by Anna Collins
The one thing I could say for sure was there was nothing stale or dull about this couple. They always had this tendency of keeping me on my toes and wondering what was going to happen; what was going to make me jump out of my skin.
“You know I don’t like somebody talking about me behind my back. It’s a good thing I’m right here, and my ears are burning. I think every day with you is a gift. There isn’t a moment that goes by I don’t think about you. I feel almost drawn to your magnetic personality. You always surprise me and keep me wondering. This is what life is about my friends.” Wes said wearing a similar outfit; it almost made them look like twins.
“We did say we wanted to get an early start. There’s enough here for everybody to carry something. I’ll be responsible for the picnic basket. There will be no peeking and what I have in here will surprise you. I want you to continue guessing until the moment I reveal the contents,” She said sounding like a trophy wife and not the unhinged crazy person I had met the first time.
“You heard my wife. The weather is fantastic, and there is no better way to christen my boat than with the company of some good friends. I do like the both of you in different ways of course,” Wes said as he knocked the captain hat off of Casper’s head.
“I know, and there can only be one captain of the vessel. I should have known better than to try to usurp your authority. You are obviously the professional. You did mention you have been boating before. I hope you will forgive any mistakes we might make. We are a little green when it comes to this,” Casper said while trying to be a good guest to the host.
“I’m glad you understand. You’re lucky I didn’t burn it, but I’m feeling in a very charitable mood today. You always want to have a clear head when you go boating. You never know what kind of surprises might come up. A swell on the horizon or a weather formation to keep you guessing is one of many things. I want to be fully aware of what I’m doing,” Wes said as we walked down the path leading to the water’s edge.
Rita whispered into my ear “I just want to make sure our little misunderstanding didn’t cause any problems between you and Casper. I’m a little protective like I would be with any of my children. Come to think of it, I shouldn’t think of him as my child; the things I want to do with him would be illegal. I know eventually, he would have crumbled, but then you came along and ruined everything. He does look happy, and you should always make him smile. I can’t promise you I won’t interfere in your relationship,” Rita said with just a modicum of the evil bitch I had witnessed firsthand.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. You both want him to be happy. I’m not foolish enough to think you didn’t have designs on being with him yourself. I’m not sure what your plan was or how you were going to fit in with the relationship you have with Wes, and I’m not sure if i want to know,” I said with her laughing with this mirthful glee; it seemed fake and genuine at the same time.
The boat was rocking back and forth, and Wes had brought a bottle of champagne he was going to crack against the hull. “The only thing I can say today is I wish we had done this sooner. Let this boat be safe and secure. Let our travels be uneventful and full of pleasure and fun. I don’t think I have to explain the comment. Don’t be afraid to show affection to one another and we only get this one life to live,” He said as he smashed the bottle. It was an absolutely good waste of champagne in my opinion.
It was a tradition passed on from generation to generation. It was supposed to be for good luck. We climbed on board, and the anchor was lifted. We drifted off into the water. Wes was at the helm, turning the engine and pulling away from land.
“We should leave the boys here and go down and see what we can do about making that lemonade. I do hope I don’t intimidate you. My actions were uncalled for, but I felt I needed to let you know how serious I took you being involved with Casper. I wanted my time with him, and I do feel a slight pang of regret it didn’t happen,” Rita said making it sound like there was no possible way she would be able to wrench him from my grasp.
Wes had pulled out some illegal Cuban cigarettes; they had lit them and let rings of smoke curl into the air. I could see fishing poles hanging over the side, and I knew from conversations with the locals at the market there was a lot of fresh seafood to be had.
I followed Rita down into the galley. It was a little cramped, but with a bit of practice, we were able to make use of the space we had. It was well equipped, and we soon had the lemonade clinking with the ice swimming within the content.
“The one thing I can always count on when I come to see you is the unpredictable. You made a precedent when you cornered me in the kitchen. I’m half expecting you to pull out another knife or even something a lot deadlier than that. My radar is pretty sensitive, and I would be careful how you carry yourself around me. I may take exception to something you say or a motion in my direction I find threatening,” I said while following her up to where the boys were still conversing and enjoying the tobacco from the illegal contraband.
“I know of a special place within an alcove. It has been known for having some great catches. I haven’t asked you before, but do you fish?” Wes had directed his comments to Casper. He stood there quite proud of himself.
“I wasn’t much for the sport of fishing, but my uncle did take me out when I was younger. What I remember of it is a nice time where we could talk about anything and know it was a safe place. I don’t mind saying I miss him. I often find myself looking at his photo and wondering if he’s looking down from above with a smile or frown. He wasn’t much for the family, and they pretty much kept him out of my life until the day he died of influenza,” Casper said as I put my hand on his shoulder and saw his uncle’s approval meant the world to him.
