Rock The Boat

By Claire Rye

The ‘Shipload of Metal’ is a custom cruise for music lovers. A mind-blowing combination of Rock Festival and Caribbean Holiday.
This unique voyage has been on Zoey’s bucket list from the moment it was launched five years ago and when a stroke of luck brings her all-inclusive tickets, she flies across the world to realise her dream.
The sheer opulence of the ship and the raw energy of the music are a perfect recipe for a fun in the sun romance but Zoey’s fantasy turns to horror when a VIP is found dead and she is involved in the investigation.
One victim. Three thousand suspects. The ship is at sea and the show must go on
Music, Murder and Mystery. Welcome Aboard?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Claire Rye
• Release date: Sep 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370320752

Claire Rye

Claire Rye’s self-assessment as an "old-school head banging, vegetarian, nature loving, history fan and sci-fi geek" captures the eclectic nature of her interests and influences.Understandably, her self-published novels are diverse in genres. Ranging from fantasy, science fiction, mystery to erotica.Claire’s non-conformist writing style means each book is unpredictable. However, regardless of the category of story, the quirky yet relatable characters and surprising revelations make for a rewarding journey.Claire Rye started to explore the world of writing in 2015 when her flair for the written word was discovered accidentally. She kept an informal blog while travelling through the United States and Europe. Claire found that her love of the unconventional helped her to look beyond the superficial. She discovered the ability to see ‘the story behind the story’ of the people and places she encountered.An overwhelmingly positive and excited response to her travel blog triggered a curiosity that lead to an expansion of her story telling.Claire Rye was born in Sydney Australia and currently lives on the Gold Coast. She continues to travel and develop her writing skills. You can find out more about Claire Rye and her works at www.clairerye.net

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Rock The Boat

Copyright 2017 Claire Rye

Published by Claire Rye at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

FOR THE TRUE STARS OF ROCK

THE FANS

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental; however, public figures/bands are used in this fictional depiction and in a fictional manner.

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CHAPTER ONE

The murder was perfection.

Her alibi was five months in the making; she had started the false evidence trail six weeks prior to the night. She made sure to slice his throat from right to left, not left to right, paying attention to the increased depth towards the exit of the wound. She performed the post mortem ritual exactly as the crime scene photos depicted. The mutilation making her dry retch but determined to be free she carried on, executing every detail of the Black Night Killer’s modus operandi.

She cleaned the room with forensic detail, using the industrial furnace to reduce all traces of the killing to a fine ash.

She had ticked every box, dotted every I and crossed every T. There was no way he had the evidence to pin this murder on her. Full of confidence and hiding any fear, she took a step closer to the handsome young detective, brushing her chest seductively against his black leather notebook. Prove it, she purred smugly.

The detective looked up from her cleavage, he was momentarily distracted by her beauty but completely immune to her charms.

I have, he answered.

He took no pleasure in his victory, he knew by law her life would be taken from her but she had gambled and she had lost.

He looked into her eyes as they filled with trepidation, and delivered the words that would seal her fate.

You forgot about Rhondda.

The End.

Zoey closed the latest release from R.P. Righter and sighed with satisfaction. The end of another brilliant thriller and she immediately wanted more. She scanned her surroundings, centring herself back into reality after the journey of a good book.

Her apartment was as eccentric as she was, a fifties Juke box filled the corner with a red glow from the light tubes, and beside it stood a mannequin dressed in a full Star Wars storm trooper outfit. On the wall above him was a life size poster of Roman Phoenix. His long blonde hair blurred in mid-flight, shirtless with sweaty leather pants he was the epitome of a rock star. She took her reading glasses off and rubbed her tired eyes, completing the motion by running her fingers through her long thick black hair; changing her look from librarian to Goth in less than a few seconds. She stretched out her long tanned legs on the couch and smiled at her fluoro pink toenails, they were girly and pretty – the complete opposite of what a ‘rock chick’ should have. Zoey loved that, she loved that she was a contradiction.

