by Ann Mullen
“It’s time to go!” Bella demanded like a General commanding her troops. “Allison and Raphael, I want you two to lead.” She reached over, grabbed mine and Savannah’s hand, and then said, “You two walk with me.” Her next command was that Jacob and Kelvin would follow us, with Billy, McCoy and Loukas coming after them. “Sanchez and Dominique next, and then my girls, and the three sisters, followed by Utah, Steven, and Jeff. Mick, you and A.J. will bring up the rear. Any questions?”
“Not on your life, Commander Bella!” Utah shouted. “We wouldn’t think of questioning your authority. We know who wears the pants in the family.”
Loukas turned, walked over to Utah, and then said, “And you would be wise never to forget that fact.”
Everyone laughed, but we all knew Loukas’ words were true. He meant what he said.
“Shut up, Utah!” Bella yelled to him. “You need to come with us so that if anything happens, you’ll have an alibi.”
That shut him up right quickly. Nell snickered. “You know never to go up against my mother. What’s wrong with you?” She looked over at Bella and said, “Mom, we’re ready anytime you are.”
I could see it coming. Utah was going to show his butt.
Bella turned, gave the go signal, and the twenty-three of us departed the room. We turned right instead of left toward the death box, walked down the corridor out onto the outer walkway, and were greeted by bright sunshine and a heavenly warm breeze.
“Welcome to Bermuda, ladies!” Bella announced joyfully. “We’re going to have the time of our lives today. Raphael, lead the way!”
As if in true military form, Raphael, the bodyguard, took the lead, and the rest of us followed. Today, we were all going to see what a true controller Bella could be. She had planned out everything from our transportation to the sights we would see. She explained this to Savannah and me as we walked toward the exit ramp.
We were asked by the captain to please step back and let two men from Dr. Whitley’s Med Center take Peter Dawson off the ship. Dawson was strapped down on the gurney, handcuffed to the railings, and he didn’t look so well. But he was well enough to shout obscenities at us as he passed.
“What’s going to happen to him, Captain O’Riley?” I asked.
“He’s being transported to KEMH where he’ll be treated and then sent back to the states to await the authorities.”
“KEMH? What’s that?”
“King Edward V11 Memorial Hospital over in Paget Parish.”
“We wouldn’t want Dawson to escape,” I said. “That’s for sure.”
“He’s not going to,” Captain O’Riley promised. “You can bet on it. See all those cops down there? They’re going to make sure things go as planned.”
“How are Maggie and Teresa holding up?”
“Better now that they know he’s off the ship.”
“I think we all are.”
“I know I am,” Bella added.
“He put them through some pretty rough times,” the captain said. “From some of the stuff they told me, I’m surprised Maggie didn’t go crazy long before now. That man is certifiable. He should be locked up.”
“She didn’t go crazy. She was driven over the edge by those medications he tampered with. He did that to her. And, he tried to kill her daughter. I think I’d be a little nuts myself, medication overload or not.”
The captain had little to say about that, instead, he gave us the go ahead to disembark after Peter Dawson was removed. And then the captain disappeared.
As we walked, I couldn’t help but ask the question I was so eager to ask Bella. I whispered to her, “Do you think you have enough bodyguards?”
“Oh, dear, they’re not just for me and Loukas. They’re also here to protect the rest of you. We’re all together, so if one of us is a target, others could get hurt. I don’t plan to let that happen.”
“That’s good to know,” Savannah said, a little shaky.
“Are you all right?” I asked, looking at her. “You seem a bit nervous.”
“Yes, I noticed that,” Bella agreed. “You’re not frightened, are you?”
“Writing about murder is a lot different than being a part of it. It kind of freaks me out to know something’s probably going to happen, and we’re right in the crosshairs. Yeah, I’m a bit spazzed. I don’t think drinking last night helped.”
“I can relate.”
