Krewe Of Hunters: Haunted Destiny Part 35

Jackson had the doctor there in a few minutes. He had an antidote called glucagon with him to raise her dangerously low blood sugar. Jude didn't know how severe Lorna's condition could become; she seemed to be comatose. But the doctor had come prepared.

By the time he arrived, Barbara was gone.

The s.h.i.+p's doctor quickly gave her a shot. Lorna didn't open her eyes.

The doctor glanced at him. "Her pulse is picking up. I wish to G.o.d we had a hospital close. I'll have to get her to the infirmary and watch her through the night."

"Is she going to make it?"

"If you're a praying man, pray. But she's got a chance. We might have saved her life. You might have saved her life," he added.

Jude lowered his head. No. Barbara Leon, dead for decades, was still aboard the s.h.i.+p.

Still saving lives.

Lorna was in the capable hands of the s.h.i.+p's physician now. Before he could respond, Jackson appeared in the cabin doorway. "We've found Lorna Antrim," he said. "So where the h.e.l.l is Flora Winters?"

Captain Thorne stood up to speak, holding a mic pa.s.sed to him by Jensen Hardy.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he began.

But just as he spoke, the s.h.i.+p was plunged into darkness.

Pitch-black darkness.

It lasted less than five seconds; the auxiliary lights, pale and eerie in comparison to the brilliance that had flooded the dining room moments before, came on.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen," Captain Thorne said. "Sorry about that. Instructions will be coming from the bridge. As you're all aware, our main power has shut down. Don't panic. You'll be able to see the way to your cabins with the guide lights along the floor. I don't know what's caused this, but rest a.s.sured, I'll be on the bridge dealing with the situation in a few minutes. For now, I'm going to ask you all to return to your cabins. Room-to-room phones are working, but please, at this time, use them only in an emergency."

He winced; he'd still been speaking when the PA system came back on. His first mate was addressing the loss of power and, like Thorne, he a.s.sured the pa.s.sengers that the auxiliary lighting would see them to safety. All guests were asked to go to their cabins and stay there. If the s.h.i.+p was in any danger whatsoever, they'd be alerted and could change course as instructed.

"Folks, the Destiny is sailing on smoothly-okay, maybe not smoothly," he said, trying to make a joke. "But she's sailing on safely. Head to your cabins. Relax, and just pay attention to our announcements. Hopefully, we'll be telling you about fun events that'll take place as we reach calmer waters and the port of Miami."

"You heard the instructions, people. Please, don't panic. Please, just be safe!" Captain Thorne said.

People began to rise, ready to return to their cabins.

Alexi stayed at the piano, listening to the pa.s.sengers as they left the dining room.

They were chattering, many of them worried. "Lightning? Were we struck by lightning?" she heard.

"I didn't see any lightning," someone else said.

"The s.h.i.+p is pitching like crazy."

"The s.h.i.+p's been pitching like crazy for days."

"It's worse."

"No, it's not. They say we're ahead of the storm, and no one on this s.h.i.+p has lied to us. We'll be safe in port tomorrow!"

"Did you go to the lifeboat drill?"

"He went, all right-drunk as a skunk!"

"We can't get in the lifeboats! We'll drown!"

"The s.h.i.+p isn't sinking," another person said calmly. "It's perfectly sound." Some people seemed to be panicking, despite their instructions.

Clara came and sat next to Alexi. "What do you think?" she asked, wide-eyed and obviously trying to keep the fear from her voice.

"I think we lost power for some reason," Alexi replied. "The s.h.i.+p's movement isn't any rockier. Celtic American's put a fortune into this s.h.i.+p, but it is old. We've lost power. We'll get it back. And in the meanwhile, we do have auxiliary."

Clara grinned at her. "You've been hanging around the FBI too long. Trying to be logical. I want to go down to my cabin. Lock myself in and stay there until we get to Miami. I'm not holding this against Celtic American, but...I need some land time!"

"I agree," Alexi murmured.

"Who were you talking to earlier? At the piano?" Clara asked.

Alexi looked directly at her and Clara shuddered visibly. "Never mind! Dead man, right? Did he...did he know anything?"

Alexi surveyed the room. No one was paying attention to them. She didn't see Jensen; Bradley was talking to the rest of Clara's crew.

She lowered her voice. "Clara, which of the guys on this cruise have asked you out? Or come on to you? I'm going to mention some names."

Clara raised her brows. "I don't mean this to sound like bragging, but we're on a s.h.i.+p. Just about every guy who's straight and available has made some kind of innuendo."

"Simon?"

She shrugged. "Yeah. Either that or he wanted to let me know that even though he loves his gay friends, he's heteros.e.xual himself."

"Roger Antrim, by any chance?"

"Antrim?" She shook her head. "He's always with Lorna when I see him and he behaves just as a married man should."

"Jensen."

"h.e.l.l, yeah. He's a jerk."

