“Generally, the captain invites guests who’ve travelled with us a number of times.” And before I could ask my next question, he went on, “In this case, however, we’re having a special dinner. The captain wants to thank you all for your group’s involvement in the investigation of Dr van Horn’s death.”
I nodded with understanding. “Okay. And I can see how Enrico Lotti fits in with us, as the victim was travelling as part of his group; but what about Professor Tully? He’s not part of that group.”
“I know, but he’s known to Enrico,” Mike said. “And as we were one short to make up a table of ten, Enrico suggested the professor. I believe the old gent’s grieving the loss of his wife.”
I glanced across the table at the professor, who was in deep conversation with Enrico. “Yes. Professor Tully’s travelling alone on this trip. He also told me he’s a retired GP, so I assume he used to attend the type of conventions Enrico coordinates.” Having said this, I couldn’t see how this was possible. The professor had told me he’d retired years ago, and Enrico had said he’d been doing this job for about five years, so the two could not have met through a convention. I made a mental note to speak to Enrico later and find out how he knew the professor. I was so distracted with my thoughts that I missed whatever Mike was saying and only caught the tail end of it. “...taking into account his dislike for doctors.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t quite catch what you just said.”
“I was simply commenting on the fact that it was nice of Captain Wilkins to invite to dinner those here connected with the medical profession, taking into account his dislike for doctors.”
My internal investigative antennae went up at this bit of information. “That’s right. You mentioned the captain’s wife died in an operation.”
Mike stole a quick glance at the captain, who was engaged in conversation with Mark Evans, and then turned back to me. “Yes. I’m not sure what went wrong, but Mrs Wilkins had to have some kind of pelvic operation and the whole thing was botched. It seems the surgeon who performed the operation was under suspicion of taking drugs to stay awake—you know how they work such long hours and all. Anyway, the captain took him to court, but nothing was ever proven. Besides, the hospital stood behind the surgeon, plus they had the better lawyers. Cut a long story short, the captain lost the case. Since then, he won’t go near a doctor if he can help it.”
I grimaced. “That’s horrible! And now he’s left on his own to bring up a young daughter. But you know how these big corporations, including hospitals, stick together and protect their own. I mean, you have to be a multi-millionaire to fight them; and the legal system always seems to favour the bad guys. Very rarely do we get to hear about the underdog winning.” At my bitter tone of voice, Mike gazed at me with curiosity. I quickly explained, “Don’t mind me, I just hate lawyers.” I frowned momentarily when I said this, thinking how I’d lost so much to my evil ex because I hadn’t had enough money to fight him legally, which meant I’d had to call it quits. Bloody lawyers and their exuberant fees! What a waste of space they were.
Thankfully, our main course arrived and with it the captain called our attention by raising his wine glass and saying, “Lady and gentlemen.” The men around the table smiled at the captain’s reference to my being the only female present. “I’d like to propose a toast to wonderful company, great food, excellent wine, and hopefully an incident-free rest of the voyage.”
“Hear, hear,” someone said, and we all raised our glasses in a toast. Then, we went back to chatting with our dinner companions.
The entree had consisted of tasty and tender baby asparagus shoots with shaved parmesan cheese drizzled in extra virgin olive oil. There had been a choice of seafood and meat entrees as well, but I’d opted for the lighter vegetarian alternative. The main course presented us with a choice of pasta, meat, or fish. I chose the veal, which came wrapped in paper-thin slices of prosciutto, sprinkled in sage and accompanied with wild mushrooms. So far, the food had been delectable and I couldn’t wait for dessert. I smiled in anticipation, thinking of Dobbs and his childlike enthusiasm for anything sweet.
Through the main meal, I chitchatted with Mark again, basking in his attention. The guy had to be at least fifteen years younger than I—but if he felt attracted to me, who was I to stop him?
