“Given up even hiding now?” Jack asked. “You really are pathetic.”
“Just calm down there a second, pardner. You been coming at me like a wild bull with its tail on fire for two weeks now, and you haven’t once stopped to tell me why.”
Jack stalked him, speaking slowly. “You know why.”
“I truly don’t, pardner. Truth is you got me terrified. One night we’re drinking together, nice as pie, the next you start coming at me like a mad man. Killing me over and over, for heck’s sake, strange as that sounds.”
“I wish that were true,” Jack snarled, “but we both know that killing someone on this goddamn ship is impossible.”
“You believe that, Jackie? Do you really think that what you’re doing isn’t plain ol’ killing?” He lifted up his shirt to show a deep purple bruise where Jack had previously stuck a knife in. “You think that when you stab me, shoot me or drown me, I’m okay? You told me a story once about how you let rage overcome you. It didn’t turn out so well for you, did it?”
Jack thought about how killing the drug dealers had changed him, how it had sickened his soul. But what he had been doing to Donovan was not the same. The man was a rapist – the lowest form of human being.
“You’re wandering down a dark and shadowy path, Jackie. You give in to that rage again, after what it did to you the last time, and there might be no coming back from it. We could be stuck on this ship for all eternity. Do you really want to lose yourself to violence? Is that how you want to spend your existence?”
Jack felt his heart pounding in his chest, his fists clenching of their own accord. “What do you suggest I do, then? You’re a sick monster. Should I just forget about it?”
Donovan shook his head and exhaled wearily. “I’m not the one who’s sick here, Jackie. You obviously have something inside of your head that’s making you do these crazy things, and I for one would like to know what it is.”
“You know exactly what you did, Donovan. Don’t deny it.”
Jack was through with talking. He lunged for Donovan, but this time the other man was ready for him. This time the cowboy whipped his pistol from its holster and smashed the grip against the bridge of Jack’s nose, breaking it. Jack went blind, his vision exploding in bright colours and white flashes. The pain overwhelmed his entire skull. Blood flowed down the back of his throat and choked him. Donovan attacked again, this time smashing his fist squarely into the centre of Jack’s chest and crushing the wind from his lungs. He fell to the floor, blind and breathless.
“Now,” Donovan said calmly. “I hope I just made it clear that I can take you on any day of the week if I choose to. You’re a capable man, Jack, no doubt – but I’m better, understand?”
Jack said nothing, until Donovan prodded him with his toecap and caused the pain in his ribs to reignite. “Okay, okay, I understand.”
“Good, because the reason I haven’t fought back until now is, firstly, because I was pretty darned surprised when you came at me, but secondly, because I like you, Jackie. You’re a buddy, stuck in the same shit puddle as me. The kinder part of me is certain that there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for your loopy behaviour, but the more cynical side of me is getting pretty worn out with having to fight you. So can we please have a discussion about what we have going on here between us?”
“You know wha-”
Donovan booted Jack in stomach. “No, Jack! I do not know shit about shit, so enough with that, okay? You sound like a self-righteous asshole every time you shout that at me. I don’t know why you’re so angry, or what I’ve done to you, but so help me God you have about six seconds to tell me.”
Jack gasped and managed to catch his breath. “T-Tally.”
“What are you talking about?” Donovan asked. “What about Tally?”
“You…you fucking raped her, you sick fuck.”
Donovan hopped forward and swung his leg like he was taking a penalty kick. The blow caught Jack under the chin and sent him halfway to oblivion. He barely managed to remain conscious, felt like he was falling asleep.
“How dare you accuse me of such thangs,” Donovan shouted. His accent had become thicker than ever. “I ain’t hurt a woman my whole entire life. You say those things ‘bout me again, Jackie, and my violent temper is gunna get the better of me, d’you hear?”
Jack rolled himself onto his side and spat a mouthful of blood onto the metal grating. “You…you…you deny it?”
“Deny it? I’m goddamn telling you that the very notion is offensive to me. I don’t know what that broad has been filling your head with, but she left this place as happy as a lamb the night you got, you know, plugged. I’m still sorry about that, by the way, but I guess we’re pretty much even now with the way you been behaving.”
Jack managed to stumble up onto his hands and knees, flinched when Donovan reached out to him. But it was only an offer of assistance. Jack took the hand and climbed to his feet unsteadily.
Donovan nodded to him. “You going to behave now, Jackie?”
Jack didn’t see any option but to agree. He was beat. “I’ll listen to what you have to say, but you best be telling the truth or so help me…”
Donovan pulled out a couple of chairs from the storage space behind the pallets and helped Jack down onto one. “There’s only one liar aboard this ship, pardner, and it ain’t you or me.”
“You really did a number on me,” Jack admitted, wincing in his chair.
Donovan chuckled. “Well, you can’t say you never had it coming. I wouldn’t worry, though. I figure you’ll be perfectly fine this time tomorrow – ‘cept a little bruising here and there.”
Jack huffed and found that it hurt his ribs immensely. “Tell me why Tally would say that you attacked her if you didn’t?”
