After a lengthy flight, the plane finally touched down in Jamaica, the site of their much-anticipated cruise. The Barnes family exited the airport and made their way to the hotel where they would stay for the night, as the cruise wouldn’t depart until the following day. They enjoyed dinner at a Mexican restaurant, where their father reminded the twins once more that there would be no mystery-solving during their vacation. "Remember, you two: no mystery-solving this trip. We're here to enjoy ourselves, understood?" he said. "Yes, Dad," they replied in unison.

After dinner, the family returned to the hotel and went to bed early, as they had a busy morning ahead. The day of the cruise arrived, and the whole family woke up early to have breakfast before heading to the massive ship, which was brimming with activities. "Now, remember our agreement, you two," their dad reminded them. "We know, Dad," they replied, a hint of annoyance in their voices. "You don’t have to keep bringing it up," Mason added. "Mind your tone with me, young man," their father responded. "Sorry, Dad," Mason mumbled.

Once aboard the ship, they explored the decks, as their rooms weren’t ready yet. Eventually, they were allowed to enter their cabins, and Mason and Mackenzie found themselves sharing a room next to their parents. Mason settled in to watch television while they waited for the mandatory safety meeting to begin. On their way to the meeting, Mackenzie overheard a crew member discussing a collection of jewelry. However, dismissing it as inconsequential and remembering her father's rule against mystery-solving, she chose to ignore it.

At the meeting, the captain reviewed all safety procedures in case of an emergency. Afterward, the family was free to enjoy themselves until dinner time. Dinner went smoothly until Mackenzie overheard a woman at another table mention that she had noticed some of her jewelry was missing before coming downstairs to eat. Once again, Mackenzie was reminded of the rule against mystery-solving for their vacation. "Mackenzie, it's none of our concern,” her father said firmly. “Remember our conversation." "I know, Dad. I’m sorry," Mackenzie replied, trying to focus on her meal and avoid getting involved.

After dinner, Mackenzie struggled to find an activity to distract her from thoughts of mystery-solving, which proved harder than she had expected. Eventually, it was time for bed, and the family made their way back to their rooms, where Mrs. Barnes gently encouraged her husband to ease up on the kids.

“Honey, don’t you think you’re being a bit too hard on the kids?” she asked. “I just want to show them that there’s more to life than solving mysteries,” David replied. “Are you talking about them in general, or are you focused on Mackenzie?” Melissa inquired. “Alright, yes, I want Mackenzie to understand that there’s more to life than mysteries,” David admitted. “She’s a curious kid, and she always has been,” Melissa said. “You can’t take that away from her. Solving mysteries is something she loves; it’s part of who she is.” 

“I’m not trying to take that away from her—or from either of them. I just want them to take a break every now and then,” David insisted. “First of all,” Melissa began, “I want you to know that I understand your perspective. But if your goal is to encourage them to take a break, you're going about it the wrong way. When you say ‘no mystery-solving for the entire vacation,’ to them, it feels like punishment, not a lesson.” 

“I realize it may seem harsh,” David replied, “but is it really too much to ask them to stop looking for mysteries and simply enjoy themselves for a moment?” 

“To them, yes, it is too much to ask,” Melissa countered. “Have you considered that maybe they genuinely enjoy solving mysteries? The mysteries they unravel are the very reason we’re on this cruise. We’re supposed to be rewarding them for all they’ve accomplished—so why doesn’t it come across that way to you?” 

“Do you think I’ve forgotten why we’re here?” David retorted. “I’m just as proud of their achievements as you are.” 

“Then why doesn’t it feel like you are?” Melissa pressed. “Maybe the one who isn’t having fun is you.” 

Meanwhile, in the next room, the twins were having their own discussion. “Did you hear what that woman said at dinner about her missing jewelry?” Mackenzie asked. “Something is definitely happening on this ship; I just don’t know what yet." 

“Or maybe there’s nothing going on, and she simply misplaced her jewelry. We ought to ignore it because we promised Dad there would be no mystery-solving during this vacation, remember?” Mason replied. 

