Cruel Capers on the Caribbean: A Kate on Vacation Mystery (The Kate on Vacation mysteries) by Kassandra Lamb

Author:Kassandra Lamb
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Cayman Islands, cozy mystery, New Orleans, cruise ship, Cozumel, mystery series, Key West
Publisher: misterio press LLC
Published: 2014-06-04T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

They decided to wait until after lunch to approach the ship’s doctor. Between eleven and two, there was a risk they would find only an assistant in charge of the infirmary.

At two-ten, Liz walked into the infirmary on Deck 2 with her retinue of dear, dear friends. She clutched her stomach. “I think I ate something that was bad.”

The young woman in the outer office blanched. “Come back to an examining room, ma’am. I’ll get Dr. Madigan for you.”

She scowled at the others as they tagged along. Kate and Rob scowled back. Skip gave her his most charming smile. She apparently opted to ignore them and instructed the patient to sit on the end of an examining table. Liz obliged, then groaned and clutched her stomach again.

The young woman scurried from the room.

A couple minutes later, Dr. Madigan came in. “What seems to be the prob....” The words died on his lips as he recognized them.

“I’m having an allergic reaction,” Liz said. “I’m allergic to bullshit.”

The others stared at her. As no-nonsense as Liz was, she almost never cussed.

Madigan sighed. “I don’t blame you.” He looked at Kate and gestured to the only chair in the room. He sat down on a stool at the end of the examining table.

“What do you want to know?”

“Let’s start with what the hell’s going on here?” Kate said.

Madigan shook his head slightly. “Just your typical cruise ship cover-up.”

“What do you mean?” Skip asked.

Madigan blew out air. “I spent a few years in the Peace Corps right out of med school. Got used to traveling around, seeing the world. I figured what the hell, let’s try being a cruise ship doc for a while. I had no idea the crap that goes on behind the scenes.”

“What do you mean?” Kate echoed her husband’s words.

The doctor ran fingers through his sun-bleached hair.

Kate gave him a hard look. Her impression of him the other night had been fleeting. She’d been focused on Cora. Now she lowered her estimate of his age. His tanned skin was a bit leathery, with crows’ feet around his blue eyes, but he probably wasn’t past thirty-five.

“What I mean is that everybody on this ship needs their job a helluva a lot more than I do, so the name of the game is cover the cruise line’s ass at all costs.”

“That include the captain?” Rob asked.

“Him most of all.”

“So what can you tell us?” Skip asked.

“First, this lady had probably never used injectable drugs before in her life. I examined her from stem to stern. No needle marks or puncture wounds anywhere, except that one on the inside of her left elbow.”

Skip nodded. “Could you determine time of death?”

Madigan shook his head, his expression regretful. “I don’t have the forensic training. My best guess is between noon and mid-evening.”

“Jorge was hovering over that food tray at a little after six,” Kate said. “Right in the middle of that window.”

Madigan looked confused.

Kate waved her hand in a never-mind gesture. She didn’t feel like taking the time to explain it to him.

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