Haunted Stars by Lindsey R. Loucks

Author:Lindsey R. Loucks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: paranormal romance, science fiction romance, ghost romance, action adventure romance, space horror
Publisher: Lindsey Loucks
Published: 2021-03-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

I took the pill bottle from the shelf, my heart pulsing wildly. Small, circular pills filled about a third of the container. How many had been put in our food? Enough to make us sick or enough to kill us?

Randolph shoved open the double doors into the kitchen behind me, and I jerked back. He leveled me with a watery gaze as he slurred, “Ishur hope you plan on settin’ the table.”

“Randolph...” Had he been the one to spike the food with pills? Was rough-around-the-edges Randolph capable of attempted murder? He’d been standing in front of the pan when I’d walked in. I dragged in breath after breath while I studied his ruddy features for any sign that he knew what I was about to say. “Someone put ground up pills in our food.”

He blinked and some of the alcoholic haze vanished from his eyes. “What?”

I thrust the bowl of buttered pill fragments at him with sticky fingertips and shook the bottle of pills. “Who put it there, Randolph?”

Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as he turned his gaze toward the bowl. “What? You can’t think I did this.”

“Did you? I saw you walk away from the pan.”

“I would never. You have to know I would never do that.” He shook his head so hard his jowls shook, and he raked a hand through his bushy hair. “You can’t tell the captain you think I did this. You can’t. I need this job too much. I can’t be fired again.”

“Okay. Calm down.” I guided him to the small table in the middle of the kitchen, and he sat, breathing hard. I didn’t really think he could do something like that, but people were notorious for dark surprises.

But if not him, then who? Ellison? She’d been the only other person in the kitchen when Mase had given me my Christmas present in the dining room. But it didn’t make any sense that my sister, who’d gone all the way to deep space to collect more of the parasite she thought would save me, would try to kill me and the rest of the crew.

Randolph stared at me, heartbreak etched into the deep lines on his forehead. “You can’t tell the captain. He could fire me anyway for negligence. I’m in charge of what happens in this kitchen, and if someone was trying to sabotage...” He scrubbed a hand down his face, a sick green color creeping over his skin.

“All right,” I said, squeezing his shoulder. “I’ll have to tell him something, though, because lunch is in about twenty minutes and we don’t have a butter garlic sauce for our baked veggies. Unless you’re ready to help me?”

“Yes. Of course.” He stood and crossed toward the stasis pantry, his troubled gaze aimed at his shoes. “I think maybe... I think maybe I should let you cook from now on. I’ll prep since... You said you saw me walk away from the pan?”

I nodded.

“I was in my room next door. I’ve been.

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