Murder for the Halibut (21 page)

Her own smile faded. “You saw me do that?”

He threw back his head and his laughter was loud enough to be heard at the other end
of the deck where two middle-aged ladies were now staring at them.

“Oh yes! When I told Jeremy—he’s my partner—about you, he laughed so hard he nearly
cried. He made me promise to invite you to New York as our guest so he could meet
you.”

Jordan felt the tension in her shoulders ease up. “So, you’re not going to tell anyone
and make a big deal of it?”

“Why would I do that? Then I would have to sit next to that pretentious, arrogant
ass for the rest of the competition.”

Jordan chuckled. “I couldn’t have described Beau Lincoln any better.”

George shook his head. “I rather enjoy having you as a buffer between us to keep me
from telling him exactly what I think about him.” He paused and stared for a moment.
“You remind me so much of Emily the first time I met her. She was young and timid,
yet ambitious enough to take on the world. Although, I have to admit I’d be more than
a little surprised to find one timid bone in your—”

“Emily was timid?” Jordan interrupted. “That’s one adjective I would never use to
describe her. The woman runs a multimillion-dollar talent agency, for God’s sake.”

“I said she was timid when I met her,” he explained. “She walked into the restaurant
about ten years ago when Chez Lui was just opening and trying to find its niche in
the New York market. She’d recently moved to the city and was looking for a job while
she finished her undergraduate degree at NYU.” He laughed. “She was probably the worst
waitress I’ve ever seen in my entire life and only lasted two days before I had to
fire her.”

“You fired her?”

He nodded. “She spilled a full carafe of my finest red wine on one of my best customers.
It cost me several free meals to appease the old buffoon.”

“So how did you become friends after that?”

George raised both eyebrows. “It was a challenge, but I pride myself on having a great
eye for talent. I knew the minute I met her that she was going to make it big some
day. In what, I didn’t know, although I would have bet the farm it wasn’t as a server.
So, I invited her to have dinner with Jeremy and me at our brownstone in
Manhattan. I had no idea she would connect with our son Henri, who was eighteen months
old at the time. There was instant chemistry between them. Immediately, we offered
her a job as his nanny at a price that was way more than nannies were getting anywhere
else. It was the best investment we ever made, and she eventually moved in with us.
Even after she was accepted into law school at NYU, she stayed with us. Henri still
lights up every time he sees her, though he’s no longer a small child.”

Jordan hung on his every word. It was hard to imagine Emily ever being poor and timid.
“She was so lucky to have found you and Jeremy.”

Just then a waiter walked up and handed George a drink.

“Do you want something, Jordan?” he asked while he signed the ticket.

She shook her head. “I don’t think so, but thanks. I’m waiting on a friend.”

“Oh, come on. Have one little cocktail with me,” he insisted.

What would one tiny drink hurt?

“Okay, just one.” She turned to the waiter. “I’ll have a frozen margarita, please.”

“Mexican or Italian?”

She scrunched her brow. “Mexican or Italian what?”

“Margaritas,” the waiter answered. “One is made with amaretto and the other with tequila.”

“I’ll try the Italian one. It sounds yummy,” she said, thinking about the Italian
guy she hoped wouldn’t spend too much more time fighting crime with Ray tonight.

When the waiter was gone, she turned back to George. “Tell me more about Emily. I
want so badly to hate her because of the way she looks, but I can’t. Although I
think she works way too hard, I admire her for all she’s accomplished.”

“She’s come a long way from that scared little girl who walked into my restaurant
so many years ago,” George said. “She was so beaten down, it took a long time to build
her self-esteem back up.”

Jordan shook her head. “I assumed, like I’m sure so many other people probably do,
that when you look like Emily and have accomplished all that she has, you must have
been born with all that confidence. It’s hard to think of her any other way than as
a successful businesswoman.”

“Looks can be deceiving. And what about you? Were you born with all that confidence
you exude?”

“Oh, please. If you only knew the half of it,” she responded with a giggle, thinking
about how terribly unqualified she was for her job as a culinary expert.

“I sense there’s a story there, but it will have to wait,” he said as the waiter appeared
and handed Jordan her drink. He chugged the last of his cocktail and reached for the
refill. Before he settled back against the hot tub, Jordan already had the margarita
to her lips.

“I can’t believe I’ve never had one of these before. This could be my new favorite
drink. Thanks.” She smiled up at the waiter.

“Lorenzo, pop your eyes back into their sockets and say good night to the lovely lady,”
George teased. “I have to agree, though, she is easy on the eyes.”

The waiter flushed before grinning at George and then walking away.

“Easy on the eyes?” Jordan repeated, taking another big sip of her drink. “Pain in
the behind, maybe, but that’s the first time I’ve heard that one….”

“Oh, pooh, you have to know you’re beautiful, both inside and out.” George reached
across the hot tub to clink glasses with her. “Here’s to getting to know each other
better.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Jordan said. “Especially if you promise to bring a pocketful
of mints with you for the next leg of the competition.”

“For you, my dear, always. And it will be our little secret.”

Several drinks later, Jordan was feeling really relaxed with the hot bubbly water
easing away the tension of the day. Sitting with the chef and sharing stories about
growing up in West Texas made her forget she’d only just met him. It also helped to
push the unpleasant events of the past week—like Stefano’s death and possible murder
and Goose’s deception and thievery—out of her mind. And she’d almost forgotten Alex
was taking his good old time getting to the Jacuzzi. If he didn’t hurry, this would
end as yet another wasted night. She’d never been a big drinker and usually fell asleep
after two drinks.

She was on her third.

