Strange Tidings Read online

  It would make midnight shifts a little more frustrating. Shae didn’t notice the discomfort until she was faced with one of the guest’s beds. She had to shake her head to stop herself from dreaming about diving onto the bed and snuggling up until she fell asleep

  The second reason was that she realized there was a space beneath the bed. She quickly got down on her hands and feet and looked under the bed, lifting the bed cover to see. The space was dark, so she took out her phone and used the light to see. There, in the far left corner, someone had shoved a black case against the wall.

  Shae moved to the left side and pulled the case out. She held her breath as she opened it and let it out in a rush when she saw what was inside.

  A gun was neatly packed into the small case with a box of bullets. She closed the case and picked it up, intending to take it over to the security office to test for fingerprints.

  She reached for the door handle at the same time the handle lowered. She cursed quietly, and quickly ran for a cupboard, closing it just as a door opened.

  Shae put her hand over her mouth to soften the sound of her breathing. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and she couldn’t seem to get her eyes to close. Not even to blink.

  The person on the other side was walking lightly, and she realized that they were looking for something. Her heart froze and a new terror overtook her. What if the murderer was on the other side of the door?

  It seemed like just her luck that she’d be caught hiding in a closet while the murderer ransacked the room. A part of her wanted to jump out and confront whoever was on the other side but she knew that it wasn’t a good idea.

  She wasn’t sure how the gun worked, and probably wouldn’t get it loaded in time. And what if it was someone who was allowed to be there? Like Victor or Penny? How would she explain her presence without offending him?

  All these thoughts were paralyzing, and she couldn’t decide what to do. On the other side, the person sighed softly, and the sound of a zipper could be heard. They were looking through Victor’s luggage. The zipper closed, and then the person cursed in annoyance.

  Shae heard the door open, then close, and she breathed out in relief. She waited a few more seconds before letting herself out.

  Curiosity moved her to open Victor’s suitcase. It looked exactly like it had before, and she only noticed that someone moved a few things around when she looked closer. Besides that, nothing was out of the ordinary.

  She frowned to herself, wondering what anyone could want with Victor’s suitcase. Maybe he had nothing to do with any of this and was simply confused. She wondered if the case could be any stranger as she opened the door.

  Her fingers closed around the handle, and she grimaced when her fingers closed around something sticky. She took her hand away and looked down to find a smudge of color on her finger. She frowned. It was a pale pink color with flecks of glitter.

  Nail polish. Why would a woman be looking through Victor’s things?

  That thought flew out her mind as the door opened, and Shae was caught red-handed.

  Chapter 9

  “What are you doing in my room?” Victor asked, tilting his head curiously as he looked at her.

  Shae’s heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach, and she opened her mouth in surprise. She wasn’t sure what to tell him and knew that she had no excuse. Especially when his eyes flitted to the case she held in her hands and he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

  “I was looking for clues,” Shae admitted, letting out a heavy breath. There was no point in lying. He wouldn’t believe whatever she said. She only had one option left. “And I found one.”

  She had to go on the offense. Her defense wasn’t going to get her anywhere, so she had to try a different tactic. He frowned at her, and quickly closed the door behind him. Shae hoped that Stefan would be back at his post soon, otherwise she was on her own.

  “You found my gun,” Victor told her with a shrug. “That’s not a clue. I’ve got a very good explanation for that.”

  “What is it?” Shae challenged, lifting her chin at him.

  “I’m afraid,” Victor said, shrugging his shoulders. “Two of my friends are dead, and someone’s pretending to be my father. I wanted some protection.”

  “All of that happened after you boarded the ship,” Shae reminded him. “You didn’t get this gun on the ship, which means you brought it with you.”

  “Fine,” Victor glared at her.

  He reached for the case, but she jumped back and gave him a warning look. Her heart was pounding, and she knew that he could overpower her if he wanted to. She quickly stood behind a chair, putting as much space between the two of them as possible.