“Oh, ladies, stop worrying. Everything is under control,” Bella said, trying to put us at ease. “Let’s go explore the town of St. George. Did you know that St. George was the first capital of Bermuda? The town was first inhabited by shipwrecked British settlers way back in 1609, but most of them went on to Jamestown, Virginia. So, we kind of have a connection.”
“You know all about this place,” I said. “How many times have you been here?”
“Way too many times to remember the exact number.”
As we left the ship, I had an uneasy feeling that when we returned, things would be quite different. We were traveling with a man and his wife who could be killed at any moment by an assassin, and the rest of us could be collateral damage. The thought of that made my stomach do flip-flops. I turned, looked back at Billy, and watched as he smiled at me, and then winked. He must have been reading my mind, or he just knew me so well. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that the look on my face pleaded with him to set me at ease… and he did.
After going through the ship checkpoint, and then being greeted by the Town Crier, we gathered together and waited to hear what Bella had planned.
“We’ll be taking the tour bus we chartered,” Bella said as she pointed in the direction of the bus. “The first stop on the list is Dennis’ Hideaway. You’ll love their food. So, let’s get on the bus.”
The first thing I noticed was the name on the side of the bus—Bella Tours. I should’ve known. The second thing I noticed was the quirky signs. There was an arrow pointing both ways to Town Center in King’s Square indicating to me that all roads in St. George’s led back to Town Center. Interesting.
We stopped at Dennis’ Hideaway and were greeted by a man who, at first, gave us the once-over until he saw Bella and Loukas. After being seated, Bella explained that even though this was a casual dress restaurant, patrons were expected to dress up more than we were, but as long as no one was wearing just a bathing suit, we would be allowed to dine here. The food was excellent, and the service superb. Bella and Loukas treated us to lunch, and after looking over the menu and the prices, I figured that meal must have cost them about four hundred dollars.
An hour later, we got back on the bus, ready for the grand tour of Ordnance Island and the surrounding places of interest.
We visited the Unfinished Church, a Gothic structure that had not been completed due to lack of funds and governmental upheaval, our driver, Ollie, explained. He stopped the bus so that we could hike up to the structure to get a better look, and those of us who wanted to, did. Unfortunately, the only ones who wanted to go were Savannah, McCoy, Billy and I. We made the visit short so as not to hold up the tour too long.
I was amazed at the view of the village below with its pastel buildings and narrow alleyways. Bermuda was an interesting place with its beautiful pink beaches, strange signs, and friendly people. When we returned to the bus, I made a comment to Bella about the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the road, and I didn’t know if I could get used to that.
“Who says they’re driving on the wrong side of the road?” she asked, smiling. “Maybe we’re the ones who drive on the wrong side.”
“I never thought of it like that,” I replied.
The tour bus continued on its trek. The driver explained that Bermuda has six main islands and a hundred and twenty others in a little less than twenty-one square miles. He also said that Bermuda had more golf courses than anywhere else. They even have a golf academy. He asked if anyone wanted to play a round of golf.
“I’d rather go to the dentist,” Bertie said. “Golf is so bor
ing.”
“Stop it!” Dorothy said. “Some people like to play golf.”
“Here we go again,” Mabel said. “Don’t start!” she gave her sisters a dirty look.
I was just glad they had been seated at the back of the bus… across from Utah… who hadn’t said a word worth repeating since we left the ship. Grouchy jerk!
Our tour included a trip to Fort St. Catherine where we took the self-guided tour, and then on to Tobacco Bay. From there we toured as much of the island as we could, until, finally, we were worn out and ready to call it a day. We’d been on the bus for over three hours. We all agreed that the tour was fun as our driver headed back to town.
“Can we stop at the beach?” Bertie asked. “I’d love to walk in the sand and then get my feet wet in the ocean.”
