Page 21

CHAPTER 21

“P ardon? Did you say you were sorry about my friend?” Becky Lee Darling asks, wide-eyed, as we sit outside of the poshest frozen dairy distributary here on the ship along with Bess and Nettie—and one Sassy specter.

“ Oh .” Becky Lee shakes her head as if something had just occurred to her. “You’re talking about Brad Whipple.” She licks a stray sprinkle from her lip as her expression shifts from jovial to somber. “He was really my husband’s friend. I hardly knew him personally.” She pauses, then brightens. “But I did get to help with the podcast merchandise. Patrick, that’s my husband, he got me this amazing sublimation machine for Christmas a few years back, and well...” She pulls out her phone and quickly shares an entire slew of pictures with us of her hovering over what looks like a fancy printer. “I sort of became the unofficial merch queen for the Whispers of the Wicked podcast,” she says with a touch of obvious pride.

I lean in to get a better look, genuinely curious as to how this works. The photos show an impressive array of true crime-themed items that would make any podcast fan’s heart skip a beat, or stop altogether. There are endless colorful mugs with cute little sayings on them like My Favorite Murder Weapon is Kindness and Coffee: Because You Can’t Solve Crimes Without Caffeine.

An endless array of tote bags are emblazoned with fun sayings like Evidence Collection Kit and Crime Scene Queen.

There are even pens with sayings printed on the side like Taking Notes on Your Alibi and T-shirts that read True Crime and Chill and Amateur Sleuth: Professional Snoop .

“Wow,” Bess muses as she leans back into her seat. “The quality is professional-grade.”

“Thank you.” Becky Lee sniffs. “Brad and Elvie seemed pleased with everything.” Her eyes moisten with tears and her hand begins to shake slightly as she holds the phone out for us to see. There’s something about the way she lingers on certain photos, like they hold more meaning than just merchandise memories.

“These are all so very clever,” I say, and mean it. “The designs have that perfect blend of macabre humor. I bet they sell like hotcakes at conventions.”

“Oh, they do,” Sassy is quick to interject. “Or at least they did while I was still around. I was Elvie’s assistant with her beauty brand, but heaven knows I amassed plenty of Becky Lee’s murder merch . That’s what Elvie and I used to call it.”

Sassy knew Becky Lee, too? Sassy may not be on my suspect list, but that’s not going to stop me from grilling her as if she was holding the top stop.

“Thank you for all the kind words.” Becky Lee laughs as she says it. “The Evidence Collection Kit was Brad’s idea,” she says as her laugh dies down to nothing. “He was such a brilliant man. And that’s exactly why he was so good at coming up with catchy phrases. He had a real knack for knowing what fans would love, mostly because he was the number one fan of anything that had to do with murder.”

“Sort of like our Trixie,” Nettie is quick to add and I shoot her a look.

“I’m not so much a fan of murder as I am of solving them,” I say. “But I guess so is everyone who joined you for this trip,” I say to Becky Lee. “How are you enjoying the cruise?” I wince as I say it. “When you’re not dealing with, you know, an actual murder.”

Becky Lee sighs as she casts a glance at the sea. “It’s been restful—well, when it hasn’t been stressful. I didn’t realize homicide could bring so much chaos.” We share a mournful laugh at that one. “But it’s nice to be able to do nothing but sit around and eat. Back home I work from sun up until—well, sun up.”

“Oh?” I lean in a notch. “I guess your merchandise keeps you busy.”

“No, it really doesn’t. I was only doing that a few times a month for them. I’m actually a housewife, but the chores never end. My husband Patrick has three kids from a previous marriage that live with us part-time. All teenagers.” She rolls her eyes and the fatigue behind the gesture looks as genuine as it gets. “Let’s just say they’ve made a game of hiding glasses and mugs in interesting places. I found one in the bathroom cabinet last week, wrapped in a towel as if they were hiding evidence of a crime. And don’t get me started on the silverware that keeps vanishing. We’re on our fourth set.”

Bess, Nettie, and I all share a warm laugh.

“I remember those days all too well,” I tell her. “Let’s just say my own children had their creative interpretation of organization. The time I found a fork collection growing behind the couch still haunts me.”

Nettie grunts. “I made my kids eat with their bare hands.”

“We don’t doubt it,” Bess chuffs before turning to Becky Lee. “Don’t worry. Your brood will be off to college soon enough. And then the grandkids will start pouring in. Life just gets better in that respect.”

“That’s when you pack it in and live on a cruise ship full time,” Nettie adds with a laugh. “Best decision we ever made.” She lifts a spoonful of whipped cream our way as if to toast us with it.

“Oh, that’s right!” Becky Lee perks up. “You all actually live on board, don’t you? I confess”—she looks my way—“when I found this ship online, I read a bunch of your blogs. So how does living on board a cruise ship even work?”

“Well, it’s cheaper than a retirement home,” Nettie jumps in. “Plus, better food and a new view every day. We just hop from one sunny locale to the next. We had some folks do the math once and figured out it’s actually more cost-effective than maintaining a house.”

“Not to mention the built-in entertainment,” Bess adds.

“Not to mention the built-in murder .” Sassy nods my way. “You’ve amassed quite the reputation in the heavenlies for your knack at discovering bodies. There’s a whole list of people hoping they’ll be called to help you next. When I was tapped to come down, it was sort of like winning the lottery.”

Wonderful. I’m a part of a much sought-after and rather lethal lottery among the dead. I guess I can cross that morbid item off my bucket list.

“I’m so envious of you all,” Becky Lee says while staring out at the ocean with a dreamy sigh. “I’d love to sit by the water and knit all day.” She takes a quick bite of her waffles laden with whipped cream and sprinkles. “This would be a great place for me to get a lot of studying done, too.” Her fork freezes mid-air as if she said more than she meant to.

“What are you studying?” I ask with a touch of delight. “I’m a big believer in continuing education on every level.”

“Oh, actually, it’s my sister who’s studying,” she says with a weak laugh. “I’m sort of helping her out. She’s in nursing school and it’s one of those online programs. But it’s very rigorous and I help by making flashcards, going over notes, and quizzing her. She’s pretty terrible on her own but fairly decent with my help.”

“Wow, that’s really nice of you,” Bess says. “My sister is a nurse and I can remember how hectic her life was while she was studying for those endless exams. Your sister is really lucky to have you.”

“Thank you.” Becky Lee cringes slightly. “Let’s just say I’ve been hitting the books lately, pretty hard.”

“No wonder Alfonso hit the mark about you being tired,” Nettie says.

“Did he ever.” Becky Lee blows out a breath toward the sea.

That entire scene plays out in my mind once again.

“Was he right about the other parts, too?” I press gently. “About being tired of pretending? Of smiling when you want to scream? Of listening to endless discussions about things that don’t matter while the important things slip away?”

Sassy chokes out a laugh. “You don’t waste much time, do you?”

I shoot her a look. We both know I have a honeymoon to tend to.

Becky Lee closes her eyes for a moment. “Yes,” she says quietly, then sighs. “I’ll admit, things haven’t been easy at home.”

Trouble on the home front?

Bess, Nettie, and I exchange a quick glance.

And just like that, my heart breaks for the woman.