  “Tell me the truth, Victor,” she warned, keeping a careful eye on him.

  “The first imposter came when I was ten,” Victor said angrily, sitting down and holding his hands up in surrender. He wanted her to feel safer, but she didn’t trust him. It could all just be a ploy. She took another step back, still watching him. “I was at school. He came onto the playground and grabbed me. The teachers had to call the police.”

  “I’m sorry,” Shae said sincerely, she couldn’t even imagine how that must’ve traumatized a little child.

  “It’s fine,” Victor said, shrugging, but she could see that his shoulders were tense. “I just swore that I’d never let that happen again. I keep the gun because I want to protect myself and my family. I know I’m paranoid, but wouldn’t you be?”

  “I guess,” Shae said slowly, choosing to sit down too. They looked at each other in silence for a few moments, and Shae found that she felt sorry for the man. “Someone else was in your room.”

  “While you were snooping?” he asked, a wry smile curling the corner of his lips.

  Shae noticed that he had dark circles under his eyes. She wondered if he’d slept at all the night before.

  “Just look,” she said, rolling her eyes. She showed him the pink smear on her finger. “Whoever did it was wearing this nail polish.”

  “I know that color,” Victor said suddenly, taking her hand in his own. She shivered involuntarily. His hands were ice cold. “Jade uses it on her nails. Her manicure is growing off, and she uses it to fill in the edges.”

  “How do you know it’s growing off?” Shae asked curiously.

  “I’ve spent my life around stylish women,” Victor shrugged. “My gran gets a new manicure every two weeks. Jade likes to pretend she’s one of us. But she’s not.”

  “She’s not rich?” Shae asked slowly. “How do you know her?”

  “Lucien has,” Victor paused then shook his head. “Lucien had these phases when he’d date poor women. He’d do it to make his father angry. Unfortunately, it meant that gold diggers get in. He had poor taste.”

  “And Jade is a gold digger?” Shae asked, feeling sorry for the woman.

  “She is,” Victor sneered. “She’s an insufferable woman. I don’t know what Lucien saw in her. Besides maybe her looks.”

  Shae gave him an incredulous look and he shrugged, unaffected.

  “She’s beautiful, it turns men’s heads,” Victor said.

  “Well, for some reason she was in your room, and I think I should return the favor.”

  Victor smiled wolfishly, and she knew that there was no way she’d get away to do it alone. As they walked out, she was relieved to see that Stefan was back at his post. She handed him the gun and gave him a brief explanation before Victor led the way to Jade’s room.

  Thankfully, the young woman was gone, so Shae managed to get them into the room with ease. Victor pushed his way in and immediately began searching through her things, throwing things out of the way as he searched.

  Jade’s cabin was a mess. There were clothes everywhere, and the vanity table looked like an explosion of make-up and glitter.

  Shae decided that it was better to stay out of Victor’s way and went to sit by the vanity. There was a picture of Jade, with her raven black hair and light blue eyes, wi
th an older woman who was her opposite. Shae guessed it was Jade’s mother because they had the same elfin features.

  Jade was laughing as she hugged her mother, her head leaning against her mother’s blonde hair. There was a jewelry box right next to the photo. It was beautifully hand-carved, and when Shae opened it, a little ballerina popped up and a piece of classical music started playing.

  It was a beautiful piece, and Shae was nearly distracted from the little black thread that was almost hidden in the corner. She smiled to herself and pulled the thread. Her father had given her a similar box when she was a child.

  “A lady always needs a good hiding spot,” he told her, winking mischievously.

  As she’d predicted, the bottom lifted, and she found a little passport book at the bottom. Shae opened it up, and her eyes widened. The piece of music stopped playing, and Shae heard the door open behind her.

  “What are you doing?” Jade asked angrily, looking at them both. Victor was throwing out her suitcase while Shae was holding her music box and real passport.

  “Jade,” Victor said, his mouth open in a gape.

