Claire Gulliver #04 - Cruisin' for a Bruisin' Read online

  * * *

  For a while Kim concentrated on the traffic moving through the town while Anita seemed content to look at the scenery, but then they were past the congestion and heading north.

  “Is the Shrine very far?”

  “I think it’s about an hour, but allowing for finding our way it might take a little while longer. I think this is our turn-off coming up.” She put on her blinker and got into the left lane.

  “It says Douglas Island. Is that where it is?” Anita sat up looking around as Kim crossed over the bridge and then, instead of turning left as everyone else was doing, she turned right going north on a road winding around the edge of the island.

  It wasn’t long before they left all signs of civilization behind. Except for the paved road they followed, they could have been in the wilderness.

  “Are you sure this is the right way?” Anita was worried. “I haven’t seen any signs.”

  “I haven’t either, but this is the way the lady told me. Maybe they don’t use signs for religious shrines. Let’s go a little further. It hasn’t been an hour quite yet. I sure hope we find it soon ’cause I need to pee.”

  They continued down the deserted road only passing another car once. It was beautiful country, quiet, peaceful and very green. Sometimes they caught glimpses of the water through the trees on the right, while on the left the vegetation climbed the hills which made up the island.

  Suddenly Kim pulled over and stopped the car.

  “What? Are we there? What are you doing?” Anita sat forward looking around for a sign.

  “I have to pee. I just decided I’m not going to wait. I’m going down behind a tree. I’ll just be a minute.” And she climbed out of the car and disappeared into the trees.

  Anita rolled down her window and breathed in the chilly air. It was very quiet after the motor stopped pinging, only the sound of the breeze stirring the leaves and occasionally the call of a bird.

  “Anita, Anita, come here and see this,” Kim’s voice called.

  “What do you want?” Anita yelled back, reluctant to get out of the car, even more reluctant to go into the brush.

  “Come on down here, you have to see this.” Kim’s voice was excited, even though muted by the vegetation.

  Her curiosity piqued, Anita reluctantly rolled up her window and got out of the Jeep. She looked for a way through the trees, carefully selecting where she placed her foot for each step, lest she slip and fall. She made her way down the bank toward Kim’s voice, muttering to herself. “This better be good, Kim, ’cause I don’t like this.”

  She moved through the trees, peering carefully around to be sure she didn’t come across a snake or any other thing repellent to her.

  She saw Kim, standing in heavy brush near the edge of the water, her arm out, pointing to a spot out of sight. “Look there, can you see it?” Her voice was excited, trembling.

  Anita edged carefully toward Kim until she was right beside her and she still didn’t see what she was pointing at. She leaned forward trying to see.

  The only and last thing she saw was a brilliant flash of white and then, total blackness.

  * * *

  Kim held the large rock tightly clutched in her hand, her arm stiff, the vibration of the blow still quivered through her body. Finally, she looked down at the crumpled form at her feet, while she fought to keep the contents of her stomach in place. She had no doubt Anita was dead. Her eyes stared at nothing and blood oozed from the back of her head. Suddenly she turned and heaved the rock as hard as she could into the water. Then she wrapped her arms around her body as a shiver of revulsion shook her.

  Kim didn’t know how long she stood there staring at Anita’s body, but eventually she realized there was danger in leaving her car on the road long enough to attract attention. She made herself feel for a pulse in Anita’s throat. She didn’t want to touch the body, but she had to do it. He insisted she make sure Anita was dead.

  She picked up Anita’s purse, thinking how like her to carry her purse with her into the woods, opened it and removed the money, slipping it into her own pocket before removing Anita’s ship identification card and pocketing it so she could use it later. She left everything else in the purse and took it down to the water’s edge. She filled it with small rocks, closed and fastened it before throwing it as far out in the water as she could. She stood watching while it sank.

  She looked again at the body. Anita was wearing rings, a watch and earrings. Heavy gold, not to her taste, but nice. No, she decided, none of it was worth the risk of having something which would tie her to Anita. She left the jewelry, and the body, and headed back to the car.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. Now she realized her determination to overcome her horror at doing the deed must have caused her to over-compensate so she had swung the rock with such force it had shattered Anita’s skull with one blow.

