Nameless

by Joe Conlan

  Isaac ducked behind the trunk of a tall, Florida Strangler Fig tree and slipped into his diving suit. He removed a large, jagged-edged fishing knife and sheath from his provisions bag and attached it to his belt. Once his scuba tank was firmly secured on his back, he placed his mask and flippers under his arm and walked toward the tour group. The ticket he purchased included the guided tour allowing him to take his place amongst the divers. Within minutes, his former colleague arrived at the entrance of the cavern, carrying the heavy equipment, out of breath from having run the entire distance from the ticket booth. She apologized for being late and handed the tour guide her admission stub. Isaac slipped his mask over his head and onto his face so that she wouldn’t recognize him.

  The group was forced to wait while Terry got into her suit and adjusted her scuba equipment. As she put on the last pieces of the ensemble, the guide addressed the group.

  “Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Fernando. I will be your tour guide for this cave dive. Before we begin, I want to go over a few safety rules. First, and foremost, you must never venture away from the group. Nunca. I will be leading you to the most incredible underwater sights in the cavern. You will not find anything more interesting than what I will show you.

  Second, the underwater currents can be quite strong and therefore very dangerous, muy peligroso. Do not swim below the level of the rest of the group. I am very familiar with the currents and will be sure never to dive below a safe depth.

  I know you are all experienced divers, pero por favor, be careful to ascend slowly when we return from the more significant depths. We don’t want any cases of the bends. Es muy doloroso, very painful. Do not be concerned about any dangerous fish. All the fish you will encounter in the crystal clear waters of Atkun Chen will be friendly and safe, seguro.

  It can be quite dark in many of the areas that you will be visiting, so please keep your flashlights handy. I will have a large fluorescent green flashlight attached to my belt so you will know where I am at all times. There will be a time when I have everyone shut off their flashlights to demonstrate how blinding the blackness of the cenote can be. Ten cuidado, es muy oscuro. Be very careful, you will not be able to see. It will only be for twenty or thirty seconds, so please do not be frightened. If you have a problem with this portion of the tour, please let me know before we dive. If anyone has any questions, now is the time to speak. Have a great dive and be careful. Gracias. Vamos.”

  Everyone was anxious to get the dive started. No one had any questions. Fernando led them downward hundreds of feet below the surface then through the entrance of a breathtaking limestone cavern. Thousands of stalagmites and stalactites of all sizes, shapes and colors jutted from the ground and ceiling. Roots from the trees above broke through the roof of the cave creating a dramatic scene that resembled an endless curtain of elongated Tarzan swinging vines.

  Fernando continued to the edge of the cenote and described the formation in which the divers would swim. He would take the lead followed by the divers in two rows of three abreast with one person bringing up the rear. Isaac volunteered to take the aft position. Fernando assigned the rest of the group their places in the formation. The divers then jumped into the sinkhole in the order designated.

  For the first half hour of the dive, even Isaac enjoyed the unparalleled beauty of the underground river. The previous night, he did some research about Atkun Chen and the other cenotes of the Mayan Riviera. He discovered that the ancient Mayans thought of these sinkholes as sacred, being their only source of fresh water. They used them as a medium to communicate with their Gods who lived in the Underworld. It was even said they would make human sacrifices to appease their Deity of the Water during a period of drought.

  An hour into the tour, Fernando led the divers to an area deep under the water’s surface where the rock formed a small open-ended chamber. It was in this area the tour guide planned to demonstrate the stark obscurity of the water. Isaac maneuvered himself so that he would be next to his former colleague. Fernando motioned to the group with his flashlight that he would now be turning it off and they should do the same. For the next thirty seconds, the group was immersed in a black vacuum of nothingness.

