"He probably already has, I'd bet."
I nodded.
The doctor brought us back to the matter at hand. "How do we move the body without causing a fuss with the passengers?"
The captain crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Put the body on your gurney. Then put a blanket over the body but leave the head visible."
I added, "We could get some makeup from their rooms to make her look more lifelike."
Mr. Harris said, "Good idea. I'll go with you so I can close off the room once you're done."
I smiled wanly. "We're gonna need a gal for this."
The doctor said, "I can wake up my nurse."
Right then there was a knock on the door to the other suite. I said, "No need to wake her. I would imagine that's a gal or two knocking on the door now."
The captain shook his head. "No, Mr. Williams. I want no other passengers to be aware of this."
I shrugged. "Too late, Captain. We had to pull Miss Russell, Mr. Brisson, and Sergeant Vasco's wife into this. They more or less insisted."
Looking very put out, the captain said, "I really wish you hadn't done that, Mr. Williams."
Right then there was another insistent knock. I could hear Maria saying, "We can hear you talking. What's going on in there?"
Carter said, "Since the cat's out of the bag, might as well let them help."
Shaking his head, the captain said, "Fine."
. . .
Maria was looking down with great care and concern. She was sitting in a chair by the edge of the bed and was drawing a very thick eyeliner. Ros had suggested that would be a good way to make the rouge on the cheeks look more red and lifelike.
Maria finished both eyes, sat back so that Ros could see, and asked, "What do you think?"
"Good." Reaching down, Ros stroked the dead girl's hair. "Poor dear. She was really quite pretty."
Maria put the eyeliner pencil back in the small rectangular piece of luggage that contained the makeup in the smaller room, the one we assumed was Carmen's, and closed it up.
I was watching all of this from the foot of the bed. The captain and Mr. Harris had left. We were waiting for the doctor to arrive with his gurney. Carter, Frankie, and Freddie were in the other room discussing the best way to criss-cross the ship during the night.
The captain had said he would send two officers who could be spared to help us. He was adamant that Ros and Maria not be involved. When we tried to argue, he forcefully reminded us that it was his ship. This was the only thing that put a lid on their combined insistence. But he said he was very grateful to them both for offering, so there was that.
Ros turned to me and, in a quiet voice, said, "If I can't sleep and want to walk around the ship, there's no one to stop me. Or Maria. Wouldn't you agree, Nick?"
I smiled and shrugged. Her determined attitude reminded me of something. "Have you ever had any dealings with Eddie Mannix?" He was the infamous fixer who solved tricky problems for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. And he hated my guts.
Ros smiled and turned her head demurely.
I laughed. "He must love you."
"Oh, I don't know." She picked at a hair behind her left ear that had escaped the scarf she had pulled over her head when she'd changed clothes. "I never needed his services when I worked with Metro. I tried to keep my nose clean. But, I've heard about your run-ins with him. They are legendary."
Maria stood up, smoothed out her dress, and asked, "Pardon me for butting in, but who is Eddie Mannix?"
Ros laughed, put her hand on the other woman's arm, and said, "He's the toughest son of a bitch to ever work for Metro and just be glad you don't know who he is."
Maria twittered with glee at that reply, and then quickly covered her mouth with her hand in alarm. Ros and I both burst out laughing.
. . .
As we were about to head out, the phone rang. It was one of the officers on duty.
"The captain asked me to tell you that two officers, Mr. Rampton and Mr. Breaux, will be meeting you on the Sun Deck to begin the patrol. He also asked me to get the text of your radiogram to send immediately."
"What time is it in San Francisco?"
"It's just past 3 in the morning."
"Can you send the same radiogram to two addresses?"
"Yes."
"If you have the one I sent earlier, use that address for the first radiogram." I then gave him Mike's home address and phone number.
He said, "Go ahead when ready."
HAVE CORPSE. NOT SURE WHO. NEED PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF TREMAINE AND THOMAS FROM ANY SOURCE. YOU AUTHORIZED TO ENTER APARTMENT.
