Masked to Death (A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery Book 5) Read online

  A shadow fell over us. A security guard nodded briefly at me before turning his attention to Ronnie. “Captain Henderson requests your presence.”

  She shooed him away. “I’m a guest. He can’t order me around.”

  “Even a guest can be questioned about a death.” The guard locked a hand around her wrist.

  “I’ll come. Let me get my stuff.” Slowly, she folded her towel and whispered. “Don’t tell anyone they’re questioning me, Faith.”

  By anyone, I assumed she meant Garrison. “You need help.”

  “I’ll handle this on my own. It’s better that way.”

  “I can help you.”

  “No, you can’t.”

  Four people who weren’t sitting in jail would testify otherwise. “Trust me. I can.”

  She whispered in my ear, “A month ago, I threatened to kill him. And the month before that, you can say I kind of tried. Or at least that’s what a witness to the incident said. I don’t quite remember it. Four people know about that. Me. The captain. You. Odessa. Let’s keep it that way.”

  EIGHT

  Ronnie’s confession shook me. I felt off-kilter. A scrapbooking class was being held on deck six, so I headed there, needing to clear my mind while I figured out what to do. Scrapbooking calmed me and centered my spirit. I knew this trip would rev up some anxiety, so I bought a travel planner. It was more portable than a scrapbook, yet the same techniques were used for decorating it. Instead of pictures, words were the main focal point. I had brought colored pencils and an array of travel stickers for decorating the pages.

  I spotted a crew member pushing a cart loaded down with cruise-themed scrapbooking supplies and followed. Other women and a few men joined our parade to the lounge area in the back of the ship.

  “Find a spot while I set up.” The young woman began sorting through the packages of products and stacking them by theme onto a table.

  I spotted Garrison sitting at a table in the back, flipping through a book. When I sat down, he closed the leather book about the size of an 8x8 album. The cover was embossed. I tried reading the script font, but he covered the writing with his forearm.

  “Here to scrapbook or just looking for some peace and quiet to read?” I asked.

  “I’ve wanted to learn some new techniques and now was the perfect time.”

  “You and Bob didn’t have anything special planned for this morning?”

  “Odessa stopped by this morning to tell Bob the captain wanted to meet with him.”

  “About what?”

  “I’d rather not know, so I kissed Bob goodbye and told him I’d be here. I’m sure it has something to do with John. I wonder where Ronnie is. She had said she’d meet me here.”

  “When did you talk to her?” I doodled in my travel journal.

  “At breakfast. Why?”

  “Curious,” I said. “No other reason. She might have lost track of time or something unexpected came up.” The captain had issued a gag order. Ronnie said to stay quiet. And here I was blabbing—or almost blabbing, which was just as bad. “This probably isn’t the wedding you dreamed of.”

  “The event meant more to Odessa than us, so we caved on pretty much everything. Our only sticking point was no alcohol at the event out of respect and love for Ted, and yet she had the champagne flowing freely, and now we also have John Roget to contend with. I’m not looking forward to him and Odessa coming face to face.”

  “He’s stayed away so far.”

  “That’s true. Maybe he only came to spend time with Claire and not to stop the wedding. John is a hard one to figure out.”

  “He isn’t the only one.”

  Garrison’s eyebrows rose. “Do tell.”

  “Ronnie was the only one who showed up at dinner last night, so we had time to chat.”

  Garrison scooted his chair back from the table, taking his book with him. “What about Ronnie?” There was an edge to his voice.

  He thought I was judging her. About what? “I like her. She made me feel welcome from the first moment we met at the muster drill. She even went out of her way to get my tiara when it was knocked onto a lifeboat.”

  Garrison groaned, lowering his head into his hands. “Please don’t tell me she climbed down to get it.”

  “Twirled down. I told her not to. She insisted. It was kind of amazing, though security wasn’t thrilled with the impromptu show.”

  “I’m sure they weren’t. Looks like scrapbooking items are being sold. We should get up there before they run out.”