By dessert time, the diners changed places around the table so we could talk to others in the party. I ended up sitting between Professor Tully and the wonderfully handsome Enrico Lotti. From the corner of my eye, I saw the look of relief coming from Chris, who was now chatting animatedly with the captain. I bet he was glad he hadn’t landed next to the sensual Enrico. Meanwhile, Smythe conversed with Mike Yuen, and Dobbs teamed up with Jerry Garcia and Mark Evans.
I almost laughed when I briefly glanced at Dobbs while he tucked into his dessert of three slices of different-flavoured gelato, placed in a shell-shaped wafer structure that lay in an island of wild berry jus and dark chocolate shavings. Dobbs looked like a five-year-old, eyes wide with delight, just as I’d imagined him earlier. I chose Zabaglione, which was served in a crystal goblet and topped with raspberries and blueberries encased in hot chocolate sauce.
“Professor, it’s so lovely to see you again. I didn’t know you hobnobbed with the likes of the officers,” I said in jest.
“Ah, my dear!” The professor gave me a charming smile while he drank his espresso. “You look ravishing tonight. If only I were twenty years younger.” He chuckled to himself.
Before I could respond to this compliment, Enrico took hold of my hand and planted a kiss on the back of it. “Bellissima!”
His smile weakened my knees and I didn’t care that he was gay. I felt myself blush. “Boys, boys, you’re embarrassing me! But I do thank you for your lovely compliments.” I winked at them wickedly and they burst into laughter.
This attracted the attention of the other men and, while I noted Smythe’s dry look, the rest simply smiled good naturedly, especially Mark Evans.
~~~
After dinner, I opted for a stroll along the Promenade Deck with the luscious Enrico. The professor begged off as he felt tired and wanted an early night. The officers went back to their duties and Chris, Dobbs and Smythe mentioned something about catching the acrobatic show on the top deck. Mike Yuen went along with them because he was playing MC for the show.
“I feel so sorry for the professor,” I remarked while we strolled along the deck. I gazed at the white spray of the waves illuminated by the lights from the ship but beyond this point, there was only blackness except for the glittering of the stars on a moonless night. I shuddered at the thought of van Horn going overboard—if he was still alive when he hit the water, it must’ve been horrifying being left behind in the black watery void.
Enrico hooked his arm through mine in the Italian fashion. “Why do you feel sorry for him?”
“I mean, losing his wife of so many years; and now having to travel alone. It’s really sad, don’t you think?”
My companion sighed melodramatically. “Ahhh, che vita porca!”
I looked at him questioningly. “So you think it’s a pig of a life? I have to agree with you.”
He nodded. “Youth goes so quickly and we often waste it. And then, what is there left for us? If we’re lucky, someone who loves us. But even this is taken away at some point.”
Don’t I know it! “This is why we must live in the present, Enrico, and make the most of what we have. So tell me, how do you know the professor?”
Another sigh from him. “I wish I could say it was under happier circumstances. But all the same, I’m glad we became friends.”
I waited quietly for him to explain. By this time, we had reached the end of the deck, did an about-face, and resumed our stroll.
“I wasn’t always an events coordinator. I was a doctor.” Enrico stopped walking and went to stand by the viewing rail. I joined him, surprised at his disclosure. Enrico must’ve made a gorgeous doctor, I thought with amusement wh
ile I pictured a very long line of women, and gay young men, vying for his medical expertise. “You see,” he continued as he looked out at the blackness of the ocean, “I worked for a large hospital when completing my internship, and I was doing very well. So much so, I was encouraged by one of my so-called mentors to apply for a position at the end of the internship. This would have been a great promotion for me and a good start to my medical career. But then...”
I remained silent and watched him struggle with his emotions. Enrico ran fingers through his hair as blond strands flew freely in the sea breeze and got into his eyes. He really was a beautiful looking young man.
“So sorry.” Enrico turned teary eyes toward me. “I’m getting a bit emotional.”
“Take your time.” I patted his arm, trying to lend him some comfort.