  But she had done it!

  She felt a shiver of excitement run up her spine. It hadn’t been nearly as bad as she feared. Now that is was done she felt empowered. Now she felt she could do anything.

  * * *

  “There you are dear, sit next to me.” Her mother indicated the empty chair beside her. “Did you have a nice day?”

  “Yes, and no bear.” She smiled. “But you were kind of right. Our guide told us they see a lot of them. He was actually carrying a weapon in case we did run into one who was aggressive.”

  “Yes, he says they don’t lose many of their tourists, but sometimes the locals, who think they’re more experienced, get tangled up with a crotchety one.” Lucy grinned evilly, deliberately baiting Millie. But when she saw Millie’s eyes widen with alarm she said contritely, “I’m teasing you, Millie. There are bears; sometimes they can be ornery so they take precautions to make sure no one is hurt. It is really very safe. And it was wonderful, wasn’t it Claire?”

  Just then Sean and Ian appeared, accepting a menu card from Pedro as they sat down. It was obvious they had been in the sun from the pink glow on their faces and the white around their eyes where their sunglasses sat.

  “How was dog sledding?”

  “Mush, Haw,” Ian reached his arm out as if he was cracking a whip. “We’re both experienced now. Next year we’ll probably be entering the Iditarod.”

  “Entering it, hell, we’re going to win it. The dogs do all the work. We just ride along and try not to fall off our sleds.” Everyone laughed at Sean’s assessment of the famous dogsled race, then busied themselves with the menu while drinks were ordered.

  “Where are Pearl and Harold tonight?”

  “I think she said they were going to one of those Salmon Bakes and wouldn’t be back until late,” Mrs. Bernbaum told them. “I’m sure we’ll hear about it tomorrow.”

  “And how was your day Mrs. Bernbaum?”

  “Oh, my dear, I had a lovely day. Dickie is so good to me.” She patted his arm and he smiled at her. “We went on the City Tour and then to the top of the mountain on the cable car. What a view. Then we watched a most interesting video show up there. Did anyone else see it?” She peered around the table and seeing no one did she continued. “It was very interesting, it’s a shame you missed it. Anyway, it was a lovely day and even though it was chilly, the air was so crisp it was quite invigorating.”

  Claire noticed she did have a sparkle in her eye tonight. “Did your caregiver go with you or is she going home?”

  The smile on Mrs. Bernbaum’s face faltered. “Oh, dear. That Anita, she refuses to go back. She insists she will stay to the end.” She shook her head. “She wasn’t back from shore when I came to dinner. I hope when she gets here, she’ll be in a better frame of mind after spending the entire day with her feet planted on the ground.”

  “But enough of her. I see by the schedule we will be visiting the glacier tomorrow and I thought if you wanted to sit on my balcony and have tea with me, we would have a ringside seat. My steward said we need to be outdoors when we see it because when the glacier c
alves, that’s when big pieces fall off, it makes all kinds of noise which will be exciting.”

  “That’s very nice of you, Mrs. Bernbaum. I’d love to come,” Millie agreed, and Claire and Lucy nodded.

  “Are we invited too?” Sean inquired.

  “Of course, we’ll have a tea party. Everybody come. It will be fun. You’ll come, won’t you Dickie? I know you’re not that fond of tea but..., I know, I’ll order some wine too.”

  Soon, it evolved from a tea party to a tea party with cocktails.

  “Oh, Pearl and Harold must be invited. If anyone sees them, please tell them. When the ship arrives at the Hubbard Glacier the naturalist will talk over the speakers, just come to my cabin then. Oh, what fun it will be.”

  The dinner seemed to pass swiftly. Everyone was talking about their activities in Juneau and what to expect on seeing Hubbard Glacier the next day.

  The blare of the ship’s horn sounded through the ship.

  “We’re off. It must be ten o’clock. I’ll say this for the Captain, he casts off and docks right on schedule.” Lucy glanced at her watch, then looked up as one of the passengers, already on their way out of the dining room, lurched against her chair, the motion of the ship taking him by surprise. She smiled at his embarrassed apology. “No problem, don’t worry.”

