Cruel Capers on the Caribbean: A Kate on Vacation Mystery (The Kate on Vacation mysteries)
Authors: Kassandra Lamb
Tags: #Cayman Islands, #cozy mystery, #New Orleans, #Key West, #Cozumel, #mystery series, #cruise ship
Cruel Capers on the Caribbean
A Kate on Vacation Mystery
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a novella by
Kassandra Lamb
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a
misterio press
publication
Published by
misterio press LLC
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over art by
Book Cover Corner
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-book design by Kirsten Weiss
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opyright © 2014 by Kassandra Lamb
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ll Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used, transmitted, stored, distributed or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the author’s written permission, except very short excerpts for reviews. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without the author’s express permission is illegal and punishable by law.
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ruel Capers on the Caribbean
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations and events are all products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, organizations or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Some real places may be used fictitiously.
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he publisher does not have control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites and their content.
Other Books by Kassandra Lamb
The Kate Huntington Mystery Series:
MULTIPLE MOTIVES
ILL-TIMED ENTANGLEMENTS
FAMILY FALLACIES
CELEBRITY STATUS
COLLATERAL CASUALTIES
ZERO HERO
FATAL FORTY-EIGHT
(to be released Fall, 2014)
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The Kate on Vacation Novellas:
An Unsaintly Season in St. Augustine
Cruel Capers on the Caribbean
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ECHOES, A Story of Suspense
(a stand-alone ghost story/mystery)
K
ate leaned against the railing and waved vigorously at the dollhouse-sized figures on the cement pier below. “Is it my imagination or does Edie look worried?” she asked her husband.
“Your imagination, darlin’,” Skip drawled. “No way can you make out their expressions from here. The kids’ll be fine. Your folks will spoil them rotten and it’ll take us a month to get them under control again.”
Kate blew a kiss over the railing, then turned to survey their floating home away from home. Spotless white decks and polished brass fittings gleamed in the Florida sun. The cruise line’s logo, a red silhouette of a carousel horse, adorned the side of the tall stack in the middle of the ship.
“Let’s find our cabins, guys,” she said to their friends, “and see if the luggage has been delivered yet.”
Liz Franklin looped an arm through hers as they headed toward the doors leading to the interior of the ship. “Tomorrow’s a day at sea.” She was petite and a full head shorter than Kate, but her voice boomed across the deck. “I plan to take full advantage of all the pampering facilities on board. Massage, manicure, pedicure, the works.”
Kate smiled at the thought. “Oh, yeah. I’m in.”
“What about us?” Liz’s husband said. “Getting a pedicure isn’t exactly my thing.”
Kate giggled at the thought of her big burly friend with painted toenails. “I don’t know, Rob. I think hot pink would really set off your sandals and shorts.”
“What makes you think we’re gonna get him into shorts and sandals?” Liz said.
“Good point,” Kate said.
Skip just snorted.
Rob was ignoring all of them as he perused the directory next to the elevators. “We’re six floors up, in the front of the ship.”
“Decks, hon, not floors,” Liz corrected.
“Harumph.”
After a few wrong turns, they found the correct corridor on Deck 10. Rob and Liz disappeared into the cabin two doors down.
Kate was about to slip her electronic key card into the slot on their door when she was distracted by raised voices further down the corridor. A middle-aged gentleman with a thick thatch of silver hair was arguing with a young officer in a white uniform.
“I reserved this suite weeks ago,” the passenger said, his voice rising. “Why have you put someone else in there?”
“I am so sorry for the inconvenience, Dr. Hudson. We have assigned you an equally nice cabin on another deck.” The young man’s tone was deferential. Kate couldn’t place his accent. Scandinavian maybe?
“But I want this one. We take this cruise several times a year and my wife and I always stay in this cabin!” The older man glanced up and noticed Kate watching the drama. Taking the young officer by the arm, he steered him further down the corridor to continue the argument in hushed fury.
Kate went back to the task of opening their own cabin door. She took two steps into the room, then rushed forward. A small sliding glass door was sitting partway open. A slight breeze rustled the semi-sheer curtains that had been pulled to the side. Beyond the door, a tiny balcony overlooked the sparkling waters of Tampa Bay. Dropping her carry-on bag on the floor, she stood open-mouthed, taking in the view. “Oh, this is so much better than those lousy little portholes.”
Skip wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Nothin’s too good for my gal. This has been too long in comin’.” The cruise, originally Kate’s idea, had gotten sidetracked by one of Skip’s private investigation cases. After a big bonus from another case, he’d insisted it was time for their long-postponed getaway.
Kate turned in his arms.
He hooked an errant, dark curl behind her ear. “You know, your eyes are the same exact color as that gorgeous tropical sky out there.”
But he wasn’t looking at the sky. He was smiling down into her face. Gold flecks danced in his own hazel eyes as he cupped her cheeks in his hands. He lowered his lips to hers.
She closed her eyes and relaxed against him, anticipating the warm tingle of his kiss.
“Ahem. So sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to invite y’all to a little git-together.”
They jumped, then turned to find a willowy, blonde beauty standing in the still-open doorway.
“Where are my manners?” she said in a thick Southern accent as she held out her hand. “I’m Cora Beall.”
Skip recovered first. He stepped over and shook the woman’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Corabelle.”
