Perfect.Something told me Ramone was my best shot at finding Callie.She might look like a black widow, but my gut said she was more of a trapped fly.If I could help her, I would.
ChapterThirteen
Dinner was just the six of us.None of our other tablemates showed up, which was a letdown.I’d been hoping to see Augusta and Carl again, and my curiosity about Helena and Jasper was still nagging at me.
“We make port in Cozumel at eight tomorrow morning,” Jordy said, eyeing me carefully.“Are you okay with everyone doing their excursions?”
“I am,” I replied.They didn’t need my permission, but ever since the angina scare, they’d all been tiptoeing around me like I might shatter.“Whatever happens is going to happen.If we can’t figure out who pushed Sebastian in the pool by morning, I’m going to let it go.”
Gilly choked on her water, coughing behind her napkin.“That’ll be a first.”She dabbed at her mouth.“You’re a dog with a bone, sometimes.Just gnawing away even after it’s past its expiration date.”
“Not this time,” I insisted, lifting my chin.“After tonight, it’s going to be chill-vibes Nora for the rest of the trip.”
“I can’t wait to meet chill-vibes Nora,” Pippa teased.“I bet she’s a hoot and a holler.”
“Me too,” Gilly piled on.“It sounds like we’re getting a BFF upgrade.”
“You two are pure comedy gold,” I shot back at them.“Take that show on the road.”
Our laughter lightened the mood, the earlier tension fading.
“So, Gilly tells me the doctor said Sebastian’s platelets were high, and he might’ve had a stroke,” Scott said, steering the conversation back to business.
“That’s what Doctor Patel said.”I met his gaze.“You’re a doctor.Can you tell if someone had a stroke after death with just a blood test?”
“It’s not that simple.”Scott steepled his fingers, thinking.“A high platelet count suggests he was throwing clots, but without an autopsy, there’s no certainty.”
“And if the cause of death is listed as natural or accidental, there won’t be an autopsy,” Ezra added.
“Exactly.”Scott shrugged.“It’s a frustrating loophole.Autopsies are expensive, and insurance doesn’t cover them.The police will if it’s part of an investigation, but if it’s ruled accidental?No dice.”
“It’s always about money,” Gilly sighed.
“It usually is,” I agreed.“It keeps the world spinning and stops it cold in its tracks just as fast.”
I scanned the dining room for Charise.Instead, a young Latino man approached the table, a polite but reserved expression on his face.He was lean, maybe in his early twenties, with neatly combed black hair and sharp brown eyes.His uniform was crisp, but his sleeves were a little too long, making him look like a kid playing dress-up.
“I’m Domingo,” he said, his voice smooth and quiet.“I’ll be your steward this week.Are we ready to order?”
“I thought Charise was our steward,” Jordy said, frowning.
Domingo shifted his weight from foot to foot.“Charise has been transferred to another section of the dining room,” he said, clearing his throat.“At her request.”
“I can’t say I blame her,” Pippa said.“I wouldn’t want to serve the man who publicly annihilated me and my career on live television in front of millions of people.”
I winced.“When you put it like that...”
“Give us five minutes, Domingo,” Ezra said, his tone friendly but firm.“We’ll be ready to order.”
Domingo nodded once, crisp and polite, then walked away.
“So, is Charise still a suspect?”Gilly asked.
I inclined my head in the affirmative.“Yes, but not a strong one.”
Ezra leaned forward, his elbows on the table.“If she killed Sebastian, she’d probably have stayed on our service.She’d want to show she didn’t hold a grudge.Moving sections makes me think she expected him to come back.”
I pointed at Ezra with my thumb.“What he said.”
