“Up here.” I waved my arms at the top of the metal ramp leading down to the dock. I could make out the faint shapes of men in dark rain coats blending with the night as they approached the dock and the catering tent. I assumed they were cops. They passed the tent and followed my voice to the ramp. Richard owed me one.
“Be careful. It’s slick,” I yelled over the pouring rain and rumbling thunder. I cast my eyes to the sky, and could see nothing but torrents of water through the blackness. There seemed to be no end in sight to this storm.
I watched the men clutch the thin ropes on either side of the ramp for balance as they climbed up the ramp. I held out my hand as the first man reached the top. He stepped on board and pulled off his hood. It was Detective Reese.
“I’m surprised you’ve only had one fatality so far if people have been using that thing,” he said, breathing heavily. He held out an arm and hoisted up the man behind him.
“About that one fatality,” I said.
He looked me up and down and then shook his head. “How is it you always manage to make wedding planning so deadly?”
I gestured to the storm. “Are you saying this is my fault?”
“Not the rain,” he said. “That’s an added bonus this time.”
I led the way through the glass door to the casual dining room where trays still covered most surfaces. “But the homicidal maniacs?”
“Have you ever considered revisiting the way you select your clients?” He ran a hand through his dark hair, sending a few drops of rain onto the floor.
“They’re weddings. If I eliminated everyone who was emotionally imbalanced or homicidal, I wouldn’t have any clients.”
The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. I couldn’t help but notice the hazel of his eyes deepening into green. I knew he enjoyed provoking me, and I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at him. “Why don’t I take you to one of this wedding’s homicidal maniacs?”
He swept a hand in front of me. “Lead the way.”
We walked up the few stairs to the bridge. Reese did a noticeable double take once we were on the bridge.
Leatrice and Fern stood to the far side of the room holding their guns trained on Mrs. Barbery. She sat facing away from us in one of the console chairs with her arms tied behind her back. Even though the lighting was dim, it looked like she was tied up with control-top pantyhose. Kate stood near the first mate holding a gun with both hands and Rocky balanced on her shoulder. The captain’s body lay crumpled on the floor, blood seeping onto the carpet. One of Daniel’s security officers sat next to the first mate, applying pressure to his shoulder with a cloth while another black-clad officer stood guard over the stepmother.
Reese looked at me. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
I summed up what we knew for sure and what we’d guessed while the captain was zipped into a body bag and taken out and the first mate was loaded onto a stretcher by the paramedics. “Your brother apprehended Mrs. Barbery when she went down to see her son’s body but he brought her up here so he could preserve the other crime scene. Leatrice tied her up. And one of Daniel’s guards is with Mandy.”
Reese looked up from the notepad where he was writing down what I was saying. “And she’s the one Leatrice hit with the paperweight?”
“That’s right,” Leatrice said. “I hope she’s all right, though. Aside from being a smuggler with a criminal record, she seemed like a nice girl.”
“And what happened to the evidence she was after?” Reese asked.
I turned to Leatrice and Fern as I realized that I’d completely forgotten about the envelope I’d been so concerned with them guarding. “Did you hide it somewhere?”
Leatrice reached one hand into the front of her uniform and produced the manila envelope. “I didn’t think anyone would look for it there.”
Fern smoothed his hands down his chest. “I would have hidden it but the extra padding made my waist look too thick.”
Reese accepted the envelope with a grin, then began giving orders for his men to question the crew and escort guests off the ship.
“Can you run down and tell Richard what’s going on?” I asked Fern once Reese was busy with his men. “I don’t want him to start sending up dessert and late-night bites, although I could go for some mini Swiss burgers and sweet potato fries right about now.”
Fern nodded but shook a finger at me. “A moment on the lips, Annabelle.”
“And whatever you do, don’t tell him about Jeremy John getting away with all of our payments,” I added as he headed for the door. “We’ll tell him later, when he’s far away from knives.”
“What’s that?” Reese asked.
“Do you remember that designer we all despised? Well, he managed to steal all the cash that was meant to pay the wedding vendors and disappear.”
“So you won’t get paid for all your work?”
“None of us will.” I took a breath and tried to shake it off. “So, did the paramedics already take Mandy away?”
He punched in a number on his cell phone. “Let me ask my brother.”
I hadn’t seen Daniel Reese since I’d left him down below with an injured Mandy. Then it struck me he didn’t know Mandy was involved in the crimes. I hadn’t found out until Leatrice told me on the bridge, so as far as Daniel knew, Mandy was another victim.
Daniel clicked off his phone. “She’s on her way to the hospital. She regained consciousness and Daniel says she’ll be fine.”
“You may want to let the hospital know she’s a suspect,” I said.
“I’m sure Daniel sent a cop with her.”
I cringed. “Not if he didn’t know Mandy was one of the bad guys.”
Reese groaned.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “There was a lot going on. I was held at gunpoint, attacked by a flying squirrel, and saved by Leatrice and Fern, who were armed with semi-automatic weapons. It’s been a busy night.”
“Okay, okay.” The detective held up a hand and got on his phone to his brother again. “I need you to send one of your guys to the hospital to keep an eye on Mandy. Our vic is now a suspect. I’ll explain later.”
Leatrice gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m sure it will be fine, dear. I gave her quite a wallop on the head. I doubt she’ll be running off anytime soon.”
“What happened to that paperweight anyway?” I asked.
Leatrice tapped her chin. “I left it in the storeroom when we changed. Do you think they’ll let me keep it as a souvenir?” She lowered her voice. “I’m definitely keeping the uniform.”
Fabulous, I thought. I’d have a walking reminder of the most disastrous wedding in history.
I heard raised voices from outside the bridge. Who was making so much noise? I hurried down the stairs to the dining area where a pair of Daniel’s security officers were holding Mr. Barbery.
“I want to see my wife.” He strained against their grasp. “This has to be a mistake.”
Kate ran in the room from the salon on the other side and as the door swung shut behind her, I saw Kristie in her white wedding gown sobbing against her husband’s shoulder. I felt a sob catch in my own throat.
“Mr. Barbery.” I walked over to him and put a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
I’d never meant the words more in my life. I was sorry that I’d suspected him, sorry that I hadn’t suspected the captain or how desperate he was, and desperately sorry that Brody had been killed. I felt tears burn my eyes and I blinked them back.
He met my eyes and his face went slack. “So it’s true? About Brody? My wife? Captain Hammer? All of it?”
I nodded, unable to speak as I watched his face crumple. The security guards loosened their grip as his shoulders sagged and all the fight went out of him. Kate put an arm around his shoulders and led him to sit at the banquette where he put his head in his hands and quietly sobbed. I turned away so I wouldn’t start crying myself.
Kate slipped her hand into mine and squeezed it. “Let’s go home.”