Marcia Talley - Dark Passage

Their attention had been focused on the magician, but they turned to look just as Pia and the basket disappeared into the wings. ‘Maybe it’s her period?’ Georgina suggested. ‘God, how embarrassing!’

‘Not on the outside of her leg, it isn’t!’ Ruth pointed out sensibly.

I had visions of a wounded Pia smiling bravely in a show-must-go-on sort of way until she got backstage, then collapsing in a heap of bloody chiffon and gold trim. ‘I hope she’s OK,’ I said.

The second assistant skipped out onto the stage just then, smiling stiffly. Clearly this was not part of the act, because even from where we sat, I noticed Channing’s eyebrows shoot up in annoyance. The girl grabbed his hand and bent at the waist, forcing the magician into another bow. With her head close to his, she whispered in his ear.

Within seconds, the two had vanished. The stage was empty. As we watched, wondering and worrying, the emcee rushed into the whirl of multicolored lights and swirling fog, pressing a microphone to his lips. ‘Ladies and gentleman, wasn’t that spectacular!’ His free hand windmilled. ‘Please put your hands together for the Amazing Channing and his lovely and talented assistants, Pia and Lorelei!’

But Channing and his two lovely and talented assistants had already made their final bow.

Slowly the applause died out, the emcee bid us goodnight, the fog slowly dissipated, the house lights came up, and we were left to stare at a blank curtain. I wouldn’t find out until late the following morning just how talented Channing’s assistants actually were.

‘Alcohol is involved in at least 62.5 percent of on-board assaults with serious bodily injury, 35 percent of simple assaults, and 36 percent of sexual assaults. While this data suggests greater concern with responsible serving of alcohol and curtailing alcohol misuse, some cruise lines now offer ‘all you can drink’ packages at flat rates for the duration of a cruise. Bar sales is one of the top sources of on-board revenue for cruise ships.’

Testimony of Ross A. Klein, PhD before the Senate

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,

March 1, 2012

I spent a restless night. When I wasn’t stewing about David, I was fretting about Pia. When the first light of dawn finally came, I gave up on sleep. I padded to the bathroom, then stepped into a pair of jeans, wrestled a T-shirt on over my head, slid my feet into a pair of flip flops and slipped out of the room, leaving Ruth huddled under her duvet, gently snoring.

Breakfast wouldn’t be served until 6.30 a.m., but I knew that coffee and donuts were available in a corner of the Firebird café for the early birds – joggers, displaced spouses, and insomniacs like me – so I made my way up to deck nine. I filled a mug from the urn, stirred in some half and half and carried it over to a seat by the window where I could watch the water boil white around the hull as the liner sleeked its way through the sea. The Zen of it was calmly reassuring.

From the program I knew we’d be sighting Bermuda by mid-morning and docking at the port of Kings Landing shortly after noon. I hadn’t signed up for any excursions, and I was grateful for that now, as I didn’t intend to step foot ashore until I found out what had happened to Pia.

‘Hannah! I thought I might find you here.’

To my surprise, the speaker was Georgina, who rarely managed to make it out of bed before eight and never, to my knowledge, even ate breakfast. Her hair was twisted into an unruly knot at the crown of her head and held in place with a leopard-print claw clip. She carried a paper cup of coffee in one hand and a powdered donut in the other.

I grinned up at her. ‘So, who are you, and what have you done with my sister?’

Georgina snorted, then plopped herself down opposite me. She took an experimental bite of the donut, frowned, set it down on a napkin, then brushed powdered sugar off her dark blue T-shirt. ‘Julie’s still asleep, and I didn’t want to turn on the light, so I decided to wander up for some coffee.’

‘How was the movie last night, did Julie say?’

‘It was “fine,” the popcorn was “gross,” the girl she sat next to was “dumb,” and the idea of playing Charades was “lame, totally.” Believe it or not, Julie was back at the cabin by eleven. I was reading when she came in and I nearly fell out of my bunk.’ Georgina tore open a packet of demerara sugar and dumped it into her cup, stirred. ‘What gets you up so early? It’s not even six.’

‘Worried about Pia, I suppose. I’m sure that was blood I saw on her costume.’

‘I think so, too. Who can we ask, Hannah?’

I shrugged. ‘If she were injured, they must have taken her to the clinic. But I can’t exactly go down there and ask. Patient confidentiality and all that. I’m hoping she’ll show up as usual at the Oracle today.’

Georgina reached across the table and squeezed my hand. ‘I’m sure she’s fine, Hannah. She walked off the stage, after all.’

I managed a smile. ‘Don’t know why I’m being so mother-hennish. Pia reminds me a bit of Emily at that age, I suppose.’

‘Attractive, bright, idealistic and strong-headed, right?’

I grinned. ‘Get used to it, sweetie. It’s genetic.’

‘Speaking of Julie,’ Georgina said after a moment, ‘what are you planning to do today? She wants to hang out at the pool, but I’ve got an appointment at the day spa for a massage.’

‘Nothing definite,’ I replied. ‘Thought I’d go out on deck and take pictures as we sail into Bermuda. Do you need me to watch Julie?’

‘No, no. She’ll be fine. Just curious, that’s all. How about Ruth?’

‘No clue. We decided to talk about it over lunch. Will you be done by then?’

She nodded. ‘As relaxed and boneless as a rubber chicken. Let’s meet at the Oracle, then. Eleven-thirty?’

I nodded. ‘It’s a date.’

The Oracle was on deck four, so it was easy to reconnoiter on the way to our stateroom. On my third ever-so-casual pass, a steward I’d never seen before was working behind the bar. My heart sank into my shoes.

I consulted the young man’s name tag. ‘Prakash, I was looking for Pia. Will she be working today?’

Prakash wiped his hands on a towel and studied me thoughtfully. ‘I expect her to arrive sometime this morning, madam. Is there anything I can get for you in the meantime?’

I made a show of consulting my watch. ‘I need to check on my niece in a few minutes,’ I improvised. ‘Do you know when she’s scheduled to come on duty?’

‘I am so sorry, madam, but I do not. Until Pia comes, I stay.’ Prakash began scooping crushed ice into the wine coolers. I’d been dismissed.

I’d actually promised Georgina that I’d check in on Julie from time to time, so I decided to work off the Belgian waffle I’d splurged on at breakfast in the Firebird café by walking up the ten flights of stairs that would take me to the swimming pool area on deck nine. Julie was there, sitting on the edge of a hot tub, her legs dangling, enjoying the whirlpool with two girls about her age. I waved as I passed by, but didn’t embarrass my niece by actually speaking to her.

I spent the next half hour at the guest relations desk signing up for an Internet account, and the fifteen minutes after that recovering from sticker shock – sixty-five cents per minute! – over a four-dollar latte at Café Cino.

In the library on deck seven, I spent three dollars and twenty-five cents – five minutes – checking my iPhone for email which consisted of a birthday reminder for my sister-in-law, Connie, and a brief message from Paul saying he loved me and hoped I was having a good time.

I made a pit stop at our stateroom, where I found Ruth taking a shower following a Pilates workout in the fitness center. ‘Why you want to exercise on vacation is completely beyond me,’ I said as my sister emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her head like a turban. ‘I just stopped by to see what you were doing.’