by Edwin Dasso
“You need to lose the stilettos,” Barb reminded her as she laughed and rolled her eyes. “After all, this is the beach, and we’ll get nowhere fast if you don’t take them off.” She turned to Allison. “You change your mind, Al?”
Allison shook her head. “Nah. I’ve got a couple of phone calls to make and I’m headed back to the Magnolia.” She looked at Kat. “Should I take these nine-inch heels back for you?” she laughed. “By the way, they’re a beautiful pair of shoes. Looks like something I might have designed,” she admitted with a laugh.
Kat grinned. Allison, for all her faults, was an incredible designer. “Now, that’s a compliment, and yeah, you can take them. Not a good idea for the beach.” She kicked off her shoes and handed them to Allison. “Have a great nap. I’m envious, but I can’t sleep on a day this beautiful."
Allison grinned “Yeah. It is beautiful but let me remind you all that I live in California and we have lots of beautiful days there. Trust me, a nap is what I need.”
Kat nodded and turned to Barb. “Okay, then, let's go.”
Barb and Kat had walked about a hundred yards when they saw a small boat, a little larger than a dingy, tied up to the pier. "I'm surprised to see a small craft this far out on the Gulf." Barb paused, held her stomach and said, “You know, I really ate too much. I don’t feel well.”
Kat gave her a concerned look. "Hopefully, it’ll pass as we continue to walk. The boat is probably something fishermen use for bait, or perhaps it just floated down here.” “Don’t worry, you’ll be okay in a bit. Your food will digest, I promise,” she said with a laugh.
"Let's go take a look," Barb picked up her speed. “It’s a ways out there but I need the exercise after that huge meal. You okay with that?"
Kat nodded. "Yeah. Let's do it." The two friends had walked the equivalent of several blocks when Kat noticed some colorful fabric blowing in the breeze. She laughed and pointed, "Boy, these Gulf fishermen are getting fancy these days. I wonder what that is. A fancy flag or a fishing lure?”
Barb shook her head. "Your guess is as good as mine. Have you looked at fishing lures these days? I almost bought a couple of pair to wear as earrings.” She watched the hot pink and blue fabric blow in the wind. “I’ve no idea what that is. Let's check it out."
The two women reached the boat and looked down into it. It was a typical small craft fishing boat with a couple of bench seats and an ice cooler. There were two oars mounted on the sides and the back sported a Johnson 35 engine.
Kat shook her head and looked away. “Ooh, can you smell that? There must be a dead fish or bait or something in the cooler. It smells awful. What's under the tarp?"
Barb didn’t respond and continued to stare into the boat. Finally she spoke, her voice weak and breathless, "Oh my God, oh my God, look, look." Barb pointed to the bottom of the boat. Her face was pale and wan.
"Are you okay, Barb?" Kat stared at her friend. “You’re pale as a ghost.”
Barb was so rattled she could hardly speak. Her voice was low. "Look, look, Kat. It's a body!” Her voice was breathless, her face ashen. “Look. Can you see? It’s a body. It’s a woman, I think that’s her hair. It’s blonde and blends into the rope. She's partly hidden under that tarp."
Kat leaned over as far she could. "Oh no," she cried out. "You’re right. It is a body. Look. There's one of her shoes at the end of the boat right next to that old bucket." Kat stared at the dressy sequined shoe.
The two women stared at each other in shock. Barb reached for Kat and grabbed her as the two women gaped at the horrific scene, hardly believing what they saw. Sure enough, it was the body of a woman. The corpse was bloated and disfigured, but it was clearly a woman with light-colored hair.
Barb looked around them, nervous and jumpy. "Do you see anything, or anyone, Kat? Do you think the murderer is looking at us?" A feeling of paranoia enveloped her.
Kat looked around. "No, I don't think so. The killer is long gone. I think she's been in here for a pretty good while." Kat’s heart hammered in her chest. She’d never seen a dead body before. She was sure the woman had been murdered. Why else would she be crammed into the small fishing boat?