“I know we made that promise,” Mackenzie said, “but I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right here.” 

“If Dad finds out you’re looking into this when he specifically told us not to, he’s going to be really upset, and we’ll both be grounded when we get home. I suggest you drop it before you get into trouble,” Mason cautioned. 

“Why is he so against us solving mysteries?” Mackenzie asked. 

“Mackenzie, he’s not against us; remember, we’re here because they wanted to reward us for all of our hard work,” Mason explained. “I think he’s just trying to show you that there’s more to life than mysteries, and it’s okay to take a break every once in a while. Not everything has to turn into an investigation. Why can’t you see that?” 

“I don’t know, Mason. Maybe it’s because whenever I see someone in trouble, I just have this instinct to jump in and help; it’s not in my nature to take a day off,” Mackenzie replied. 

“Well, if that’s truly how you feel, you should’ve stayed home,” Mason said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he continued, “I’m going to bed because some of us actually want to have fun on this trip.” 

Soon, the twins were fast asleep, ready for another big day ahead of them tomorrow.

The next day, Mason was looking at a pamphlet with all the activities listed on the ship and trying to decide which ones he wanted to do. Meanwhile, Mackenzie overheard yet another woman talking about how some of her jewelry went missing overnight. Thinking that it was most likely just a coincidence, she elected to once again just ignore it and try to have some fun. She put her swimsuit on and decided to head down to the pool. However, it wasn’t long before she heard yet another person talk about how their jewelry had been going missing. At this point, it was no longer a coincidence; something was going on, and she needed to find out what, even if it meant breaking the promise she made to her father.

She decided to go talk with her mother to see if the same thing had happened to her as well.

“Mom, I need to ask you something, but you have to promise not to tell Dad.”

“Okay, dear,” her mom said, “but you know he won’t be happy when he finds out. What did you want to ask me?”

“Have you noticed that some of your jewelry was missing at any point during this vacation?” asked Mackenzie.

“Actually, yes,” said Mrs. Barnes. “I thought it was odd because I never misplace my jewelry.”

“I knew it,” said Mackenzie. “Mom, you’re not the only one here this has happened to. There have been reports from other women throughout the ship about their jewelry suddenly going missing, and I’m sorry, but I need to figure out what’s going on around here, even if it means breaking my promise to you guys.”

“It’s okay, honey,” said Mrs. Barnes. “You do what you need to do; you have my full support.”

“Thanks, Mom. But what about Dad?”

“I’ll do my best to keep him at bay, but when he finds out, he’s not going to be happy,” said Mrs. Barnes.

Mackenzie nodded as she ran off to figure out what was happening on this ship. After she got dressed, she started questioning guests on the ship and making a list of all the victims, what was missing, and the cost of it all, as well as the times. She knew eventually she would have to go to the captain, but not until she had more proof. So she decided to stake out the lobby for anything that might be considered suspicious but didn’t find anything.

Then she went to the receptionist to find out who else had access to the rooms aside from the guests.

“Excuse me, sir,” said Mackenzie, “would you happen to know if anyone else has access to the rooms besides the guests?”

The receptionist thought for a moment. “The only people besides the guests who would have access to the rooms are the cleaners,” he said. “I think it’s possible you may have a burglar on this ship pretending to be an employee, or one of your employees is going around stealing jewelry from women. I made a list of all the victims and what was stolen. Tell me, is the captain even aware of what’s going on?”

“I think you should wait here while I contact your parents,” but the moment the receptionist turned around, Mackenzie was gone.

Soon enough, it was lunchtime, and Mackenzie was starting to get hungry. She couldn’t think on an empty stomach, so she went to the buffet area to get something to eat, and sure enough, she ran into Mason, who was coming back from learning how to write his own comic book, although neither of them spoke a word to each other. After getting their food, they went to join their parents, who immediately noticed there was tension between the two.

“Is everything okay with you two?” asked their mom.

