Free Death on the Bella Constance (A Jesse Watson Mystery Series Book 6) by Ann Mullen

and with a smile on my face. They
say smiling makes you feel better. I hope so.
    “Have a seat, ladies,” Billy said, motioning to the two
chairs across the room. “Tell me about your talk with Captain O’Riley.”
    The ladies went on to explain how they approached the captain
and told him all about Peter. Dawson . “The captain took the picture and
checked the passenger manifest,” Maggie said. “Captain O’Riley said there was
no one by that name on board, but he would keep a lookout.”
    “I asked him if there was anyone who was on this cruise
alone,” Teresa added. “He said there was one passenger, a male, taking this
cruise by himself.”
    “But he wouldn’t tell us which room he’s staying in,” Maggie
said, jumping in. “He said he would check out the guy, see if he looks like the
one in the photo, and get back with us.”
    “I tried to tell him that Peter works with a community stage
theater,” Teresa said. “Peter knows all about stage make-up and costumes. He
can change his looks, and you can’t even tell it’s the same guy.”
    Maggie started to say something, but Billy cut her off. “I
want you and your daughter to go about your business as if nothing is wrong,
but stay together. I’ll personally check out this single passenger, and I’ll
let you know the minute I find out anything.”
    I was standing beside Billy, listening to the conversation,
both of us still dressed in our swimming attire. I felt uncomfortable in my
bikini, but I was so glad I had on a shirt. When I looked Billy over, I lost
interest in how I might have looked. He was wearing his swimming shorts, an
open-chest, short-sleeved print shirt, and a pair of deck shoes—without
socks—and he looked so good. I was proud of my man. Not only was he handsome,
but he looked great sparsely clothed. For a second, I caught Teresa checking
him out, too. I ignored her because I know Billy, and went back to listening to
him give them further instructions on what to do next.
    “You both need to stop acting like you’re terrified,” he
said. “You’re on a cruise. You’re supposed to be having fun. You need to act
like it. I’ve alerted a crew member to be on the lookout, and I’m sure he’s
already told a few of the others, so you have plenty of folks looking out for
you.” Billy politely ushered Maggie and Teresa out, assuring them we were on
the case. Money was never discussed. When he closed the door, I stripped out of
my clothes, leaving them on the floor, and headed to the bathroom.
    “Are you coming, Heap Big Warrior?”
    Billy tore his clothes off and hustled to follow. We showered
together, spent the next twenty minutes making love, and then showered again.
It was naughty… and nice… and I felt wicked. We both did. I can’t help myself.
I’m amazed at how physically attracted I am to Billy. I can tell you one thing
for sure—age doesn’t matter when you’re in love. Not only are we in love, but
we’re soul mates. We share almost everything, and we like doing the same stuff.
Of course, our family comes first, and then snooping is next on the list. And
we’re good at it. Together, we’re almost unstoppable. When you add Billy’s
bounty hunter brother, Jonathan, to our team, we are unbeatable. Too bad he
wasn’t here. What am I saying? This trip is for Billy and me. Jonathan’s not
invited.
    We listened to the computer while we dressed in our recently
purchased formal attire, and laughed at the antics of three married couples
getting ready to go to a dinner that none of them wanted to attend.
    Billy had blacked out the screen. Neither one of us liked the
idea of watching people while they were changing clothes. That was personal,
not something that should be viewed by anyone other than the person or persons
in the room. We drew the line there.
    “You look beautiful, `ge ya,” Billy whispered, kissing me on
the neck. “I’ll be the proudest guy at the ball tonight.”
    “It’s not a ball, silly. It’s