Baked Alaska (31 page)

Sadie nodded. She did understand, but she also knew how important these jobs were to the staff. If the steward had had any idea the impact that wine bottle would make, he’d have thrown it off the ship.

“I wanted to ask you some additional questions,” Officer Jareg said as he pulled a stool on castors out from under a desk and sat down a few feet away from her.

“Okay.”

“Has your son been on any other cruises to your knowledge?”

She bristled automatically but remembered Pete’s concern regarding this line of questioning. “No, but I would know if he had been on other cruises. He’s a college kid, and I talk to him all the time.”

“But you did not know he was in Tennessee with Ms. Juxteson,” Officer Jareg pointed out.

Sadie bristled even more and took a breath. “He’s not a frequent cruiser. Why does any of this matter?”

“What about Ms. Lewish—do you know if she’s attended other cruises?”

“I have no idea,” Sadie said, trying to puzzle this out but knowing her brain wasn’t in top form. “But I believe she told the police in Skagway that this was her first cruise. Why is this important?”

The door opened and Pete came in, shutting the door softly behind him before approaching them. Officer Jareg stood and they shook hands while he updated Pete on what he’d just told Sadie, though he left out the new line of questioning and didn’t answer her question about why he’d asked about other cruises.

“I’ll be sure I’m with her whenever she goes anywhere just in case this woman is still on the ship and has some kind of vendetta,” Pete said. “Is Sadie medically stable enough to sleep without supervision tonight? We’re staying in separate rooms.”

“I’ll be fine,” Sadie said, not liking the idea of a babysitter. To prove her point, she stood and thought she did a really good job of hiding how much the room spun once she got to her feet.

“Let me have the nurse give her another assessment.”

Sadie sat back down while Officer Jareg called the nurse in from another room. The attendant removed the ice pack and looked at Sadie’s eyes, checked the swelling on her head, and had her complete a few exercises like following her finger and walking in a straight line.

“She’ll be fine,” the woman said, smiling at Sadie. “You must have a very hard head.”

Sadie glared at the smile on Pete’s face, but he didn’t remove it as he took her hand. “Do you need anything else from us?” he asked Officer Jareg.

“I will contact you if I do. I hope you get some rest and feel better in the morning.”

The remainder of the evening was a somber one, and though Sadie wasn’t hungry, she sat across from Pete in the Tiara Room and picked at her food while they took turns updating one another on the details of what they’d done that day. There weren’t many surprises, though Pete asked to see the paper Sadie had taken from Officer Jareg’s office. He read it over, then handed it back without comment.

“I think Tanice’s admission will go a long way toward clearing Shawn and Maggie,” Pete said. “Of course it would be more effective if the ship’s security team had Tanice in custody to verify everything.”

“I’m sorry I let her get away,” Sadie said.

“You didn’t ‘let her get away,’ and I wasn’t being critical, I just meant that it’s always more effective when someone gives an official statement. Still, when I left the police department, the mood had changed, and they were treating both Shawn and Maggie more like information resources rather than persons of interest. I think things are going in the right direction. The police should be getting more test results from Anchorage in the morning as well. Did you know there are several different types of cyanide? Maggie works with one specific type, and if they can prove the cyanide in the wine isn’t the same as the kind she works with, we’ll all breathe easier.”

“So what do we do tomorrow?” Sadie asked. She was relieved things were going well, but feeling a bit sorry for herself all the same. “We had planned to do all this investigative work, but we’ve already solved the mystery of the wine.”

“True, but there might be more information coming out about that—we won’t know until we get there.” Their waiter came by and Pete ordered dessert; Sadie didn’t bother.

“I asked my contact about all the questions regarding whether Shawn or Maggie had been on other cruises, and he said they’re wanting to make sure the things that have happened on this ship aren’t related to things that have happened on some other ships—but he doesn’t know exactly what those things might be and admitted it might be nothing. I guess they have an entire department devoted to mitigating liabilities and that seems to be the group heading things up. Maybe it’s nothing.”

Nothing
but the reason Pete wanted them to stay on the ship. Sadie kept her teeth clenched until the temptation to say that out loud went away. Everything seemed to be compiling in her head, depressing her more and more by the minute.

The plastic wrap had flattened her hair; she could feel it in the lack of movement whenever she turned her head, but attempting to revive her hairdo made her wince due to the tender spots on her skull. The people at the table next to them had had too many drinks and were talking and laughing really loudly, which was making her head hurt worse. She was ready for bed.

“Sadie,” Pete said, reaching his hand across the table and putting it over hers. “They’re okay.”

She stared at his hand as tears sprang to her eyes. She tried to pretend it was the pain medication, but that wasn’t really true. She’d gotten on this ship with both of her children, she’d learned hard truths, and now she’d left them behind. They might be cleared tomorrow, but how would Sadie even know that?

“They’re okay,” Pete repeated.

“I know that,” she said, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. “But I’m not sure I am. I’ve failed them in so many ways on this trip.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is,” Sadie said, finally meeting his eyes. “Shawn didn’t tell me about Lorraina, and I’ve been no help to Breanna with the wedding. You’ve been the rock—you’re the one they’ve listened to. You’re the one who’s been there when Shawn needed someone. You’re the one who’s kept
me
level and sane. You’ve slid so perfectly into exactly what I wanted you to be, and in the process, I feel like I’ve crumbled.” She looked at the plate of uneaten food in front of her. Saying so much of her heart out loud made her feel vulnerable.

“Crumbled?” Pete said. “You found the woman who brought poisoned wine onto the ship and discovered what put Lorraina in a coma. Your kids know, without a doubt, that you are here to back them up. No one is faulting you for being emotionally caught up in this, Sadie, and you’ve been remarkable in forgiving Shawn, embracing Maggie, and supporting both Breanna and me. You’ve failed no one.”

