him like, Well?
“Grandmother’s missing.”
Now, excuse me, but the first thing I do is laugh. I mean, come on. It’s a big boat. And when you’re rolling in dough and your nephew’s the cruise director, you could be anywhere!
“This is serious!” he says, all serious-like.
“Sorry,” I tell him, “but she’s got to be someplace, right? The casino? Having breakfast with the captain? Drinking champagne in the Cloud 9 Bar?”
Kip shakes his head. “They haven’t found her, and I don’t think they will.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t think she’s on the ship.”
“But we haven’t docked and—” I blink at him as what he said sinks in. “You think she
jumped
?”
He shakes his head super-fast. “Grandmother would never jump. And Grandfather’s urn is still in the suite.”
“So?”
“So if she did jump, she would have taken him with her!” He looks all around, then drops his voice. “I think she was pushed.”
ELEVEN
“Pushed?” Marissa gasps. “As in overboard? As in
murdered
?”
Kip’s death grip on the tray sure isn’t getting any looser, and he’s shaking so much that the giant strawberry I’d jammed into his mousse is sorta falling over, and the shiny strawberry seeds suddenly seem like tiny windows on a big red ship to me. A big red ship that’s tilting over in a sea of foamy chocolate.
I shake off the thought and grab him by the arm, ’cause obviously he’s having a meltdown. “Come with us.”
But when he sees we’re headed over to Darren and Marko, he pulls back. “I’ve got to go.”
“You’ve got to sit,” I tell him, and kinda shove him into a chair.
His tray thumps and bumps and the Strawberry Titanic keels completely over.
“So we meet again,” Darren says with an eyebrow cocked.
“That’s one sad-looking dessert,” Marko tells him, eyeing the Strawberry Titanic.
I look Kip square in the eye and just come out with it: “They know, too.”
“About …?” He searches my face, but fear’s written all over his because he knows exactly what I’m talking about. “But you said—”
“That was before you ditched me in the hallway at two in the morning.”
“But … why did you tell them? Why didn’t you just make something up?”
Darren focuses on him. “What was that?”
Marko shakes his head and does a little tisk. “Kipster, that was a bad move.”
Kip tries to get up, but I pull him back down. “Look, I wasn’t going to
lie
, but you also don’t have to worry—it’s not like you did anything wrong. And it’s not like we’re going to be talking to anyone in your family about it.”
“You don’t understand!” he cries, jumping up.
I yank him down again. “What I
do
understand is that you’re sneaking around this ship all by yourself, spying on people, and freaking out about your grandmother.”
“The alien queen?” Marko asks.
Marissa and I cry, “Marko!” and Darren does his best to run interference by asking, “What happened with your grandmother?”
He’s asking sincerely, so I look at Kip like, Well? and finally Kip says, “She’s missing.”
Marko’s and Darren’s eyebrows go flying, and they say, “Missing?” Then they look at each other quick, the eyebrows come down, and they turn back to Kip and go, “Did you check the casino?”
“She’s not in the casino!”
“How about somewhere in here?” Marko asks. “It’s a big buffet.”
Darren nods. “Or the bars? The bars are always open.”
Now it’s my turn to run interference. I give Darren and Marko a cool-it signal, then tell Kip, “Look, you’re obviously upset about your grandmother, and you obviously need someone to talk to.”
“Well,
you’re
a bad choice!”
So yeah. He’s also obviously ticked off.
“Actually, she’s a great choice,” Marissa tells him.
He snorts. “Right.”
“She is. And I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have Sammy to talk to.”
“Likewise with Marko here,” Darren tells
“Grandmother’s missing.”
Now, excuse me, but the first thing I do is laugh. I mean, come on. It’s a big boat. And when you’re rolling in dough and your nephew’s the cruise director, you could be anywhere!
“This is serious!” he says, all serious-like.
“Sorry,” I tell him, “but she’s got to be someplace, right? The casino? Having breakfast with the captain? Drinking champagne in the Cloud 9 Bar?”
Kip shakes his head. “They haven’t found her, and I don’t think they will.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t think she’s on the ship.”
“But we haven’t docked and—” I blink at him as what he said sinks in. “You think she
jumped
?”
He shakes his head super-fast. “Grandmother would never jump. And Grandfather’s urn is still in the suite.”
“So?”
“So if she did jump, she would have taken him with her!” He looks all around, then drops his voice. “I think she was pushed.”
ELEVEN
“Pushed?” Marissa gasps. “As in overboard? As in
murdered
?”
Kip’s death grip on the tray sure isn’t getting any looser, and he’s shaking so much that the giant strawberry I’d jammed into his mousse is sorta falling over, and the shiny strawberry seeds suddenly seem like tiny windows on a big red ship to me. A big red ship that’s tilting over in a sea of foamy chocolate.
I shake off the thought and grab him by the arm, ’cause obviously he’s having a meltdown. “Come with us.”
But when he sees we’re headed over to Darren and Marko, he pulls back. “I’ve got to go.”
“You’ve got to sit,” I tell him, and kinda shove him into a chair.
His tray thumps and bumps and the Strawberry Titanic keels completely over.
“So we meet again,” Darren says with an eyebrow cocked.
“That’s one sad-looking dessert,” Marko tells him, eyeing the Strawberry Titanic.
I look Kip square in the eye and just come out with it: “They know, too.”
“About …?” He searches my face, but fear’s written all over his because he knows exactly what I’m talking about. “But you said—”
“That was before you ditched me in the hallway at two in the morning.”
“But … why did you tell them? Why didn’t you just make something up?”
Darren focuses on him. “What was that?”
Marko shakes his head and does a little tisk. “Kipster, that was a bad move.”
Kip tries to get up, but I pull him back down. “Look, I wasn’t going to
lie
, but you also don’t have to worry—it’s not like you did anything wrong. And it’s not like we’re going to be talking to anyone in your family about it.”
“You don’t understand!” he cries, jumping up.
I yank him down again. “What I
do
understand is that you’re sneaking around this ship all by yourself, spying on people, and freaking out about your grandmother.”
“The alien queen?” Marko asks.
Marissa and I cry, “Marko!” and Darren does his best to run interference by asking, “What happened with your grandmother?”
He’s asking sincerely, so I look at Kip like, Well? and finally Kip says, “She’s missing.”
Marko’s and Darren’s eyebrows go flying, and they say, “Missing?” Then they look at each other quick, the eyebrows come down, and they turn back to Kip and go, “Did you check the casino?”
“She’s not in the casino!”
“How about somewhere in here?” Marko asks. “It’s a big buffet.”
Darren nods. “Or the bars? The bars are always open.”
Now it’s my turn to run interference. I give Darren and Marko a cool-it signal, then tell Kip, “Look, you’re obviously upset about your grandmother, and you obviously need someone to talk to.”
“Well,
you’re
a bad choice!”
So yeah. He’s also obviously ticked off.
“Actually, she’s a great choice,” Marissa tells him.
He snorts. “Right.”
“She is. And I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have Sammy to talk to.”
“Likewise with Marko here,” Darren tells
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