  “No,” Shae said, taking charge of the situation and standing up. “Not Jade. Your name is Karen.”

  “What?” Victor asked in shock while Karen’s mouth opened in surprise.

  She glanced at the door, but Victor saw the action and charged after her. He grabbed her wrist, threw her back into the room and slammed the door behind him. He stood over her, his nostrils flaring.

  “What are you doing?” Karen cried pathetically, cradling her wrist in her hands. “Victor, why did you hurt me?”

  “Who are you really?” Victor asked, his face turning pink with rage. His fists clenched at his side, and Shae realized that she’d made a mistake by bringing him along.

  “I found your passport,” Shae explained, standing up and walking to stand next to Victor.

  Her presence did nothing to calm him down, and she was worried that he’d do something that they’d both regret. His anger seemed to be having an effect on Karen too, and she looked at him with wide eyes.

  “Who are you really?” Victor asked, his words soft as he tried to control his raging temper.

  “I’m Jade,” she said in a small voice, trying to smile alluringly at him. “You know me.”

  “No, your name is Karen Berns,” Shae said quickly before Victor could react. “You lied about your identity. We’re going to take you to the holding cell and take your fingerprints. I bet we’ll be able to match them to the gun you dropped earlier.”

  Karen gaped at them, and Shae marveled at how gorgeous the woman was. She wore a simple white sundress with sleeves that were long but flowy. The effect was that the dress was a beautiful contrast to her coloring.

  “No,” Karen tried to chuckle, but it was a tense sound.

  “There’s one way to find out,” Shae realized, “and it’s easier than taking your fingerprints.”

  “What is it?” Victor asked curiously, turning to look at her.

  Karen gazed up at her sullenly, her nostrils flaring as she tried to look casual and unaffected. She let go of her wrist and leaned on it. Victor hadn’t really hurt her. She was trying to manipulate the situation.

  “Lift up your sleeve,” Shae said simply.

  “What?” Karen asked indignantly. “You can’t make me do that. It’s an invasion of privacy.”

  “Why do you want her to lift her sleeve?” Victor asked, looking at her strangely. Shae could see the gears turning in his head and knew that he’d turn on her just as quickly as he’d turned on Jade/Karen.

  “I was attacked by the murderer,” Shae told him, “but I cut her with a piece of glass. If her arm is fine, then she’s not the person we’re looking for.”

  “Lift your sleeve,” Victor demanded, turning to her.

  “Okay, okay,” Karen said with an easy smile.

  Shae frowned, she shouldn’t be giving in so easily. Karen slowly lifted her hand, and they both leaned forward to see if she was injured. Karen used that opportunity to grab the wooden jewelry box that Shae had dropped.

  She threw it at Victor’s head, causing them both to duck. She jumped up and was out the door before either of them could recover.

  Victor roared in frustration and raced after her. Shae quickly followed him, preparing herself for a complicated chase. Thankfully, Stefan was on his way to tell her that Mark was looking for her when he’d bumped into a young woman in a white dress as she ran out of one of the cabins.

  He instinctively grabbed hold of her and was rewarded when Shae cried out in relief.

  “Who is this?” Stefan asked curiously as the woman screamed and tried to claw at his hands.

  “I think,” Shae said, walking up at Karen and grabbing her arm, “that this is our murderer.” She lifted Karen’s pretty sleeve to reveal a bandage underneath.

  Karen stopped struggling and widened her eyes at Victor.

  “Victor, I can explain,” she pleaded. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

  Victor walked up to her, his eyes as cold as ice. He grabbed Karen’s chin roughly and forced her to look at him. Shae stepped forward to stop him from hurting her, but then he turned to face Shae and gently held her head next to his.

  Their blue eyes stared back at Shae, and she sucked in a sharp breath. Their eyes were both a vivid blue color, while Victor’s were more like ice, Karen’s were like the sea on a sunny day.

  “Her eyes,” Victor said slowly. “They look familiar, don’t they?”