"Hank Osprey?"

Clara laughed. "Not in ages. I'm happy for him. He seems to have found true love. Hey, we don't know very much about Ginny. She might be telling the truth about being a student, but maybe she's a Bourbon Street hooker, on the side. But if they're making each other happy, who cares?"

"I agree." Alexi saw that the group on the dais was beginning to disperse.

Bradley came to the piano. "You get a night off, Alexi. And no rehearsal, Clara."

"Thanks." Clara looked downward and then sideways at Alexi. "Greatly appreciated. It was a really long day."

Their boss ignored her reference to the fact that he'd called on them for many more hours than they were contractually obligated to provide.

"You're probably going to be on tomorrow. They'll get this lighting thing solved and we'll be done with the storm. We'll try to give the pa.s.sengers good memories of their trip, right?"

"Only the best!" Alexi said cheerfully.

"You're free to go now," he told them.

Simon and a few others had turned to leave and were already on their way out.

"Wait!" Wilc.o.x snapped. "We let the guests go first. Show some courtesy!"

A few cast members hadn't heard him-or pretended not to. With a grunt of irritation, Wilc.o.x moved away from the piano and toward the door.

"Nice of him to thank us!" Alexi said sarcastically.

"Yes, I'm sure our efforts will make all the difference," Clara retorted.

"Yeah, these pa.s.sengers will have the best of memories-a ma.s.sive explosion and a murder in Cozumel, stormy seas...a killer on board. Great memories, all right."

Clara s.h.i.+vered. "The room's clearing out. I don't even see Bradley anymore. Let's get to our cabins."

"We're supposed to wait for Jude," Alexi began, but Clara nudged her. "The government men aren't here, but we're covered.

Clara indicated the big man waiting for the two of them and their entertainment group. "Johnny's over there. I'm betting he's been a.s.signed to see us safely to our cabins. I've changed my mind about staying by myself. I'm going to put on some flannel pajamas, get cuddly and warm and come stay in your cabin. Okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Alexi said.

Most of the performers had moved out by now, ignoring Wilc.o.x. The dining room was empty except for a few of the waitstaff, who were doing their best in the gloomy light to get things cleaned up.

Johnny was a great security officer-and a friend. He linked arms with the two women. "It's my pleasure to be your escort!" he told them.

Alexi smiled at him. She wished Jude was with her.

Johnny was the next best thing.

"Thank you," Alexi said fervently, and Clara echoed the words.

The hallways outside the dining room had almost emptied out. "Elevators were set to work using the auxiliary power on this s.h.i.+p, but they might be slow and busy. Shall we take the stairs?" Johnny suggested.

"Stairs work for me," Alexi said.

"Love stairs," Clara chimed in.

A woman walking in front of them tripped; Johnny released Clara and Alexi, ready to help her.

But a pa.s.senger by her side was there before Johnny could move. "You okay?" Johnny asked the woman, taking her other arm and guiding her to her feet.

"Fine, thank you both," the woman said. "Embarra.s.sed, but fine!"

"If you're hurt," Johnny told her, "I can take you to the infirmary. You're sure you can walk?"

"Yes," the woman said. "I'm mortified but otherwise okay."

Johnny thanked the pa.s.senger who'd a.s.sisted her, and the two of them went on. "Trying times," he murmured. "They can bring out the best in us-and they can bring out the worst."

They reached the landing of the next deck; the woman and the man who'd helped her walked to the cabin hallways. Alexi saw that two security officers were on duty, watching both sides of the hall.

Except that was going to be more difficult now. The auxiliary lights created a strange yellow glow.

And a realm of shadows.

"Hard for you guys to see, huh?" Alexi asked.

"Don't you worry. I have great eyesight," Johnny a.s.sured her.

Alexi smiled at his response but still felt uneasy.

She doubted he could see the entire length of the hallways, not in the meager light that shone with such an eerie glimmer, and that pale illumination so close to the floor.

They came to Clara's cabin, and she went inside.

"I'll be with you in a few minutes, Alexi."

"Okay, see you then."

Alexi knew she wouldn't be a very effective buffer against any danger that threatened them, but Jude would be coming back to her cabin. And that was a comforting thought.

And in the meantime, it was better to be scared together than to sit in the dim light and be scared alone.

Johnny stopped at her doorway and waited for her to step inside.

For a moment Alexi felt sheer panic.

What if they'd all been wrong? What if they'd missed something?

What if Johnny was a serial killer, and somehow, his records had been disguised to hide his past?

"Here we are. Now, lock yourself in, safe and sound," he said firmly.

She smiled, the tension leaving her.

"Johnny, you haven't heard if something else has happened, have you?"

"All I can tell you is that the lights went out. Who knows why? It's a bad storm. The Destiny's undergone millions of dollars in restoration, but it's still an old s.h.i.+p."

She nodded, searching his face.