The Italian margaritas seemed to slide down her throat as easily as soda pop. And
sitting in the hot tub with George was so enjoyable, she’d allowed him to keep the
drinks coming. No sooner had she taken the last sip of one glass than the waiter would
appear with a full one. And she was beginning to like the feeling that George thought
she was “easy on the eyes.” Thank God she didn’t have to worry about him hitting on
her.

“Where has Emily been hiding out?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts. “I haven’t
seen her in a few days.”

“That girl needs to learn how to play,” Jordan responded,
sounding more like a mother hen than a concerned friend. “My guess is she’s been holed
up in the business center communicating with people back in New York.” She sighed.
“Sheesh! She’s young and single, and she should be out partying all night instead
of slaving away at the computer.”

George’s facial expression turned serious, and he studied Jordan for a few minutes
before speaking. “How well do you know Emily?”

“I only met her on the ship,” Jordan replied. “But we became instant friends. I know
she was raised in Colombia by her aunt and uncle after her parents died.”

George exhaled slowly. “Did she tell you her so-called missionary uncle treated her
like hired help instead of part of his family—that she was never allowed to go anywhere
or do anything because he made her work day and night at the orphanage?” His voice
had elevated and was now angry. “For the life of me, I don’t understand how anyone
can do that to a child, especially one related to you. She had just lost her parents
and needed love and affection. From the minute they picked her up at the Bogotá airport,
they made her their personal slave. And they never missed an opportunity to tell her
they’d send her away if she didn’t do everything they asked of her. She said she was
so exhausted by the time she crawled into bed every night that she didn’t even have
the energy to cry.”

“How awful. Poor Emily,” Jordan said when she was finally able to speak. “I had no
idea. That could explain why she’s so committed to her work and has no friends. It
must be hard to trust anyone after such an ordeal.”

“Who has no friends?”

Both George and Jordan turned as Alex slipped into the tub and promptly cupped Jordan’s
face in his hands before planting a wet kiss on her lips.

“So, this is your friend, eh, Jordan? You didn’t tell me how handsome he was.” The
chef extended his hand. “George Christakis. I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure
of meeting you yet.”

Alex shook his hand. “Alex Moreland. I only came on board today in Saint Martin. It’s
nice to meet you.” He turned back to Jordan. “Whoa! I recognize those glassy eyes.
Have you been plying my girl here with drinks, Mr. Christakis?” he teased.

“Call me George. And yes, we have discovered she loves Italian margaritas.”

“You have to taste this, Alex,” Jordan said, shoving her glass his way before realizing
it was empty. “Oops. Sorry. You’ll have to order your own.” She winked at George.
“My turn to buy. Do you want the usual?”

George stood, reaching for his towel. “Unfortunately, I’ve had at least two over my
limit, Jordan. And from the way this young man is staring at you, I’d say three’s
a crowd. If I don’t see you tomorrow, we’ll meet up the following night to taste desserts,
for sure. I have a feeling none of those will end up in your napkin.” He pulled on
a shirt. “Do you want me to send the waiter over on my way out?”

“No thanks, George. I think it’s time I get this pretty lady to bed. I appreciate
you keeping her company. Maybe she won’t be so mad at me for neglecting her tonight.”

“It has definitely been my pleasure. But for the record, anyone who neglects this
amazing woman needs to have their head examined.” George made eye contact with
Jordan. “I hope our conversation tonight will remain between us. The drinks probably
loosened my tongue more than I would have liked, but I sense you care for Emily as
much as I do. She can certainly use a friend like you.”

“What’s said in the hot tub stays in the hot tub,” Jordan said, laughing. “And thanks
again for that mint, George.”

“What was that all about?” Alex asked after George was out of site.

“Long story,” she responded. “It will make for nice pillow talk later. For now, I
want to know what you and Ray discovered tonight.”

“Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?” he asked, ignoring her question.
He touched her knee under the water and seductively massaged the tender area right
above it, almost making her forget her morbid curiosity.

Almost.

“I guarantee I’m going to make sure you show me how much, but first, I’m dying to
know what you found out about Goose.”

Alex shook his head. “We skimmed through several hours of security tape and spotted
him on the fifth deck around eleven o’clock two nights ago and then again on the Lido
Deck that same night. After that, he simply vanished.”

“And you’re sure it was Goose?”

“Since I’ve never laid eyes on the guy, I have to trust Ray on that one. The man on
the security tape wore a bright orange and blue checkered shirt that Ray said definitely
belonged to Goose.”

Jordan thought for a minute. “Goose told us a story about when his wife was in the
early stages of her disease and bought him the shirt. He said he wore it so he wouldn’t
hurt her feelings, but then she forgot she’d already bought it and came home with
another one.”

“It is pretty ugly.”

Jordan’s mind had already moved on. “So how can someone just vanish from the ship?”
she asked, before remembering her earlier vision of treading water and watching the
ship move farther and farther away. “Could Goose have gotten drunk and fallen overboard?”

Alex nodded. “That’s a big possibility, but for right now, we can only assume he’s
still somewhere on the ship. Another possibility is that maybe he suspected someone
was close to discovering his extracurricular activities in the passengers’ cabins.
Knowing the ship the way he does, it makes perfect sense that he would be able to
find a hiding spot and then slip off unnoticed in Saint Martin. Hell, he could be
in Tahiti by now on a beach, sipping a drink with an umbrella.”

Jordan stared at him. “You don’t think that’s what happened, though, do you?”

Alex blew out a breath. “Unfortunately, the cop in me goes right to a more cynical
scenario.”

“Like what?”

“Like Goose swimming with the sharks.”

Waking up in Alex’s arms the next morning was like a dream come true for Jordan. Ever
since he’d left Ranchero several months before and returned to El Paso and his job,
she’d been counting the minutes until she could be held like this again.