  Shae looked at him thoughtfully as she tried to figure out what he was telling her. Suddenly, something clicked in place for her, as she knew it had for him.

  She’d seen those blue eyes before, but thought they’d looked more like Victor’s. She could only see a real difference now that they were side by side. The eyes were beautiful, and probably what Lucien had noticed about her first.

  She thought about the young man’s last words. He was French.

  “Sa fee,” Shae said breathlessly. “Not safee. Sa fille.”

  “His daughter,” Victor translated flawlessly. “I was wondering why he’d say that. I couldn’t figure it out when Mark told me, but now I know. Lucien was trying to warn me about a daughter. Samuel’s daughter.”

  Karen glared at them both but didn’t say anything. Stefan looked extremely confused, but still held onto his prisoner, happy to be of service.

  “He must’ve found your passport,” Shae realized, glaring at the young woman. “That’s what he was trying to tell me. He must’ve been so confused.”

  “And you killed him for it,” Victor spat, letting go of Karen’s chin.

  “I’m not saying anything,” Karen spat, staring hatefully at both of them.

  “You will,” Shae said knowingly, “and so will your father.”

  Chapter 10

  “I knew from the start that something was weird,” Victor said smugly, stretching lazily in his chair.

  Shae, Jax, Victor and Remy were sitting on the top deck, having a drink while they watched the magnificent sunset.

  The red setting sun set the sky ablaze and the beauty was reflected in the peaceful ocean water, doubling the majesty of the view. On the bottom and main decks, people lined the decks trying to take the best photos.

  The group reclined in their chairs, full of their wonderful meal. Shae felt contented and was wondering if she could disappear for a nap. Her lids felt heavy, and she felt the warm glow of relief that came from solving a case.

  At the back of her mind, something was niggling at her. She was biting her thumbnail as she thought, wishing that she could be rid of the annoying feeling. Something didn’t add up, and she tried to banish the feeling.

  “Looking back, there were a lot of weird things,” Remy said, nodding as he gazed out on the ocean. He seemed distracted throughout their meal. He looked equal parts smug and uncomfortable, which didn’t make sense to Shae.

  “Okay,” Jax said slowly. “Let me see if I
get this right. Samuel was actually Frank Berns, and his daughter was Karen?”

  “They were trying to scam us at the same time,” Victor said, rolling his eyes. “Poor Lucien. He found her passport and thought to confront her. It wasn’t the smartest idea, but I always knew that he’d come to his senses rather than let some woman take all his money.”

  “So, Karen killed Lucien for finding out her true identity,” Jax summarized, shaking his head sadly. “What a terrible person. How could you do that to another person?”

  “That’s a question we can never answer,” Shae said, shaking her head in annoyance. She sank down into her chair and tried to relax, but it felt like her mind was itching.

  “How did Frank know all those things about Samuel?” Jax asked. “I mean, Penny said that Frank knew things that only Samuel would’ve known.”

  “Okay, so get this,” Victor said, leaning forward and gesturing with his hands. “Last year, my dad ran into Frank at a bar. He heard that we were on vacation on a cruise ship and just started sharing random details with Frank.”

  “Was it random?” Jax asked suspiciously. “Or did Frank know what he was doing?”

  “No, he knew. He’s been planning this for a while. Anyway, so he gets my dad to spill the beans. He then meets up with Madeline, who’s always been a little jealous of my gran. He gets her to lie for him and promises her a piece of the fortune.”

  “So that’s why she was so eager to prove that Frank was Samuel,” Jax said, snapping his fingers in realization.

  Shae thought back to when they’d found Madeline’s body. Lucien and Karen were together. Lucien was dead now, so he couldn’t confirm her alibi. On the other hand, if she was openly lying, wouldn’t he have contradicted her?

  If Samuel was with Penny, and Karen was with Lucien, who killed Madeline?

  “Yeah,” Victor nodded seriously.

  “Then why did they kill her? She was helping their cause.”