“Everything is fine,” Mackenzie said, clearly lying.

“Clearly, there is something going on with you two. Now, what is it?” said their dad.

“Ask Mackenzie,” said Mason. “She’ll tell you.”

“Mackenzie, what’s he talking about?” asked their dad.

“Why? Even if I told you, it’s not like you would ever approve anyway,” said Mackenzie.

“Mackenzie Barnes!” exclaimed their mother. “What did you just say to me, young lady?”

"If you really want to know, she’s been investigating behind your back," Mason revealed.

“MASON!” exclaimed Mackenzie.

Their father turned to her. “Mackenzie, is this true?”

“I’m sorry, Dad, but there’s something strange going on with this ship,” Mackenzie explained. “I’ve had this nagging feeling since we arrived, and I needed to uncover the truth. Did you know there have been multiple reports of women’s jewelry mysteriously disappearing during this trip?”

“Mackenzie,” their father interjected.

“I compiled a list of potential victims, detailing what items are missing, when they vanished, and their value.” 

“MACKENZIE,” their father insisted, trying to regain her attention.

“After conducting a stakeout and finding nothing, I approached the receptionist to see if they had any information, but came away empty-handed,” Mackenzie continued.

“Mackenzie Avery Barnes, you need to stop this at once,” her father said, frustration evident in his voice. “You can’t act like a detective here.”

“Why not?” Mackenzie challenged.

“This isn’t home, where you can solve mysteries and expect to be rewarded,” he replied.

“I don’t expect a reward. For me, solving mysteries is its own reward, especially when I see the joy it brings to others,” she countered.

“Mackenzie, I mean it. If you don’t stop now, there will be consequences,” their father warned.

“So now you’re punishing me for pursuing something I love?” Mackenzie asked incredulously.

“As long as we’re on this trip, there will be no mystery-solving. Is that clear?”

His words cut deep, and Mackenzie started to cry before running off.

“Mackenzie, wait!” Mason called after her.

“Happy now?” he asked, turning to his father 

“I hope you're proud of yourself,” she said. “I’m going to talk to our daughter while you calm down. I think you owe her an apology.”

Melissa made her way to Mackenzie’s room and knocked gently.

“Mackenzie, sweetheart, it’s your mother. I just want to talk. Can you please open the door?”

Reluctantly, Mackenzie opened the door and retreated to her bed, still in tears.

“Honey, I know your father can be strict — we both can be. But he loves you. Even if he doesn’t always show it, he supports your passion for solving mysteries. This whole cruise was his idea. I think he’s just worried that you’re not enjoying yourself because you’re so focused on finding the next mystery.”

“But solving mysteries is fun for me,” Mackenzie said, struggling to sit up and wipe her tears away. “Why can’t he see that?”

“He will, sweetheart. You just need to give it some time. Eventually, he will come around. You’ll see.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Mackenzie replied, giving her mother a warm hug.

At last, Mason walked in, engaged in his own research in the lobby. “I apologize for interrupting this tender mother-daughter moment, but I’ve discovered something you both need to see,” he said. Intrigued by what Mackenzie had mentioned, I decided to investigate further. My research revealed a troubling pattern: several people had purchased cruise ship tickets only to later claim they were robbed once aboard. This isn’t isolated to just our ship; it has occurred on multiple vessels within this same cruise line. Mackenzie was right—there's definitely something shady happening here. Unfortunately, I’m not sure we can do much about it. 

“Hold on a moment,” Mackenzie interjected. “Let me see that article. It states that all these ships were captained by the same individual, Mr. Donald Southland. Guess who’s the captain of our ship?” 

“I don’t think that’s a coincidence. We need to speak with the captain,” she continued.

“That won’t be easy, Mackenzie. Only crew members are permitted on the bridge, and I doubt you’ll manage to get in there in disguise,” Mason replied.

“I was just planning to talk to the receptionist and hope for better luck this time,” Mackenzie said.

