Whodunnit? Murder In Mystery Cruise

1 Haunted

The coffee shop was teeming with business. Baristas in small pink aprons whisked past the tables of customers, dropping drinks left and right. One barista stopped and set a steaming cappuccino on the table where Rowena and Giles were sitting. "It looks heavenly." the woman said, picking up the cup and taking a long sip. "And tastes delicious." Giles admired the way she smiled as if the coffee were the most wonderful thing in the world. To him, Rowena was the most wonderful thing in the world.

They'd met when the leaves were turning and the air was cold. Rowena had asked Giles to move in with her and with great pleasure, Giles agreed. The moment he'd met her, he felt understood and comforted. Giles never thought he would find love and wondered if he was just desperate. The butler knew however, it was real and he was madly in love. Now, here they were at a cafe in Prague, drinking cappuccinos together.

Rowena took another sip. "Do you think Damon will like his gift?" She was referring to her nephew. The two had bought him a new dog bed for his sweet Grace. Rowena loved dogs and this one in particular. Giles nodded. "I don't see why not. I do think we should have gotten an extra puppy while we're at it." He stifled a laugh as his girlfriend rolled her eyes.
"You are insufferable." She said, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "But I still love you."

To look at her was to make you stop and stare. Rowena had a dark complexion and curled graying hair that fell to her back. She had the look of a Victorian queen in the wrong time period. Giles constantly reminded her she was born in the wrong century. Rowena would laugh and her eyes would crinkle the way that Giles loved. This in turn made the man laugh and it had been quite some time since that had happened.

Thinking about that, brought back memories better left suppressed. Giles barely touched his cappuccino the rest of the date. "I'm sorry." He said as they were leaving. "I was thinking about-." He paused. Rowena's face turned into a frown. She stood and hugged him. "You don't have to talk about it. Ever." The woman had the greatest sympathy for this man and intended to keep him happy. "Let's go to the gallery. Hm?" Together, Rowena and Giles walked hand in hand down the streets of Prague.

_

The life of a butler had not been what Giles had expected. The man was hardly in his fifties when he was assigned Rue Manor. Promising to be a dream come true, the mansion was glorious. Dawson Manor had been another beautiful mansion. Even Camp Redwood boasted amazing scenery. Unfortunately, each dream was smashed and turned into a nightmare. Jacqueline, Whitney, Grant, Natalie and Jericho made sure of that.

Then there was Lana....Lana Winters. Giles swallowed. His once dear friend pushed to the edge despite being the docile companion she was. As he strode beside Rowena, he wondered if she had that same sort of dark side. Trust did not come easily for Giles. It was when Rowena smiled at him in the way she did that reassured Giles she was nothing like any of those vicious murderous killers.

"Darling, I think your phone is ringing." Giles snapped out of his daze and fished for his phone. Taking a deep breath, he saw it was Brooklyn. He lifted it his ear.
"Hello."
"Giles? Hey. Are you alone?"
"Yes, is everything ok?
Brooklyn paused on the other end.
"I got a threat."
"You got a what?"
"A threat. I found a note on my car. They said they know where I live and they know everything!"
Rowena stopped walking, mouthing to Giles if everything was ok. He shrugged, panic widening his eyes.
"Could it have been Sage?"
"No, she's been on vacation for two weeks. No this is someone from Camp, someone survived!" Her voice was fearful and she was staggering to catch her breath. "This is bad!"
Giles felt his world beginning to fade.
"How do you know? What did the threat say."
Brooklyn paused.
"Giles, the note said: "I know everything abut you Brooklyn. You should've died that night. Soon you will be among your friends deceased."
She was crying. Beside Giles, Rowena looked worried.
"Stay there and calm down. I will be on the first flight to Arizona."
She agreed and the line went dead.

Giles fainted.