The same scent from the night before lingered in the air.Eucalyptus and lavender.It wasn’t as strong now, but I picked up warm undertones of sandalwood and something sweeter, maybe jasmine or hibiscus with softer notes of vanilla.Or was that chocolate?I inhaled deeply, trying to discern the difference.It was chocolate.Nice.The aromatic blend smelled incredible.I made a mental note to experiment with the combination when I got home for a new soap and lotion line for the shop.
“Okay,” Gilly said, her voice light but her eyes serious.“Where do we start?You point us in the right direction.”
A young man in a crisp uniform walked by, balancing a tray of drinks.He delivered them to a couple lounging by the hot tubs.The badge on his shirt named him as Bruno.
“Excuse me?”I lifted my hand to get his attention when he was walking back to the bar with the empty tray.
He stopped, offering a polite, toothy smile.“Can I get you ladies something to drink?”His accent was thick, though I couldn’t quite place it, maybe Eastern European.Still, he spoke clearly enough for me to understand.
I gestured vaguely around us, circling my finger in the air.“Do you know what this scent is?It’s amazing.”
His grin widened.“That’s our signature fragrance,” he said proudly.“It’s calledResplendent Relaxation.”
“It’s lovely,” I told him sincerely.
He held up a hand in a gesture for us to wait.“One moment, ladies.I’ll be right back.”
He hurried over to the towel shack, stood on his toes to reach over the counter, and rummaged underneath.A moment later, he jogged back, holding out his hand.
“Here you go,” he said, handing me a small stack of sealed packets, each the size of an alcohol wipe.“We have samples for guests.You can use them in your cabin.”
I blinked in surprise, accepting the packets.“Thank you.That’s really… thoughtful of you.”
He gave a small nod.“The fragrance is sold in larger sizes at the Serenity Spa.You should get you a bottle so you can take the retreat anywhere you go.”
“Thanks for the tip.”I’d look into getting me a bottle when we went for our treatments on Tuesday.
His grin widened.“Now, can I get you ladies something to drink?”
“I’m good,” I told him.
“I’ll take a strawberry daiquiri,” Gilly piped up.
I gave her a look, and she shrugged.“What?I’m just here for moral support.I don’t have to be sober for that.”
I chuckled despite myself.“Nope, I guess you don’t.”
Trying to seem casual, I wandered toward the hydrotherapy pool, Gilly at my side.I didn’t want to draw attention.The last thing I needed was a staff member asking questions or, worse, chasing us off before I could see if I could pick up any relevant memories with my psychic nose.Or as Gilly liked to call it, my scratch-n-sniff visions.
So far, since we’d arrived on the cruise, my visions had been scarce.Other than the one intense flash in the elevator, all I’d caught were faint glimpses — hazy, sentimental memories.My guess?Most people on board were first-time cruisers, still too new to form deep emotional ties to the smells and spaces around them.
On the one hand, it was great news.I’d been working hard on blocking the more mundane emotional memories that gave me glimpses into people’s personal lives.After the letter to the editor in the Garden Cove Gazette last year, calling me out as a psychic and accusing me of invading the privacy and personal thoughts of unsuspecting citizens, well, let’s just say I’d worked even harder to control what I saw and when I saw it.
I was going to have to let some of that tightly held control loose now, though, if I wanted any hint as to what went down with Sebastian, leading up to his death.
“Anything?”Gilly asked.
“I haven’t tried yet,” I told her.
“All right,” she said casually.“I’ll be over here distracting any lookie-loos who might be curious.”
“Much appreciated,” I told her.
I squatted near the pool, still amazed at how well my knees were holding up since I’d started platelet-rich plasma injections with an orthopedic doctor four years ago.I’d been diagnosed with juvenile osteoarthritis in my teens, but I’d never let the pain in my joints hold me back.But when my later forties rolled around, the pain gradually worsened until I was in my fifties and struggling to go up and down stairs.When my doctor suggested the treatments, I was skeptical at first.Not anymore, though.The injections gave me so much pain relief and made my active lifestyle a heck of a lot more fun.The first two shots were six months apart, but since then, I’d only needed one shot a year.
“The hydrotherapy pool is closed,” a middle-aged woman with bright bleach-blonde hair said with a snide tone.“You can’t use it.”
“We know,” Gilly informed her in a “mind-yer-business” tone.
