“It’s not doing you any favors, that’s for sure. Why don’t you quit?”
“Why does everyone suggest that I quit? I can’t afford to live without this job. And I’m no quitter.”
“You’re stronger than most, Li. Have to give you that. I really can’t believe all the crap Paul and company are giving you about that stupid rumor. Of any guy on this ship, you’d be the last one to bang the Ice Queen. I didn’t realize what Jasper meant when he asked what time you returned to our quarters. I made it worse for you, didn’t I? If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you…”
“Nah. Forget about it. Paul would have jumped on any flimsy excuse to get me fired. I don’t blame you.”
“Suit yourself. And I thought I was having a bad day.”
Li started walking again, the sterling silver teapot clattering on the tray. “What happened to you?”
“Ready for my story, eh? It’s not nearly as traumatic as yours, Li. I just haven’t been able to stay in one place for very long. I’m a deck attendant that has to moonlight as a steward, a waiter, a tour director, and a personal slave. I’m pretty sure one lady wanted to hire me as her private cabana boy.”
“I would have taken the offer.”
“Li, at this point, you would agree to be Godzilla’s cabana boy. The hard part is directing passengers to people who can actually help them. The usual answer is ‘Well, you’re here now, so go do what I want!’ I have to hunt down a steward to go fetch the crew member the passenger actually needs. I had to entertain this one couple, the Wellingtons, for twenty minutes while Lars chased down the purser. They said it was an emergency. Turns out it was paranoia about the bottled water we provide in all of the cabins. Something about the plastic in the bottle causing cancer. I didn’t really listen. Then of course there was the argument I had to break up.”
“How come you’re the one who gets into fights, but I’m the one with the black eye?”
“Want to trade me places?”
“I’d rather keep both of my eyes, thank you. What happened?”
“Some lady on the Verandah Deck complained about the stewards. Said they liked to play pranks, knocking on her door while she was dressing and then disappearing as soon as she opened it. Something stupid like that. Then she accused them of stealing money from her stateroom. In fact, she held three of them hostage. Bellowed that she wouldn’t let ‘those slimy bastards’ go until she saw the captain.”
“Geez. And how did you get involved?”
“I heard her yelling from my post. Her cabin is underneath the ladder. Had to duck a few blows to the head. That woman could bruise a bear just by giving it a pat on the back. She kept us occupied for a good forty minutes while they tried to pry Captain Crayle from the bridge. Eventually, I got her a whiskey and soda, and that seemed to calm her down.”
The two men strode through the double doors leading to the Sports Deck, where the sun blistered against their eyes. Li turned toward the Sunbathing Deck. “I’m just ready for this day to be over. I don’t think I can take another shock. My system will shut down.”
“Then you better take a break after you deliver this tea. Wait…where are you going with this tea?”
“Charlegne ordered it. Lars told me she was up here.”
“Aw, you don’t have to do that. You’ve had a rough day, Li. Here, I’ll take it for you. Then you can start your break sooner.”
“No, it’s okay, David. Besides, Charlegne asked for me specifically.”
“Far be it from me to stand between Her Majesty and her proclamations.”
Li was the first to see her.
Her skin was red. A deep, angry red. She seemed to sizzle in the sunlight. Blisters had bubbled her flesh.
The tray slipped out of Li’s hands, making a bright, metallic crash as it hit the deck. He ran to her side and lifted the purple sunhat shading her face.
He met the vacant, dilated gaze of Charlegne Jackson.
“Oh my God…” David’s hand clapped over his mouth, muffling his words. His skin flushed the color of algae.
“I…I think she’s dead…”
The flashes came then…the hospital…the stink of the antiseptics…the shriveled man with the bloodshot eyes trying not to cry in front of his kids…the old tear stain that exposed him as a liar…the nurses…the doctors…the smell of death…
Li collapsed. David sprinted to the railing and vomited over the edge of the ship.
