The Trouble With Paradise

“Honey, the whole world heard it.”

While Christian stitched up Michael, his brain whirled so hard it hurt.

Dorie loved him.

How had that happened?

“Shouldn’t he stay lying down for a while?” Brandy asked when he was done, hovering like a mother hen.

“No,” Michael said.

“Yes,” Christian said.

“No,” Michael said again, and got up. He wobbled, swore, then stepped to the door.

On the other side of it stood Dorie, Andy, and Cadence.

Dorie had been pacing, but she jerked to a stop. She looked at a spot over Christian’s shoulder instead of meeting his eyes. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He wanted to haul her up against him and hold on tight. He wanted to yell at her for nearly getting shot. He wanted to kiss her. But mostly he just wanted to look at her.

The others had circled around Michael, urging him to sit. Christian went directly to Dorie.

“Um, about before.” She shifted her weight back and forth on her feet. “You know, when my mouth got the case of the runs? If you could just forget everything I said, that would be good.”

She wanted him to forget that she loved him. He’d work on that.

Fat chance.

“Christian?” Brandy called. “Michael’s insisting on talking to Denny. Tell him that’s a bad idea.”

“Colossally bad,” Christian said, his eyes never leaving Dorie.

“Where is he?” Michael asked.

“On the dock where you last saw him. Tied up.”

Michael headed out.

“Goddamn,” Brandy said, and grabbing Cadence and Andy, followed him.

“We’ve got to go with them,” Dorie said, and walked out, too.

“Goddamn,” he said, repeating Brandy’s sentiment and went after her.

Three minutes later, Dorie was on the dock with the others, standing in front of a trussed-up Denny.

Denny eyed them all. “Ethan get away, huh? Told you.” His laugh was unpleasant.

“Premature elation,” Christian said. “Might want to see a doctor about that.”

Denny’s smile faded. “Fuck you.”

“I want answers,” Michael said, looking pale but strong enough. “Now.”

Denny tucked his lips into his mouth.

Christian sighed. “It’s about the insurance claim, isn’t it.”

“What insurance claim?” Dorie asked.

“On the Sun Song,” Christian said. “We had a claim on our last cruise. One of the passengers lost a bag overboard. She claimed all her jewelry was in it, half a mil worth. The insurance wouldn’t pay out and the woman is suing Denny and the owner personally.”

“Bitch,” Denny said. “Her insurance would have covered it, but she wouldn’t make her own claim. She wanted me to pay out, even though I didn’t take her damn jewelry.”

“That’s what happens when you sleep with so many passengers,” Christian said.

Cadence’s mouth fell open. “You… sleep with passengers?”

“At least one each cruise. The oddest thing is,” Christian mused, “that it should have been the owner’s problem, not yours.”

Denny turned his head and looked away.

“Unless…” Christian glanced behind him at everyone standing there. “See, I’ve never met the owner directly. Denny’s always said the man’s too busy to be bothered. I always found that incredibly strange.” He turned back to Denny. “You’re the owner, aren’t you?”

“No.”

“Working closely with him then, insurance scam, right? Yeah. I’m close.” Christian stared at him. “No, it’s not you, it’s… Ethan?”

Denny’s expression gave the truth away.

“Unbelievable.”

“He never wanted anyone knowing,” Denny admitted. “He likes the anonymity of it.”

“So you, what, sleep with the passengers and then he steals from them? Is that how this works? And then you split the profits?”

“You think you’re so righteous and moral,” Denny said, “but if you’d been in my position, you’d-”

“What? Never have stolen in the first place? Sure as hell never murder someone to keep my secrets?”

“I didn’t kill Bobby!”

Dorie’s mind whirled, back to that first day on the Sun Song, when she’d overheard that odd conversation…

“I’m innocent!” Denny yelled at them.

Christian shook his head. “Then why were you holding a knife on Cadence?”

“I was holding her. And the knife. I wasn’t holding the knife on her! I was trying to flush out Ethan! I followed him down here, hoping to get a confession out of him for killing Bobby.”

Christian crossed his arms in disbelief. “So you didn’t know. Is that what you want us to think?”

“Look at me,” Denny told him. “Do you really think me capable of hurting Bobby?”

Christian looked at him for a long moment, then shut his eyes and shook his head. “I want to say no.”

“Thanks, man. Untie me.”

“Don’t thank me. Because I won’t be untying you. Here’s the thing, Denny. I wouldn’t have been able to say it about Ethan either.”

“I didn’t do it!”

“Maybe not Bobby. But you’re in on the insurance scam. On the theft.”

To Dorie, it was all making sense, terribly horrifying sense. “I heard you talking that first day,” she said slowly. “It was you talking to Ethan, you said seventy-five/twenty-five but then you settled for fifty-fifty.” Her heart stopped. “And then you told him to…” She swallowed hard, understanding. “Take care of the mess. Bobby was the mess.”

Denny closed his eyes. “Killing Bobby was not my idea. But then the kid caught Ethan red-handed and threatened to talk. Threatened to expose us. Ethan… he lost it.”

They were all quiet for a long moment as it sank in.

“But why destroy the ship?” Brandy finally asked.

“Not planned,” Denny grated out. “At least not on my part.” He stared out at sea, his jaw tight. “I’m thinking Ethan had a different agenda altogether. He must have been worried about evidence.”

“So where did Ethan take my boat?” Michael asked in a tone that suggested his yacht had better be safe.

“I don’t know, but I could help find both Ethan and the yacht if you let me.” Denny tried to stand but Christian put a hand on his head.

“Come on, Christian-”

“Where is he, Denny?”

“I told you, I don’t know.”

“See, here’s the thing. I don’t believe you.”

“It’s the truth!”

Christian’s gaze scanned the horizon. “Michael, how many years in jail would you say he’s looking at so far?”

“Without his cooperation? Ten to twenty, easy.”

“Yes, I’d agree,” Christian said thoughtfully. “Too bad he won’t cooperate, I’m sure he could cut a deal.”

“Hey!” Denny shouted when they all turned toward the stairs, leaving him there.

No one stopped.

“You can’t hold me, I didn’t kill him!” he yelled to their backs.