  “You don’t seem too surprised about Ronnie doing an aerial performance from a deck rail.”

  “Because she’s done it before.” Garrison weaved his way between two women deciding between getting a family fun cruise layout or a relaxing day at sea packet.

  We paid for our items and returned to our table where we perused our goodies a little more thoroughly. I was excited over all the chipboard pieces that had the logo for the cruise line. I had scoured the internet for items and lost hours of sleep with nothing to buy. Maybe I should pick up a few extra packs. Claire might be interested in making an album of the trip, or I could make a gift album for her. Even better, the next time she visited her dad, I could bring over a scrapbook and the embellishments for the three of us to work on a memory book together.

  “I’m going to be showing everyone how to use two sheets of pattern paper to make a background for a layout.” The instructor chose two sheets from the kit and held them up. “These are the ones I’ll be using. Feel free to use any two you’d like.”

  Garrison opened up on the packs and took out two coordinating sheets.

  Suddenly, we could hear a small argument at the entrance to the lounge area. William was in a heated exchange with a crew member. Had William created another ruckus with a passenger or was he having it out because the guard hauled Ronnie to the captain’s office?

  William’s companion hobbled over to him and rested a dainty hand on his arm. “Dear one, have you seen my bracelet? I thought for sure I placed it by my side of the bed. I can’t find it anywhere. I’m not able to look underneath the bed. Can you help me find it?”

  William caught me staring. The look he centered on me sent a chill down my spine.

  “I don’t believe it.”

  Garrison stood, clutching onto the table. His knuckles turned white and I felt a crackle in the air. William and Garrison stared at each other and both men had the classic old west showdown look on their faces.

  Ruth practically dragged William out of there. The elderly lady wasn’t as fragile as she appeared.

  “I’m taking it you don’t like him.” I tugged Garrison back down to the seat. “Want to talk about it?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “We have time. Everyone is working on their scrapbook pages.” I pointed at the sample board the instructor placed on the table. “I’d rather use my own design, especially since I’m not sure what size I want to make my cruise album.”

  “I wasn’t planning on making a cruise album. I just wanted to get some ideas for our adoption book.”

  I grinned. “Your what?”

  “Adoption album.” Garrison turned over the book he had been hiding from me, running his hand longingly over the leather cover. “Bob and I want a child and had agreed to start the process once we were married.”

  “You’ll be married soon.” I squeezed his hand. “From what I’ve come to know about Odessa, nothing will stop her from achieving her goals.”

  “We consulted with an attorney and an adoption agency in Morgantown for advice. The agency recommended putting together a family book about Bob and me. There are many couples looking to adopt and a book will help the mothers get to know us. Bob and I will have an uphill battle already, considering we’re a same-sex couple.”

  “You two will be awesome parents. You’re both caring, smart, resourceful, and have great jobs.”

  “Jobs that could hurt us in the long run.” Garrison gripped my hand. “
I have a question to ask you, though Bob wanted to hold off on us talking to anyone until we formally sign with the agency. Being a planner, I prefer to know all the viable options we have before we get our hearts in too deep.”

  Tears welled in my eyes. I couldn’t even imagine the hope and despair that were intertwined in their dream. “Ask away.”

  “Once we adopt, I’m planning on taking a year off to bond with our child. It’s a little easier for me to do that because my specialty in the medical field makes me extremely employable. I’m ninety-nine percent certain the hospital will hire me back as the hospital director has always said I’m their best ER doctor. But Bob owns his own business and if he takes a large amount of time off, he won’t have anything to go back to, and one of us has to bring in an income.”

  “How can I help?”

  “Right now, Bob works alone and spends a lot of time on his cases. If he had a research assistant, it would cut down the time he was in the office for each case. He’d need someone to help him out on occasion. It wouldn’t be much over minimum wage as Bob will be the only wage earner, though we are saving a chunk of my salary right now. Would you be interested? You wouldn’t be in danger. It’ll consist mainly of tracking down records and other information on a computer.”