Donovan shrugged. “Beats me? But think about it, you’re a police officer.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that for every two women who’ve been genuinely attacked, there’s a third making false allegations. Usually just to destroy a man’s life out of some sort of spite.”
Jack thought about it. It was true that in his years on the police force he had seen woman cry rape before when it wasn’t true. What was so maddening about those claims was how much harder it made things for genuinely abused woman to seek justice. Nonetheless, it was true that some people were capable of such lies, but was Tally? Jack didn’t see any sense in it.
“Why would Tally want to accuse you?” he said. “What would she have to gain?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, pardner. Maybe it would be best if we went and asked her.”
“I don’t know about that. She went into hiding after…after what you allegedly did. I don’t want to scare her away again.”
“Look, Jack. I don’t know what the hell her deal is, but she’s up to something. I don’t know what she has to gain by making us enemies, but it obviously factors into some agenda she has. Maybe she’s behind this whole time-crap magic that’s been going on. Maybe I was getting close to something she didn’t want me to know about.”
Jack laughed. “What, by getting drunk and gambling? You haven’t discovered anything.”
Donovan nodded. “Perhaps you’re right, but either way, the only person who knows for sure is her.”
Jack thought about it and decided he agreed, with certain conditions. “Okay, I’ll go find her and talk to her. But you stay here until we speak again.”
Donovan sighed. “She convinced you of lies last time, so what makes you so sure you won’t buy the same line of bullshit again?”
“Because I’m a good police officer. And if I have reason to suspect someone is lying then I’ll know whether or not they are. I had no reason to doubt her before, but this time I’ll search a little deeper.”
“Okay, Jackie. I trust you.”
“If I find out that she’s telling the truth…”
Donovan raised his gun at Jack. “Then you and me will have a problem, which is why
I’m hoping you’re as good as you say you are at detecting bullshit.”
Jack turned around and said nothing.
***
Jack hadn’t seen Tally since the day she’d told him she’d been raped – the night they had lain together like lovers. Jack was mad at himself for not checking in with her sooner – letting his vendetta against Donovan consume him.
Jack couldn’t believe he was in a situation that now involved a rape accusation in addition to a deadly manmade virus and a supernatural time spell. Coming aboard the Kirkpatrick to relax was the single most stressful thing to ever occur in his life. Irony didn’t even begin to describe it.
There were likely two places Tally would likely be: the Sports Deck, if she were still trying to help the children, or her cabin. It was still pretty early in the day, so Jack was guessing the latter. He had a quick think about where she’d led him on the night he’d visited her room. He remembered it was aft on A Deck. He headed for the elevator and pressed the CALL button. A couple of minutes later, he was on A Deck heading towards Tally’s cabin. A maid passed him along the way, smiling and nodding, but other than that, the entire deck was deserted. He located the cabin he felt sure was Tally’s and knocked on the door. After ten seconds of waiting, he knocked again.
Then somebody knocked on the back of Jack’s head and the lights went out.
Day 235
At 1400 Jack did not wake up. Not until 1425 did he finally stir. His head whirled with a faraway throbbing. Whatever had struck him in the back of the head had been enough to knock him out cold for the rest of the day, or had perhaps even killed him. Midnight would have eventually come and started things over again. For the first time ever, Jack had overslept.
Putting his feet onto the carpeted floor of his cabin, he eased himself up until he was standing. The room tilted and for a moment he thought it was his vision, but then he realised it was the ship that was rocking. He was usually out in the corridor by now, heading for the Promenade Deck and the two racing little boys.
He went into the bathroom and stared at the mirror. The flesh beneath his eyes was dark and his pupils were wide. He looked tired, and felt it too.
He had fallen for Donovan’s bullshit.
After leaving the cargo bay for Tally’s cabin, Donovan must have followed him and attacked him. It was a risky move because the man knew that Jack wouldn’t stay dead, but obviously he had decided it was time for him to fight back. In a way Jack didn’t blame the man, but it now made things very clear – Donovan was one of the bad guys.
Jack felt that familiar anger rise up in his guts, but took a deep breath and suppressed it. He turned on the taps and splashed some cold water on his face. Forgetting everything else, Donovan had been correct about one thing: Jack was being consumed by his rage. It had destroyed his life once before and now he was allowing it to control him again. Running around the ship like a madman and committing murder would never have been acceptable to the man Jack used to be – the man who was in love with Laura. Once upon a time he had believed in justice and doing things by the book. Now he had become something else.
Something still needed to be done about Donovan, but there had already been too much violence. Jack would have to find another way. A way that meant not losing a part of his soul.
He got dressed and sat down on the end of the bed, staring at the blank television screen and thinking about the virus onboard. It was still unclear whether or not it was the reason for everything that was happening. Was there really a way to stop it? To save everyone from their grisly fate? Jack had tried before, but it had been no good. What was he missing? Why was he stuck here? Who was responsible? There were so many questions that his throbbing skull began to ache even worse.
As he turned his thoughts to how he was going to spend his day, Jack decided that all he wanted to do was find Tally. He’d been jumped right outside her room and it was a possibility that Donovan had hurt her again. Jack needed to make sure she was okay.