“Why don’t we accompany you this time in case you need assistance?” their mother suggested.

As they prepared to head to the receptionist, they ran into their father, who had come to talk with Mackenzie. However, she walked past him without a glance. 

“She just needs some time,” Melissa said. “She'll come around; you just need to be patient.”

The twins and their mother made their way to guest services. 

“So, what’s the plan now that we’re here?” Mason asked.

“Now you can witness your mother in action,” Melissa replied confidently. 

“Excuse me, I would like to file a complaint with the captain. Could you please summon him? One of your employees has been harassing me nonstop since my arrival, and I would like it to stop,” she stated firmly. 

“I’m very sorry to hear that, ma’am. I will get the captain here right away,” the receptionist responded. 

“Thank you,” Melissa replied graciously.

“Wow, Mom, that was impressive!” Mackenzie exclaimed.

“I did my share of detective work when I was your age,” Melissa revealed. 

“Wait, you were a detective?” Mason asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Yes, I’ll share the story with you one day,” Melissa promised.

Eventually, the captain arrived, and the twins began to pose their questions. 

“Sir, are you aware that since you started working for this cruise line, all the ships you’ve captained have been reported for customer robberies?” Mackenzie asked pointedly.

“What exactly are you accusing me of, young lady? Do you think I had something to do with those robberies?” the captain replied defensively.

“Actually, yes, that’s exactly what we believe,” Mason chimed in. “The fact that you seem to know this was happening yet did nothing about it suggests your involvement.”

“Just one call to your company’s CEO and the FBI, and you could be trading your captain’s hat for a bright orange jumpsuit. You’d better start speaking if you want to avoid that,” Mackenzie warned.

“Okay, fine,” the captain conceded. “Yes, I’ve been using these ships as a front to rob people of their belongings. Am I proud of it? No, but being captain of eight ships doesn't pay like it used to.” 

“This sounds familiar,” Mason whispered.

“Mackenzie gently nudged her brother. “Shhh, let him finish.”

“In a desperate attempt to earn more money, I ordered my crew to scout the rooms, then return to rob them while they were empty. My aim was to sell their possessions on the black market for a profit. I knew I would eventually get caught, and frankly, I’m relieved that I did, as it allows me to finally leave this behind.”

“Don’t worry,” Mason said. “You’ll have plenty of time to atone for your actions behind bars. The authorities will be waiting when we reach our destination.”

“Mackenzie, Mom, Dad, Mason,” she said. “Thank you for believing in me, and I apologize if I ruined our vacation.”

“Mackenzie, you didn’t ruin the vacation. Don’t ever think that,” Melissa reassured her. 

“Sweetheart, I’m truly sorry if I made you feel like you couldn’t be yourself on this trip,” David added. “I was so worried you weren’t having fun that I forgot how to enjoy myself.”

“Do you at least understand that solving mysteries is my idea of fun?” Mackenzie asked earnestly.

“Yes, honey, I do, and I’m sorry I couldn’t see that sooner. Can you ever forgive me?” David asked hopefully.

“Of course, Dad. You know I love you, right? Both of you” said David “I support your detective work, even if it may not always seem like it. Now, come here for a group hug.”

“Thanks, everyone,” Mackenzie said, smiling. “Now, what do you say we finally have some fun?”

“Wait a minute,” Mason said. “With the captain in trouble, who will pilot the ship?”

“I will,” Captain Donald assured them. “You don’t need to worry. Once we reach our destination, I will turn myself in peacefully. You have my word. Until then, consider this entire cruise complimentary.”

With the mystery of the cruise ship robbery finally unraveled, Mackenzie felt a wave of relief wash over her and looked forward to enjoying herself until they reached their destination. "Attention, passengers," announced the captain. "We are about to arrive at our port. You are welcome to disembark or remain aboard the ship if you prefer. For those who choose to explore, there are numerous activities to engage in around the island. Just be sure to return by 6:00 PM, as that is when dinner will commence. Thank you."

TO BE CONTINUED.