Krewe Of Hunters: Haunted Destiny Part 30

Because she saw the dead?

Because, somehow, she seemed to reach his soul?

He saw Jensen approaching the captain's table with a microphone.

Captain Thorne rose, and Alexi stopped playing.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he said, addressing the dinner guests. "I'm Xavier Thorne, your captain on the Destiny. I believe that all of you are on this s.h.i.+p because you've chosen to sail with history. Many of you have taken the tours we give of the s.h.i.+p, and have learned about her role as a hospital s.h.i.+p. You sail with her through time, and you sail with the ghosts of the past."

They sure did! Jude thought.

"This is proving to be one of our more unusual cruises," Thorne continued. "Our guests who are from certain areas of the country are well aware of tropical storms. We here, on the Destiny, also know them well. I want to welcome you aboard to rea.s.sure you that no matter how hard the winds blow, the Destiny will prevail. She's made it through wind and rain and fire. She will do so again." He cleared his throat. "I'd like to ask you to pay attention to our PA system. Announcements will be coming to you regarding our position at sea. We may ask that our nonessential personnel-that is, anyone not engaged in actually operating the s.h.i.+p-stay in their cabins for a spell. I ask our pa.s.sengers, entertainers and staff to be expert sailors along with me and my crew, and to cooperate at all times. I invite you to speak about your voyage, and when we've returned to port, to brag that you were aboard the Destiny when she ran circles around Hurricane Dinah. I won't confine anyone to their cabins unless it becomes necessary. If it should, I ask that you obey my directives. Other than that, enjoy your time aboard, just as I always enjoy mine. And thank you sincerely for sailing with Celtic American!"

A round of applause followed his words.

But then someone called out, "Captain, exactly when will we be reaching port?"

Another asked, "Why haven't you found a safe harbor yet?"

"What are the cruise line officials doing? There has to be someplace to go!"

"Hey, Cozumel was nearly flattened!" someone else shouted angrily.

And then...

"Captain! I heard that a man went missing today. Is that true? Was he swept overboard?"

"Oh, my G.o.d!" several other people shouted.

Captain Thorne raised his hand, his expression betraying no reaction at all. "You are safe aboard the Destiny. Obviously, we ask you not to hang over your balconies! As to our travels, we're doing everything suggested by the United States government and the national weather experts. That is all."

He nodded toward Alexi.

She began to play. Clara rose and sang. She had a crystal clear soprano that was distinct and captivating, and the room quickly became enthralled. When they took a break, several Les Miz performers-including Ralph, Larry and Simon-came to the dais and launched into a sketch of waiters on a cruise s.h.i.+p that was very funny.

The diners began to talk again. They laughed and chatted at their tables.

Jude's walkie-talkie went off. He answered immediately. It was Jackson.

"We've heard from Mexico," Jackson told him. "From Capitan Suarez. Meet me in Communications as soon as possible."

Nothing was going to happen in the main dining room, Alexi told herself.

There were far too many people.

Despite Jude's a.s.surances that Johnny and other security men were right there, Alexi knew he was unhappy about leaving her.

It made her unhappy, too. But she forced a smile, then swept one arm toward the room, showing him how crowded it was, even though some tables were only half-occupied. The captain was still in attendance and there were dozens of security personnel lining the walls, many of whom she knew.

She promised to stay with Clara and Johnny. And she smiled as she watched him walk away.

Truth be told, though, she felt uneasy. Especially when she noticed that the captain was called away at the same time.

Jude wouldn't have left if something major hadn't happened.

The captain wouldn't have left-unless something major had happened.

She was supposed to continue playing. She did. She sang duets with Clara, keeping it light and lively.

Finally, the last of the guests wandered out of the dining room. Jensen came over to thank all the entertainment crew for their help in making it the best captain's dinner yet, despite the difficult circ.u.mstances.

"So, what does that mean? Are we all off for the night? No rehearsal?" Ralph asked. "If we go into emergency mode, there obviously won't be a show."

"The captain hasn't declared an emergency yet," Jensen said. "Our fearless leader, Bradley Wilc.o.x, has ordered all entertainment tonight to go on as usual."

Alexi and Clara looked at each other.

"This is ridiculous," Clara murmured to Alexi. "Half our cast has done Les Miz before. We're rehearsing ourselves to death."

Apparently, Jensen heard her. "Ms. Avery, do you have a problem with working?"

"I never have a problem with working, Mr. Hardy. I just hope we're not becoming so comfortable with the material that we forget to make it spontaneous and exciting."

Jensen gave her his typical perky grin. "Ah! Yes, well, you'll have to take that up with management."

Johnny approached Alexi and told her, "It's all right. Eckles is a.s.signed to Clara. I'm with you, and Eckles will see that she gets to the piano bar as soon as rehearsal is over."

Much as she loved music, she was tired. In some ways, she wished they were in emergency mode now. In fact, she wished they were down to minimal crew, that all pa.s.sengers and staff would be ordered to their staterooms, and that Jude and she could weather the storm alone in her tiny cabin. There was so much she wanted to know about him. She reminded herself that she'd been in mourning, that she'd loved Zachary truly and deeply. Yet Jude had come into her life under such strange circ.u.mstances and changed it completely.

