Deadly Reunion (27 page)

“That’s funny, and another funny thing,” I babbled, trying to keep my saliva from drying so I could still speak, “is that my aunt is on this ship, too. Well, actually she used to be my uncle. Aunt Sue used to be Uncle Stu—it’s a kind of joke, you know. Oh, I think Gil told you about her. Well anyway, Gil has an uncle onboard, and I have an aunt, so besides my having a little class reunion, the four of us are sharing a family reunion.”

His face snapped toward mine. “Do you always talk so much?”

“Mainly when I’m scared. I need to go. I have to get to a bathroom.” That statement was half-true.

“I loved her.”

His blurted words seemed so out of place, I glanced aside to see if he’d spoken to someone else. But nobody else was with us in this cell-like space.

I eyed the doorway, too many steps behind me to run out before he could grab me. I needed to keep him talking. Fright pushed down on my shoulders. My lungs felt nearly empty. My only hope for safety was to have someone page him. If a call came through on a speaker, I would scream for help. At least then he might let me get away so he could hide or loosen a life raft and toss it into the sea and go away inside it.

I did a mental head slap. What did I think this man had done? Just because goose flesh popped up on my arms, I had no proof that he’d done anything wrong.

“I’ll just go.” I turned toward the door.

He grabbed my wrist, yanking me back. “I did love her.”

“Okay.” I kept my head nodding. “Love is a good thing.”

“Nobody else knows,” he said, face closer to mine, eyes intent. “Nobody has any clue of how much Tetter meant to me.”

“I’m so glad you’re telling me. If you want me to share that information, I will.”

His head shake and raised eyebrows told me I’d said the wrong thing.

Somewhere in the distance, a man made announcements. The faint sound of soft rock music trailed down from an upper deck.

“I have to tell someone,” he said, expression so sincere I nodded. “We met nine months ago when I was ashore.”

“Ah, of course. The ship’s crew gets to take a break between shifts.”

“And she loved me.” The insistence of his expression left no room to mention doubt. “But I wanted her. I wanted her all to myself.”

“She was married,” I said in a soft tone, although the words seemed to mean nothing to him.

“I thought this time she would commit to me.” He inhaled, slowly exhaled. “But she showed me. She saw that Jonathan fellow and hopped in the sack with him.”

“The Jonathan who—?”

“His body’s in that morgue.” Dr. Thurman pointed to the rear.

I didn’t dare move my eyes away from him.

He peered toward where her body reclined as he continued to speak. “She told me he was so sweet. That was kind of her joke. She pointed him out to me and said he was diabetic but taking meds for his erectile dysfunction. He was also extremely punctual. So I fixed a needle for her sweet guy and slipped it into my pocket. I easily discovered when and where he’d be eating.”

I took a tiny step back.

He nailed me in place with his glare. “So I dressed like lots of other guys with a sweater over my shirt and a cap and glasses. I found her Jonathan outside the dining room.” The doctor smiled. “A quick shot of potassium chloride jabbed into him stopped his heart. I nudged him to the stairwell, where he fell. I quickly changed my clothes.”

My mouth dried. Legs wobbled.

His grip tightened around my wrist. “She still didn’t believe me and said I could go straight to hell. I showed her. But then she said she slept with that guy from your class.”

“Randy,” I managed to squeeze out.

“I plan to kill him next.”

My chest emptied of air.

“And I will,” the doctor said, taking a step back and pulling me, making me walk with him. His hand that didn’t hold me opened a slim drawer and dug inside it.

“Don’t kill Randy,” I managed to squeak.

“Oh, but I will. Maybe not on this trip. Maybe not until he disembarks, but he’ll be gone. And no one will know why.”

I’ll know
. The words filled my mouth. I clamped my teeth to keep them inside.

“We made mad love during this cruise,” he said with a wide smile. “You and your group probably missed her at times. She was fantastic in bed.”

“But then she died.”

He peered aside as though seeing where she was. “She has a place in our morgue, too. A shame. I didn’t plan for her to be discovered. Except by ravenous sea creatures.”

