by June Shaw
Dr. Thurman held a boot in front of me. “Like this.”
“That’s fine. I’ll try it.”
He hooked it on while giving instructions on how to get it off and on. “Would you like to try crutches with this?”
“No way. No crutches.” Visions came of all the dancing I’d planned to do during this trip. Crutches did not fit into that picture. And my mood excluded wanting to dance.
“I’ll help her get started,” Gil said.
“Doc,” I said, clasping his hand, “my friend Jonathan Mill died on this ship.” My peripheral vision let me see Gil giving me a double take, certainly wondering if the man truly had been my friend. “I need to know what caused his death.”
“I need to know that, too.” Gil’s uncle supported my arm and walked me to the door. “I hope to have an autopsy report soon.”
“Then you really aren’t sure?”
Lips tight, he shook his head, looking so much like Gil. “No answers yet. Let me know if you need anything else. And be careful. Gil, you’re going to help support her?”
“I sure will. Thanks for everything.” They shook hands, and Gil gripped my arm as I hobbled through the outer office. The boot felt like a weight strapped onto my ankle. It kept me from lifting my foot too high.
A prune-faced woman in a wheelchair wrinkled her nose at me. She had been sitting there with others since I entered and was probably angry because I’d managed to see the doctor before any of them. Also, Gil had been back there before, taking up a lot of time. Now he walked briskly out the door.
I would wait until we were alone to speak with him. I’d tell him all about Tommy and his family, and ask Gil what I could do. I surely needed to intervene, to help Tommy and his family get back together.
First, I should help Gil get his own difficulty off his mind.
We stepped into an empty elevator. “What’s troubling you?” I asked.
He kept a grip on my hand. “The Executive Chef is really hassling my chef. I butted heads with the man and I’m ready to pull all of our dishes off the menu and let him have what he wants in the kitchen.”
“The galley,” I reminded, though the look he gave me said he didn’t like being corrected at the moment. It was habit and not my fault. I owned a copyediting agency, and although managers ran my offices, I sometimes needed to correct their grammar. I didn’t always think or use correct grammar because some of it sounded too snobbish. But everyone needed to know what was right for our customers.
“I went and asked my uncle for his advice about dealing with Mr. Sandkeep,” Gil said. “He told me I should do whatever made me feel best. And that would be punching Chef Sandkeep.”
“You won’t do that. I’ll bet you don’t give up, either. That’s not your style.”
He let go of my hand. The elevator stopped, people stepped inside, and we ascended. I was not going to talk about my son in front of strangers. It would be hard enough talking about it to Gil. Or anyone. Mainly because Tommy’s changed relationship would mean he and I would probably lose all of those others in his family that for so many years we’d adored.
An ache burned in my chest like a smoldering volcano.
How long had my son been away from Ramona and little Tom and Kim?
I wanted my child so badly. Why had I walked away from him? I treasured Tommy and yearned to stay around him as long as I could.
Gil bent close to my ear. “What about that fellow Randy?”
The elevator stopped, and the door opened. No one got in. The door shut. We moved on.
It took that time for my mind to grasp who Randy was, at first considering he might be the blond giant with my son. “He was in our class in high school,” I said.
“Why would you women have only one guy with you?” His lips pressed into a tight line.
Gil was afraid Randy might be involved with me? At some other time, I might appreciate his jealousy. Occasionally men still did give me appreciative looks, but those were mainly antiquated ones needing thicker trifocals.
“I had no idea Randy was coming,” I said. “I just learned he invited himself.”
The passengers with us got off the elevator once it stopped. More people stepped on.
I didn’t know where we were going, but we moved again. My mind took in a troubling situation. “I’m afraid he might have come along because he learned Tetter was coming,” I said, voice low.
Gil’s forehead smoothed. The line of his mouth relaxed. He was pleased that Randy might be after some woman besides me.
“But that’s not a good thing,” I assured him. “Remember, they’re both married.”
“Right. But what can you do about it?”
“I can try to keep him away from her.” I didn’t notice my angry voice lifted until I spied the girl backed into the corner staring at me. I gave her a tight-mouthed smile. Her mother tugged her hand, making the child focus away from me.
“You can’t get involved in everyone’s relationships,” Gil said.
“Excuse me. This is not matchmaking. This is keeping families intact.”
“Which would work great in a perfect world filled with perfect people. But that isn’t what we have.”
“We certainly do not,” I snapped, my son’s family coming to mind. I fought the sting behind my eyes.
“Cealie…”
The elevator door dinged open. I stepped out. He tried to follow, but I raised my hand. “Don’t try to come with me. Go and break up every marriage on the ship. Who cares about happy families anymore?”
He remained on the elevator. Everyone else stepped out before the door closed. Adults glanced at me over their shoulders.
I stood in place and let my tears flow. Was I so concerned about my classmates? Or did the wet searing my cheeks stem from what my son had told me?
Buffing off tears, I realized I hadn’t even gotten to share that major concern with Gil, who normally supported me.
My ankle ached like a tooth yanked without anesthesia. My foot felt too high, shoving my hip up out of place. I wanted to help all of the other people who hurt, like Tetter’s and Randy’s and Tommy’s families, but wasn’t sure what I could do.