She would never forget Zach. But maybe the way they'd felt toward each other had allowed her this-the ability to love again.

She couldn't really love Jude, could she? So quickly? And where would it all lead? What would happen when they made port?

"Onward!" Clara said, grimacing as she went off with the other Les Miz cast members, with Ben Eckles trailing behind them.

Alexi gave her and the others a wave, collected her tote bag and headed for the Algiers Saloon with Johnny.

People were already filling the tables.

For the most part, it seemed that even the pa.s.sengers had gotten accustomed to the rough seas. They'd learned to walk, sit and chat with the water rolling beneath them.

She greeted everyone, then sat down at the piano bench. As usual, Roger came in, finding a seat close to the piano. And Hank came in, as well, taking a chair at the same table.

Neither of the men had come with their ladies.

Alexi couldn't help wondering what, if anything, that meant.

"We could lose connection with him at any time, so I've taken notes while I was waiting for you."

Tom Vance was First Communications Officer for the s.h.i.+p; he'd been the one to finally make contact with Capitan Suarez in Cozumel.

"We are doing our best to follow through on your request, but you must understand the conditions under which we have been working," Suarez said, once Jude, Jackson, Captain Thorne and David Beach were gathered in the control room. The amount of static made him difficult to hear. "We had a number of emergencies to cope with first."

"I've been in storms," Jackson said. "I understand."

"But we did find her," Suarez said, and he sounded ill as he spoke. "We found her, Maria Sanchez. In San Jose's, a small church not far from the docks. It took some doing. The church was heavily battered and damaged by the storm. She...she was beneath a piece of fallen timber and rescue workers did not find her right away because the padre had been injured in the rectory and..."

Jude wasn't sure at first if the man's voice had faded away or been overpowered by the static on the line.

Then Suarez spoke again.

"She was laid out, her arms folded over her chest. She looked as though she was asleep, except that her throat had been slit. And there was a medallion on her chest, just as you said there might be. It has been identified for us as representing St. Lawrence."

Jude nodded. "Patron saint of chefs," he murmured.

"Yes." Suarez went on. "I don't know how or when she was taken. She returned home after the explosion. You may recall that I spoke with her. The morgue is overcrowded right now, but our medical examiner is working on her remains. We don't know if she was killed soon after the explosion or if the s.h.i.+p had already left the dock. I'm sorry. It is impossible for me to tell whether your Archangel remains in Mexico or has created a copycat killer here. Or perhaps he has sailed with you and is on the Destiny now. I did not really believe you gentlemen when you claimed that the killer would be in Cozumel. It is a mistake I will not forget for the rest of my days. Maria was...she was so important to us. She was a s.h.i.+ning light..."

Jude remembered the woman he had met so briefly; he remembered the way she'd looked at him, doubting that this killer would have come on a cruise s.h.i.+p from America-and that he could have been after her. He understood how Capitan Suarez felt about this tragic loss. "Capitan Suarez," Jude said, "we cannot tell you how very sorry we are."

"As Americans, we can't convey our apologies enough," Jackson added.

"No country is responsible," Suarez said. "We do not blame the government or the police forces of our northern neighbor. You made every effort. I blame myself. I should have gone to her house and I should have stayed there until the s.h.i.+p sailed." He paused briefly, and Jude could hear the crackling on the line. "We are picking up the pieces now. You can imagine the damage from the storm. We lost several people, some because they were poor, some because they did not heed the warnings. We are all scurrying here, trying to find others who may have survived and need rescuing, but this... Do you believe that this man has left with you? Is there any reason to suspect that a copycat might exist? That such a killer may still be here, in Mexico?"

"We have no guarantees, Capitan," Jude said. "But it is my sincere belief that there is just one killer-and that he's now back on the Destiny."

The radio suddenly went dead.

Jude felt a deep anger as the sense of loss swept through him. He turned to Captain Thorne. "Sir, you didn't want to believe us. There is a killer on this s.h.i.+p. He has now killed in Mexico. It's time to warn the pa.s.sengers."

"I can't have a panic!" Thorne responded.

"We're in the middle of a major storm, one I know you will navigate to the best of your ability-but panic? You're afraid of warning your female pa.s.sengers when it's now evident that a killer is almost certainly aboard?" Jackson set a hand on Jude's shoulder.

"Captain, you do need to communicate the truth to your pa.s.sengers and staff," Jude said.

"The government does not own the Destiny!" Thorne protested. "Have you ever seen panic on a cruise s.h.i.+p? I have, and it's not pretty. It results in multiple injuries-and sometimes death."

"Captain Thorne," Jude said, carefully keeping his temper under control and his voice level. "You have to tell people what's happened. You have to warn the women on this s.h.i.+p not to go off with men they don't know and not to be alone on this vessel. You have your security staff in place. You've lost one, probably to this killer. We can only a.s.sume he was thrown overboard. If you don't do something now, your actions will be the height of irresponsibility, and any more deaths on this s.h.i.+p will be on your head."