Nausea swept up. I covered my mouth. “You?”

“I insisted she stay with me, but Tetter swore that before the day was over, she would sleep with another member of our staff, probably our Executive Chef. He’s my good friend. I couldn’t let her exchange sexual favors with him.”

The doctor glanced into the drawer. He removed a needle and vial.

“No,” I said, for some reason thinking I could straighten out facts. “That chef liked me. I barely met him, and he sent chilled champagne and glasses to my stateroom.”

The doctor grinned. “So he thought you were the slut.”

“What?”

A fiendish chuckle erupted from his lips. “I’d told him I had a woman coming onboard who jumped into bed with any man with the right part, and he wanted to bet he could get her first. He knew she would be with a group, like a small class reunion.”

“So Chef Sandkeep found out about our planned reunion and decided the loose woman was
me
?” I shrieked.

He snorted with laughter.

“What did you do to Tetter?” I asked, fury building. “Did you give her a shot of that stuff you put in the needle for Jonathan?” And, I feared, it was the same stuff he was drawing into that needle for me. “Because if you did—and if you’re even thinking of doing that again—the police will get you, you know.”

“She screamed while we were in a room close to yours.”

Seconds passed before I realized what he was talking about. “I thought that was Tetter’s voice, but I couldn’t find her.”

“She said I’d gotten too rough with her.” He shook his head, his vision seeming to momentarily go inside himself. “She was going to get drunk and ran out of the room crying. I waited awhile and then hurried off the opposite way, again in disguise.”

That must have been why the bartender in the ship’s aft didn’t seem to want me to buy her any drinks. She’d probably run in there crying and then started tossing down drinks.

“Tetter was even easier to kill. I met her later in another unrented stateroom and told her I loved her. She laughed and said I was only one of the many men she was making out with. I got furious and just tossed her over the side. The outdoor security cameras in that area weren’t working. But I didn’t notice that tiny iceberg so close to the ship. I had no idea she’d land on it.” He let go of my wrist.

I rubbed it, still watching, trying to take it all in.

He lifted a needle and aimed it at my chest.

“Don’t do that.” I could barely whisper. My tight throat snagged my words.

“It will be quick.” He stepped closer.

I took a step back. “I’m not ready to go yet.”

“Most people aren’t.”

“You’ll get caught.”

“I’m a brilliant man. I can do things.” He thrust his needle down toward me.

I swerved to the side, letting out the most blood-curdling scream I could muster. “NOOOO! HELP ME! HELP!!!”

He chuckled. “That would be easy to explain away. No one is really close. And many people scream when they’re about to get shots.” Dr. Thurman gripped my shoulder, his needle aimed for it.

“STOP! HELP!!! NOOO!” I twisted around, determined not to feel the slightest prick of that needle in any part of my body.

“Nobody cares if you love my nephew.” His hand slid from my shoulder down to my hand. He lifted his deadly needle and squeezed my fingers together, going for the top of my hand.

“
I
care!” I thrust my forehead against his in a major head-butt.

He yanked his head back and glared. Gripping me tighter, he swung his needle toward my chest.

“NOOO!!!” I yelled, crashing my head against his and forcing a fierce kick against his knee.

Sweat dripped from my scalp. No, it was blood falling over my eye.

I saw nothing else.

Chapter 24

“Cealie, sweetheart.” Gil sat near, holding my hand, rubbing my arm.

I lay on a soft surface. “Wha…” I managed get eyelids apart. Tried to get Gil into focus.

“It’s all right. Sleep now.”

I slept.

* * *

“Did I kill him?” I asked, waking again. I searched Gil’s face for the answer. “Did I kill your uncle?”

I stretched on the bed in his stateroom, much more awake than hours earlier when the medical staff took care of my busted forehead and the security staff bombarded me with questions. More would come. Many more questions than I wanted to think of, much less answer. But I knew many answers. I did not understand, could not understand. Yet it had all happened.

Gil kept his pensive expression. “I don’t know.”

“But he had that stuff in the needle and was swinging it toward me, and I butted his head farther down and kicked his kneecap. What I did could have made his hand jerk down so that he stuck himself with it.”

