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Phineas steps between us. “She doesn’t look thrilled,” he says. “I think we’ve got enough to prove she’s the culprit. It’s time to let the authorities step in.”
As logical as that sounds, I can’t seem to stop the train. I’m already barreling toward a confession, and I’m craving it too much to give up now.
“You did this, Nadine.” I double down on my accusation. “That night, you said you stepped away from the Diamond Lounge for five minutes to go to your cabin. But the Diamond Lounge is aft on deck five—your cabin is fore, on the third deck. Even if you ran at top speed and took the stairs, it would have taken you more than fifteen minutes to get from one place to the other—one way. That is, if you were completely oriented to the ship.
“And seeing that we had just set sail, I’m guessing that wasn’t the case. You never went to your room. You took the drinks from Jane once she got them from the bar—an ingenious move asking her to get them. It puts her in a prime position to make her look even guiltier than you already painted the poor woman. I’m sure you spilled some of Julia’s cocktail on her to add another layer of deceit. That worked to arouse suspicion. It did mine. But Julia didn’t trust the drink once you gave it to her, did she? Your lipstick print was on the rim of her glass. I remember that Julia wore a pink frosted shade that night, Jane wore plain gloss, and you wore red. I remember thinking it matched your hair.”
“I swear I went to my cabin. So it took twenty minutes, what does it matter? It was Jane who poisoned Julia’s drink. Not me.”
“It was you.”
A dark smile blooms on her lips. “So it was. But it doesn’t matter. Don’t you see, Trixie? I have an alibi and Jane doesn’t. So many arrows point her way. I don’t have to worry about you and your little accusations. Jane will be arrested as soon as we dock in L.A. and I will walk free, with all of my money from those loans, and all of Jane’s money. My new company will take off like wildfire once the public hears Jane was indicted for Julia’s murder, and my life will finally get back on track.”
“You effortlessly threw both Jane and Travis under the bus. Travis was nothing but a backup plan to you.” A tiny laugh dies in my chest. “You were good, but you weren’t good enough. Jane isn’t getting indicted for Julia Edwards’ murder—you are.”
“Good work, Detective Troublefield,” Phineas says, amused.
But Nadine isn’t amused in the least.
Her hands latch themselves around my neck, and before I know it, she knocks me to the ground.
My fingers work to get her off my neck, but she grunts and groans and rolls us to the left toward that hot tub bubbling away like a cauldron.
“Allow me.” Phineas grabs the woman by the waist and succeeds in plucking her off me.
“Ransom,” I croak as I start to crawl away on all fours.
Nadine throws herself on top of me once again, and this time she lands us both into that boiling vat of water.
For whatever reason, once the dead intervene to save me from harm’s way—i.e., the killer—they begin to drift toward paradise. I’m not sure if it’s because they’ve stepped out of line, or if because the case is over. Either way, I can feel my time with Phineas coming to a close.
The water is so hot, it must be boiling. My skin sears from the shock of it. My lungs are half full of the chlorinated solution, as I lacked the preparation to take a breath.
Phineas appears underwater. “I’ve only got a little more energy in me, Trixie. I can get you to the surface, but after that, you might just be on your own.”
Nadine screams as she thrashes me toward the bottom as if she heard him, and I have no doubt she did. After all, she is touching my flesh.
Phineas grabs ahold of both of us and corks us to the surface. I gain my footing and take in a gasping, deep, cool breath.
“Nadine,” I call out as she gyrates before me. “It’s over. You’ve already confessed.”
“I confessed to a dead woman who met an unfortunate demise in a hot tub,” she says, dunking me under the water once again.
We wrestle with one another, taking turns screaming under the waterline until she pushes me into the wall with herculean force.
Her face presses to mine, and I can feel the heat of her hatred emanate off of her, far more searing than the water could ever hope to be.
“Say your prayers, Trixie. You’re going to die tonight for daring to point the finger at me. Julia tried the same thing once she discovered that those loans were garnered through dishonest means. Sure, I fudged the numbers a little. I had to. Everyone does it. And the beauty of it? The only numbers that were truly fudged were Julia’s. I’m as innocent as a lamb. And I have both her money and Jane’s to comfort me.”
“You were going to kill Jane next, weren’t you?” I pant.
“Am—As in I am going to kill Jane next. Poor thing is about to meet with a very unfortunate accident, as are you.”
She’s about to dunk me once again, but I jump out of her grasp, snatch her by the arms, and spin her around.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“The hell I’m not.” Nadine knocks my feet out from under me, and before I know it, my face is in the water and her elbow is on my back, pinning me down as I struggle to breathe.