"d.a.m.n it, Captain Thorne!" David Beach suddenly exploded. "Will you listen to them? I've lost one of my men and now we know that a Mexican woman is dead. I'm good at my job-d.a.m.ned good! But it's impossible for us to watch every person on this s.h.i.+p and to keep an eye on the suspects, especially with this storm. For the love of G.o.d, listen to them!"

Thorne inhaled on a long breath and then exhaled. "If there's a panic when I make this announcement, it's on you," he said, staring at Jude and then Jackson.

"Really? Then let me do the speaking," Jude said.

"Of course not! That's preposterous!" the captain thundered.

"Not at all," Jude told him. "You want to avoid a panic, so I'll do the talking. You see, your very fear of a panic might cause one. Since I don't intend to create a panic-and I do intend to make sure people are extremely careful, I'll manage the task better than you will."

"Hank!" Alexi said, her fingers idle over the keys. She figured she might as well speak to Hank and to Roger as she normally did. "Where is that lovely young lady you've been seeing?"

"Asleep!" he replied, grinning. "But you know me. I can't stay away from the piano bar."

"That's because you have a great singing voice, my friend," Alexi said. "So, what are you in the mood for tonight? Broadway, cla.s.sics, blues?"

Minnie and Blake lounged against the piano, watching the crowd.

"His voice isn't that good," Minnie said. "And if he's so in love with that girl, why is he leaving her by herself? Blake would never leave me," she added, giving Blake a smile and an adoring look.

"Never," Blake agreed pa.s.sionately.

"Alexi," Minnie wheedled, "I realize they're going to do whatever they do these days, but throw in some Billie Holiday for me, please?"

Alexi ignored her ghosts and handed the mic to Hank Osprey. "Whatever your pleasure, Mr. Osprey."

"'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes'!" Hank suggested.

Despite Minnie's comment on Hank's voice, Alexi thought he did a nice job with the number. "Thank you, thank you!" she said, leading the applause that followed. "What a smooth voice," she commented. She turned quickly to Roger next. "Another guys' night out, huh? Where's the lovely Lorna?"

"Sleeping, too," Roger said, taking the mic. "She sends you her best, by the way."

"Thank you, sir. Now what will you be doing for us this evening? Folks, another brilliant man who ruled the business world for years, all the while hiding a fantastic tenor voice!" she said, calling for applause as Roger stood to sing, smiling and pleased.

Maybe he's always wanted to do nothing but sing!

He graced them with a Tom Petty number, done very well. But it was while Roger was singing that Alexi saw the ghost of Byron Grant standing just near the tables at the far end of the Algiers Saloon. At first, she thought he wanted to talk to her, but then she realized that he wasn't watching her; he was studying the men who surrounded the piano bar.

She found herself wis.h.i.+ng the night would end.

Thankfully, within the next ten minutes, Clara arrived, along with other members of the Les Miz cast. They began singing, and despite the pitch and roll of the Destiny, it seemed that everyone in the piano bar was having a good time.

Then the little bell sounded, announcing that someone was going to come on the PA system.

Alexi stopped playing; everyone waited. She expected the captain to speak.

But the voice that came over on the loudspeaker wasn't the captain's; it was Jude's.

"Good evening, everyone. This is Jude McCoy for Celtic American Cruise Lines. It's time for everyone except essential personnel to return to their cabins and remain there. This is a safety measure. And while we feel that we have some of the best security officers on the face of the earth, we also believe it's critical that we report all news regarding our ports of call. Because of our strong belief in communication, we feel we need to advise you that a murder took place in Cozumel at the time our s.h.i.+p was docked there. Authorities believe it might be connected to the explosion at Seora Maria's restaurant. Sadly, the victim was the owner, Seora Maria. While we don't want to cause our pa.s.sengers undue stress, we do want everyone to be on the alert, which is something most of us don't think about on a beautiful vacation. Let's face it, the weather's put a damper on this cruise to begin with-no pun intended. Cozumel is struggling to deal with the damage caused by Dinah, so the police haven't been able to investigate this incident, and the Mexican authorities are warning all s.h.i.+ps that were in port on the day of the murder. Therefore, we're going to ask all our female pa.s.sengers in particular-especially those traveling on their own-to be careful. We have security officers available on every deck, watching doorways. But if you're walking to your cabin alone and would like an escort, don't hesitate to ask. Now, back to the storm... As you all know, Dinah has been completely unpredictable. She moved south, preventing us from moving north. She's just taken a southward turn. We're still ahead of her, and tomorrow, we'll make an announcement about the safety of venturing out of your cabins. You're sailing with one of the most capable and experienced captains anywhere, and I have no doubt that all will be well. Still, any security measures we take are for your safety. Thank you. I know it's a bit early, but we're asking all our pa.s.sengers to call it a night."

Alexi sat at the piano, stunned.

Clara looked at her and s.h.i.+vered. "We were there," she whispered. "We were at Seora Maria's restaurant."