Barb shook her head. "I don’t think so. She hasn't been here that long. It doesn't look like seagulls or flies have attacked her.” She rubbed her hand across her forehead. “In fact, I don’t think she’s been dead that long. Maybe last night."
"I'll stay here with her," Kat’s voice was calm. "You go back and tell Allison. Have the restaurant call the Biloxi police." Barb didn’t move, still mesmerized as she looked at the dead woman. "She… she looks so young," Barb stammered. "It looks like she has on some sort of fancy costume, like maybe a dance outfit," Barb continued to study the body as she began to shake. She wrapped her arms around herself to steady her shaking. “Believe it or not, I’m freezing,” she complained.
Kat nodded. "Me too. I think we’re both scared out of our wits.” Kat moved the tarp an inch to the left. “Yeah, I can see something shining, maybe sequins, around her wrist. I guess the chiffon scarf that is blowing in the wind is part of her costume. She turned to Barb who looked weaker by the second. "Are you okay to tell Allison and get us some help. Call the police. The wind is picking up, and I don't want the boat to float away."
Barb didn’t respond. She was deathly pale, her pupils dilated. “I…I’m so dizzy. I feel sick. I don’t think I can walk.” Her voice was soft and breathless. “I’m, I’m light-headed.”
Kat assessed her friend. Barb did look ill. She was sweating, weak, and her speech was slurred.
“What is it, Barb? Are you upset about the body?” Kat’s anxiety skyrocketed. “You’re the nurse! You’ve seen bodies before,” she tried to joke.
Barb shook her head and tried to lift her feet. “I…I can’t walk. I …. I’m freezing I…I don’t think I can walk,” she moaned softly. “I feel numb all over. There is something wrong with me. It must be something I ate.”
“What Barb, what? What can I do?” Kat’s anxiety climbed as she looked at her friend who was weaving on the dock. I have to get her to sit down or she’ll fall in the water.
Barb struggled to get her phone out of her pocket but instead, she shifted forward and Kat helped her into a sitting position on the pier. Kat was thankful she hadn’t fallen into the water. “Talk to me, Barb,” she begged as she squatted beside her friend, the dead woman forgotten for a moment.
Barb’s eyes were huge. Her pupils dilated. "Kat, something's… wrong with me… Call…help." Her head fell forward and her eyes fluttered. “Get… help…please.”
Kat was frightened, terrified in fact. Barb’s face was flushed, her breathing ragged and uneven. "Oh no, Barb. Do you think you could be having an allergic reaction to something?"
Barb was having a hard time focusing her eyes on Kat. "I… I don't know. I just… not breathe.” Her head fell to the side.
Barb looked horrible. Her color was ashen, and she was covered with a sheen of perspiration. She was semi-conscious and was having a hard time breathing. Kat screamed at the top of her lungs for Allison who came running. Kat hollered, "Call 911. Call 911. Barb has some sort of a reaction or something. Something has happened to her," she cried. “And, there's a dead woman in the boat," she added as an afterthought. The last thing she was worried about now was the dead woman. After all, dead was dead and she couldn’t help her, but Barb was still alive, at least for now.
Allison ran for her phone and dialed 911 and then scurried into the restaurant for help. She ran quickly towards Kat, "Oh my God, what is wrong with her? What’s happened to Barb?”
Allison tugged at Kat’s arm, her eyes filled with fear. "She's okay, isn't she? She's alive, oh God, please tell me she's alive," Allision sobbed. “Look, look, Lida is coming back.”
"Yes, yes, she's alive. I can feel a pulse in her neck. I think maybe she was allergic to something we ate, maybe a spice or something. Whatever it is, it's a serious reaction," Kat said softly as she stroked Ba
rb’s hand.
Lida had tears in her eyes. “What happened? Did she just pass out? I heard all the noise and decided to come back.” She struggled to sit next to Barb but couldn't get down on the deck because of her broken arm. "Lida, you stand and watch for the ambulance. I’ll sit here next to Barb.”
Lida nodded but Kat wasn’t sure she understood. Lida looked confused and uncertain. She turned to Allison. “Go with Lida and go down and wait for the ambulance,” she directed.