  The idea intrigued me. Our finances had taken a hit trying to repair the damage done to Scrap This by a fire, so an extra income would benefit my family, but I couldn’t abandon my grandmothers.

  “It’s a bad idea. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Garrison said.

  “I like the idea. I’m just worried about the logistics. I’m not sure I’m up for a three-hour commute for a side job.” Not to mention gas would eat up most of my pay.

  Garrison’s blue eyes sparkled. “You wouldn’t have to commute from Eden. The majority of your work would be computer research. Bob might need you to come in and man the office on occasion, but you could stay over at our house and we’ll pay you mileage.”

  “It sounds great…” I allowed myself to trail off. I wasn’t a split-second-decision type of gal. Heck, I had enough trouble committing on where to place an embellishment on a layout. I sure couldn’t make a life-altering decision on the spur of the moment that also affected my grandmothers.

  “I don’t expect an answer now. I know you need some time to think it over and come up with a plan. It’s just something to muse over for a bit. You have plenty of time.”

  “Time for what?” Ted dropped into a seat beside me, drifting a kiss across my cheek.

  “Catching up on sleep, working on some crafts, watching some movies, whatever I want, since I seem to be on my own during this cruise,” I said, immediately regretting it. I sounded shrew-like instead of playful.

  Garrison’s eyebrows lifted and he pressed his lips together, taking great interest in the layout kits on our table. I hadn’t meant to be so snippy, but I allowed instinct rather than careful thought to rule. It was the reason I didn’t want to give Garrison an answer. My impetuous choices always came back to drop around my neck like a noose. Things worked out better when I angsted through all the potential outcomes.

  “I’m trying, Faith. It’s not my fault our breakfast was interrupted.”

  “I know. I was just looking forward to it. I don’t expect to have all your attention on the cruise. You should spend time with your daughter. I just hoped we’d have a little time for each other.”

  “There are plenty of us here to keep Claire entertained,” Garrison said. “Bob and I would love to spend some quality time with her. There’s an excursion we’d love to take her on.”

  “Which one?” I tried not to sound too excited.

  Ted rubbed his forehead. “I have no problem with it, but I’m afraid Claire would.”

  Garrison let out a grunt of a laugh. “Oh please, that little girl loves her Uncle Bob and Garrison. She knows she has Bob wrapped around her finger.”

  “But Claire isn’t happy if I’m away from her,” Ted said.

  “Then have a talk with her before it gets worse.” Garrison discreetly placed his cruise kits on top of the adoption album. “I understand you want to spend as much time as you can with her, but I think this has less to do with you and more to do with Claire wanting you and Elizabeth back together.”

  “That’s not true. Elizabeth has been dating Neal for a year. Claire is acting up because she feels bad about telling her grandpa about the wedding, and her grandma is upset because he showed up,” Ted said.

  “Maybe,” Garrison said. “But I think I’m right. Bob would agree with me…”

  “That the wedding should take place off the ship?” Odessa joined us, with Claire in tow. “It should be on here like originally planned. I assured him that John would not interfere with the new ceremony. I had the captain promise him also.”

  “How can the captain do that?” Ted asked.

  Odessa smiled sweetly at her son. “He’ll explain it to you during our discussion.”

  “Discussion?” Ted frowned.

  I shrank back into my chair, hoping everyone continued to forget I was there in case my expression gave away the nervousness creeping inside me.

  “Daddy!” Claire wiggled herself between me and Ted. “I’ve been looking for you. Mom isn’t feeling well, and said me and you will hang out together.”

  “That’s not fair,” Garrison said in a playful tone. “Uncle Bob and I were hoping to have some time with our favorite niece. Bob and I wanted to race you up the climbing wall then get some ice cream.” He leaned closer to her. “Not the free ice cream that’s in the buffet, but the extra special one you have to buy at the ice cream parlor. I also want to browse around the shops with a shopping buddy. Bob is no fun to take shopping.”