Bella motioned to the driver, who then pulled over, and opened the door. This time, everyone got off the bus to stretch, including Dorothy, who was still using a cane. I didn’t say anything, but I think the cane was more for sympathy than necessity. Occasionally, I’d catch her walking fine, but when she’d see me looking, she’d get that limp going again. It didn’t matter. The poor woman probably deserved a little attention after being around her argumentative sister, Bertie. Thank goodness, Mabel was there to keep them straight.
We strolled on the beach, enjoying the warm sunshine and the light banter between Loukas and Bella. They joked about all the fun times they had shared together on this island. He teased her about the skimpy bathing suit she used to wear, and she kidded him about flirting with all the young women. Even after all these years, one could tell they were still very much in love. They had a bond that could never be broken.
I particularly took interest when I looked over and saw Bertie and Utah standing head-to-head, fingers pointing, and their bodies dancing around as if they were going to start boxing next. I smiled, looked around, and then realized that nobody was paying any attention to them. And if they were, they probably brushed it off knowing that someone would intervene before the two actually came to blows. When I looked back over at them, they saw me staring. I didn’t care. I stared right back. I wanted them to know that their behavior was embarrassing. They were making fools of themselves. Grow up!
They turned and puffed off in opposite directions, but not before Jena captured a photo of them at their best. I grinned when Jena looked my way. She gave me the thumbs up signal.
One truly odd thing I also noticed was that Ruby’s husband, Jeff, was continuously text messaging someone. Can’t one take a vacation away from all that, or are they so addicted to that little gadget that they can’t stop? I approached him and asked him about his cell phone, saying that I found these new ones too complicated for me. He went on to explain the functions of his Blackberry in great detail. I commented that it took me an hour to write my very first email letter. A gadget that did all the stuff that thing could do would send me around in circles. He assured me that it would not. I had to drag myself away from him. I was sorry I asked.
I wanted to go into the water for a dip, but wasn’t dressed for the occasion. I surely didn’t want to wear wet clothes the rest of the trip, so that was not an option. I thought about this and I thought about that, but my mind kept coming back to the scene with Bertie and Utah. What were they arguing about? Was it just their dislike for each other, or was it something else? My detective mind went into overdrive. What was really going on with those two? I let my mind wander. Was this a scene between two criminals who were arguing because their plans had gone asunder or failed to materialize? I put those thoughts and suspicions on the back burner for now, but I knew something was amiss with those two. I just knew it!
Thirty minutes later, we got back on the bus and listened to the driver tell us more about the wonderful town of St. George as he drove. He rattled on until we hit a bump in the road that tossed all of us forward.
A gunshot echoed throughout the bus, shattering a window.
“Sorry about that folks,” Ollie said, not even hearing the blast. “I’ve driven this road so…”
“Stop the bus!” Billy yelled. “Everyone get down. Get on the floor!”
The driver brought the bus to a screeching halt as everyone else got knocked around trying to hit the floor. I looked over in the direction of Loukas, who had been riding alongside his personal bodyguard, Jacob, and saw that he was on the floor under Jacob. Jacob’s arm was covered in blood.
Allison yelled, “Bella’s okay! Is Loukas hit?”
“He’s safe!” Jacob yelled back. “I’ve been hit in the arm, but I’m okay... fortunately.”
A second later, the screaming stopped, and all I could hear in the now silent bus, was the action of guns being brought out, and slides being pulled back. The bodyguards! They have guns! It was music to my ears. Nobody moved. I don’t know if we were waiting for our commander, Bella, to tell us what to do next, or if we were just too scared to move.
Finally, Billy called to the driver, “Okay, Ollie, you think you got enough in you to get up in your seat and get this bus moving again?”
Ollie was balled up in the stairwell of the bus. He crawled back up into this seat and yelled back to Billy, “You bet I do.” He floored the accelerator.
We were traveling at a dangerously high rate of speed when Billy told the driver he could slow down. “I think we’re safe now. The shooter didn’t get his intended victim, so I’m sure he’s run off like the coward he is. You need to get us to a hospital as fast as you can. Jacob has a gunshot wound to his arm.”
