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“Take good care of your friend,” she tells them. “And all three of you—four of you”—she takes a moment to pinch Sparky’s wooden cheek—“are invited to the Culture Club dance party before we leave the ship. It’s a seventies theme.”
Most things seem to be these days, specifically Phineas.
“I’m already looking forward to it,” she adds. “I hope to see you around before then, too.” She gives a friendly wave before taking off for the locker room.
“So how did it go?” Bess asks.
“Is she the killer?” Sparky shakes his entire body as he shouts the question.
“Would you shush?” Bess swats him on the bottom. “Keep it down or we might just be moved to kill you.”
He belts out a throaty laugh her way. “You keep doling out the spankings, and I’ll let you do whatever you like.”
“Kill me.” Bess closes her eyes.
Someone did kill Julia Edwards, and I’m determined to find out exactly who that is.
Travis Weatherly is next on my list. Here’s hoping he draws a straight line to whoever did the deed.
Our jaunt around the Tropics is about to run out of time—and so is the killer.
CHAPTER 14
My hot date with Ransom is set for today on the magical isle of Maui. So the first thing I do is get up early and make a beeline to the Blue Water Café. We’ve been to Maui before and done everything from snorkel the glorious shorelines to drive the Road to Hana. So it makes me wonder what we’ll be doing today.
Since Ransom is being secretive about where our little adventure may lead, I decide against a heavy breakfast of my usual fare, eggs, sausages, pancakes, and waffles.
Instead, I opt for light and airy crullers—six of them to be exact—three glazed and three chocolate. Of course, it took two cups of coffee to wash all that donut deliciousness down. And by the time I was through, I was craving something savory to balance out my electrolytes so I picked up a quick bagel, slathered it with cream cheese, and added copious amounts of smoked salmon and red onions.
Believe me, when your body begs for a hint of salt, nothing hits the spot like good old-fashioned lox and bagels. And as I’m leaving the café, I happen to see the kitchen staff bring out a basket of fresh baked muffins—chocolate with chocolate chips. Those are just my favorite, so I snap one right up and gobble it down before I leave the facility.
Ransom arranged to meet me at the entry to the gangway, and once I arrive, I see him chatting away with Captain Crawford.
Wes is always nice enough to see the passengers off as they disembark for the day. And many passengers—mostly women—use this as an opportunity to get their pictures taken with the captain.
“Gentlemen,” I say with a spring in my step as I come upon them. I’m wearing my signature gauzy dress in pink, with a matching pink one-piece underneath it. And I’ve got my beach bag hiked over my shoulder, complete with a beach towel, enough suntan lotion to coat the West Coast, and a hat big enough to cover the planet. You can’t be too safe in my book.
“Trixie.” Wes offers me a dimpled grin. “You look ready to tackle the island and gorgeous, might I add..”
Ransom nods. “I agree, you look lovely. And with me as your guide, we’ll be tackling a lot today. Are you ready?”
“I’m so ready.” I laugh.
Wes nods. “I ran into Nettie and she told me all about that adventure you had yesterday during the zipline tour.” He frowns a moment. “Or rather, Sparky told me all about it.”
Ransom’s eyebrows pinch in the middle. “Who’s Sparky?”
Ransom didn’t make it to dinner, thus his lack of knowledge when it comes to the ship’s newest wooden guest.
“For a detective, you’re not apprised of all that much.” Wes doesn’t hesitate with the dig. “Don’t worry, Trixie.” He winks my way. “Your secret is safe with me. Have a great day.”
Ransom takes up my hand and we head for the gangway. But in the back of my mind, I can’t help but wonder what exactly that little wooden demon may have told Wes.
I don’t think for a minute that Nettie would tell Wes about my ability to see the dead, thus my misadventures with Phineas, but would Sparky? Not that Sparky is sentient, but well, Nettie does like to let him off the chain as evidenced by the fact he embarked on a full-blown stand-up routine last night during dinner.
I’ll admit, he was pretty good at it, too. I almost believed he was a separate entity from Nettie, and a part of me very much does believe that.
Ransom and I nestle up on the open-air tender and he holds me in his strong arms as we watch Maui glow with a tangerine kiss from the sun. I’ve never seen colors as vibrant as I do here in Maui, from the verdant foliage to the tropical waters, the pristine blue sky, and the white powdered sand.