  “Ladies, they’re having line dancing and the Texas Two Step tonight, are you all going to join us?” Ian’s invitation sounded intriguing.

  “I don’t know how to do the Texas Two Step. Besides, don’t you have to wear cowboy boots or something?” Millie wanted to know.

  “If you can walk you can do the Two Step. Trust me on this. But I confess I don’t know about the boots.” Sean shook his head.

  “Is it anything like Texas Hold’em? I’m good at that,” Ruth offered.

  Claire laughed. Ruth did love her cards. “I’m sure we don’t need boots. I saw the line dancing lesson they were giving the other day in the lounge when I walked through, and it looked fun.”

  Lucy nodded. “I’m game.”

  “What about you, Mrs. Bernbaum? Feel like dancing tonight?”

  “Oh, my no, Sean. I’m going to be very happy to go to bed right after dinner.”

  “Do you want me to walk you back to your room?” Claire was quick to offer.

  “No, no, I’ll deliver Auntie tonight. Thanks for the offer, Claire. But I might just join you all later to see this Texas dancing.”

  Ian and Sean pushed back their chairs. “We’ll grab a table upstairs. Join us when you can.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  They could hear the phone ringing from the corridor, so Dickie hurriedly inserted his aunt’s key card in the door and rushed to pick up the phone. “Hello, hello? Yes, this is Mrs. Bernbaum’s cabin. Who? Who is this? I see, yes, I see. All right!” He hung up the receiver and looked at Mrs. Bernbaum with a puzzled look.

  “That was security. They say Anita didn’t board.”

  Mrs. Bernbaum looked around the cabin as if Anita might be lurking in the shadows. “Anita didn’t board? That’s not possible. Where would she be?”

  “Are you sure she wasn’t going to go home from here? Could she have changed her mind?”

  “No, no she would have told me.” Mrs. Bernbaum shook her head emphatically. “Besides, she would have wanted me to pay for the ticket, I’m sure.” She sat down in the chair heavily, as if overwhelmed by the situation. “Where could she be?”

  The sharp knock at the door signaled the arrival of the ship’s security men. There were two of them, wearing their discrete blazers with little insignias. Their ramrod stiff posture reeked of a military background.

  “Larry Smithston, madam. Sorry to bother you this evening.” The one obviously in charge, took charge. “We show Anita Fernandez, assigned to this cabin, left the ship today at ten, thirty-nine hundred. She did not board again before we sailed.” His expression was so grim that Mrs. Bernbaum felt a shiver of fright.

  “I can’t believe it. What could have happened to her?”

  “Are you Florence Bernbaum?” At Mrs. Bernbaum’s nod, he turned to Dickie. “And you, sir?”

  “I’m Mrs. Bernbaum’s nephew, Dr. Richard Walmer. I’m also her physician. I’m in cabin sixty, seventy-two.”

  The Security Officer nodded. His companion made a note on the pad he carried.

  “Are you sure she’s not on board somewhere?” Mrs. Bernbaum couldn’t believe Anita would stay ashore without telling her.

  “She did not board the ship madam. We’re positive of that. Is she a relative?”

  “She’s my caregiver. She’s been with me for four years now, and she is not a flighty or careless person. I know that. Something must have happened to her. We need to find her? Dickie, Dickie, do something...” Mrs. Bernbaum was agitated. The seriousness of the situation was dawning on her.

  “Now, now Auntie, it’s probably just a minor thing. Don’t get all excited.” Dickie’s voice was calm as he tried to reassure his aunt. “Officer, what procedures do you use in these situations? It must happen from time to time.”

  “We’ve already notified our agent in Juneau and he will begin a search if you don’t know where she is.”

  “I just can’t imagine...” Mrs. Bernbaum looked at Dickie with concern as she explained. “Dickie, I’m afraid I was rather cavalier with Anita this morning. She was upset and full of dire warnings about my behavior and I just brushed her off. Do you think I made her so mad she just left?” She looked at the security officers. “She is really a help to me, but she can be a dampening influence. She didn’t think I should come on this cruise and she keeps telling me I’m foolishly overdoing it. I’m afraid I’ve become rather impatient with her. I suggested she fly home from here, but she refused to consider it. She said she didn’t dare, as there was no telling what I’d do without her to keep watch over me.”