Her compact but organised studio apartment was on the beachfront, and although she rarely swam in the ocean, looking at the water on a sunny day soothed her. When the sunlight hit the water just right, it would light up like a prism and Zoey never tired of the beauty that Mother Nature so effortlessly created for her every day. The tiny balcony, barely big enough for a single chair, was an excellent vantage point for people-watching . Zoey had seen the best and worst of humanity from this spot. From drunken brawls to sunset marriage proposals, people never ceased to amaze her and she never tired of watching every moment unfold.

Zoey lived on the Gold Coast of Australia. It was, in every sense of the word, paradise. Warm climate all year round, long stretches of clean golden sand beaches fringed with manicured grassy parks. The buildings were excessive and gorgeous, as were the residents inside. The streets were always busy, sometimes hectic, but the atmosphere was always relaxed. A city, yes, but with the typical Aussie laid-back charm.

The picture-perfect surroundings were, at times a gilded cage. Zoey’s passion, her love and the core of her soul was hard rock and heavy metal music and in this shiny yuppie town it was not popular. Australia had moved on from the glory days of the 80’s hair-band scene and although an underground movement could be found in Sydney and Melbourne, the Gold Coast was probably the most far removed from anything remotely heavy. The rock venues had closed, pubs replaced stages with pokies and clubs replaced music with bingo. Bands were now duets, and radio friendly tunes filled the room at a level that allowed the audience to talk comfortably amongst themselves.

Zoey took the frustration of being a black sheep in a Gold family with good humour, trying to practice the tolerance she would have hoped for from others but deep down she dreamt of a time when rock ruled and the talent of a musician was more important than the dance move. She loathed social media and the selfie generation but respected everyone’s right to be whatever they wanted, even if that meant becoming a clone as the multinational corporates dictated.

Sunday started as any normal Sunday for Zoey. Awake at sunrise, her body clock refusing to let her sleep in, she sat on her tiny balcony watching the fitness junkies pound the pavement as she enjoyed her full fat cappuccino with two sugars.

The sun lit up the clear morning air, the sea breeze was cool and the walkway winding along the sand dunes beckoned to her.

Let’s go for a walk, she announced to no one.

Zoey stood in front her closet, staring at the rows and rows of black shirts, not for one second considering that she might have too many.

Hmm what mood am I in today, Gunners are too mainstream, Maiden is out ever since Miley wore their shirt, umm something more heavy. WASP. Yes perfect.

She flung her Marvel comic pyjamas on to the floor, knowing full well that her obsession with tidiness would not allow them to stay there long and pulled the shirt off the hanger, sliding it over her head. The shirt was at least two sizes to big but Zoey was never one for tight tops, living by the band promotion before self-promotion mantra. After slipping into a pair of fitness tights and thongs she was ready to go.

Zoey did not look the Sunday morning walker. The metal shirt was a dead giveaway, but add to that her casual choice of footwear she was either cutting edge or cutting out. Either way she did not care what people thought of her, if anything it amused her to watch people trying figure her out.

She watched people as they walked past. Some running, some walking, some on skateboards and others on bikes. Everyone wore headphones and she wondered if any of them were listening to the same selection as she was. Was she the only headbanger on the coast? Most of the time she felt like it.

As the feeling of loneliness started to inch its way into her mind, she saw a familiar face approaching her.

Jess was a typical coastal yuppie. Bleach blonde hair, breast implants and a frozen face.

Zoey smiled and waved, even after six years she still couldn’t believe she was friends with someone from the Triple B crowd (bleach, boobs, Botox). A shared sense of humour that verged on the wicked brought them together and curiosity helped them find common ground. Maybe opposites attract, maybe they liked the novelty of each other or maybe friendship was stronger than the exterior dressings of a person.

"Hey girl!!" Jess threw open her arms and started air kissing before she even reached Zoey.

"Heeeeeey!!" Zoey matched her enthusiasm, mocking