Page 51 of Hearts Aweigh
S LAM!
The four Shippers jumped as Spencer closed the office door behind him.
Emily smirked. “Someone’s unhappy. Why do you suppose he gets so upset about his nanny’s dinner break?”
“Serves him right,” Althea said. “He had his chance, and he blew it.” She sashayed to the couch, settled beside Daisy, and kissed Madeleine on the cheek. “Honey, you’re too sweet. You taste like candy.”
The girl giggled. “Can we play hide-and-seek?”
“Oooh.” Althea cringed. “My old body doesn’t work so good for hide-and-seek anymore. Is there something else you wanna do?”
Maddie scratched her head. “Can we read a story?”
“Now you’re talking.” Althea wagged a finger between her and Daisy. “Story reading is our specialty. You go pick out which book you want.”
“Okay.” Maddie hopped off the couch and skipped up the stairs.
Emily eyed the long flight and shuddered. “You can keep these fancy suites. I prefer my nice, cozy cabin, where I don’t have to climb a mountain before I crawl into bed.”
“You and me both,” Gerry said. “But speaking of stories, I need to do research for my novel. I found a great resource at the ship’s library.” Stretching her long legs out, she fetched a book from her bag. The heavy hardback flopped open on her lap, and a familiar square of black rested inside.
“What’s this?” she raised the envelope.
“Oh my!” Daisy’s slender fingers covered her mouth.
Althea pointed. “That looks like the notes Daisy received.”
Emily hurried to Gerry’s side, leaned her nose an inch from the paper, and examined it. No writing on the outside. No stamp. Someone must’ve slipped it into Gerry’s bag when she was unaware.
Gerry drew the envelope close to her chest. “It’s bad manners to read other people’s mail.”
“I’m sorry, dear.” Emily moved away. “I wanted to check for any identifiable markings, but it looks clean.”
Gerry toyed with the loose paper flap. She folded it back to reveal the card inside. Her fingers trembled as she reached for it.
“Take your time, baby,” said Althea.
Daisy murmured in sympathy.
“Would you …?” Emily hesitated. Her curiosity was killing her. But what horrible memories might the note recall? She sank on the couch beside her friend. “Would you rather we leave you alone?”
“What for?” Gerry’s brows crinkled.
Daisy rubbed her hands down her arms. “The contents might be … personal. We can leave.”
Gerry chuckled. “I’m not nervous. This is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in a month of Sundays.
If there’s one fact I know better than anyone, it’s how boring my life has been.
There isn’t a single incident someone could blackmail me for, unless you count the time I let a young girl skip the holds line because she was desperate to read a new release. And that was only once.”
Althea tsk-tsked. “We need to get you a boyfriend.”
Emily sat on her twitchy fingers, longing to confiscate the envelope and read its contents. Who knew what the ominous black missive contained?
Gerry’s cheeks reddened as she grabbed the heavy white paper inside. Paused.
“What are you waiting for?” Althea bounced in her seat. “Open it already.”
“Just savoring the moment.” Gerry grinned. “I feel like a heroine in an Agatha Christie novel.”
She withdrew the card, slipped her glasses on her nose, and read. Her eyes reached the bottom of the page, jerked to the top, and made another circuit of the paper. She curled her fingers and pressed them against her lips. Her body shook.
Emily reached out. “Are you all right, dear?”
“Don’t worry,” Althea said. “No matter what’s in that note, we still love you.”
“Yes.” Daisy twisted the golden watch chain around her neck. “If it requires legal help, I’ll instruct Spencer to represent you.”
A snort emanated from Gerry’s covered nostrils. She allowed the paper to flutter to the table, pressed both hands to her belly, and gave a small laugh, followed by another larger and more explosive guffaw.
“Poor thing,” Daisy said. “She must be overwhelmed.”
Emily couldn’t take it anymore. She snatched the note and read it for herself. When she reached the end, she understood why her friend had taken a second perusal to process the message.
“What does it say?” Althea’s eyebrows almost reached her scalp.
“Brace yourselves, girls.” Emily’s gaze slid to Gerry. “Our dear friend is being extorted for murder.”
“Grandma!” Maddie’s excited voice called. “I got it.” She raced down the stairs with a storybook, hurried to the couch, and climbed between Daisy and Althea.
The four ladies exchanged a look, and Gerry and Emily withdrew to the kitchen.
“My, my,” Althea cooed to the little girl. “You chose a good one. I love this story.”
Daisy opened the picture book and began to read aloud.
Emily leaned on the island and lowered her voice. “The culprit tipped their hand this time.” She pointed at the note. “It says you wouldn’t want the police to go digging up your vegetable garden. Isn’t that part of the mystery novel you’re writing?”