  Isaac’s moment had arrived. He grabbed Terry Smithson around her arms and chest and pulled her with great force out of the chamber down to a depth of which Fernando would not have approved. A shocked and horrified Terry tried with all the strength she could muster to break her attacker’s grip to no avail. When he felt he had reached a distance that would be outside the range of the tour guide’s flashlight, in his trademark, lightning quick motion, he released the grip of one hand, pulled the knife out of its sheath and slit her throat. Within seconds, Terry Smithson’s body went limp. He kept his grip with the one arm and swam as fast as his legs would allow away from the tour group and back in the direction of the original dive site. He continued to swim until he felt it was safe to turn his flashlight back on. By the time Fernando completed the darkness exhibition, Isaac and the half-dead Terry Smithson were well out of view.

  The current was flowing in such a direction that Fernando and his group never witnessed the blood cascading out of Terry Smithson’s slashed carotid artery. When the tour guide realized two of his charges were missing, he began to search the immediate vicinity for the next five minutes. They were nowhere to be found. Agitated they would have violated the most important rule and knowing he still had five other divers to worry about, he decided to continue the tour and let the cabrones fend for themselves.

  In the meantime, Isaac continued to dive as deep as he dared until he was sure the woman was dead. Since he removed her mouthpiece more than five minutes before, he figured if she hadn’t already bled to death, she had surely drowned. He released the body and closed off her tank so that no more oxygen would be discharged and the apparatus would maintain its weight. The body slowly sank deeper into the black water. He laughed to himself as he wondered if the Mayan God of water would be satisfied with his offering.

  Chapter 18

  Chief security officer Ted Hauser was having one of the worst weeks of his professional career. It all started when one of his best security officers was fired for possession of narcotics. He knew Ken O’Brien for many years and never would have taken him for a junkie. But, Ted had lived long enough to know that people had plenty of skeletons in their closet. He hoped everything worked out for Ken, though he figured he was going to be spending a long time behind bars.

  To make matters worse, at the beginning of the next cruise, the entire surveillance system on the Joy of the Seas went haywire. They weren’t able to get their cameras and monitors to work since the first Sunday of the cruise. He wasn’t getting much cooperation from headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale, either. The head honchos weren’t responding very quickly to his many requests to resolve the situation.

  The final straw was the disappearance of the security officer who replaced Ken O’Brien. No one had seen her since she got off the ship in Cozumel. He was most concerned about this issue. From everything Hauser had heard about Smithson, she was a very loyal and responsible employee. Certainly, it wasn’t an unheard of occurrence for crew members to quit without warning. Still, he couldn’t imagine Terry taking that route. Just the other day, she was raving about how happy she was to be working on the Joy of the Seas because some of her best friends were on the ship. He called her mother in Sydney, Australia to determine if she had any contact with her daughter. All he managed to do was cause her to agonize. The authorities in Cozumel were also contacted about Terry’s disappearance. They were no help since it was too early to start a missing person’s investigation.

  If she didn’t turn up by the end of the week, he would have King Cruise Line initiate an internal investigation. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance were just too suspicious. He considered calling Annie Bryan about the problem then thought better of it. If Smithson did end up missing for more than twenty-four hours, it would be best not to stir the pot u
ntil after the Mexican police conducted at least a rudimentary search of the hospitals.

  Now, if he could just figure out what was going on with the damn surveillance system. His maintenance people were telling him there was some type of computer glitch or virus causing the problem. No one on the ship had the skill or knowledge necessary to repair the malfunction. Ted asked his supervisor to fly someone from Information Technology to one of the Joy of the Sea’s next ports to try to take care of the problem. Not surprisingly, headquarters didn’t want to spend the money. His boss’s idea of a resolution was to wait until they were back in port in Ft. Lauderdale.

  Ted supposed it was rare for crimes to be committed onboard and most likely delaying the repairs wouldn’t have any grave consequences. However, the surveillance system was also used just as much to keep an eye on the crew as it was the passengers. If headquarters was willing to wait until Sunday, he decided he shouldn’t worry himself into an ulcer about it. He did his part. If anything went wrong, his ass was covered.