“You can’t tell me a man like you would allow your family to keep you from your uncle. You must have snuck out a few times without them knowing about it. It seems you had a deep connection to him. That’s the kind of relationship I wish I had with my father. He was never much for affection. There wasn’t much I could do to make him proud of me. I gave up trying, and his death came as a comfort to me. To see him lying there in a pool of his own blood looking up and begging me for help was a time of my life I wish I had recorded for posterity,” Wes said not quite coming out and saying he had killed him, but what he said was certainly clear enough.
“They couldn’t prosecute you because of your age. You had what your therapist called a temporary lapse in sanity. We both know he deserved what he had coming. There’s no way he could get away with putting his hands on you and your mother. He pushed you too far, and it’s as simple as that. I met you shortly after it, and you were a mess. I had to lift you up and show you what you did was the right thing. You had no choice, and there was no need for recrimination. I’m glad I was there for you. I do wonder what we would be doing if we didn’t have the fortune to meet each other that day. I know I was just floating along life using my looks to make men give me what I wanted. I would probably be fleecing old men out of their life savings and giving those family members a fight for their money in court,” Rita said like she missed those days and wanted one last taste to satisfy the need to see somebody suffer.
“I don’t regret what I did. I’m just glad you were there to pick up the pieces when I felt like I was coming apart,” Wes said with this very serious monotone to his voice.
“I didn’t know any of this. I’m sorry you both had it difficult. My parents pretty much left me alone. I’m not sure it was such a good idea. I found myself rebelling, having loud parties and drinking excessively with a lot of women coming in and out of my bedroom. I was lucky I turned out the way that I did. I did try harder stuff, but I saw some of my friends overdosing, and it was the cold dose of reality I needed. I finally walked away from my family and the money to break out on my own. There were some tough times, but I managed. I look at who we are today and everything we have learned, and I know we are the best we can possibly be,” Casper said as we had arrived at the
alcove Wes had mentioned.
“We’re going to catch our supper and make our girls proud of us. If you need any help reeling in the big one, then all you have to do is ask,” Wes said making me think about the picnic basket and why we had brought it along if we were going to catch our supper.
Chapter 27
I don’t know why it concerned me, but for some reason, I had this desperate need to find out what was in the picnic basket. It could’ve been just my overactive imagination, but something was nagging at me; something wasn’t right. I hoped I was wrong and I was just looking for trouble where there wasn’t any.
Wes patted Casper on the back, and they smoked yet another one of those cigars. They did offer for me to jump in every so often to take my hand at wrangling in one of these fish which were biting. It had been over 2 hours, and I was bored stiff. Rita was clapping innocently enough, but her smile seemed like it was painted on. I didn’t know what to make of it.
“Your uncle taught you well, and you should be proud of how you turned out, Casper. You got two of the biggest ones, but I’m afraid I outshined you a little,” Wes had the biggest fish and Rita had picked up all four in a bucket and took them downstairs to scale and fillet for dinner.
I had offered to help, but she told me this was a task meant for somebody seasoned. She considered me delicate, and I had a feeling it was some kind of a backhanded compliment. I think she was purposely trying to keep me out of the galley and I was getting a little jittery by what this could mean.
Wes vacated his seat and motioned for me to take over where he left off. “I have to hit the head. I drank a little bit too much before I came out here. It doesn’t hurt we have more than enough beer here to have a party and then some. I won’t be too long, and maybe you will surprise me when I come back. I hope not. I feel it’s my duty to tell you I would be slightly cross at you if you were able to catch a bigger fish than I did,” Wes said as he patted his crotch and then disappeared down into the galley leaving Casper and me to enjoy the day. There was a looming cloud, and I wasn’t talking about the one I saw on the horizon.
“Is it just me, or are they both acting a little weirder than usual? You have to admit their first impression didn’t exactly sit well with me. I didn’t tell you, but when she pulled that knife, it made me feel like she was going to kill me right there and then. I didn’t even see the knife coming, and that’s a little disconcerting itself,” I said hoping Casper had sensed something was wrong in the force and was going to agree with my assessment.
“You're paranoid and what she did has you seeing trouble where there isn’t any. I know what they did has you feeling nervous around them. Are you sure it’s not what this is? Give them a chance. They’ve never shown me anything but kindness. I admit their approach is a little different,” Casper said as he cast his line at the same time I did.
“I’m sure you’re right, but don’t you think we should at least investigate? He did mention we came out here to fish for our supper and yet we have a full complement in a picnic basket downstairs. It seems a little strange to me he would go to all this trouble to fish for his supper when it wasn’t necessary. I’m going to find a way to look into the picnic basket without them being the wiser. I might be paranoid, but I would rather be paranoid than unprepared,” I said as I was quite pleased with myself my line went further than his did.
“You both really didn’t think that was the only bottle of champagne. I saw the way you both looked like I had wasted a good bottle of bubbly. I have more where it came from,” Wes said with Rita in tow as they both shared a glass like a lovely couple would with arms entwined.