But when he went and tried her cabin again, there was no answer. The next place he searched was the Sports Deck, but that, too, was free of Tally’s presence. He would try again later, but decided, for now, to visit the pool area and sun deck. Perhaps Tally would be working there again, trying to find some comfort in her old role.
He ordered a drink from the bar in High Spirits and took it out with him to the lounger beside Claire. They exchanged small talk as usual but Jack paid no mind to her today. He was more concerned with keeping a look out for Tally. Every second she didn’t appear made him worry worse.
“You’re in a nosey mood,” Claire said to him.
Jack looked at her, hearing her words but not really absorbing them. “Huh?”
“You keep looking around the ship and staring at people.”
“Oh. Yeah, I suppose I do. I’m a…health inspector. I travel on cruise liners to look out for signs of infectious illnesses.”
Claire went pale. “What?”
Jack put a hand up. “Oh, don’t worry. We’re talking Avian Flu at worse, and that wouldn’t threaten a healthy young girl like you. Have you seen anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms?”
Claire nodded her head enthusiastically. “My boyfriend.”
Jack kept his voice calm, not wanting to panic the poor girl, but saw that he had an opportunity to ask her some important questions. “I’m sure there’s no reason to worry, but do you know where your boyfriend might have caught it from? Has he been mixing with anyone else under the weather?”
Claire shook her head. “I don’t think so, but then I flew out a day earlier than he did. Him and his mates got drunk and missed the original flight. They had to board in Majorca instead of Barcelona like I did.”
That was interesting, thought Jack, because Claire was healthy and Conner was not. They had boarded in separate locations. Conner had boarded the same day Jack had, but Jack himself was perfectly fine. He felt like he was close to something, but not quite there. “What about your boyfriend’s mates? Are they ill?”
“I think so.” Claire looked worried. “They had the sniffles this morning at breakfast. I don’t know how bad they are, though.”
“Like I said, no need to worry, miss. I’m sure it’s just a cold virus spreading.”
“What if it is something worse? Would I be at risk?”
Jack looked at Claire and wondered why she was so concerned about a cold. “No. There’s no reason you would be at risk. Flu viruses are only a danger to the elderly, the very young, or-”
“Pregnant women,” Claire answered for him.
It all made sense. That was the reason Claire put up with the way Conner treated her. He was the father of her baby.
Jack sighed and shook his head. He’d seen so many young lives wasted by unplanned pregnancies. A baby was a wonderful thing, but uneducated, jobless teenagers were just adding to the cycle of benefit-supported, ambitionless families that were nothing but a drain on society. Not all were like that, of course.
“How far along are you?” he asked.
“A few weeks, I think. I haven’t told Conner yet. I was planning on doing it this week, maybe tomorrow at the Captain’s reception. We’re getting dressed up.”
Jack smiled, hoping that one day tomorrow would actually arrive and Claire would get to put on her dress. “Well, I hope that he takes the news well and that you’re very happy together. In the meantime, please don’t worry. There is a very good doctor onboard and I have no reason to believe there is anything to worry about.” He wished it were the truth.
Right then, Conner’s cue to arrive came and the young couple had their predictable conversation about hotdogs. Jack chose not get involved today, but was disappointed not to have learned more about how Conner caught his flu. The answer was lurking there somewhere, right beneath the surface, like a blackhead, but there hadn’t been enough time to squeeze it free.
And Tally still had not appeared.
Jack decided that the only other person with any po
ssible answers was Donovan. It was time to pay another visit to the cargo hold.
***
The cargo bay was deserted and Donovan was nowhere to be seen. The pallets and crates lay undisturbed. Jack called out, but there was no answer. He moved around the space cautiously, aware that Donovan was dangerous and also in possession of a firearm.
“I’m done with this shit, Donovan. Whatever you’re deal is; I’m ready to put a pin in it for now. When everything goes back to normal then you and I will have a different conversation. Right now, all I want is answers. I need to find Tally.”
There was still nothing but silence. Jack headed further into the cargo area, looking left and right between boxes of pharmaceuticals and the blue crates of cash. Towards the back of the area were some thick metal cases that he’d not noticed before, each the size of a footlocker. Behind them something else lay on the floor, sticking out into view by only a few inches. Jack took slow steps towards the mystery object, ready to throw a punch at the first sign of a threat.
As he got closer, it became clear what he was looking at. On the floor, sticking out from behind the crates was…
A foot.
Jack found Donovan lying on the floor, covered in blood so thick it had congealed against the metal grating beneath him. The blood was old, his body stiff. The cowboy had been dead for a while. Jack knew enough about rigor mortis to deduce that Donovan had been murdered shortly after speaking with him yesterday. He had not reset at midnight. He wasn’t coming back. It also meant that Donovan was not the one who had attacked me from behind.
Now, more than ever, he really wanted to speak with Tally.
Day 236
Jack got out of bed and made a mental checklist of the things he needed to do. Finding Tally was number one. Finding out who the pathwalker was came a close second. Stopping the virus was number three and underlined twice.
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