  It was approaching the end of the cruise and although Deborah and Daniel missed their children, they had gotten used to being in exotic paradises and treated like royalty. Seven days seemed short even to Daniel. They both wished they had a few more days before they had to rejoin the rat race. By the middle of the week, Daniel had surprised himself that he had actually done a decent job finally putting the investigation out of his head. A break from work had not been so bad after all. The fifth day of the cruise provided that much more incentive for delaying their return.

  That Friday night, after an incredible meal he and Deborah shared alone at one of the specialty restaurants on the ship, they returned to their suite to retire for the evening. Daniel was beginning to doubt Deborah was going to ask him to move back into the condo. The truth of the matter was she had been quite distant and hesitant from a physical standpoint. He hoped he hadn't blown it with his idiot move to make a call to the office. As he prepared for bed, he was thinking hope was all but lost. There were only two nights left before he had to go back to his depressing studio apartment. Just when he thought this night was just about over; Deborah called out from the bathroom.

  “What an amazing cruise it’s been,” she said as she slipped into a sexy, black negligee without revealing herself to Daniel.

  “It’s not over, yet,” he protested. “Don’t rush things. I’m not ready...” Daniel stopped speaking midsentence. His wife was approaching him in a see-through teddy that gave him an instant erection. It had been quite a while since he was in the same room with a half-naked woman. Deborah inquired, “Cat got your tongue?”

  “You look amazing, honey. I lost concentration.” He began to move toward her but she raised her index finger and waved it back and forth signaling him to stop.

  “Before we get to that, I have something to say... Here goes. It’s been months since we were separated. For most of that time, I was a mess. No doubt, the worst time of my life. I don’t mean to put a damper on the amazing time we’ve had, but I was very close to hiring a lawyer to file for divorce. Luckily, I didn’t rush into anything. I can honestly say it would’ve been a big mistake. We’re all human. We all make mistakes. Granted, yours was a huge one. But, I love you, Daniel. Over the past few months you’ve made me realize you really do love me too. Sometimes you have a strange way of showing it. But, I know I mean a lot to you. Believe it or not, I just made this decision today. I’ve been on the fence about it. I think we’re worth another try. I want you to come home when the cruise is over.”

  This time, instead of motioning with her index finger to stop, she used it to gesture for him to come to her. He swept her up off her feet and gently laid her on the bed. In a matter of seconds, he stripped them both naked. For the next three hours they made intense, passionate love like never before. In the first years of their relationship, their sex was always above average. For both of them, it felt like the first time again. After an hour and a half and an intense orgasm, Daniel rolled over on his back in total exhaustion only to find that Deborah wasn’t finished. She climbed on top of him and they made love for a second and final time.

  The following morning, Daniel was woken by the intercom public address announcement of a training drill for crew members. He looked at his watch and saw they had slept in on the last full day of the cruise. The memories of the reason why they were still in bed quashed any ill feeling he may have developed by missing the morning’s festivities. Both the Falcones and the Tylers decided they would relax this final day away. After they finished a late breakfast, Daniel and Deborah decided to lounge at the public pool on the Lido deck rather than take advantage of the suite’s private pool. They made a quick run to their cabin to change into their bathing suits, grab some towels and the books they were reading then made their way to the elevators. While waiting for the next one to arrive, they ran into Isaac who was descending the stairs with a plate of food apparently from the buffet. In fact, it was a couple of pieces of fruit he had brought along with him in his suitcase. His appearance wasn’t accidental.

  Daniel said, “Hey Isaac. Where have you been? We haven’t seen you in a few days.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I haven’t been feeling that great. Not that I’m sick or anything. I’ve been thinking a lot about Brynn.”

  “I’m so sorry, Isaac,” said Deborah. “One of the worse things you can possibly do is be alone when you’re feeling that way. Why don’t you join us at the pool? We’re just gonna relax, read and people watch.”

  “I don’t think I feel up to being around that many people. I’m gonna pass.”