Once I was done, I said, "I need the reply as soon as it arrives. If I'm not here, I'll be out on patrol."
"I understand, Mr. Williams. I'll send them both right away."
I put the phone down and explained to everyone else about the two officers who would be meeting us. As I was switching off the light, the phone rang again. I walked back over and picked it up.
"Yeah?"
I heard a female voice. "Nick? Like what I found?" She laughed and hung up before I could say anything.
I immediately toggled the switch hook on the phone and waited for the operator. "Yes, Mr. Williams?"
"Who just called me?"
"I don't know. The call came from just outside the Hawaiian Room."
"Is it still open?"
"Yes. For another hour or so."
"Please call the captain and let him know I just got a call from our friend. Tell him she asked if I liked what she found."
"Oh my. Are you OK?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
Chapter 6
Sun Deck
S.S. Hilo at sea
Friday, August 13, 1954
Early morning
Since we'd left San Francisco, the sea had been smooth and the skies clear. As we sailed through the dark of the early morning on Friday, that began to change.
I was walking along the starboard side of the Promenade Deck when the wind began to really pick up. I looked out at the sky and noticed it was cloudy. The stars were no longer visible and the lights of the ship were reflected back from the cloud cover.
Looking down at the ocean, I could see whitecaps forming. The ship rolled just a little. Not enough to make it hard to walk, but enough to make me want to grab hold of the railing.
As I walked up to the door that led to the center foyer, the ship rolled again. I held onto the door and waited for the ship to right itself. Walking inside, I passed through the foyer and entered the bar, which was still open. There were a handful of patrons, huddled in small groups or gathered at the padded rail where the two bartenders were pouring freely, based on the noise. As I slowly moved through, I looked at each person to see if any of them might be Rosie. I walked around the left interior wall and had to grab onto it as the ship rolled again. The small crowd made some noises and began to talk a little louder over the sounds of Jo Stafford singing.
I walked past the main bar area and around to the other side of the room. As I did this, I could see a red-headed woman, about twenty feet from me, stand up abruptly and start to make her way to the foyer door. I began to walk faster to catch up with her, but she was making good time and reached the door before I could get to her.
As she entered the foyer, the shipped rolled again and she lost her footing, falling to the floor with a small squeak. I walked up to her and offered my hand, which she waved away.
I couldn't see her face, but her body looked like Rosie's, so I asked, "You OK, Rosie?"
Slurring her words, the woman replied, "Who the hell is Rosie?"
As she struggled to stand, I reached down and pulled her up without waiting for her to agree to it. I held her in my arms for a moment as the ship rolled again. I could smell whiskey, or maybe bourbon, on her breath.
"Do you need help getting back to your room?"
She turned in my arms and looked up at me. As her eyes came into focus, she laughed, and said, "Sure thing, Mr. Williams. A
t least you won't try to come onto me. Come on, fella." She lurched forward towards the port side doors. "I'll even take off my dress, if you want, so you can see what a real woman looks like."
Grabbing her arm and walking her through the glass doors. I asked, "What room are you in?"
She yanked her arm out of my hand and said, "Why? You think I might have a man stashed in there?"
"I just want to help you get there since the ship is rolling."
"Yeah, OK. I'm in number 3. Idn't that easy?"
"That on this deck?"
"Sure is, bub." By this time we were walking along the starboard side moving aft to the rear of the ship. "All the way in the back. Can't miss it."
We walked a few steps before the ship rolled again. Falling into my arms, she put her left hand around my neck and tried to kiss me. I stood still and let her do what she wanted.
"There. How'd you like that?"
"What's your name?"
"Garrison. Judy Garrison. Mrs. Arthur Garrison. Soon to be the recently-divorced Mrs. Garrison."
As she talked, I disentangled myself, grabbed her right arm, and began to move along the deck again. As we came to the aft foyer, I opened the door and pushed her inside.
"So, it's true. You really are a faggot, aren't you? I've kissed dogs with more passion than that." She laughed at her own joke.
