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I’m not sure I could forgive him for keeping something so big from me all these months. I mean, being dead is something you don’t casually throw out after several months of knowing one another—not to mention just moments before what was supposed to be the big birthday suit reveal.
And was the word big a dig at my weight?
Not that I care at this point.
And not that I’m going to let that stop me from starting this day off right either.
Nothing comes between my first breakfast and me. Or second breakfast.
Not even death.
CHAPTER 6
I head into the Blue Water Café, a large pristine casual dining restaurant with numerous buffet stations strewn about, featuring everything from sweet to savory.
The floors are comprised of creamy marble, the buffet offerings are presented on enormous brass structures with enough glass sneeze guards to outfit every window on this ship. But it’s the endless culinary treats, the lard sculptures of pineapples and dolphins—yes lard, but since we’re not actually eating the sculptures, it’s a forgivable sin—and the massive fruit topiaries that steal the show.
I quickly put together a fresh croissant with eggs and sausages, snap up a few waffles, and land a heap of fresh strawberries on them along with a dollop of whipped cream before picking up my coffee and henpecking for a seat.
To my surprise, I see one of the women that was with poor Julia last night. It’s the redhead, Nadine Dixon.
After I retired to my cabin last night, I did a little research on all of the women I met, including that Travis person. Apparently, true to Tinsley’s word, Julia was a huge pop star and rumors of her death are already swirling on the internet. Nadine here was a pretty big deal herself with her now-infamous reality show.
I scuttle her way. “You mind if I share a seat?” I ask before placing my tray down and she motions for me to do it.
“Please, this place is packed,” she insists. “I don’t know where else you’d find a space to stand, let alone sit.” She moves her purse from the chair in front of me and I fall into it without hesitation.
Nadine has on a blue shift, and her red hair is pulled into a bun, accentuating her sculpted cheekbones and prominent nose. Her eyes are laced with red tracks and her skin looks blotchy as if she were up all night crying.
I’m sure she was.
“Travis was supposed to meet me here for breakfast.” She picks up her phone and frowns at it for a moment. “But I think I’ve been stood up. Not a big deal. Everyone is out of sorts. He was probably up all night like me. This trip has already turned into a big fiasco.”
“I’m so sorry about your loss. I’m sure as soon as the coroner has a chance to inspect your friend, we’ll know what really happened. I mean, like I said last night, she could have had an allergy to seafood—and that room was swimming in it.”
“Oh no, this wasn’t anything natural that took Julia down.” She rolls her eyes. “Every last member of that corrosive club we’re in has been getting steady death threats over the last few months. That’s one of the reasons we took this ridiculous cruise to begin with.” She wrinkles her nose as she glances at the throngs of people swarming around us. “No offense to you or the ship, but we’re used to a more private affair like a chartered yacht. But well, none of us were in the financial boat to pitch for that, no pun intended.”
“I get it. Life can change on a dime. Mine did, and that’s what landed me here to begin with. So you really think there’s a killer on board?”
She gives a nervous glance around before nodding. “And they could be after more of us. For all I know, that lethal drink could have been meant for me.”
“You think they laced her drink?”
“What else could it have been? I saw her lying there with blue liquid spilling from her mouth. It doesn’t take a genius to draw a straight line. Besides, there were a lot of people in that room last night. It would have been simple to land something in it. The suspect list is endless.”
“I guess you’re right. And I saw the same thing with the blue liquor.” I wince as the memory of Julia lying there takes the forefront of my mind. “So you think someone boarded the ship with the expressed intent to kill her?”
“I don’t know about that.” She tips her head to the side. “I mean, like I said, we’ve all received our fair share of death threats. That could have been meant for me. They could still come after me or any one of us in that loser society we’ve landed ourselves in. I have two kids, you know.” She plants a hand over her chest. “Sure, they’re in their twenties, but they still need me.”
“Believe me, I know. I have two kids myself. A boy and a girl. Twenty-four and twenty-one. My son, Parker, is in grad school abroad, and my daughter, Abbey, is finishing up her bachelors back in Maine. That’s where I’m originally from. The truth is, our kids stay our kids no matter how old they get. They’ll always need us, and we’ll always need them.”
“You said it.” She lifts her coffee my way. “But I’ve always had nannies and the like. And now my kids have their own lives—their own thriving social media fans. They still need me, of course—for the money.” She rolls her eyes.
“Well, I know how that goes, too.” I laugh. “But soon enough, they’ll be on their own and figuring out life and finances just like the rest of free society.”
“Maybe your kids will be just like the rest of free society, but mine will never stop suckling off the teat of my bank account.” She sighs into her coffee. “I can’t blame them. When you’re in the spotlight the way they are, it takes a lot of upkeep, the clothes, the makeup, the shoes, the jewelry, the expensive vacations, the private jets. It’s exhausting to think about.”
“I’ll say.” My kids will never know those things, and I’m a touch proud of it, too.