Allison nodded and took Lida’s hand. “Let’s go, Lida. We’ll walk down to the restaurant and wait for the ambulance.”
Lida looked at Kat. “I’d rather stay with you.”
Kat shook her head. “No, go on down with Allison. I'm gonna stay focused on Barb. If I have to, I'll start CPR," she murmured in a small, frightened voice as her mind searched to remember the ratio of breaths to compressions. Kat’s face was pale as her heart raced in her chest.
Tears welled up in Lida's eyes. "Oh no, oh no. Don't say that, Kat. She's gonna be fine. The two women tried to calm each other as they talked quietly on the pier. Kat monitored Barb's pulse and breathing. Finally, they heard the sirens of an ambulance in the distance just as Allison re-appeared on the dock. “They’re finally here!” Her voice was a screech.
“Barb’s very sick. She’s having a hard time breathing. Maybe something she ate. I don’t know.” Kat was close to tears.
A minute later two paramedics appeared, loaded Barb on a stretcher and started an IV. Her vital signs were diminished. Kat heard the paramedic say her blood pressure was 92/60 and falling. Her heart rate was irregular. Her pupils were dilated.
What was wrong with her friend. Barb was in perfect shape and spent more hours at the gym than she did. What was happening? Plus, there was a dead woman in a dingy and her friend could barely breathe.
"What did she take? Is she a drug user,” the paramedic barked at Kat. “Is this a drug overdose?”
Kat stared at him, bewildered by his question. She bristled in anger. “Hell, no. She’s not a drug user. She’s a nurse. She’d never take illegal drugs.” Kat glared at him and cursed him for being so insensitive.
The paramedic rolled his eyes. “Is your friend on drugs?” he asked quietly. “This looks like a drug reaction to me. And, by the way, there are plenty of nurses that take illegal drugs.”
“You heard her,” Allison snapped. “Barb doesn’t use drugs. She doesn’t even smoke pot.”
The medic ignored Allison. He looked back and forth impatiently at Kat and Lida. “Tell me the truth. Her life depends on it.” His voice was strident as he locked eyes with Kat. “Excuse me, ladies. Answer me. She's gravely ill and she may die,” he roared as he threw up his hands, his voice impatient at the lack of response.
“No. Hell no. No drugs. Barb’s a nurse. We just finished lunch. There are no drugs involved,” Lida sputtered in a voice she didn’t recognize as her own. “It had to be something she ate.”
The second paramedic interrupted and poked his friend’s arm. “We’ve gotta go. Her BP is falling,” his partner said as he inserted a plastic airway into Barb’s mouth. He held a resuscitator bag under his arm. NOW," the second paramedic hollered. “MOVE.”
"Will she be okay?" Lida’s voice trembled. She rubbed goose bumps from her arms. "Please, please don't let anything happen to her."
The second paramedic nodded. "I hope so. We’ll do our best, Miss. Come and follow us to the hospital. We should be there in ten minutes. We’ll need a medical history and background information."
Lida watched the paramedics carry Barb away. Her eyes streamed tears and she sobbed uncontrollably. Kat hugged her until the tears stopped. They stood to one side of the dock and watched the police approach and view the body in the boat as the crime scene team took pictures of the dead woman. Allison sat still on a bench near them.
"Did you see her? Did you see the lady in the boat?” Lida asked Kat, fear in her voice. Kat noticed her hands were shaking.
Kat nodded. "I did see her, or at least part of her," she replied as they walked away from the crime scene.
"What did she look like?" Lida’s voice was quiet.
Kat shrugged her shoulders and thought back to the woman in the boat, "I didn't see much of her, but she had long hair, probably blonde, that was mostly under a tarp. Someone had apparently tried to cover her, but the wind had blown part of it away. It looked like she had on a blouse, or a costume with sequins but I can't be sure."
Lida gave a small cry and nodded as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Did you notice anything else?" she asked in a shaky voice. “Anything at all?”
Kat shook her head and tried to remember. "No, not really. Although, she did have a large gold signet ring on her index finger." She paused for a moment to recall the body in the boat and said, "Barb didn't think she'd been in the boat very long. Her body was swollen, but none of the seagulls had tried to get her."