Following the signs, I led her down the passageway and, at the furthest corner of the ship, found Stateroom 3.
"Where's your key, Mrs. Garrison?"
Handing me her small bag, she said, "Here. You find it. You fags are always real gentlemen." She swayed a bit and looked at me with a leer. "I know I don't have a thing to worry about, do I?"
By that time, I'd found the key. I said, "No," as I opened the door and gently pushed her forward. Without walking in, I turned on the light. When it was obvious that she was going to start undressing in front of me, I put the key in her purse, placed the purse on the dressing table by the door, and quietly pulled the door closed.
. . .
When I walked out of the foyer and back on the port side of the deck, I found Carter standing there waiting for me.
"Did you see that?" I asked, as the ship rolled.
He held onto the railing with one hand and pulled me in close with the other. Without as much as looking around to see who might be watching, he kissed me soundly and reminded me who I was and who I loved.
. . .
By the time the sky began to show any light, I'd lost count of the number of times I'd walked up, down, around, and back again. The sea was now smooth again and the clouds were gone. The faint orange in the distance told me we were going to have a beautiful sunrise.
As we'd planned, we met in the Tradewinds Bar on the Main Deck as soon as the sun was above the horizon. Carter and Frankie were already there, having staked out a couple of tables and ordered pots of coffee. The Tradewinds was opened early since it was all the way forward and offered a wide and panoramic view of the ocean. I collapsed into a chair next to Carter and poured myself a cup of Joe.
Carter smiled at me as I took a big drink from my cup. He looked tired and a little rumpled but handsome as ever.
I looked over at Frankie, who was all grins, and asked, "Don't you ever get tired?"
He shook his head. "I only sleep three or four hours a night when I do sleep. So this was no big deal. Find anything?"
I shook my head. "One drunk redhead who looked like Rosie but wasn't."
Carter added, "Who tried to seduce Nick."
Frankie laughed. "Was she successful?"
I shook my head. "You know the Kinsey scale?"
He blushed a little but said, "Sure."
"I'm a perfect 6 and that won't ever change."
Carter shook his head at me and took a drink of his coffee.
I asked Frankie, "Should we call Farnsworth and get him in on this party?"
"I did already. Talked to his wife. He's in bed with seasickness from the rolling last night. She was downright rude about it, if you ask me. Said she didn't want any of us to bother him again."
"How'd you leave it?" asked Carter.
Frankie waved his hand and said, "Forget about it. I hung up on her." He drank from his coffee and began to study his shoes.
Carter asked, "What part are you leaving out?"
Frankie shrugged and looked around the room nervously. "I'm sure you guys have heard it all before."
"Something about pansies or queers?" I asked.
He just nodded and looked down at the floor again. Right then, Ros and Freddie walked in the door. I'd passed them, walking together, a couple of times during the night. They both sat down and Ros poured out a cup for Freddie and then one for herself.
"I need fuel and can't wait until breakfast is served. Can they whip us up some scrambled eggs, do you think?"
Frankie came to life and said, "Sure. I already asked the waiter. He'll be by in a minute or two."
Smiling sweetly at him, Ros said, "You're a lamb, Sergeant Vasco. Thanks so much."
The man nodded slightly and blushed hard.
. . .
Once the others arrived, we began to compare notes over eggs and toast. No one had seen Rosie but Frankie, Maria, and Mr. Breaux, one of the junior officers, were sure that they had been followed for a while. When they all began to track out where it had happened, it became obvious that someone in the forward section of the "B" Deck had been lurking. That was where the largest public bathrooms and showers were located, so it made sense. Maria and Ros had both been in the shower room three times each and never saw anyone, but Maria was positive someone was in there when she walked down to the "B" Deck on her second round.