  “Are you sure? This is the last day of the cruise, Isaac.”

  “I can’t handle it, really. I’m not gonna just stay in my cabin though. I’m thinking about going to the library and reading a book. It’ll be nice and quiet and it’ll take my mind off things.”

  “Well I have a great idea,” Deborah replied. “Tonight, we’re having our final championship game of dominoes in our suite. Daniel’s been winning way too many games. We want to take him down tonight. It’s just the four of us. You should come. Maybe you can help us knock him down a notch or two.”

  “I feel like I’m imposing. I don’t want to be a burden.”

  “Don’t be silly. We’d love to have you. The more the merrier when it comes to dominoes. Right, Daniel?”

  “Yeah, right. It would be great to have you. You should definitely join us,” said Daniel in a much less convincing manner than his wife as far as Isaac was concerned. Not that it mattered. He was definitely going to accept their invitation.

  “Well, if you’re sure. I guess I shouldn’t be alone on the last night of the cruise. Thanks again for how good you guys have been to me. I really appreciate it. What time is the game?”

  “We’re gonna have dinner then see the early farewell show at the theatre. We should be back at the suite a little bit after nine. Why don’t you come by at 9:15,” said Deborah.

  “Sounds like a plan. I’ll be there. Get ready to be crushed, Daniel.”

  “Them’s fightin' words, Isaac. Bring it on.”

  In the miniature shower stall of his cabin, Isaac shaved his body from head to toe, making sure every last trace of hair was flushed down the drain. He had been going through this process at least twice a day, every day for the past two weeks, so that any hair that he removed from his body would be too small to collect. Each time afterwards, he would inspect the floors and walls of the shower and bathroom with a magnifying glass to be absolutely certain he didn’t miss a stray hair. That was a mistake he never intended to make again.

  Just before he left the cabin for the game of dominoes, he took his third long, hot shower of the evening. He dressed in a pair of jeans and an NYPD T-shirt then checked and double-checked his bag of provisions. Satisfied he didn’t forget anything, he pulled out his laptop computer to confirm the virus he planted in the ship’s video surveillance program was still doing its job. He was sure the dumbasses on the ship wou
ld never be able to figure out how to repair the problem, but it didn’t hurt to verify it every time he left the cabin. Noting the system was still down; he snatched his bag from the floor of the closet, exited the cabin and made his way to the agent’s suite.

  Deborah answered the door when he arrived. “Hey there, Isaac. How was your day? I hope you’re feeling better.”

  “Much better, actually. I’ve really been looking forward to the game tonight.”

  “You brought something with you. What’s the bag for?”

  “Every game of dominoes so far, I’ve come empty-handed. They delivered the alcohol I ordered last week, so I thought I’d make you guys my specialty tropical drink. I thought it was the least I could do.”

  “You know it wasn’t necessary. All the alcohol is free in this suite. Why don’t you save it for yourself? I’ll put it in the kitchen for you and you can just take it back later.”

  “I’d really like to do something for you guys. It’s a one of a kind drink. It’s an old family recipe passed down from generation to generation. Once you try it, you’ll never forget it. I insist.”

  “Alright, if you insist. That’s very sweet of you. It sounds delicious. Let me take it. Does it need to stay cold?”

  “No, it’ll be fine at room temperature. But, it’s kinda heavy. I’ll carry it. Just show me where to put it.”

  “Ok, follow me. You can put it in the pantry. Everyone’s anxious to get the game started.”

  He placed his bag on the floor of the pantry then he and Deborah joined the others on the courtyard balcony. A card table was set up with five folding chairs surrounding it. Daniel and his in-laws greeted him as Isaac took his place between Deborah and Kate. The warm, heavy, humid sea air immediately struck Isaac when he passed through the sliding glass doors. As he took his seat, he thought it was a good thing perspiration couldn’t be collected for DNA evidence. It was going to be a hot night and he had a lot of work to do.