He took a few moments to compose himself and then continued talking. “Well, it’s like this: I’d just found out my partner was HIV positive. He was also a doctor in the same hospital; and it was a well-known fact that we were an item. To cut a long story short, the recruitment panel turned me down for the position. They also made it very difficult for Gianni to keep working there even though he wasn’t symptomatic.”
“But that’s discrimination!” I argued.
“Tell that to someone who cares,” he returned, bitterly. “Gianni had to leave his job because he couldn’t cope with the snubs anymore. He decided to go back to Italy. I stayed on for a while, but then decided I wasn’t going to get anywhere; and so I quit.”
“Why didn’t you go to Italy with Gianni?” I was astounded people could be so cruel and judgemental, even after all the awareness about HIV. Those with the virus could still lead a normal life if they were asymptomatic. After all, there should be no problems working any job if the person did not develop fully blown AIDS—even in health care. There would always be the question of safety, of course; but as long as measures were observed, I saw no reason as to why a doctor who did not develop the symptoms of the disease should be removed from his job.
“Gianni and I were not in the relationship for the long term. Besides, he missed his family, all of whom reside in Italy. I, on the other hand, have family in Australia.”
“Okay, so you stayed on; but didn’t get the job. What happened then?”
“Some colleagues supported my application at the time, including Professor Tully. Even though he was retired from practising as a doctor, he was well connected at the hospital plus many of the student doctors attended his physiology class at university. This is how I know him. Anyway, he stood by me all the way, but even he wasn’t influential enough to overcome the prejudice in that place, especially from the likes of van Horn and the others.”
My heart gave a jolt. “You mean van Horn was on the recruitment panel?”
He nodded. “A whole bunch of them were,” Enrico answered. “Some of them are even on this ship, attending the convention.”
“Who are they?” I could barely contain my excitement at this little bit of information.
Enrico looked thoughtful as if trying to remember all the names. “Let’s see... There are Drs Barry, Weinstein, and Keyes, to name a few.”
“And you’re friendly with them now?”
Enrico shrugged. “That’s life, isn’t it? I need my job, and I want to keep the medical convention business because they bring high revenue to my company. Besides, they act as if nothing happened. And I suppose, in their eyes, nothing has. They think Gianni couldn’t take the reality of his condition and that I quit because I needed a change. Their excuse for turning me down at the time was that I didn’t have enough experience or some such rubbish.”
“I’m so sorry for what happened.”
“No need to be.” Enrico smiled with resignation. “I’m happy in my work and well out of the ‘clicky’ hospital group. Ironically, I’m sad for van Horn’s death. I dislike all these guys, but never enough to want to kill them.” He regarded me with a serious look. “Interestingly, here’s more than a coincidence for you—Captain Wilkins’s wife was operated on by Dr Weinstein. And you probably know Mike Yuen lost his acrobatic career due to bad advice given to him by Dr Barry, who operated on him.”
Before I could recover from my astonishment at this piece of news, Enrico glanced at his watch and informed me he had to meet someone. He bid me goodnight and disappeared while I remained on deck, gazing pensively at the dark waters on the black horizon.
“So there you are!”
I jumped with fright, my hand going to my throat. I seemed to be doing this a lot lately—jumping in fright; my nerves feeling jangled.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Mark Evans, approaching me with a sexy smile. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I was passing by, doing my rounds, and found you here looking very ravishing.”
I recovered instantly and returned his smile. “Just thinking,” I replied. “Did you get to see the acrobatic show?”
“No. I went on my rounds after dinner. Then, I found you all alone and couldn’t resist coming over to make sure everything’s okay.” The gallantry in his voice was mixed with a flirty undertone.
I didn’t allow his proximity to faze me. Mark stood so close, he invaded my personal space. But he smelled divine—a combination of fresh ocean breeze and a woodsy aftershave of some kind. I felt butterflies in my stomach. “And what is your conclusion; is everything okay with me?” I flirted right back, throwing him an impish look.
“It will be now.” He moved quickly and before I knew it, his arms went around me and his mouth swooped down on mine in a kiss that became deep and passionate.
