By Cortney Manning
The waves were hungry.
Adira’s stomach flipped against her swan-bill corset as she leaned over the balcony of the luxury steamship, imagining how it might feel to sink into those roiling depths. Behind her, an investigator from Maravel’s official detective agency interviewed a witness.
“Let’s walk through this again,” Mr. Bright enunciated in an exasperated tone. “You stepped into your room, and your fiancée, Miss Harris…”
“Jumped!” Everdeen Morris swept his fist through the air. “Right off the balcony! When I close my eyes, I still see her orange curls bobbing against the surf.”
Adira swallowed and pushed herself away from the polished railing to observe the elegant first-class cabin. Drawing on confidence honed from years as an actress, Adira shoved her round spectacles higher on her nose, pretended this was not her first private eye gig, and observed the other two investigators at work.
Bright nodded, shuffling paperwork in his hands. “Sounds like a simple case of suicide.”
“Wait a moment.” The younger inspector, Theodore Benson, rubbed his stubbled chin.
Adira’s eyebrow quirked. Unlike Bright, Theodore seemed willing to hunt for answers.
“Why would your fiancée want to commit suicide?” Theodore frowned at Morris. “Weren’t you happy together?”
“I don’t know why you’re questioning me, the nephew of Maravel’s police superintendent,” Morris growled. “Yes, we loved each other. We were to be married upon arriving here in Maravel.”
“Then how do you explain this?” Theodore lifted a white-bone comb from the dressing table. Adira inhaled sharply. She knew Bright’s reputation for overlooking details, but Theodore seemed much more capable. Will he be an asset or a rival?
Morris squinted and leaned over the comb, his eyesight evidently poor. Like many fashionable young gentlemen, vanity seemed to prevent him from donning spectacles. “My fiancée used it on her hair?”
“Then why are the hairs on it brown, if your fiancée’s hair was orange?”
Adira bit back a laugh as the “grieving” man’s eyes bugged out and his mouth opened and shut.
“Many gentlemen have dalliances,” Bright allowed as he ushered Morris back to the custody of several officers in the passageway.
Adira dug her nails into her palms. Despite ample reason for suspicion, Bright seemed eager to excuse Morris. Bright was the official, government-appointed investigator called in to solve the case. Theodore, on the other hand, maintained security aboard the ship, and Adira had an employer to answer to. Bright only tolerated her assistance because the captain, who was present when she volunteered her services, insisted more investigators could solve the case faster.
“What about her inheritance?” Adira asked as Bright returned.
Theodore nodded. “Morris bragged to other passengers about his fiancée’s fortune.”
“A wealthy gentleman can do as he pleases,” Bright defended again, and Adira bit back her irritation. Circling the room in frustration, she nearly tripped over a carpetbag labeled A.H.
“Including murder?” Theodore sputtered. “Besides, it’s her wealth, not his.”
“Was,” Bright countered. “Whose is it now? Surely not Morris’s. He could only inherit if they’re married.”
“Guests from last night’s dinner said Miss Harris had a bruise on her face,” Theodore pressed.
“You assume he caused it?” Bright shook his head vehemently. “You can’t cast baseless accusations!”
Adira pulled out her compact as the pair argued, ensuring her makeup remained perfectly intact before scanning the other investigators in her mirror. From the tones of their voices, she doubted they would reach a conclusion anytime soon. With a sigh, Adira clicked her compact shut.
“What about a suicide note?” They turned to gape at her. “If Miss Harris uncovered an affair, wouldn’t she have left a note behind, explaining her actions or casting blame?”
“There were no papers lying about.” Bright pressed his lips in a thin line of denial.
“What about her carpetbag?” Adira challenged.
Theodore knelt beside it, drawing out a stack of papers.
“In the weeks since meeting my fiancé, I’ve learned some dark facts,” Theodore read. “If anything happens to me, look to Everdeen Morris. The enclosed documents record his history of marrying heiress after heiress and murdering them to gain their fortunes. I hope to remain with him long enough to prove his crimes in Maravel, but if I’m not careful, I’ll be his next victim.”
Theodore’s eyes widened as he scanned the rest of the papers.
“We may not be able to convict Morris of Miss Harris’s death without her body, but there’s plenty of proof here to send him to prison for the deaths of at least five other wives.”
Adira twirled her brown hair around her finger in satisfaction. The same information had been brought to Bright’s office by Adira’s employer weeks ago, but the detective had refused to look at it. Apparently, Bright would only listen to the voice of a dead woman.
Now justice would prevail in Maravel. Morris would spend the rest of his days in prison, just as Adira and her employer, the mourning mother of Morris’s last wife, had planned.
Adira slipped away as cuffs clicked around Morris’s wrists. His shouted protests faded as she climbed to the main deck.
A dense fog clouded her glasses as she stepped from the ship’s rocking deck. She pulled the frames from her face and slipped them into her handbag. It was amazing what a pair of spectacles and some expert makeup could do for a disguise. What a shame she’d had to sacrifice her favorite orange wig to the sea.
Pausing beside a fountain, Adira scooped a handful of water and splashed makeup from her face.
“Miss! Miss Investigator, wait!”
At the sound of Theodore’s voice, Adira froze, careful not to face him.
He spoke between breaths, heavy from running. “You were outstanding! With those documents, Morris’ll certainly be convicted. It’s only a shame Miss Harris had to die.” His voice sounded so sincere, Adira nearly turned her head. “By the way, I didn’t catch your name.”
With a triumphant grin, Adira swiveled her bruised face toward the kind investigator.
“My name is Adira. Adira Harris.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Loved this story! Would enjoy reading more of these characters and world.
Thank you so much! I had so much fun writing about them, that I might just revisit them some day!
Cool!
Thank you very much!
interesting.
Thank you!
Well-constructed mystery.
Thank you very much!
I love a surprise ending. Very well written. I would enjoy reading more stories like this.
Thank you so much, Mara!
Really enjoyed this story! Very well constructed!
Thank you so much!
Great twist at the end! I like the old-fashioned feel of the mystery. It had an Agatha Christie feel.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the old-fashioned feel of the story – it was one of my favorite aspects of writing it!
Whoa! I love how Adira appears to be a mere spectator, and then you find out that she was the mastermind behind the entire investigation.
Thank you so much!
Wow, this kept me hooked til the end and felt like a much longer story! So impressive how you managed to write such a compelling and full story in so few words. I definitely want to read more mysteries in this world.
Thank you very much, Sarah! I really enjoyed creating the world for this story.