching up with
her. “Where’re you going?”

“We’re going to flush out the truth. We’re going to go have a
talk with that man.”

One of the many things I admire about Bella is how she’ll
just lay it out there. She doesn’t withhold her words or thoughts, and she has
many of them. But she also has another side to her personality—one that is
impulsive, quick-witted, and contagious. I found myself wanting to follow her,
and do whatever she said, but at the same time, I knew better. I knew that I
had to restrain myself… and her.

“The photo confirmed my suspicions, but that doesn’t mean I’m
going to run off and harass the man without talking with Billy first. He knows
something, as I suspected, and I think it would be unwise of us to move on this
until we find out what it is.”

“But…”

“No way,” I said to Bella, sternly. “I’m the P.I. here, so
listen to me when I say we need to hold off.”

“I agree,”
Savannah
added. “We don’t know if this guy is
dangerous, and until we find out more about him, I think we need to do as Jesse
says.”

“Oh, all right,” Bella said, relenting against her will.
“What’s it going to hurt to wait another hour or so? Billy should be up by
then.”

“He knows where to find us,” I said as I guided Bella toward
the elevator. “Let’s go up to deck seven to the dining room, and get something
to eat. Amateur detectives like yourself need nourishment. As a pro, I don’t
need as much as you do, but I still need a little.” I snickered.

Convinced that I knew what I was talking about, Bella’s
excitement only grew as we stepped into the elevator. She laughed when she
talked about how she gets so fired up when she’s involved, or even hears about
something suspicious happening.

“I don’t know what got into me this time,” Bella confessed.

“I do,”
Savannah
said, jumping in. “What Jesse does
for a living can be contagious for people like us. I write about it; you get a
taste of it occasionally, but Jesse lives it. That’s kind of glamorous.”

“I don’t know about that,” I said, thinking it over. “It’s
exciting sometimes, and then there’re other times when I get so scared I could
wet my pants.”

“This sudden desire to run off and save the world from the
bad guys isn’t the way I normally act,” Bella said as she gripped the handrail,
her body swaying. “Usually, I sit back and think it over long and hard before I
do anything.” Her face showed anxiety, but she said nothing about it.

The ship seemed to sway more than it had earlier. Maybe that
was why Bella had that strange look on her face. The rough seas were finally
getting to her, too.

Suddenly, a startling jolt shook the elevator bringing it to
a halt, and then the lights went out. All of us gripped the handrail, holding
on for dear life.

“What was that?”
Savannah
asked, her voice shaky. “Tell me this isn’t happening! Jesse, I’m getting a bit
nervous here. You see, I have this thing about elevators. It’s been all I could
do to get on one with you and Bella before… but now… I won’t make it long in
here.”

The fear in her voice was evident. She obviously had a bad
case of claustrophobia. I sympathized with her. I know what it’s like to get
trapped in a situation that brings out your worst fears and anxieties. I’ve been
in plenty of them since I met Billy.

Billy, I thought to myself. I sure wish you would come to our
rescue before we all freak out.

Savannah
’s
breathing grew faster and deeper as she tried to deal with the situation as
best as she could in the dark elevator.

I stopped thinking about Billy, and quickly tried to figure
out what I could say or do to help her through this. And then I said what Billy
would have. “Everything’s going to be fine.” I held onto the handrail with one
hand, and reached over and touched her shoulder. I could barely see her. “It’s
just a glitch in the computer system. It’ll be back up soon. Trust me.” I
looked over at Bella and asked her, “Are you all right?”

“I’m hanging in there, literally.”

Suddenly, the lights came back on just as unexpectedly as
they had gone out, and the elevator started moving. When the elevator stopped
and the door opened, the three of us couldn’t get out of there fast enough. We
held hands like scared little girls as we walked at breakneck speed.

“I wasn’t scared,” Bella said.

“Me, neither.”

“Not me, either,”
Savannah
bragged along with us.

We could now laugh at what had just happened.

“Billy would call us silly `ge yas,” I joked. “He’d get a
good chuckle out of this one.”

Reality set in as we entered the dining room. It seemed as if
everything and everyone was dancing to the same song. The ship rocked, and then
rose up and down as the passengers moved with it, balancing their plates as
they walked.

According to everything I’ve been told about cruise ships,
they didn’t usually sway like this. They were supposed to be smooth and
easygoing. But then, there are the times when they hit rough seas. Those are
the times when it really gets scary. Yet, those times are very seldom
mentioned, and if they are, it’s in a fleeting moment of conversation not taken
seriously. Nobody tells you about the rocking, swaying and bouncing. I felt as
if I should strap a bungee cord around my waist and hook it onto the nearest
pole. I realized that my mind might’ve been exaggerating the ship’s movement,
but that didn’t change the fact that I was about to do something nasty. I could
feel it coming on. Sea-sickness was setting in. My stomach felt queasy, and I
knew that if I didn’t sit down pretty soon, the scene was going to get ugly. There
was nothing more embarrassing than puking in public.

“Are you all right?” Bella asked as we made it through the
crowd to the salad buffet table. “You look pale. That elevator mishap must’ve
scared you more than you let on.”

“In fact, I’m feeling a little bit nauseated. Maybe I should
sit down.” I looked around, but didn’t see a vacant table anywhere.

Bella waved to one of the crew members who immediately
stopped what he was doing and swiftly walked over. “Would you please show my
friend, Jesse, to my table, and bring her a cup of hot tea?” she asked him with
a smile. “The choppy seas are getting to her.”

Jeremy, as his nametag read, took me by the arm and led me
over to a table by the window, and then said, “When it’s a little shaky like it
is now, most passengers seem to feel better faster if they can sit by a window.
They need to see the ocean. It’s like riding in a car. If you can’t see where
you’re going, the motion of moving can make you sick. So, if you look at the
ocean, perhaps you’ll feel better. A cup of hot tea should help.” He motioned
to another crew member and as quick as lightning, I was seated with a cup of
tea in front of me.

“Thank you so much, Jeremy,” I said, sipping the hot liquid.
“I feel better already.” I didn’t really feel better, but he had been so nice
to me, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that I thought the only thing that
would make me feel better right now was to get off this ship. I smiled and
said, “I think I just needed to sit down.”

“If there’s anything I can do, Mrs. Blackhawk, please let me
know.”

“You know me?” I asked.

He smiled and said, “It’s my job to know everyone on the
ship, and to see to their needs whenever possible. It goes without saying that
all the crew members know Mrs. Constance and her inner circle.”

“I’m impressed that the crew takes their jobs to heart. It
makes for a much nicer and personal cruise. Again, thank you. I would’ve hated
to embarrass my friends by… well… you know.”

“Don’t worry. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“I imagine not,” I said as he smiled and walked away.

A few minutes later, Bella and
Savannah
walked over to the table and sat down. They had fixed a
plate of salad for themselves, and one for me.

“Just in case your stomach feels better,” Bella said. “I
didn’t know what you liked, so I took a gander and threw together this salad.
If you can’t eat it, don’t fret.”

“I am feeling a little better,” I replied. “I think this hot
tea is helping. Jeremy said that it would also help if I could look out the
window and watch the sea. At first, I thought he was bonkers, but there might
be something to his remedy.”