S.O.S. (49 page)

‘Well I'm sorry to have to
tell
you, Nicole …'

‘Marianne. Nicole is my mother. I'm Marianne.'

‘
Marianne
 – oh God of
course
. Please forgive me. Well, um – Marianne – '

‘You haven't found him.'

‘We, um – no. No. The search has failed to, um …'

‘I didn't expect him to be found. I just hoped.'

‘Well quite, quite. We all did. And may I speak for the entire crew and staff when I say I really am most – '

‘It's all right. I didn't really know him that well. Didn't know him at
all
, in fact. If I'd understood him, I maybe could've …'

‘You really mustn't blame yourself, you know. When people are that determined … well, you just can't stop them.'

Marianne nodded. ‘What happens next? Anything? Have you – dealt with this sort of thing before?'

Captain Scar looked down.

‘We, um – have a policy not to actually ever talk about any of that, I'm afraid. Probably understand why. But what happens next is that we alert next of kin, of course – '

‘I don't think there is any. That was the point.'

‘Yes well – we go through all the motions – all the procedures. Contact the relevant authorities in New York. Before we sail to Jamaica, the ship will be swept again. Just in case. And, um – well that's
it
, really. No more we can really, um … Now tell me, Marianne. How are you bearing up? Hm? Want the Doc to fix you up with something? Help you get a bit of sleep. Probably need it.'

Marianne had risen: just had to, she thought, go now.

‘Thank you, no. I shall be … perfectly fine. Goodbye, Captain.'

‘Goodbye. I really am so sorry. Marianne.'

Oh
Christ
, he thought, when he was alone again. Bugger bugger
bugger
. Why can't a crossing ever be
simple?
Hey? And what next? Hm? After the bloody orgy, after the bloody suicide – what bloody
next?
Because they say that, don't they? Comes in
threes
, all this sort of thing.

*

‘Hiya, David my man! Finally I gotcha. Three times I called already.'

David cradled the phone into the crook of his shoulder, and continued to button his shirt: the last one got sweaty – sweaty, yes, and badly crumpled too.

‘Yes – I've just got here. So, Dwight – we meeting, or what?'

‘Sure thing, buddy boy. Unless you aiming to take in this here
Talent
Show …?'

‘Ha! Joking. OK, Dwight – usual place, usual time. And you're
OK
, are you?'

‘OK how, David? What saying?'

‘Well it's just all the pitching of the ship. People are dropping like flies all over the place. Apparently the doctors have been inundated with people wanting some sort of injection they've got for all this, or something – but the joke is, someone was telling me, it won't take effect until we've docked at New York! Whereupon they'll all be poleaxed!'

‘Jeez … kidding me. What a buncha klutzes. Naw, Dave – I'm just fine. Constitootion of an ox. Oh and hey
David
 – I saw that hot babe of yours, cuppla hours back. Seemed to me like she was
crying?
What
doing
to her, Dave, you old
goat? Anyways – still she cut me dead. Me she don't like,
period
.'

Crying? Really? Well all David can tell you is that his little Suki had certainly not been crying earlier, when they were both entwined and wholly intent upon a fairly severe session of
cherishing
: how the shirt came to get that way, as a matter of fact.

‘I'm sure you're
imagining
all this, you know, Dwight. She'd love you! Tell you what – I'll bring her along to the bar. Yes? Telling you – you'll have loads in common. Oh and
Dwight
, um – I hate to mention it, but um – the
money
, yes? Because she's been quiet so far, Trish – well, she's sick as a dog, thank Christ – but it's a bit of a time bomb, you know?'

‘Relax, David. It's fixed. I spoke to her direct.'

‘You did? Really? And what did she …? How did she …?'

‘She's sweet with the whole thing. Nul problemo. And, uh – so am
I
, David. If you know what I mean. You're OK with that, I hope? Don't mind?'

‘Mind? No. No – course I don't
mind
. Great. Best of luck. I think you'll be OK with her, actually, Dwight. It's
money
she loves, quite frankly.'