The woman let out a peal of laughter. “No, no. My last name is Beall. Don’t know what my mama was thinkin’ when she chose Cora for my Christian name.”
“Skip Canfield. This is my wife, Kate.”
“Pleased to meet y’all. I’m in cabin 1030, down the way a bit. Figured I’d invite all my new neighbors to a little
bon voyage
party. Some of our friends are comin’ onboard in a few minutes to see us off.”
Kate found her voice. “How did you get your friends past security?” Since 9/11, cruise ships had tightened security significantly. Only passengers with pre-paid tickets were allowed to board. She had thought onboard
bon voyage
parties were a thing of the past.
The woman chuckled. “Connections, sugar. Plus...” She rubbed fingers and thumb together in the sign for money.
After a pregnant pause, she said, “Y’all don’t know who I am, do ya?”
They shook their heads.
Another peal of laughter. “How totally refreshin’! Y’all come on over in a bit, please do.” She turned and left the cabin, pulling the door closed behind her.
Skip raised his eyebrows at his wife. “I’d been debating between a tour of the ship or trying out that nice king-sized bed over there.” He tilted his head toward the bed in question.
Kate laughed. “Both ship and bed will be available for the next week. That lady’s peaked my curiosity.”
After freshening up as best they could, since their suitcases had not yet found their way to the cabin, they went down the hall to knock on the Franklins’ door.
“Cora Beall?” Liz said, after Kate repeated the invitation from their new neighbor. “
The
Cora Beall?”
“I don’t know. Who is
the
Cora Beall?”
“You don’t read the society pages, do you?”
Kate shook her head. After being the target of the paparazzi herself a couple years ago, she’d lost what little interest she’d ever had in following the lives of celebrities.
“She’s a socialite. Her father’s rich as Midas. She goes through men like water. At the moment, she’s in the middle of a rather contentious divorce from husband number three.”
“Number
three
? She can’t be much more than thirty,” Kate said.
“Try early forties. That’s what good plastic surgery’ll do for you.”
“So do you gals want to go to this shindig or not?” Skip asked.
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away,” Liz said.
~~~~~~~~
K
ate tried not to stare as she took in Cora Beall’s suite. It was three times the size of their cabin, which she had thought luxurious up until a few minutes ago. The bed was separated from the spacious living room by a heavy curtain that was currently drawn back. Beyond it, she caught a glimpse of the balcony through the shifting crowd. It too was a good bit bigger than theirs.
Well over a dozen people were already in the room, with others still coming through the door. Handshakes and air kisses were being exchanged left and right.
Cora made a beeline for Kate’s little group. “Now why are y’all huddled here? Come on in and meet some folks.”
Kate introduced Liz and Rob.
“Pleased to meet ya,” Cora said. “Now what can I get y’all to drink? That there mini-fridge is just crammed full of beer and wine and just about anythin’ y’all might want.”
The men opted for beer. Kate and Liz asked for white wine.
“Here, let me do that,” a rich baritone voice said, as a man’s slender hand took the miniature wine bottle from Cora. The man attached to the hand finished pouring their drinks and handed them around.
He was tall and lean, with straight dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and the pale cheeks of a poet. His black silk shirt was tucked into a pair of snug-fitting black jeans. Kate figured him to be in his mid to late thirties.
He took their hostess’s hand. “I’m Clem, Cora’s significant other.”
Liz snorted and inhaled the sip of wine she’d just taken. Rob patted her on the back as she coughed.
The man grinned. “I know. Doesn’t quite fit me, does it? The name’s actually Clemens, as in Samuel. My mother was a big fan of Mark Twain. But I think Clemens sounds a tad pretentious, even for this crowd.” He waved a hand in the direction of the now substantial group of people milling around the room. “I guess it could’ve been worse. Mother could’ve named me Twain.”
Kate laughed out loud. Liz snickered, setting off another round of coughing.
“Now y’all know why I’m so fond of this man,” Cora said with a smile. “He doesn’t take himself too seriously. Y’all just make yerselves at home now.”
She gently tugged on Clem’s hand, indicating it was time to circulate. He gave them a guileless grin as she led him away.
It quickly became apparent that there were two cliques at the party. The friends from onshore and the travelers from the nearby cabins. Most of the latter group made the best of the opportunity to begin to get to know their temporary neighbors.
Half out of curiosity and half out of actual need, Kate headed for the door she assumed led to the bathroom. Beyond it was a real bathroom, not a glorified closet like the one in their cabin. She felt a stab of envy. Was that a gold-plated faucet above the marble sink?
Then she noticed the white powder on the counter top. In any other setting, she would have assumed it was talcum powder, but in this crowd... Maybe she’d wait until they were back in their own cabin to use the john.
Opening the door, she stepped out and found herself smack in the middle of an argument between Cora and Clem.
“How dare you?” Cora hissed in a low voice. “If anybody leaks this to the press or Bill gets ahold of it... He’d just love the chance to use it against me in the divorce.”
“Sweetheart, I didn’t bring anything on board. Somebody else brought it on.”
Kate had taken a step backward. There was no room to get past them. She looked back over her shoulder at the white powder on the bathroom counter–no doubt the cause of their quarrel.
Cora glanced her way. “I don’t need this! I could end up losing Carrie.”
“Cora, my sweet–”
“Don’t you ‘my sweet’ me. Just get these damned people outta here.”
Clem nodded and turned away.