Gil pushed hair away from my forehead. “Was that a bad thing?”

I tried to sort through my conscience. “Not if he was trying to kill me.”

Gil nodded. “We all forgive you for not letting yourself be killed. My relatives all forgive you. So do I.” He cocked his head and gave me the gentlest smile.

“I love you,” I whispered, head throbbing.

“Smart woman.” He pressed a soft kiss on my lips. “And I love you. You’ve always known that.”

I savored his nearness. His love. I felt more grateful than ever that he’d been the one to find me alongside his uncle on the floor. Just like I had been searching for him, Gil had gone all through the ship looking for me.

I sighed, content that he found me. And I’d found him.

“Relatives,” I said, making him give me a curious look. “You mentioned your relatives. I miss Tommy so much. I mainly wanted this trip so I’d get to see my son. And then when I saw him with that man instead of his wife and children, I turned my back on him.”

Gil kept his face level, giving no judgment.

“I need to see him. I want to call Tommy and apologize and tell him I need to spend time with him and his mate as soon as we dock. And soon afterward I’ll go and visit his wife and the kids.”

Gil pressed a kiss on my cheek. “If you wouldn’t mind company, I’ll join you.”

“Company would be great.”

He gazed at me with a smile. “Are you hungry? I can order something. I heard there’s this great Cajun food on the ship.”

“Later. I’ll want to see my classmates later, too.”

“Jane begged me to tell you she’s sorry she was so mean. She really didn’t care if you dated her brother.” He leaned to stare into my eyes. “Want to tell me about that?”

“Sure, and you’ll tell me who you’ve taken so many cruises with.”

He grinned. “My parents brought me several times when I was a kid, and once I started making money, I brought them. We all love to cruise, especially in this area.”

I felt my tense face relaxing.

“Randy said he hopes you get better soon, and Sue asked me to apologize for her. She acted poorly because she wondered if you cared about her at all. She feared you might consider her a freak and wish she would have stayed your uncle instead of becoming your aunt.”

I let out a laugh and shook my head. “I twisted my ankle because I wanted to be like her with those spiked heels. I’ll have to tell her to just be herself, and people will like her.”

“Or maybe counseling would be good for her. Anyway, they’ve all been asking about you. I said you were okay, but they couldn’t see you now.” He gently touched the side of my face. “Now you’re with me.”

“I’m so happy that I am.”

“Stay with me.”

“In your room?”

“At my side.” Gil gazed into my eyes. “Always.”

During the time since I’d become a widow, I had been searching for myself. I tried to find the true Cealie and determine what she wanted for the rest of her life.

I called to mind my mantra:
I am woman. I can do anything—alone
.

Yes, that was still true. I
could
go through life alone.

But did I want to?

I believed I would change my motto a pinch:
I am woman. I can do anything—alongside a wonderful man who loves me.

I laid my head against Gil’s shoulder. “I’m here to stay.”

Seafood Gumbo á la Gil

First make a roux:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a heavy pot, stir together until golden brown. Then add these:

1 large onion chopped

1/2 bell pepper chopped

2 branches celery chopped

3 pods of garlic chopped

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Stir continuously over medium fire. You may have to add 1/2 cup water to prevent sticking or burning. After stirring for 5 or 10 minutes, add about 3 more cups of water.

You might add 3 or 4 crabs that have been halved. Cook mixture 15–20 minutes.

Add 3–4 cups water. Cook 15 minutes.

Add 1 lb. shrimp and 1/2 lb. crabmeat. Cook 10 minutes.

Serve in bowls over cooked rice. Scrumptious!

Gil’s Shrimp Étouffée

3 lbs. chopped onions

1/3 block of butter or margarine

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 lbs. medium shrimp

In a heavy pot combine all ingredients except cornstarch and shrimp. Cook over medium heat until onions caramelize (about 1/2 to 2/3 hour).

Add shrimp and cornstarch. Cook until shrimp are pink and look done, about 20 minutes.

Eat in a plate over cooked rice. Enjoy!