I squeezed my eyes shut because that was safe and helpful. Shouting and screams surrounded me, but I didn't feel any pain. No hands around my throat, no violent shaking, no punches. I opened my eyes and saw the women standing by their chairs and Shawn and Finley holding Greer back.
I scrambled to my feet, and Cady tucked me behind her left shoulder. My phone was seated on her chair. She whispered, "You should've seen how fast Shawn jumped up to protect you."
My heart swelled a little, and I wished I had witnessed it, but this wasn't the time to get all gooey.
Greer fought against the men, growling in their faces about me and using the B word, which totally got my shackles up. Ugh, how rude.
A couple of tables of people left, one before their food was served. Aiden hurried around the dining room, trying to keep people calm and seated.
Greer continued to yell about how I was the problem and I was the one who probably killed Barclay.
I stepped out from my Cady shield. "That's absurd. I didn't even know the man. He certainly didn't have any secrets on me."
"How do we know that?" Greer shouted.
I started to say how ridiculous he was being, but I couldn't because I had something hidden too. Except my secret was keeping my family and me alive. I hadn't hurt anyone.
I glanced to Whitney, whose mascara had pooled under her red eyes. Well, I technically hurt one person.
"He hit on you that first day. Maybe you slipped something in his food or drink," Greer said.
Shawn looked at me over his shoulder but then turned back to Greer, who was practically foaming at the mouth.
"Barclay hadn't eaten anything here that night, and he only drank seltzer. Besides, the police said the poison was in his insulin bottle."
Whitney gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
Greer frowned, and for a moment I actually believed the news surprised him. The killer would know this. But it would be just as easy to fake surprise.
"Calm down," Finley shouted at his friend. "What are you going to do? Strike a woman?"
Cady and I exchanged glances before looking at Mimi. She had backed away from the table and was cowering near the bar.
Greer shoved Finley off him and stepped away from the two men.
Shawn glanced my way. His expression was stoic and unreadable, and for a second I wondered if he'd blame me for everything that happened. It was my doing. I could've kept my mouth shut and minded my own business, but no. I had to investigate the death of a stranger and antagonize my prime suspect. Too bad Shawn wasn't a doctor of psychology, because maybe I needed my head examined.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
I nodded but couldn't find any actual words.
Sergeant Clarke and Constable Newton entered the bar, and I assumed they had great timing. Until Aiden walked to the kitchen with an armful of dirty dishes and mumbled, "I called them."
The sergeant took in the disarray of tables and how we all stood.
"Was the food so good you had to jump up and cheer?" he asked.
The constable grinned.
"No one thought that was funny?" Sergeant Clarke asked. "I heard there was fighting going on. Someone speak."
We all remained quiet.
"Oh, come on," he said. "And here I thought we were all friends now."
The corner of his mouth lifted. He was having fun.
"Okay, if you don't want to talk, I will. Someone left me an interesting SD card today."
Everyone glanced my way, including Shawn.
"Will that person be arrested for breaking and entering?" Greer asked and stared at me.
Oh sure, he was quick to point out my misdeeds, but what about his own?
"Because if so, Zibby did it." Greer pointed at me, as if there were three other Zibbys in the room.
Cady scoffed so loud, spittle flew out of her mouth. "Then Greer should also be arrested for hitting Mimi."
His eyes widened, and his complexion deepened to a shade of pink. "I didn't touch her. She walked into a door or something. Right?"
Mimi seemed to withdraw into herself and didn't say a word. She was probably frightened to death. The poor woman.
"Seriously, Mimi?" Greer shouted.
"Okay, you and me outside to talk." Clarke pointed to the door and pretty much ordered Greer to move. He glanced to Newton. "Watch the others."
The constable nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "Yes, sir."
The rest of us spread out.
Aiden mumbled about getting more rum, and Cady decided to join him.
Shawn and I straightened the tables and cleaned up the spilled glasses. "He hit on you?" Shawn asked.
I was so focused on the most recent events that I didn't understand the question at first. "Who? Oh, Barclay? Yes. Right before lunch, he asked me up to his room later that night."
"Would you have gone if he hadn't died?"
I frowned so hard I felt a twinge in my temple. "No. I wasn't interested in him."
He nodded and grabbed a handful of napkins to sop up the spilled water. "So what now?"
I sighed, not quite sure. "I don't know. I guess this is it. I'm done. We're not going to get answers before the ship leaves port."
I realized I hadn't said before I or we sailed away
What did this mean for Aiden though? Cady was going to be heartbroken that we'd have to leave and his name hadn't been cleared.