  “Could she have changed her mind about going home? Did you check to see if she took any of her belongings?”

  Mrs. Bernbaum shook her head slowly. She hadn’t even thought of that. Slowly she got out of her chair, the lateness of the day and now this worry made her years weigh heavily on her. She went into the bedroom. Right away she could see some of Anita’s things were gone.

  She returned to the living room saying, “I’m so mad at her! Her toothbrush, hair brush and a small bag are gone. And it looks like some of her clothes are missing too. Oh, I’m really annoyed with her. This is so unlike her. Did she just want to worry me?”

  Dickie hurried to his aunt, slipped his arm around her and guided her back to the chair she had left. “Now, now, I’m sure she didn’t mean to worry you. Maybe she was just mad and decided to leave. I’ll bet if we call her home tomorrow or the next day, she’ll answer the phone.”

  “She’s isn’t a hiker? You don’t think she would have tried to go off into the woods on her own, do you?”

  “Anita? Oh no, she’s very much a city person. I don’t think you could have dragged her out into the woods.” She stopped. “Unless, someone did drag her off.” There was a look of horror on her face. “Oooh, could it be the work of a serial killer?” She was getting upset again.

  “No, no, it sounds like your caregiver just took off. Maybe she was mad, but if her things are missing we can assume she planned to leave. And she is an adult, so of course she has the right to leave if she wishes. Do you want us to pursue a search of Juneau?”

  They all looked at Mrs. Bernbaum while she considered the situation. She looked at Dickie who suggested, “Why don’t we wait until we try to call her in San Francisco. If we can’t reach her by phone by the day after tomorrow, we’d better take steps to search for her. And if she just missed the boat, she’ll probably catch up with us at our next port, right?”

  “Yes, our agent frequently works with passengers to help them arrange transportation to catch up with the ship they missed. If that is what’s happened to Ms. Fernandez , you’ll be seeing her in Sitka. If we hear anything from our agent we’ll let
you know. Likewise, if you hear from her or contact her, please tell us.”

  Dickie nodded solemnly. “I think that since some of her things are missing, she must have decided to leave. As soon as we find out for sure, we’ll let you know. Thank you for your help.”

  When Dickie let the men out he returned to his aunt and said, “Now don’t you go getting yourself all upset about this. It was very inconsiderate of Anita to act so irresponsibly, but we’ll straighten it all out when we get home. Meanwhile, remember this is your life quest. It’s something you’ve wanted to do and you’re doing it. Don’t let Anita’s peevish behavior ruin it for you.” He looked at her carefully, trying to interpret her expression. At her nod, he smiled. “Okay, will you need some help getting to bed?”

  “I’m not senile yet, Dickie.” She realized her reply was a little sharp so she patted his arm and said softly, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry. I’m tired from our day out so I’m sure I’ll sleep in spite of my worry about Anita.

  “I can give you something?”

  “No, I don’t like those pills. They make me stupid the next day. No, if I don’t sleep, I’ll just sit here and watch the waves. Don’t worry, go on and meet up with the others for the dancing or whatever it is you young people do at this time of the night.” She waved him away so he left, somewhat reluctantly. She sat back and thought about her conversation with Anita this morning. She still couldn’t believe Anita had gotten mad enough to abandon her after years of putting up with her demands. And she was ashamed to admit she didn’t tell Anita often enough how she appreciated her care and her attention to all the details, even though she paid Anita generously to do them. Admittedly, sometimes Anita was too bossy, but right now she didn’t care about that. She just wanted to know where she was, and that she was all right.

  * * *

  She walked crisply across the marble lobby, bathed in the love shining from Nate’s eyes as he stood beside the table waiting for her. She was glad she wore her new Channel suit with the silver fox fur piece draped over her shoulders. She knew she looked smart. She took pride that her tiny hat was tipped charmingly over her forehead, the attached veil slightly masking her eyes. And she knew others, not just Nate, were admiring her. She smiled at him as she slipped into the chair he held. Mariso arrived just then with the drink Nate had ordered for her.