  Claire nibbled at her lip, indecision in her eyes.

  Please choose the afternoon with your amazing uncles, I thought.

  “Can Daddy come with us?”

  “No.” Garrison acted put-out. “He’s even a worse shopper than your Uncle Bob. I bet your dad won’t let you eat the triple scoop sundae with cookie crumbs, gummy worms, hot fudge, and caramel sauce.”

  “That’s true,” Ted said. “As a dad, I can’t let you eat that much sugar in a day.”

  “But an uncle can.” Garrison grinned at her.

  Placing my hands under the table, I crossed my fingers.

  “As lovely as all that sounds,” Odessa said, “today is not good for it. I need you and Ted to come with me and talk with the captain and the security detail. Apparently there was an incident last night,” her gaze slid in my direction, “and the captain is a little concerned something was overlooked. He’d like your advice.”

  “About what?” Ted asked.

  “I’m not at liberty to say.” Again, her cool gaze skittered in my direction.

  “Then I’m not inclined to go,” Ted said.

  “Since when do you talk to your mother like that?” Another look in my direction.

  “I’m done with your games, Mom.”

  Garrison stood. “Claire and I are going to explore the ship. She doesn’t want to hear the two of you argue.”

  “I’m not upset.” The little girl clung to her dad’s arm.

  My cue to leave. The person I really wanted to talk to right now was Garrison. He had found a great way to distract me from getting the truth I wanted—why he disliked William—and now he had a perfect excuse to leave. What was it that no one wanted to say about William?

  “I need you and Garrison to come with me,” Odessa said. “It’s for professional advice.”

  “What about Claire?” Garrison placed his hands on the girl’s shoulder. “It’s not fair to make her sit through a boring meeting.”

  “It definitely isn’t a conversation my sweet granddaughter should hear.”

  “How about I come with you and Garrison stays with Claire?” Ted asked. “I don’t want her wandering around the ship by herself.”

  Garrison looked relieved.

  “No.” Odessa stared at m
e. “What about you?”

  “I have plans to attend the gem shopping seminar.”

  “Sounds like a perfect activity for the girls,” Odessa said.

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Ted said.

  Claire evil-eyed me.

  “Surely Faith can look after an eleven-year-old girl for a couple of hours,” Odessa said, the challenge quite clear.

  Here was my chance to change her opinion of me, and prove Ted wrong. “Of course I can.”

  NINE

  No. No, I couldn’t. I had thought looking after my friend’s three elementary-school-aged boys nicknamed the Hooligans was a challenge. Claire was testing parts of my patience those boys had never stretched a smidgen. The girl was letting me know she did not like me. At all. She had argued with all my suggestions, even tossing aside every gift I had bought for her.

  “Are we going to stay in your room all day?” Claire stomped her foot and scowled. “I’m bored. I thought you were taking me to the jewelry thing.”

  Not when I knew John wanted me there. “What would you like to do?” I asked, plastering a smile on my face. Patience. Patience. Patience. Even with Patience being my middle name, it wasn’t one of my strong suits and I hoped begging for it helped.

  “I just told you.” She stomped her foot again. “Take me now.”

  If I didn’t take her, I’d face the wrath of Odessa and Ted. Once John saw me there with his granddaughter, he’d nix his brilliant idea on uncovering the jewelry stealing ring. Right?

  “And I want to find my tiara.”

  “We’ll do both,” I relented, praying nothing went wrong. “The seminar will have a jewelry appraiser there. Maybe whoever found your tiara will bring it.”

  “No, they won’t.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Grandma is picking a new date for the wedding. I won’t have my tiara to wear. Can I have yours?”

  Indecision rippled through me. How could I say yes? How could I say no? I opened up the room safe and took out my tiara. Cradling it in the palms of my hands, I presented it. “You’re more of a princess than me.”