Most of the customers that had been there during the excitement had left, and a couple of new ones had entered.
Finley stood by the front doors and looked out. I wasn't sure if he was watching Greer with Sergeant Clarke or gazing off. He'd learned a lot, and he and Whitney hadn't spoken about it yet since he'd been avoiding her.
Speaking of the puffy-eyed brunette, she headed to the bathroom and Mimi followed. Maybe they could comfort each other. And if Mimi chose to press charges, I wouldn't be unhappy. Greer's temper was hot and unhinged.
Suddenly a young boy, seated at one of the tables, started wheezing. His mother jumped up and ran around to him.
Shawn was immediately by their side. "Is he allergic to anything?"
"No, it's his asthma. The fighting must've worked him up." The woman reached into her bag for an inhaler, but her nerves made her fumble.
Shawn's back was to me, blocking the boy, so I couldn't see much.
The woman pulled the inhaler out and pressed it to her son's mouth.
Within a few seconds, the wheezing stopped.
"Let's get him outside into the fresh air," Shawn said and helped the child to his feet.
As they walked out, shouting was heard. It sounded like Greer.
Finley and the constable stepped outside.
I rolled my eyes and turned toward the bar. This night had been a bust. We may as well have gone back to the ship. I needed to make a decision shortly. If I was leaving tonight, I still needed to pack my things.
Where was Cady?
She'd gone to help Aiden. How long did that take? Oh, she was probably talking to him about the video of him with the cab driver. Well, I hated to interrupt, but I was done. I planned on heading back. I'd decide if I was packing or handing in my two-week notice when I got on board. I considered leaving Cady a text first, but I noticed her phone on the table. Shoot. I didn't want to take off and have her worry about me.
I headed around the bar to the kitchen. They were getting rum, so I assumed he kept it there.
"Is there any service?" shouted one of the new tables.
When no one replied, they got up in disgust and walked out. Aiden would not be happy about that.
I wasn't happy either.
All of this for nothing. Yeah, Greer was still the lead suspect, but something was nagging at me. His temper. He was volatile for sure, but whoever premeditated inserting succinylcholine into Barclay's insulin had patience and was precise. That didn't feel like Greer.
If this was true, that only left Finley and Whitney.
I pushed open the kitchen door and heard muffled voices from the office.
I couldn't believe Whitney would kill the man she was sleeping with. She seemed genuinely upset about his death. Whether he was a good time or she developed feelings for him, she wouldn't have murdered him.
So Finley.
Were cheating scores enough to damage his political chances? Certainly some politicians were elected with some stains on their record. We had once elected a Hollywood actor for president. I wasn't sure how that worked. Perhaps a city councilman who cheated his way into and/or out of college was a big enough deal.
I stepped farther into the kitchen and stood there, waiting for a lull in Aiden's and Cady's voices so I could knock and interrupt. I couldn't hear a word they were saying, which was just as well. Snooping and eavesdropping was fine for murder suspects but not so much for best friends.
Finley definitely had the patience to premeditate a murder, but why not pay him off? Murder couldn't have been the best solution. Unless he wasn't surprised about Whitney and Barclay. Maybe Finley had known and it made him flip.
What about Aiden though?
It was possible. He was also here when I looked at the SD card, right before my dunk into the Atlantic. If my first instinct was right and he was dealing drugs, he had a lot to lose. Not just the extra income from dealing, but if he lost this bar, his family would be in trouble. I needed to trust Cady though. She knew him way better than I did, and if she said he wasn't a dealer, then he wasn't.
Aiden's and Cady's voices grew louder, and Cady shouted, "I can't believe you're not answering my question."
Maybe I shouldn't interrupt them. I could wait here until they were done. Back to Barclay…
The only other person on the drive was that NCIS fan creeping around in the surveillance video. I started to laugh at how appropriate it was that this person was that much into a crime show that they owned its merchandise. What did NCIS stand for? Navy something? Weren't they a part of the military?
As I tried to remember what the acronym stood for, my mind played leapfrog.
Barclay's insulin.
His friends.
Succinylcholine.
Greer's flaky, red skin.
Their vacation to the Caribbean.
Anesthesia.
Being friends all of these years.
Photos of them here and at the airport.
Secrets.
And then it hit me. Why didn't I see the connection before?
"Crap. I know who killed Barclay," I said out loud.
I pivoted on my heels, ready to run up front and grab the sergeant, but as I turned, something dark flew toward me and struck me in the face.