CHAPTER 11
Death by Sunstroke
I’m back in the hospital. Everything here is so white and clean and perfect. It’s like being in heaven…except people suffer here. These antiseptics smell like formaldehyde. They don’t save anyone. No one gets cured. They mummify people. And Dad…He’s all shriveled and broken…Dad, I’m sorry—I’m sorry I couldn’t save you I thought they could make you better and…and…Dad, I miss you so much! I’m so sorry! Please don’t hate me! It would kill me if you hated me! Dad, I—!
“Li? Come on, don’t scare me like this. Snap out of it.”
Li’s thoughts seemed to pull away from wet cotton. He blinked and swallowed. The sun roasted his eyeballs.
David seized Li by the shoulders and shook him. “Come on, man. You’re starting to freak me out. I don’t want to slap you. Li? You still there?”
He blinked again. The white glare started to drain away. “Huh…w-what happened? Where am I?”
“Easy, Li. Take deep breaths. Your name is Liam Johnson. You’re on the Sunbathing Deck on the Excelsior, a ship on the Howard Line. You work on it as a waiter. Is any of this ringing a bell?”
“David?”
His bunkmate relinquished his breath. “Are you okay? You were really starting to scare me. You just froze. I couldn’t get you to respond. You were a zombie. What happened?”
“I…I don’t know…I just…blanked. Like I blacked out or something. No, that’s wrong. It was a white-out. Everything just went white, like looking into the sun. And…And I was back in the hospital.”
“Hospital? What hospital?”
“The…The hospital where my Dad died. He had a really nasty leukemia. Struggled for two years before it finally got him. Today…Well, today is the third anniversary of his death.” Li started to shiver.
“He died three years ago today? Oh Jesus, Li. Suffering through that while dealing with all this crap from Paul and the customers. You weren’t kidding when you said one more shock would shut down your system.”
Li tried to smother the shivers by folding his arms tight against his chest. “I…I d-didn’t even realize today was the day he died when I woke up. So many things happened that I didn’t have time to stop and think about my dad. It just all piled up. I was living in a haze. Then what happened? It’s all fuzzy…I can’t…we…we saw her, didn’t we?” His eyes ballooned. “Oh God! We saw Charlegne! She was dead! David, she’s dead! What are we going to do? Who do we call? Oh God…why is this happening? I can’t deal with this! Oh God…I can’t…I can’t…”
Li crumbled into tears and started to hyperventilate. David barked over his shoulder. “Hey, Doc! I got him to come around, but he’s hysterical!”
Li felt cool, professional hands swaddle his hot, tear-soaked cheeks. “Easy does it. Breathe in through your nose and out of your mouth. Deep breaths, nice and slow. Good. Keep it up.” Dr. Innsbrook began the routine of checking his pulse. She addressed the two men behind her. “He’s in shock.”
“Will he be okay?” David asked.
“I think he’ll be okay once we get him away from here and he has time to calm down.”
“Well, today was the anniversary of his dad’s death. Li was always a little depressed and tried to repress his grief. Today was really rough for him. Then…Then we found Charlegne. He just collapsed.”
Captain Crayle, bracing himself on the railing and gazing out across the empty sea, allowed himself a slight chuckle. “That’s nothing compared to what’s going to happen when people find out that she’s dea
d. It seems impossible. I didn’t even think you could die that way. It seems impossible.”
David addressed the doctor. “How did she die?”
The doctor slipped into her lecturing voice. “Sunstroke.”
“Sunstroke?”
The question came from Li. Dr. Innsbrook fussed over her patient. “Just lie still and relax. You don’t have to worry.”
“I’m okay, Doctor. I think so, at least. What happened to Charlegne?”
“None of your business,” the captain snapped. “You are not to breathe a word of this to anyone. Do you all understand me?”
There was a trio of nods.
“Good. I’ll return to the bridge. Kane, get two stewards to help you move the…uh…the body into the infirmary. You will make sure it’s hidden from passengers, right Doctor?”
“Yes, sir. There’s a stretcher behind the large cabinet they can use to move her. We’ll put up the curtain around the bed.”
“Right. You heard her, Kane. The sooner we clean this up, the better. I’ll notify the necessary parties. Remember, not a word of this to anyone. Not one peep, understand?”