“No!” Loukas yelled to Ollie. “Take us to Welsh Clinic.”
Some of us were stunned that Loukas didn’t want to go to a hospital, but no one questioned his decision.
“I’ll have you there in ten minutes,” Ollie shouted back. “Everybody grab onto something and hold on!”
Everyone slowly got up off the floor of the bus, and started checking each other out. Shattered glass covered the seat in which Loukas and Jacob had been sitting, and shards of it were on the floor.
“Be careful,” Bella said. “There’s glass on the floor.”
I looked over at Savannah, saw that her hand was bleeding, and cried, “You’ve been hit!”
“No, I haven’t,” she said as she clutched the bleeding hand. “I cut it on this glass.”
McCoy was by her side, his arms around her, holding her. “She won’t let me see it,” he said. “I think she’s too scared to look at it.”
“Let me see,” Billy said in a calm and rational manner, crouching as he went to her. He looked at me as he passed and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I whispered nervously. My stomach was in knots, and I had the shakes as if it were ten degrees. “Check on Savannah. I think she’s hurt worse than she lets on.”
Billy took Savannah’s hand in his, looked at it, and immediately pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket. He wrapped her hand snugly with the cloth and said, “You’re going to need stitches, Savannah. That’s a nasty cut you have there.”
The ride to the clinic was short. During those few minutes, conversation was minimal, and when someone did speak, their voice would trail off in mid-sentence as if they knew no one was interested in what they had to say.
Billy hugged me as we rode. He knew I was scared, and he also knew my mind was racing. “What’s on your mind, `ge ya?” he finally asked. “I know something has your attention. You’re too quiet.”
“What would’ve happened if Ollie hadn’t hit that bump?”
His words, although spoken in a hushed tone, echoed throughout the bus. “Loukas would probably be dead.”
The Welsh Clinic was several blocks from Town Center, which was only two blocks from the police station. Luckily, our route didn’t have to go past the latter. I was sure that a bus with a shattered window filled with erratic people, riding by a police station while exceeding the speed limit might catch the attention of at least one cop. As soon as the bus pulled up in front of the pastel blue building, Lou
kas took control.
“I want everyone to get off the bus and then surround Jacob and Savannah. I don’t want spectators to see blood, and then call the police. I also don’t want our celebrity to attract the attention of onlookers. We’ll handle them later. The clinic doesn’t allow tours to anyone except contributors. If people are watching, they’ll just think we’re another group of rich Americans who want to know how those millions of dollars we’ve donated to the clinic have been spent.”
“Won’t there be other patients at the clinic?” McCoy asked. “They’re bound to see us. If a large group walks in, and a couple of them are bleeding, people get curious.”
“Loukas and Bella will fix this,” Utah said in his usual snide manner. “They always do.”
Everyone ignored Utah’s remark and got up to leave the bus… all except Ollie. Loukas instructed him to stay with the bus and cooperate with the police when they arrived.
We followed Loukas’ advice and maintained close contact within the group. We snuggled together like a bunch of penguins protecting their young eggs from the frigid cold in Antarctica. We even walked like them. Savannah was the first to laugh. By the time we got inside the building, everyone was laughing. How silly we must’ve looked—people bleeding and laughing.
Chapter 19
A door chime went ding-ding as we entered. It reminded me of the alarm system we have at our office. Since Jonathan’s house was blown up, everyone in our family has had one installed. I loved that sound. It made me feel safe.
The office was empty, so happily, the only crowd we drew was the girls behind the glass enclosure of the doctor’s clinic. They didn’t have time to react before Bella stormed their room through the patient’s entry door and requested in a most demanding way to see Dr. Welsh.
“He’s with a patient,” we heard one of the girls say.
“Go tell him right now that Bella and Loukas Constance have an emergency and need his attention immediately.”