Lida whimpered and stopped walking. She stopped and wiped tears from her face but they continued to come.
Kat turned back and stared at her. "What's the matter? Why are you crying? You look like you've seen a ghost. What's the matter?" Kat walked towards Lida and hugged her.
Lida was paralyzed in place. Her eyes were huge and her uncasted hand shook. She shook her head repeatedly "I think I know her. I think I know who she is.”
Kat put her arm around Lida’s shoulders and walked her over to the table where they sat down. Moments later Allison joined them. She looked at Lida and raised her eyebrows. Kat didn’t say anything. Lida continued to cry softly. Kat saw Melody standing at the restaurant door. Her face was grim.
"Guys, we've got to get to the hospital to check on Barb. They said they'd be there in a few minutes,” Allison reminded them. "What's the matter. Lida, why are you crying?" she asked. “Whatever has happened to upset you so much?”
“It’s the dead body in the boat Barb and I saw her while y’all were down here,” Kat’s voice was quiet. “Lida thinks she knows her.” She looked over at Allison. “Where did you go, Allison? You just sort of disappeared on us.”
“I was in the restroom. My stomach was a little upset as well, but nothing nearly as serious as Barb,” she replied slowly. Her eyes widened. “Or at least I hope not.” Kat patted Allison’s hand absently.
The three of them sat at the table where they’d had lunch; as tears streamed down Lida’s face. Kat pulled a small pack of tissues from her purse and handed them to her. Lida’s shoulders heaved uncontrollably as she tried to speak. "I think that's the body of Valerie Smith. She works at the casino. She's a dancer." She stared at Kat and then wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Or, at least she was a dancer.”
Kat’s mouth fell open. "You… you know her? A dancer? Who would kill her?"
Lida gulped and studied her fingernails. She shook her head and seemed unable to speak. Kat noticed she’d been pulling at her cuticles, one of Lida’s well-known nervous habits. "She… she's been missing for three days. No one has been able to reach her. They killed her," she said in a soft voice. “I know they did."
"Who killed her? Who killed her, Lida? What are you talking about?” Kat raised her voice. “Who is they?”
Lida clamped her mouth shut and hugged her arms to her body. “I don’t know. I really don’t know, but there have been several women killed recently.” Her hand gripped the table. Kat could see her fingernails blanch.
Kat shook head. “You need to talk to the police. If you have any information about this, you need to call the police," Her voice was forceful. “You need to call them right now.” Kat pulled her cell from her purse and set it in front of Lida. “Call them now.”
Lida looked terrified. Her eyes darted all around them. She shook her head. "No. No. I can't say anything." She struggled for words. “I don’t know anything, not really.” She gulped and swallowed. “I’m probably wrong. I don’t know a thing.”
"But you do know something. You have to, Lida. Y
ou must tell the police.” Kat glared at her friend. “You do know something. You can't withhold information," she reminded her in a low voice. "You just can't not help. If you know anything about that woman’s murder, you need to speak up."
Lida shook her head. "Valerie has a three-year-old daughter. She loved her dearly. I wonder who will take care of her," she said, almost to herself.
Kat persisted and said, "Come on, Lida. I'll take you to the police station in Biloxi." She looked at Allison. "Can you go and check on Barb? I'll be there as soon as I can."
"No, no. I'm not going to the police," Lida said in a loud voice. “I'm not going." Her voice was hysterical. “I can’t go. I just can’t.”
"Would you like some iced tea, or just some water?" A soft voice asked startled them.
Kat looked up and saw Melody, their waitress. She shook her head as she looked at Lida and Allison. "Yes, would you bring Lida a glass of water, please?"
"Sure," Melody said. She looked at Lida. "Who is the body in the boat? Is it Valerie?" she asked Lida softly. Lida and Melody locked eyes.
Kat saw Lida nod slowly and whisper, “I think so,” as tears crowded her eyes and then poured out of them.
"You gotta get out of there, Lida," Melody’s voice was matter-of-fact. "Joe can't protect you. They'll kill you - you know that, don't you?"