The response was affirmative. Captain Crayle plodded down the nearest ladder.
Dr. Innsbrook soon signed off on Li’s shock. “Well, you seem to be responding fine. Just take it easy, okay?”
“Yes, Doctor.”
“I suggest you rest in your quarters for a bit. Come on, Kane. Let’s deal with her.”
“Excuse me, Dr. Innsbrook, but…um…”
“Yes?”
“Well…it’s just…I mean…can you really die from sunstroke?”
She looked down her nose at Li and opened the lecture. Li could picture her glaring through a pair of pince-nez, shuffling her papers, and haranguing against the evils of skin cancer. “Oh yes. Without much effort. Essentially, it’s when you can’t get rid of excess heat and your body temperature skyrockets, and you are unable to sweat it off. You pretty much cook your brains.”
“How…How long would that take?”
“It depends on many factors. Body type, age, amount of physical activity, weather conditions. Sunstroke can happen anywhere from a half hour to two hours. Which reminds me…how long was she up here, Kane?”
“She came up a few minutes before ten this morning, Doc.”
“And you both found her not long after we got underway. So she’s been roasting for roughly six and a half hours. Plenty of time.”
The algae shade of green flushed David’s cheeks again. “Oh God. And I didn’t help her. I’m going to be sick. Why didn’t I notice something? Why didn’t I call for help? Oh my God.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, David,” Li said. “You were constantly distracted by other passengers.”
Dr. Innsbrook commanded the lecture again. “It was an awful accident, that’s all,” Dr. Innsbrook interrupted. “Most people don’t know the symptoms of sunstroke. If you don’t get immediate medical attention, you could easily die. Saw a case similar to this about five years ago when we went to the Caribbean. A woman decided to catch up on some lost sleep, took a few too many sleeping pills, and passed out on deck. No one noticed anything wrong until she started to burn. We got to her just in time. A very near save. That’s why I encourage you to always wear sunscreen, drink lots of water, and wear a hat if you are out in the sun for extended periods.”
“Didn’t Charlegne do that?”
“No. Her hat lay next to her seat, and there was no sunscreen residue on her body. No bottle near her either. Probably under the misguided notion that she could tan better without it. She paid for it. Come on, Kane. Let’s get the stewards. You better get into the shade yourself, Johnson. Don’t want you to get sick, too.”
The doctor and deck attendant descended the ladder, discussing—of all things—the clear, cloudless sky.
A model that doesn’t use sunscreen?
Li wobbled as he heaved himself out of the lounge chair. His legs worked as well as toothpicks. He made slow, stilted steps towards the beautiful, burned figure of Charlegne Jackson.
The red burn contrasted with the golden hair. Li traced her features—her sculpted cheekbones, thin nose, smooth forehead—all of it airbrushed with pink blisters. Her sightless, dilated pupils drilled holes into Li’s heart. He remembered the way she looked standing in the dining room doorway last night, skin flushed with fury, her blond hair attacking the air behind her. Now it seemed all that smothered rage, lust, and sorrow boiled on her skin.
No sunscreen anywhere. Dr. Innsbrook was right. But that doesn’t make sense.
The only things near her were the fallen sunhat, a beach tote, and a cold cup of coffee on the table to her left. Li’s eyes dropped to the shrunken diamond ring on her left hand.
Last night at dinner, her champagne flute sat on her right, and she ate with her fork in her right hand. So why is the coffee on her left? This is getting weirder.
Li sniffed the cold, dark fluid and took an experimental sip. His lips crinkled into a grimace. He started to gag. Oh yuck! Why do people drink this stuff? He swished the coffee in his mouth before swallowing it like a child taking his medicine. His stomach revolted. He shivered and wiped his tongue on his sleeve.
Nothing. Just ice-cold, frankly disgusting, black coffee. I’ll have to gargle salt water to get the taste out of my mouth. Yecch!
Now feeling genuinely queasy, Li staggered down to the lower decks. He almost tripped and fell when a new thought hit him hard enough to stun his brain.
