Page 64 of Transatlantic Terror Cruise

“If Sassy were here”—Elvie continues—“I bet she’d tell me to put my chin up. That man cheated on me.” She sighs hard. “And yet despite the dirty details of our rocky marriage, I’m still grieving for him. I’m nothing but a chump.”

“No,” I tell her with a heartfelt sigh. “Elvie, we can’t control who we love or who we don’t. The heart decides that—and, well, sometimes it makes no sense. But despite the fact, the wound is still fresh.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” she says, looking back into the onyx abyss of the sea. “I’m grieving, and yet I feel like I’ve been entertaining guests at a party that refuses to end.”

Tinsley softens her stance. “That is basically the definition of a cruise. You summed it up nicely. Elvie, did you take that knife to Brad’s back because you were in a rage because of the affair?”

I glance at the ceiling.

Subtlety is clearly not her strong suit.

CHAPTER34

“Oh, heavens no.” Elvie practically laughs off the idea of stabbing her husband in the back in a rage-induced fury.

I wouldn’t have laughed it off. In fact, I would havedoneit. Heck, the time served might have even been worth the effort. A cheating ex can drive a woman to murder. It’s been done before.

But despite the fact, I shoot Tinsley a look for even insinuating it—so clearly, that is.

Elvie gives a wistful shake of the head. “I’m not into blood and gore, despite the fact I was his sidekick for that wicked podcast.” She rolls her eyes at the thought. “Besides, I found out about the affair a year ago, and, well, I confided in Reed and then decided to have an affair of my own.” Her eyes close a moment as Tinsley and I exchange a glance. “I couldn’t take Brad’s betrayal anymore. And Reed has always been so kind. I guess I was primed for it.”

Wow, I did not see that coming.

“Yesterday at the meeting”—I say, ignoring Tinsley’s raised finger—“Reed mentioned that financial disputes could cause their fair share of homicides. And you added, ‘Especially when large sums of money go missing.’ You were speaking from experience, weren’t you?”

Elvie lifts her chin. “Yes. After I discovered Brad’s theft from my corporation, I decided to do some creative financing of my own.”

“Definecreative,” Tinsley demands.

“Let the woman finish,” I say.

“By stealing from myself.” Elvie sighs toward the ceiling. “From my personal savings. It’s not a crime. The amounts weren’t large enough to worry about flags. Banks these days want to know everything—where money comes from, where it goes. I already told the ship’s detective as much. I wanted that money in my private account.”

I gasp softly. So that was Ransom’s source—Elvieherself.

“What about this Sassy person?” Tinsley asks in haste. “Is she on the ship? Maybeshe’shis mistress. Or his killer!”

“Not possible.” Elvie shakes her head. “She was neither the mistress nor the killer. Plus, she’s dead.”

“That I am.” Sassy nods my way. “But Elvie is right. If I were here, in person with Elvie, I would have made her pamper herself each day until this trip came to a conclusion. And then I’d make sure she took care of herself once she got home as well. She’s such a sweet soul. She doesn’t deserve any of this.”

Tinsley turns my way. “So, I guess Sassy is out of the running as far as the mistress and the killer goes.” She looks at Elvie. “Do you know who the mistress is?”

She shakes her head. “Whoever she is, she remains a mystery to me. Brad covered his tracks well enough. But there were still plenty of clues for me to discover his wayward dalliance. I found the bill to his business credit card. It was loaded with hotel stays—receipts to lingerie shops, jewelry stores. And that was just the beginning. If Sassy were still alive, I’m sure she would have gotten to the bottom of it. But I was too hurt to dig any deeper. I’ve spent the last year trying to figure out what to do. In the beginning, I was secretly hoping it was a passing phase, but these last six months proved me wrong. I should have left immediately. I came up with so many excuses not to like the fact sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don’t. Because divorce is expensive. Because… well, I’ve finally run out of excuses. Sassy would have murdered them both by now.” She chuckles to herself and Sassy laughs along with her. Most likely because it’s true. “She didn’t care for him after we found out about the affair. And ironically, he never cared for her to begin with.”

I glance at the pretty poltergeist with a flair for all things vintage, and she nods, affirming Elvie’s words.

That’s right. Sassy mentioned as much.

“Why is that?” I ask. “Why didn’t Brad care for Sassy?”

“Oh, she won’t know,” Sassy brushes it off. “Neither of us could figure it out.”

“Because she looked exactly like his first wife.” Elvie doesn’t hesitate with the answer and manages to stun both the living and the dead into submission. “Of course, Sassy wondered the same thing, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. It would have made her uneasy. Brad’s first wife left him because he was unfaithful to her. But she was the love of his life—the one who got away—even in marriage. He said he’d regret cheating on her until his dying day.” She turns back to the darkness beyond the window. “We both had regrets. I was the one he cheated with.”

Tinsley, Sassy, and I all gasp in unison.

“That’s terrible,” Sassy says.

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