“Can I help you?” a young woman asked. She was dressed in ship colors with a nametag that said Lily.
“I wish you could.” I shook my head.
“Come on. We’ll do what we can. Do you want to go to your room?”
“Yes,” I said and gave her the number.
She gripped my hand and led me in turtle-slow steps. The pleasant scent of almond vanilla permeated the air.
A few feet to our left, I spied a small waterfall mounted on bamboo-papered wallpaper. “What is that?” I asked.
“Oh, that’s the spa. Maybe you’ll want to use some of its services once you’re feeling better.”
“Please take me there now.” Pulse speeding, I figured I should be able to solve at least one mystery. I could discover whether my aunt had truly been in there during the time Jonathan Mill died. I hoped she was,.
Chapter 12
“Oh, wait,” I said to Lily, guiding me toward rows of workout equipment in the gym. “I can’t do that.”
“We can start easy at first,” she said. “I see your leg is hurt. We can get you working to strengthen your upper body.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
A sleek college-age girl pressing her bent arms forward in one of those machines stopped working. She gave me a curious look, like why wouldn’t I want to do that.
“We used to do exercises like those when I was much younger, but most of us didn’t have machines,” I said. “We did that to try to increase our bust size. Silly, huh?”
“Did it work?”
“I don’t know. I think what increased my size after time was eating too much.”
She exchanged a smile with me and went back to work, maybe pushing herself a little harder than before.
I hobbled farther into the gym. Women and men on treadmills gazed out
of massive windows. I saw the pretty town where my son had just crushed my heart. Near me, two men stretched on their backs on low benches and lifted free weights.
“I don’t guess you’re interested in that,” my escort Lily said, and we moved on.
A door marked Spa made my heart race. I stopped. “Lily, what time did the spa open after we sailed?”
“That would be written on your newsletter.”
“I know what the newsletter said, but someone told me she had a massage here earlier than the time on that page.”
“In here?”
“Yes,” I said and reconsidered. Sue had told us she’d had a massage. Did she say who’d given it to her?
Lily gave me a weak smile. “And?”
And if Sue did not come during that earlier time, she might have been killing a man instead. I don’t want that to be true.
“And,” I said, trying to come up with some believable excuse, “she’s my good friend, and I’d like to know if she was really so stressed that she needed a massage right after she came on the ship.”
Lily tugged my arm to move me forward. She glanced over her shoulder, probably seeing whether anyone in the gym needed her. “Most people come on cruises to get away from everyday cares and relax. Some get a drink the minute they step onboard. Some take naps by the pool. Some get a massage the minute we open.”
“Could you check and see for me? I’d love to know when she came.”
Lily stood still. Her expression turned serious. “I don’t have access to the names of people who came in the gym before today. That’s a matter of privacy for our passengers.”
“But—”
She raised a hand to stop my words. “Those pages are locked up. You wouldn’t want everyone onboard to have access to everything you do all the while you’re here, would you?”
I considered my fall from my stilt heels caused by jealousy of my aunt. I’d also lusted after Gil and argued with him. I considered my trip ashore to visit my son and my quick boarding again because of what I’d discovered.
“No, I wouldn’t want the world to know what I do.”
I didn’t see anyone else working that I might try to press for information. Spying the exit, I hobbled toward it. “So what takes place on a cruise ship…?”
“Stays on that ship. If we can be of service to you any time, let us know,” Lily said in her previous pleasant light tone.
Sure. Thanks a lot.
I took an elevator away from the area filled with buff bodies and stepped off on a deck with a name I recognized, although I wasn’t familiar with all of the deck names yet. I took a few steps and noticed scores of people shopping.
I wasn’t in a mood to shop for clothes or souvenirs, but dipped in near the checkout of a small place and bought M&M’s with peanuts. Ordinarily I didn’t eat much candy, but today I didn’t feel like fighting temptation. I needed comfort. Neither Gil nor my son gave that to me. I ripped the bag open and let the colorful sweet nutty candy satisfy my immediate need.
Limping along while popping candy into my mouth, I checked show windows of dress shops, hoping to spy friends inside.
Instead, I spotted Randy through the window of a men’s shop. He lifted a sports coat from a rack.
“Hey,” I said, walking in, “how was today for you?”
A pink tinge flashed to his cheeks. “Really nice.” Seeming to recover from whatever caused him to blush, he said, “How’s your leg?”
“Getting better. Where is everyone?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Randy, I was concerned about something today.” I leaned against the wall to get pressure off my achy leg. “I was in my room and heard a woman yelling.”
“You know how some women are,” he said with a smirk. “They can’t help but yell when they’re in the throes of passion.”
“The woman sounded like Tetter.”
“Tetter?” His lips pressed together. His eyes pulled closer together. “Did you see if it was her? What happened?”
“I don’t know. I went out in the hall but didn’t see anyone, so I called her name at doors of surrounding staterooms. Nobody answered.”
His chest lowered as he blew out a breath. “Her room isn’t around yours, is it?”