Yeah, thought Dwight: dead right. That's just the message I got from her, loud and clear. How it went was like this: first I had to get some real distance between me and Charlene, was numero uno, if you know what I'm saying. Some damn lousy piece of junk she got in the
Harrods
store? Some dumb kinda paddery broad in a big stoopid dress? Her
hand
is broke off, is the way she was going: so how come, Dwight – you care to tell me how the
hand
is broke off, huh? And I'm back with What're you –
nuts
? You think I been, what – stroking the paddery dame's hand so goddam hard I wore it clean
away
? If it's broke it's on accounta you didn't store it right, Charlene – sure as hell ain't nothing to do with me, you hear me? Maybe, she says, I can wire the Harrods store. Charlene, I says to her – you
wire the Harrods store from onboard this ship and it's gonna cost me the sorta money I can
buy
the fuckin' Harrods store – I getting through to you?
Live
with it, Charlene – suck it up. From where I'm coming from, it ain't the worst thing in the whole goddam world, you know?

Sheez
… So I call up David, and nix. So I was gonna grab me a couple drinks – beat up bad on my goddam bowels just one more time – and then I gets to thinking, hey – stead I give the cash to David and he squares it with the Patty broad, maybe I can do myself a bitta good here, huh? Cos I'm telling ya – she's OK, Patty. No kid, but real
usable
: you know what I'm sane? Plus – I like a deal. With a deal upfront, you know where you stand. So I get to her cabin, right? And Jesus what a shit-hole – make a cell in San Quentin seem real homey, you know? And what I was expecting to see, I guess, was the kinda cool dame of a cuppla nights back? What it didn't never strike me is she'd be just about as close to death as one woman can surely get herself without she just goes right on ahead and dies on ya. She was one sick lady. And the smella the cabin I didn't too much like.

‘Hi, Patty. You looking good. What's cooking?'

‘
Gah
! Urrrrgh … don't
say
that – oh God don't
say
that, Dwight …!'

‘Say what, Patty? What's
cooking
…?'

‘
Gaaaah
…!' is all I get outta her this time around. Next I know I'm a-hollering at her through the bathroom door.

‘I sure can pre-shate this is maybe not the greatest time, huh? … But I would like to put to you one proposition, Patty. What I hear, you're one lady for a deal, honey.'

Not too sure she spoke some or she didn't; I'm getting this kinda noise like a moonsick hound dog. So maybe I go on:

‘See, Patty – I talked a bit with our amigo David, yeah? We're kinda –
buddies
? Seems you want a little pocket money, I didn't get that wrong. Well could be I can help you
out, is all I'm saying. You hear me in there, Patty? You still living? Ain't no deal if ya gone died on me, girl. Tap on the door, Patty, if you still alive.'

And some sorta rumble came across (she maybe fall over?) so I figure OK, Dwight my man – wrap this up quick and get your ass outta here.

‘So what I'm, like, putting your way, Patty, is I maybe setcha up in a condo in New York. You like the sounda that? Somewhere midtown – real classy. And maybe you wanna do a little shopping, yeh? Well could be I can fix that. What say? Patty? What say? And time to time, I come over – see how you doing … That sound good to you? Or what? It's time to
talk
, now, Patty … don't be holding out on me, now …'

So I wait around some, and nothing. So OK, is how I'm figuring – if she died, she died: I did all I could. Then boom! The door's wide open and she's kinda just hanging on to the side of it and oh yeah
sure
she looks like hell – hoo boy, big time – but listen up: this wrap she's wearing – it's come all loose, you know, and from where I'm standing, the view from the neck down is mighty fine. Yessir ma'am – never give no mind to your face right now, it looks something put out in the trash following one mother of a Halloween: I do not regret one single word I just said to you, lady, on accounta hear me, sweet babe: I sure do like the cut of your titties.

‘
Dwight
…' she gasped – and then she looked alarmed and deeply uneasy about what just this much effort had kicked off in her insides. ‘I think … that is … just
marvellous
… if only I can, oh God –
live
that long? …'

Dwight grinned broadly, and patted her back encouragingly. Not, as it turned out, the best of moves on his part, he maybe saw now – because Patty looked goggle-eyed and stunned and then quite assailed and then, oh God – so pale
grey
as she lurched back into the bathroom and just about managed to hurl closed the door.