She was embarrassed at his words because it felt as though she’d solicited the compliments, which wasn’t what she’d meant to do. It had to be the pain medication; an unmedicated Sadie wasn’t so self-indulgent.

“Sadie.”

She looked up at him again.

“We love you.”

“I know that,” she said, wishing she’d kept her thoughts to herself. “And I’m sorry. I think it’s the meds making me all funny in the head. I should probably turn in. I didn’t sleep well last night and all this is catching up to me.”

“Want to go look at the stars?”

She almost shook her head, but then she looked at him and felt his love and acceptance wash over her. Though she didn’t know why she’d said all she’d said, she didn’t doubt the sincerity of his assurances. “Are you sure you aren’t tired of me yet? And I don’t just mean this cruise—all I’ve done since we met is complicate your life.” There went those meds again!

“And given me purpose,” Pete said. He stood from the table, her hand still in his, and came around to her side, leaning down to kiss her on the lips in front of all these people. “You breathe energy into my world,” he whispered, so close she could feel his breath move over her face. She felt the words down to her toes. He pulled her to her feet and smiled at her. “Come look at the stars with me. There is nothing better we can do right now than be together.”

Chapter 34

Sadie slept fine, probably because of the pain medication she’d been given, but woke up with all the stress of the day before running through her head, which still ached terribly. Despite the tender reassurances Pete had reminded her of last night, there were still some dark thoughts that wouldn’t leave her alone.

How had things gone in Skagway for Shawn and Maggie? Had they learned anything about Lorraina that could answer any of the many questions building up about her? Had Breanna been able to reach a compromise with Liam and his mother on the wedding? Were her children having a good, healthy breakfast?

She took a shower, wincing at the tender spots on her head—one in the back, and one just a few inches from her left temple—then did her hair and makeup. This morning, her gray-and-white hair made her feel old, and she wondered why she’d ever stopped coloring it. But then her hips felt bigger than ever as she pulled on her jeans, and her tummy felt pudgier, too. Maybe it was just one of those ugly days where she looked like she felt, and the best part of the day would be falling asleep at the end of it. She missed her children and worried about them—two things she couldn’t turn off.

Her interest in Glacier Bay National Park, where the ship was headed today, was almost nonexistent. Though learning about Tanice’s tampering with the wine bottle was good, knowing Tanice was still possibly hiding on the boat somewhere was less than comforting.

She met Pete for breakfast—not at the buffet—and then they went up on deck to see the forests that stretched out for miles and miles on either side of the bay. A ranger from the Glacier Bay National Park had gotten on board at some point and began speaking over the intercom about the unique features of the area. He pointed out the animals that he spotted on shore or in the water—a brown bear that Sadie and Pete took turns looking at through Pete’s binoculars, lots of puffins with their colorful beaks, and even a pod of humpback whales that surfaced enough to spray water before going underwater again.

As they continued forward, Sadie saw more and more chunks of ice in the water. The ranger explained that the glacier at the far end of the bay was always “birthing” icebergs and ice shards, but assured the passengers that modern technology gave them the ability to see the larger pieces far enough away that the ship could avoid them. And none of the icebergs were anything like what the
Titanic
encountered. That was good to know.

It was all very interesting and beautiful, but Sadie couldn’t help but picture Breanna sitting in a hotel in Skagway instead of being a part of this portion of the trip. Sadie didn’t share her thoughts out loud, though. She didn’t want to bring Pete down with her, especially after all the sweet things he’d said to her last night.

They had lunch in the Good Times Café and then went up to deck thirteen in time to see the glacier that gave the park its name. They got within a quarter mile of the huge mass of ice and snow and rock. Parts of it were blue, which the ranger explained was due to such intense compression that all the other colors reflected back, leaving the blue behind. What sounded like a crack of thunder was followed by an avalanche of ice—more bergs and shards birthed into the ocean. After half an hour of seeming to stand still, the ship proceeded to turn and head back out of the bay.

More animal sightings kept passengers on deck far longer than some of them should have been; too many people obviously hadn’t prepared for the cold temperatures. Sadie and Pete, however, were outfitted with gloves and boots and warm jackets. Sadie had even brought a knit hat, though she knew once she put it on she’d have to commit not to take it off until she could fix her hair immediately upon its removal.

“So,” Pete said when they’d gotten their fill of the sights of nature and wildlife. “What now? How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling fine,” Sadie said, trying to ignore the dull throbbing in her head. She’d managed to forget about Tanice being on the ship somewhere, and the sheer forgetting of it made her a little more nervous when she recalled the information. “I think I’d like to take a nap, though. Would that be okay? It feels strange to want to do something so...relaxing, but it does sound nice.”

“Of course it’s okay,” Pete said with a chuckle, giving her a quick sideways glance. “I’ll walk you to your room. Maybe I’ll go to the casino.”

Mention of the casino made Sadie realize she hadn’t seen Mary Anne or Jen today. As opposed to the first day, Sadie no longer had an interest in doing any of the onboard activities but hoped the two women were having a good time, wherever they were.

At the door to Sadie’s room, Pete gave her a kiss and Sadie promised to meet him in time for dinner. She felt a little bad about not spending every minute she could with Pete, and yet she appreciated the comfort of it as well. The fact that they didn’t need to spend every minute in each other’s company felt like a positive step in their relationship.

Sadie shut her door, removed her outerwear, and noticed the message light blinking on the cabin phone. It couldn’t be a message from Pete; she’d been with him all day. She crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed to pick up the handset and push the button. It was Officer Jareg asking her to come to the security office when she was able.