“No. We’re on different decks.”
His eyes went out of focus as though he was trying to figure out what to do. Randy appeared to notice he held a jacket on a coat hanger. He spun aside and randomly grabbed an armload of other jackets from a rack. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to try these on. I’ll see you later.” He rushed off to a fitting room. It would not take him much time to try on those last jackets. Without paying attention, he’d yanked them from a section marked Big and Tall. He was rather short with a medium build.
But he wanted to get away from me.
I waited, wondering what had caused his reaction. Why would he want to avoid me? Did he want to reach Tetter and not have me around?
My next thought made chills spike down my spine. Could he have been with her and made her yell? And then he was surprised to learn my room was close by?
Staring at the fitting room entrance, I anticipated speaking with him more. What had he and Tetter done in town? Had they stayed with the others? Or had they done like me and returned onboard soon after they’d disembarked?
“Hello. Are you waiting for your husband?” a man wearing a nametag asked. “Or were you looking for something special?”
I mumbled and shook my head, shoving away from the wall I’d leaned against. I looked over a shelf that held wallets and glanced at the dressing room entrance in time to see the top of a man’s head pulling back—Randy’s head.
He didn’t want to talk to me again, which made me want to talk with him even more. What was he hiding? I doubted he’d tell me the truth even if I thought of appropriate questions, and my leg throbbed from the sole of my foot to my knee.
I wobbled out of the shop. Supporting myself on the rail surrounding the Grand Atrium, I wondered what I could do to find out what Randy might want to keep secret. I especially needed to so that I might keep from considering what had happened to my family.
“Cealie! Hey, Cealie.” Jane’s voice barely filtered up through the din of people talking and laughing below. She and Sue stood beside the open bar. Jane lifted a stemmed glass with a pink drink toward me.
I signaled that I was coming down.
I took a glass-enclosed elevator, apprehension snaring muscles in my shoulders. I was glad I’d have Jane to talk to but didn’t relish speaking about anything significant in front of Sue.
How sad was that? Sue was family. I adored my family. But the trepidation building as I approached let me know I wasn’t sure of my feelings about her.
“Hey, girl,” Jane said when I reached her and Sue. “How are you doing now?”
“Better.”
“And how’s your leg?” Sue asked.
I shrugged and nodded, feeling my chin jut out. Sue made me realize Jane may have been inquiring about my son’s news instead of my injured body part. My inner pain was much worse, but I wasn’t ready to share that information with this relative. “I traded in my wheelchair for this boot.”
“Here, sit.” Jane shoved a barstool behind me. “One of these will take the edge off.” She indicated to the waitress that I wanted a drink similar to hers.
I sat, satisfied to get off my leg. The Killer Daiquiri drink of the day came. Jane gave the waitress her sailing card and signed the bill. I thanked her and sipped the sweet drink. Icy cold rushed down my throat. Rum relaxed me a little.
“Did you eat much today?” Sue asked me and let the waitress know she wanted another drink.
“I did,” I said, recalling those M&M’s. I spied peanuts in a crystal dish on the bar and nibbled a handful.
Jane signed the bill for Sue’s drink. “We didn’t do any tours, but shopped and bought the cutest things. That town is adorable.”
“I’ve been here,” I said, and then was s
orry. I didn’t want to discuss Tommy now. “Freddy and I often took this cruise.”
Ignoring the mention of my deceased husband, Jane said, “I bought the neatest lap blanket and a sweatshirt and fleece vest.”
“Nice. And what did you get?” I asked Sue, satisfied to have something to discuss with her.
“Bear claws for everyone. They’re flat and wooden, and you can use them to toss salads or pasta.”
“What a great idea.” I took a couple more sips of my drink. My unease lightened but remained. Crowds grew around us and on the visible section of the deck above. I noticed Jane looking at and away from me. Was she concerned that I might start an uncomfortable discussion about Tommy’s changed lifestyle? Or had she and Sue been talking about that when they spied me?
Another concern took precedence over what they thought about me or my family. “Okay, this is bothering me,” I said. “Has Tetter told either of you what her problem is?”
Jane shook her head. “We still don’t know.”
“I’m starting to not care.” Sue took a large swallow from her glass.
Annoyed with her response, I asked, “What did she and Randy do onshore? Did they shop with you two?”
“Uh-uh.” Sue set down her glass. “They had other things to do.”
“By the time I rolled you to your room and went back to shore, they had gone off. Sue sat waiting for me at an outdoor table under a thatched roof.”
“Randy told me they’d see us later,” Sue said. “He said they might take in a tour.”
“Did he say which one? Or did he ask whether y’all wanted to go with them?” I asked.
Sue shook her head, wearing a wry grin. “I don’t think Tetter knew anything about that tour. Randy probably didn’t, either. I believe he didn’t want us with them.”
“Did you see them again?” I asked.
Both women shook their heads.
“They might still be together. Doing fun stuff,” Sue suggested, eyeing a good-looking hulk of a man edging to the bar and ordering a drink. He glanced at Sue, apparently knowing she watched him. Their gazes lingered on each other. A smile traced his lips, a wider smile growing on hers.