‘You'll be just fine …!' a pretty damn pleased Dwight was yelling through the panels. ‘Deal is though, honey – you don't go talking bout nothing with Nicole. OK?' As he waited, he heard a horrible noise. ‘You wanna maybe come up and do some of that on the
Talent
Show, Patty? Could be you wind up Miss Twenny-First Century
Barf
you know? Naw – just kidding around, Patty honey. I'll see ya!'

What a gal. So – what I'm thinking now, just sat up at the bar and fooling with a fresh Jack Daniel's, is I sure did get me a deal. I been needing this for how long? This way, back home – I get outta the house and I got me someplace to
go
, you know? Just a shame she's so wasted tonight, my Patty. On account of if David is bringing along his red-hot momma, we could maybe have made us up a foursome. Which couldda been neat. And where
is
that boy? By my watch, he's overdo. And he can say what he likes – that girla his, she don't like me one leedle bit. A guy gets to know these things. So how the evening's gonna go down, I couldn't rightly say.

That him, way down yonder? I do bleeve so – and Jeez, my eyes ain't too good, this kinda distance, but it sure looks to me like he's
dragging
her in. What gives?

‘Come
on
 – come
on
,' David was urging – and yes, pretty much dragging her. (Don't know what's wrong with the girl: chattering away nineteen to the dozen – Sure, David, sure, I'll meet with this buddy of yours, why hell not? – and then we turn in here and suddenly she freezes up and starts pulling away from me.) ‘Don't be shy – you'll love him, I tell you.'

And then when Dwight was able to focus just a little bit better, he got right off that stool and strutted off to meet this head-on.

‘Dwight – here she is, my gorgeous little girl. Say hello, Suki.'

‘Oh
Christ
…' moaned Suki. ‘I'm
outta
here …!'

But David had a hold of her.

‘Don't be
rude
, Suki. Say something to my good friend Dwight. Dwight? What's wrong? Dwight? Why are you – why are you
looking
at me like that? Dwight?'

‘You …' said Dwight, really deep, and very slowly, ‘ …
bastard
…!'

David was frankly amazed.

‘What?' he said. ‘
What
…? What's
wrong
with everyone?
Speak
, someone, will you? Is this some joke I'm not in on, or something?'

And as Dwight just stood there – rigid and empurpled with an unspeakable rage and beginning to teeter – Suki just rolled up her eyes and cried out OH GEE I'M JUST SO
SORRY
, DADDY …! I just had no
idea …

David glanced at Dwight – so suddenly that it was as if his face had been slapped round in the direction. He felt his mouth drop open, as icy cold invaded the whole of him. It wasn't so much the fear of the here and now that had him tight – more he felt quite bloodless at the terrible realization that once again, one more time, a future of sorts that had been dangled before him by the gleeful gods, drunk on cruelty, had now and immediately been jerked right away from him at the very last second. Once again, one more time, he was on the dump. There could be no more.

And Dwight then knew that he had to right now, punch this guy out good – just as David got wind of it too. He twitched and ducked and ran for cover.

*

‘Not many
people
, are there …?' sniffed Jennifer, glancing around the auditorium. ‘Must be, what – how many seats are there here, do you think, Stacy? Four hundred? Less? Three? More? Hell of a
lot
, anyway. Practically
empty …'

‘Weather, I expect,' said Stacy. ‘It's just an
amazing
sensation – bucking up and down like this. Don't you think? Man at the door said it was set to get even worse, later on. I
can't imagine it any worse. We're not going to sink, are we, Mum? It's not going to be like the
Titanic
?'

‘Well all I can say is your Auntie Min will be terribly disappointed if we
do
. I don't suppose anyone else is going to her silly little wedding.'

‘I'm not sure if I like it or I don't …' Stacy was musing. ‘The really huge lurches leave your stomach sort of up in the air. Do you get that? But it's a bit like those fairground horses, in a way. Just more so.'