Page 45 of Fire and Ice Cruise

Celeste snorts. “Nice save, Troublemaker. Now cut to the chase, would you? I’ve got things to chase myself.”

I can’t help but frown at the salty wraith.

“Holland, how well did you know Gideon Vale?”

“Gideon?” She shivers as she says his name. “Well enough for him to invite my husband and me along on this cruise. We’ve been in his club for a few years now. Silas and I figured we should embrace the next leg of this journey called life. Plus, we like to stay ahead of the curve and be as relatable as we can to our customers. Without them, we’d be in the poor house.” She laughs it off, then sobers up quickly. “But I’m not kidding. Silas and I know what side our bread is buttered on. And believe me when I say we’re ready to exploit the heck out of this over-the-hill nonsense. When we’re through with it, we’ll have twenty-year-olds wishing they were fifty.”

“Well, then, I guess fifty is the new twenty,” I say, and we share a laugh.

Celeste rolls her eyes and gives me the wrap it up signal. Boy, she’s impatient. You’d think she has an eternity to solve this case—unlike me.

“So, Holland, did you happen to see anything odd that night Gideon was murdered?”

“Murdered.” She shivers again as she glances across the room, and her expression shifts. She leans in slightly. “Actually, I did see something. In fact, I heard something too.”

“Even better,” I say. “What was it?”

I’m afraid to breathe until she unleashes whatever knowledge she gleaned that night.

“I saw him talking to someone.” She points discreetly toward Marina, who’s standing near the refreshment table, talking to Nicolette. Both women are laughing and seem to be enjoying themselves. “I saw that redhead over there—I don’t know her name—having a very angry conversation with Gideon. Right before he disappeared.”

My heart kicks up a notch.

I saw that too, but I’ll be honest, I wish I hadn’t. Marina is the last person I want to put on my suspect list, especially not anywhere near the top.

“I followed them,” Holland offers, and my stomach sinks.

“Where?”

“Near the hallway that leads to where they found him. I was looking for the restroom and got turned around.” Holland wraps her arms tighter around herself. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but they were being pretty loud. Gideon said something about making her famous overnight, and she was begging him not to. She said she would do anything for him to forget he ever laid eyes on her.”

My mouth falls open. Gideon kept insisting he recognized her. And now I wonder if it was true.

“Did you tell security?” I’m only asking because I want to know how deep in this Marina really is.

“I mentioned it to Officer Riddle, but I didn’t get that woman’s name. I felt awful about it—like I was throwing a stranger under the bus.” She looks genuinely distressed. “But then I thought, what if it’s important? What if she had something to do with what happened to him?”

Great. Quinn knows, and now she’s onto Marina. Although if Marina did the deadly deed, I suppose the fact that Quinn is after her is warranted.

“What did Gideon say to her?” I shrug as if I’m just trying to make casual conversation and failing miserably. “After the redhead begged him not to make her famous overnight?”

“He laughed. Not a nice laugh. And he said something like, ‘Too late for that now. The story’s already in motion.’” Holland shudders. “It gave me chills. You could tell that he enjoyed having power over her.”

Celeste drifts back over, suddenly interested. “Well, well, well. Plot twist. Your new friend Marina Murderer Maxwell has secrets.”

“Did you see where she went after?” I ask Holland, hoping she didn’t see a thing.

Not that I want to cover for a killer, but the less I know in this case might be for the best. I think.

“No, I ducked into the restroom before they saw me. When I came out, they were both gone.” She hesitates. “Do you think I should tell someone else? Make an official statement?”

“You already told Quinn Riddle. She’s the acting Chief of Security, so I guess that’s all you can do.”

“I just keep thinking—if that woman did something terrible because Gideon was threatening to expose her, and I said nothing—” Holland trails off, looking miserable.

“You did the right thing,” I assure her, though my mind is racing.

Marina. Sweet, grieving Marina, who lost her husband fifteen years ago and swears she hasn’t had romance since because of the trauma. What secret is she hiding that’s worth begging Gideon Vale to keep quiet?