Cruel Capers on the Caribbean: A Kate on Vacation Mystery (The Kate on Vacation mysteries) Read Free Page B

being a little hard on the man. Instead she said, “You’re not responsible for his actions.”
    Cora gave her a sharp look over the top of her sunglasses as she took a sip of iced tea. “No, I’m not, and he’s right. He’s not responsible for what those people do. But I’ve had it. He’s gonna have to make a choice. It’s me or them.”
    Liz nodded. “That makes sense.”
    “I’ll have to have me a little talk with the purser,” Cora said with a sigh. “Clem can’t afford to pay his own way.”
    “Uh, if you hope to get back together with him, you might not want to do that,” Kate said.
    “I’m with Kate,” Liz said. “I’d let it alone if I were you.”
    Cora sighed again. “Y’all are right. I’d be stompin’ all over his ego. But it’ll take him two years to pay off his credit card bill.”
    “A few months from now,” Kate said, “when everything’s smoothed over, tell him you’re feeling sooo guilty because you really did want to treat him to the cruise. Maybe he’ll let you pay off the bill.”
    Cora gently smacked Kate’s arm. “Why, honey, I do like the way your mind works. That’s exactly what I’ll do.” She gave them the first genuine smile of the day.
    A cell phone rang.
    Kate and Liz looked at each other in confusion. They had left theirs turned off and in their cabins, assuming they wouldn’t work while the ship was this far from land.
    Cora pulled a smart phone from her purse. She glanced at the screen. “Excuse me, ladies. It’s my daughter... Hey, sugar!”
    The smile faded as she listened. “Well, of course, ya can go stay with him while I’m gone. He is your stepdaddy. Ya can certainly still have a relationship with him.”
    Her face clouded as she listened again. “Now, sugar....” The tone was sweet but the words were said through gritted teeth.
    She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a moment. “Ladies, I do hope I can resist sayin’ out loud the words that are goin’ through my mind right now. But should I let somethin’ foul escape, I do hope y’all will forgive me.”
    “What’s the matter?” Kate asked.
    “That son-of-a-bitch husband of mine.” Cora stopped, then cleared her throat. “I had to fight tooth and nail for custody of Carrie when I divorced her no-good daddy. An’ now Bill’s tryin’ to lure her away from me with fancy presents and too much freedom. The girl’s already half outta control ’cause he spoils her. That’s one of the reasons I took her and moved out last year. Teenagers do enough crazy stuff without havin’ a stepdaddy who’s eggin’ ’em on.”
    “Ain’t that the truth,” Liz said.
    “But he wouldn’t have any legal right to custody, would he?” Kate said.
    “My lawyer says he maybe could, if Carrie says she wants to live with him and he can portray me as an unfit mother. That’s why I can’t afford to be ’round those so-called friends of Clem’s. I mean, I abhor drugs anyway. But now especially, I just can’t risk it.”
    “What about her father, and why would your husband want custody anyway?” Liz asked. “Is he that close to Carrie?”
    “I haven’t heard from Johnny in years. All that fuss to try to get Carrie and then he couldn’t even bother to stay in touch with the girl.”
    Kate grimaced. “Unfortunately, some people use custody battles to get back at their spouses.”
    “That was his motivation apparently, and I think that’s Bill’s as well. And he’s filed for alimony.”
    “Say what?” Liz said.
    “His production company hasn’t been doin’ all that well lately, so he thinks I should continue to support him in the style to which he has become accustomed.”
    “And if he gets custody of Carrie, that would increase his chances of getting alimony,” Kate said.
    “Precisely. Well, ladies, it’s been fun, but I think I need to go take a nap. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
    “Understandable,” Kate said. “Do you want to go on shore with us