Dr. Innsbrook said that Charlegne did not wear a hat today, despite its being right next to her chair. That accounts for the burns on her face. But when David and I found her body, her hat shielded her face. I removed it. So who put that hat on her face?
CHAPTER 12
The Necessary Parties
“I can hardly believe what you’re telling me, Captain. It just doesn’t seem real.” Steven Danforth stubbed his half-smoked cigarette in a brass ashtray. His hands trembled. “Charlegne wasn’t the type of person who seemed capable of dying. She would live forever in some way. Hell, sometimes even she didn’t seem very real. Just some elaborate fantasy.” He regretted extinguishing his cigarette. “Are you sure it was Charlegne? I mean, not to speak poorly of your crew, but maybe they had the wrong woman? Mistaken identity?”
“I’m sorry, Steven. I saw her myself. There’s no mistake.”
“I thought not. You’re not the kind of man who makes that kind of mistake.” He fumbled in his pockets for the pack he bought in Avalon. “Well…uh…what do you suggest we do, Captain?”
Captain Crayle straightened the centerpiece on the table next to him. “My suggestion is, you wait until we return to Long Beach in two days. You don’t want the hassle with the customs people in Mexico trying to get her…her remains back to the States. Patience is the best policy.”
“If you think that’s best, Captain, then by all means. What sort of…erm…arrangements do we have for her…her body?”
“We’ve moved her to the infirmary and made sure she is protected from the other passengers. Some of the larger ships have full morgues, but we don’t have that luxury.”
“That should work out fine. Has anyone told Priscilla Reilly yet?”
“I was going to inform her after I talked to you.”
“Good…good…well maybe not so good.” Steven drew a fresh cigarette from the box, hesitated, and shoved it back into the pack. “Disgusting habit. You tend to get into some pretty bad ones in this business. Cancer sticks, Priscilla calls them. I’ve been trying to quit for a while. I guess I won’t get that opportunity now that I have to manage—” He loosened his collar with shaking fingers. “This is going to be hell for months.”
Damn that woman. Even in death, she makes me miserable. She had to choose the most dramatic exit, too.
The captain, lost in his own troubles, nodded without vigor. “I’m dreading what’ll happen when the owners get word of Charlegne’s death. They’re publicity-shy. Particu
larly if it’s some sort of scandal. God, why couldn’t this happen somewhere else?”
“Or to someone else, eh Captain?”
Steven’s fumbling fingers dropped his lighter on the floor. The little clunk it made sounded like a bomb in the near-empty smoker’s lounge.
The captain sighed. “She was a beautiful woman.”
“I suppose she was.”
“God doesn’t make many Charlegne Jacksons.”
“I guess not.”
She was too beautiful to die. Like Crayle said, God’s hands crafted that. And no one less than the Almighty Himself could have destroyed the beauty He created. He used the only thing that shined brighter than she did. The sun. He destroyed my Lena with the single brightest star in our sky.
“We’re in for one hell of a storm, Steven. Hope you have a good set of sea legs for this one. It’s going to get ugly.”
Ugly…everything that Lena wasn’t. How ironic.
“I’ll be ready when it comes, Captain.”
Captain Crayle stood and continued to fuss with the placement of the ashtrays and centerpieces. Steven suppressed a smile at this open display of the captain’s domestic worries. “When we reach port, naturally there’ll be complications. The police will want statements, just as a formality. You and Ms. Reilly will have to remain on the ship for a while after we dock.”
“I understand.”
“That’s settled then.”
Settled. That’s how we like our problems. Everything has to be neat and precise, swept under rugs. God forbid anything should be left as a loose end. We’re not like Lena. She could keep a wound open for life. And she did. It was her favorite pastime.
“I better go inform Ms. Reilly and return to the bridge.”
“Allow me, Captain. You have a ship to run. I’ll break the news to Priscilla.”
“Thanks, Steven. And don’t worry. We’ll put a lid on the chatter. Not a soul knows about Charlegne’s death except for the ship medic, you, soon-to-be Ms. Reilly, a couple of the ship’s staff, and me. We won’t let it get around. We don’t need the extra headache.”
Sunny Side Up Page 8