She heard a shower running and, as she walked briskly forward to the shower room, it stopped abruptly. Whoever it was slipped into the one room with a tub, locked the door, and began running water in the tub. Maria reported that she waited inside the shower room for twenty minutes before deciding to go back aft to the foyer and place a call to the bridge for help. An officer had been dispatched but, when they opened the door, it was empty although the tub was full of warm water. So, someone had been in there but had slipped out while Maria had been on the phone. She said she couldn't see down either the port or starboard passageways from where the phone was positioned on the wall.
Frankie said, "If this was my case, I would focus on that one section of the ship and begin to do a room-by-room search."
I nodded. "Let's run that by the captain. But I doubt that's where she'll stay."
Ros piped up. "True, but at least it's something to do besides all this useless walking."
I nodded again and wondered, for the thousandth time, what Rosie was up to.
. . .
Carter and I thanked everyone and told the other civilians to go get some sleep while we followed Mr. Breaux and Mr. Rampton up to the bridge to report to the captain.
When we arrived at the Radio Office, Carter and I waited outside on the deck with Mr. Rampton while Mr. Breaux climbed up to the bridge.
"How long have you been with the line?" I asked.
Mr. Rampton replied, "Since I got out of the Navy in 1953."
"Did you go to Korea?"
He shook his head. "I was stationed at Treasure Island the four years I was in. I went in as an officer after graduating from Cal."
Carter asked, "What was your major?"
"Civil engineering."
"But you liked the ocean too much to give her up?" I asked.
Looking around slyly, he grinned. "Not so much her, but him. I have a guy stashed in Honolulu and this way I get to see him every few days. I'm sure that's why I got this assignment. Same is true about Breaux. We're the queers that steer."
Carter and I laughed at that as Mr. Breaux came down the ladder. "What's so funny?"
Rampton snickered and said, "I just told them our little secret."
"The queers that steer?" Breaux asked.
Rampton nodded.
Breaux looked between us and said, "It's a real honor to get to work with both of you. I'll admit you're both in my scrapbook."
I took a look at the two officers. Breaux stood at my height, about 5'10", had dark features, and an eager smile. Rampton was blond, just over 6', and had a constant mischievous expression on his face. Both were slim and filled out their white uniforms nicely.
Rampton grinned. "Right next to your autographed picture of Randolph Scott."
I looked over at Carter and smirked. "Seems about right."
Carter, wanting to quickly change the subject, asked, "Where's the captain?"
Breaux said, "He'll be here in a minute." Turning to me, he added, "He has a radiogram for you that just arrived."
I nodded but kept looking at Carter, who was turning red.
"What?" asked Rampton.
"Someone doesn't like being compared to Randolph Scott." It was true. I had done it once and Carter wrestled me to the ground to make me take it back. I had no idea why. He'd never explained and I was afraid to ask.
Carter looked out at the ocean and sighed. Turning to Breaux, he asked, "How long have you been working on this boat?"
I shook my head but didn't say anything. I'd already teased my husband enough without correcting him in front of the two handsome men.
Breaux replied, "Since 1950. I started with the line after leaving the Coast Guard."
Carter reached into my coat pocket and pulled out my Camels. He pulled one out for himself and then looked around. I nodded while the other two men shook their heads. Breaux, however, was handy with a Zippo which he used to reach up and light the two Carter had in his mouth. Once they were lit, Carter handed one to me. I gratefully took a long drag.
Right then, the captain came down the steps. I had a strong urge to throw my cigarette over the railing until I remembered I was a passenger and not a sailor.
As he stepped onto the deck, the captain reached into his pocket, pulled out a radiogram, and handed it to me. Carter walked around and looked over my shoulder as I read it.
NICK WILLIAMS C/O CORAL LINES SS HILO AT SEA. APARTMENT MOSTLY EMPTY OF PERSONAL EFFECTS. NO PHOTOGRAPHS. KERN CO SHERIFF SAYS TREMAINE BLONDE BLUE 5'6" MEDIUM BUILD IN 1938. WAITING FOR MUG TBD. STILL NO TRACE C THOMAS. CONTINUING SEARCH. MIKE.
The Voluptuous Vixen (A Nick Williams Mystery Book 9) Page 8