“Yes,” Gerry whispered. “That plot point is brand-new. I wrote the murderer’s confession this morning, right before you joined me in the library. If someone didn’t know better, they might mistake it for a diary entry.”
Emily nodded. “Are you certain you haven’t mentioned the story or shown it to anyone else?”
“Positive. When I left the library, I put the notebook in my bag, meaning to type the new paragraphs on my laptop after lunch, but we got distracted by Spencer’s reemergence.”
“Is it still there?”
Gerry fetched her bag and withdrew the spiral-bound notebook with the red cover. She fanned through the pages. “As far as I can tell, it hasn’t been touched.”
“This makes no sense. Why would someone think you’re a murderer unless they’ve read that so-called confession?”
“And we’ve yet to discover how they found out about Daisy’s affair,” Gerry declared.
Daisy’s voice faltered. Althea grabbed her hand and read the story where her friend had left off. Daisy rose and moved to join Emily and Gerry. She stood in front of them, her body blocking her granddaughter from the conversation.
“Sorry.” Gerry winced. “I didn’t mean to dredge up the past.”
Daisy’s pinched lips relaxed.
“Whooo-eee.” In the living room, Althea stretched her arms. “What a good story. Why don’t you find us another book to read?”
Maddie hurried upstairs.
Althea scooted to the kitchen and put her arm around her roomie. “You good?”
Daisy crumpled. “It was my error in judgment. I deserve the shame.”
“Nonsense.” Althea swatted her back. “We talked about this, Daisy Mae. Once you repent, it’s under the blood. The Bible promises complete forgiveness. Feeling guilty isn’t part of the deal.”
Emily withdrew her phone and opened a note-taking app. “Daisy, do you have any papers that mention your … past?”
“Mercy, no,” Daisy snapped. “It’s hardly something I’m proud of, and I prefer not to dwell on it.”
“Did you tell anyone besides Althea?”
“No.” Daisy tugged at her necklace, sliding the miniature pendant watch on the chain.
“She’s my only confidante. We spoke of it twice.
One night in our cabin after I’d experienced a distressing nightmare and then the next day when she accompanied me to the spa.
My nerves were overwrought, so I booked an aromatherapy massage. ”
“I sat and talked while she got the fancy stuff,” Althea said.
Emily typed with both thumbs. “Althea, did you ever mention it to anyone else?”
Althea’s broad nostrils flared at the implication. “What do you take me for? A snitch?”
“Forgive me, dear.” Emily typed away. “I’m trying to be thorough.” She set her phone down. “A crew member might have overheard you in the spa. Was anyone else there?”
Daisy shook her head. “The masseuse had already left. No one else was in the room.”
Gerry wrote in her notebook. “That doesn’t mean someone wasn’t listening at the door. Who gave you the massage?”
“Magda.” Daisy rubbed her forehead. “But it couldn’t be her. She’s the best spa technician on the ship.”
Gerry frowned. “Her work competency has nothing to do with her trustworthiness.”
“On the contrary,” Daisy said. “I’ve found the way a person performs their job directly relates to their integrity.”
Maddie’s feet sounded on the stairs. The Shippers returned to the living room and met her there. With a new book, she plopped beside her grandmother, and Daisy drew her close.
Althea propped her arm on the back of the couch. “I’d be willing to bet all my bingo winnings, it isn’t Magda.” She snapped her fingers. “Hold up. There was one other time. I forgot because it was so short.”
Daisy glanced at Maddie. “You mean that morning in the chapel?”
“Yep. We swung by after the spa. Remember?”
Gerry leaned forward. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Who else was there?”
Daisy and Althea spoke together. “No one.”
Emily grumbled as she made another note.
“I’ll repeat what I said before.” Althea rubbed her roommate’s shoulder. “Tell your son. Then this scoundrel loses any power over you.”
Daisy toyed with a lock of Maddie’s hair while her granddaughter flipped through her picture book. “What if he hates me?” Daisy said.
The other Shippers exchanged glances. Not one of them dared to point out the relationship between Daisy and her son couldn’t get much worse.
Emily slipped her phone in her pocket and stood. “Okay, girls. Let’s go.”
Gerry put her stuff in her bag. “Where are we going?”
“Maddie”—Emily smiled at the child—“how’d you like to read your story somewhere special? Have you ever visited the chapel?”
“What’s a chapel?” Maddie asked.
“A beautiful place. We’ll go say hello to God, read your story, and then eat dinner at the buffet.”
“Mmm-mmm.” Althea rubbed her tummy. “They have the best cupcakes. You’ll love it, Maddie.”
“Cupcakes?” Maddie’s face beamed. “Yay!”
“Daisy, you tell Spencer we’re taking Maddie to dinner.” Emily retrieved her purse. “We’ll stop by the chapel and examine the scene of the crime. My bones tell me that’s where we’ll find some answers.”