I could feel my stomach churning. I didn’t know the motion of the ocean was going to cause me to be nauseated. I felt like I was going to be sick and it would not be the impression I wanted to leave on them. I needed to make a quick exit, and hopefully, they wouldn’t follow and want to know the grisly details of what I was doing behind closed doors.
“You don’t look very good, and I would say you’re suffering from a bit of seasickness. Go down to the head and get a couple of pills from the medicine cabinet. I know I put a box of Gravol in there in case of such an emergency,” Rita said as she helped me to my feet and led me over to the stairs where I grabbed onto the railing and made my way down into the bowels of the ship.
The boat lurched back and forth with the waves making me stumble and glance at the picnic basket on the table. I was going to confront my paranoia, but my stomach had other ideas.
I barely made it inside and closed the door before things got ugly. I was praying to the porcelain god for the next 20 minutes, until finally, I wiped my mouth and felt like there was nothing left to give. I opened the door and heard laughter coming from the top deck.
I almost bypassed the picnic basket, but I decided to stop and check things out for my own peace of mind. I opened the lid, and I smiled at the contents of the picnic basket. There was nothing to worry about. They had made side dishes to go along with the fish we had caught. They were expertly filleted on the counter, and I had to admit she made it look like she had been doing it all of her life. This was quality knife work; it would make any owner of a restaurant proud to have her as their chef. She really did know her way around the kitchen. From looking at her, I didn’t think she was Sally homebody, but maybe I had misjudged her.
I checked what they had brought along, and I was quite anxious to taste some of these interesting takes on old favorites. The potato salad had bacon and chives, and I could tell the macaroni was laced with bits of lobster meat. There were a couple of salads made from the local fare; it could be found in any of the markets.
I felt such a fool and to suspect them of foul play was unconscionable. They were friendly, and I’d taken their trust and stomped on it like it meant nothing. I felt so bad I had to find a way to make it up to them. I decided I would get things prepared for dinner. I got the pan on the stove, and I was going to cook the fish. I had the butter swirling in the pan making sure it was hot enough it was going to sizzle when the fish made contact.
“I do hope you’re not going to take too long down there. We would greatly like your company up here at your earliest convenience. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about and these things happen to those not used to the water. Casper is having a bit of trouble himself, but it’s nothing a couple of beers won’t cure. I hope you took a couple of those pills I mentioned to you. Believe me, they will settle your stomach and make it easier for you to enjoy this trap…trip,” Rita said from above with a voice quite jovial and happy to be alive.
“Now that you mention it, I think I will return to the head and retrieve those pills. I’m still feeling a little green around the gills, but I don’t want to take away from the fun. This is nobody’s fault and like you said some people can’t handle the sway and the awkward movement of the boat. I’ll be perfectly fine. I’ll be up in a few minutes. I’m just sitting here trying to compose myself. I’m trying to make the ship stop rocking, knowing it’s not going to,” I said as I sat down and felt a wave of discomfort, it didn’t last long, though.
“When you feel better, I would like to speak to you about something. It’s nothing to worry about, but we don’t want to mention it without seeing you face to face. We miss your company and Casper has been asking for you. You must feel like he doesn’t really care because he didn’t come down and check on you. He was going to, but we convinced him it was better to let you deal with it on your own,” Rita said as I began to think about what she said. It was out of character for him to leave me in distress.
I went back to the head and found the box of Gravol in the medicine cabinet over the toilet. I’d seen things come out of me; it wasn’t pleasant, and I never wanted to go through this again. I took two of the pills and brought them into the galley to fetch a glass of water. I put them on the table next to the picnic basket.
I stopped suddenly and found myself looking at the picnic basket and wondering why I suddenly got a sense of d
read. I looked into the basket, and I reached inside. I noticed the basket didn’t all go all the way down to the bottom. There was a compartment underneath where the food was currently stored. I kept glancing at the stairs. I took out each individual component. There was a latch at the bottom, and I pulled it back thinking I was going to find napkins and cutlery, but that wasn’t exactly how this played out.
Chapter 28
I stared with my mouth wide open in shock at two snub-nosed revolvers with silencers. There were two knives with serrated edges. I thought I was having some sort of hallucination, but picking them up and looking at them in the cold light of day was a good reminder my instincts were sharply honed.
“I have a good mind to come down there and drag you up here myself,” Rita and her shadow was making me feel like I was going to be sick all over again for a different reason.
“I was going to surprise you with cooking supper, but I think it can wait. I just took a couple of those pills you mentioned, and I think I’m feeling a little bit better,” I said while taking out those guns and feeling like I had just stepped into the twilight zone. It seemed unlikely they were put there for any good reason. If they were for protection, then they wouldn’t be hidden within a compartment inside a nondescript picnic basket.