I felt my hormones go into overdrive as a hot wave of desire whooshed down to my pelvis. My arms went around his neck and my body melded with his while my mouth opened to meet his invading tongue.
The kiss grew deeper and I felt this as a prologue of greater things to come—going with Mark to his cabin to further explore each other. Sadly, it was not to be. Someone cleared their throat in the near distance and the spell was broken. I remained in the circle of Mark’s arms as we both looked up toward the sound. Despite my dazed state, I made out the back of Smythe’s body as he disappeared through the door that led back inside the ship.
~~~
I made my way to my cabin, pissed off at Smythe for having interrupted what could have been a night of hot passion. He should have kept quiet when he stumbled upon us, and simply gone right back to where he had come from.
When I entered my cabin, I peeled off my clothes and jumped in the shower to cool off. In hindsight, the thing with Mark was obviously not meant to be, and perhaps this was best. Getting involved with a ship’s officer was not my idea of a relationship or even a liaison. Mark travelled constantly and his time on land was limited. Still, a night of pure sex would not have gone amiss. The last time I’d had sex had been months ago, and that was just a fling.
After the shower, I pulled on a short cotton nightshirt and went straight to bed where I immediately fell into a deep sleep. I had obviously been more tired than I’d thought, but woke up refreshed early the next morning when room service knocked on my door with my breakfast.
I was glad I’d had the foresight to order room service. This way, I was able to avoid Smythe after his interruption of Mark and me. I sat at the small coffee table next to the window in my cabin and enjoyed a strong cup of coffee accompanied by an assortment of Danishes and brioche. The sky outside was a clear blue and the ocean mirrored its colour in a darker hue.
We were en-route to Vila, Vanuatu, our next port of call. Arrival time would be 7.00am the following morning. Today, however, we were at sea, and this would be a good time to finish talking to the rest of the convention members.
Just as I thought this, there was a knock at my door and a voice called out, “Mia, it’s me. Open up.”
It was Chris, and he sounded serious. I threw on a summery cotton robe before I let him in. His eyes were full of excitement and he was still in his pyjama bottoms.
“What
the hell’s going on?” I chided him. “It’s not even seven yet. Can’t I enjoy my breakfast in peace?”
Chris barged into my cabin and went straight for the coffee and Danishes. “I’m starved.”
I shut the door and joined him. “Well, don’t let me stop you!” I couldn’t help the sarcasm in my voice. “There’s enough food to feed ten armies on this ship, Chris; so why are you taking mine?”
“Because there’s no time,” he replied in between drinking coffee from my cup and shoving half a Danish into his mouth.”
“Time for what?” I shot back with irritation.
“Time to eat properly,” he answered. “I’ve just had a call from Dobbs. He’s up on deck with the captain and another dead body.”
Chapter 9
“Fishing twine?” I exclaimed in disbelief.
Dobbs nodded, holding out a length of fishing twine, about a foot long, for the others to see. “This is all I found. The rest must’ve blown away to sea.”
Dobbs, Smythe, Chris, and I stood at the bottom of one of the external stairwells leading down from Deck 13 where the jogging track was located. Captain Wilkins, Jerry Garcia, and Mark Evans stood a few feet away from us, speaking with another officer. Meanwhile, we stared at Dr Jim Barry, Martha’s cheating husband, whose body lay at the bottom of the stairwell, dressed in the shorts and training jacket he’d been wearing when he allegedly went for an early morning jog.
“Who found him?” I looked to Dobbs for an answer.
Smythe replied instead. “Dobbs found him on the way to his morning walk. Neck’s broken. He rang me straight away and we found the fishing twine that tripped Barry tied to one side of the railing at the top of the stairs.” Smythe’s gaze kept darting from me to Chris and down to the victim. I hoped he wasn’t thinking about last night’s interruption when I’d been with Mark Evans; but I didn’t think so, especially in view of the fact that we were now faced with a second murder.
The South Pacific Murders Page 8