“No rhythm.”Tony reset the machine.“Clear.”
Another jolt.Again, it failed to get Sebastian’s heart started.
He did it twice more at increasing intensities, only to get the same outcome.Nothing.Tony sat back on his heels and shook his head, his expression grim.“I’m afraid it’s too late.He’s gone.”
The world seemed to tilt.My knees wobbled.I pressed a hand to my chest, only then realizing I’d been holding my breath.
The nurse looked at me, his voice softer now.“Do either of you know this man?”
I swallowed hard and nodded.“Yes.He’s in the suite next to ours with his wife.His name’s Sebastian Caldwell.”
Tony’s brows lifted slightly, recognition flickering in his eyes.“The singing contest judge?”
“Yeah.That’s him.”
He looked anxious as he closed the defibrillator case.“That’s not good.”
I couldn’t agree with him more.It certainly wasn’t good for Sebastian.
The nurse’s expression darkened.“Did you see what happened?”
“No.”My fingers felt numb, so I curled them into fists to get the feeling back.“We heard some scraping, then a splash, then another splash, and more scraping.By the time we got to the pool, he was already in the water.”
Tony exhaled sharply, his jaw tight.“Terrible accident,” he said, but his eyes weren’t convinced.“I’ll notify the captain and security, too.You’ll need to stick around and give them your statements.”
Ezra stood slowly, his wet shorts dripping.His shoulders were tense, his jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked near his temple.
I stepped closer to him, lowering my voice.“Ezra… what are you thinking?”
He didn’t answer right away.He stared at Sebastian’s still body for a moment longer, then exhaled slowly.His voice was low, edged with something cold and certain.“This wasn’t an accident.”
Unfortunately, I couldn’t disagree.The metal scraping sound happened after the splashes.After Sebastian was in the water.Which meant, someone had been up here with him when he’d gone in, and...they’d left him to die.
ChapterFive
The observation deck was quiet.The hydrotherapy pool where Sebastian’s body had been pulled from had been turned off, and the water was eerily calm.Captain Steven Klein, a man in his fifties with a stocky build, stood a few feet away.His white uniform was immaculate, with gold and black epaulets squared on his shoulders.His matching white hat with a black bill low over his eyes gave him an authoritative air.Beside him, Security Chief Rebecca Hansen, slim, sharp-eyed, late thirties or maybe early forties, also dressed in a white uniform, talked in low tones with Dr.Nick Patel, the ship’s doctor, and Nurse Tony.Patel looked like he was in his forties as well.He was tall, had dark hair, and had a serious expression.They kept their voices low, deliberately out of earshot from Ezra and me.
I shifted my weight, glancing at Ezra, who’d been given a terrycloth robe to cover his wet clothes.“What do you think they’re saying?”
He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face.“A whole lot of CYA, if I had to guess.”His voice was low and tired.
CYA was short for “Cover Your Ass.”I’d been in plenty of meetings when I worked for a corporation where people would spend their entire time figuring out ways to make sure if crap hit the fan, it wouldn’t fly back at them.
My gaze drifted back to Sebastian’s body, now hidden under a white sheet.My thoughts went to Callie.She’d lost her first husband under strange circumstances, and now her second had died just as mysteriously.Bad luck or something worse?I didn’t want to say it, but the wordblack widowlingered in my head.
Not my problem, though.We were off duty.This was supposed to be a vacation.No investigations, no dead bodies.
“I’m sure they’ll figure it out,” I said, though the way Tony had called it an accident too fast didn’t sit right with me.Chief Hansen didn’t look too convinced, either.Her arms were crossed, brows drawn tight as the group talked.She didn’t look happy.
When their huddle finally broke, Hansen came over to us.“Could you describe what happened again?And where were you when the drowning took place?”Her voice was calm but firm.“Walk me through it again.From the start.”
Ezra glanced at me, then nodded.He kept his voice even.“We were by the towel racks, on the other side of the hot tubs.”
Hansen tilted her head.“What were you doing there?”
Ezra’s jaw tensed.“We were...occupied.”
“We were making out,” I said bluntly.“That’s not really the important part, though.”
