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

  On the way back to the dock, one of the passengers said he saw a moose, but no one else saw it so it might have been a shadow. They landed back at Sitka after only a short passage through the rough water. The generous tips handed off to their guide indicated the passengers’ pleasure with the excursion. They had seen some of the magnificent wilderness Alaska is known for, felt some of the solitude Alaska boasted of and captured pictures of some of the unique wildlife. And if some of the passengers claimed they saw a whale in order to escape the ordeal of the rough water, who cared? Everyone was satisfied.

  “Whoa, I’m glad to have my feet on solid ground again. I suddenly have a little more empathy for Anita’s sea sickness,” Millie said as they walked up the street into town. “I wonder how Ruth and Lucy are doing fishing out on that rough water?”

  “Oh, I didn’t even think of that. Well, maybe the water isn’t as turbulent further out where they were going. I’m hoping they get fish so we can share in the spoils.”

  “We’ll hear soon enough. Let’s stop in here for a little lunch, then I’d like to see some of the town and maybe look at the shops. I understand they have a lot of Russian goods here. I wouldn’t mind picking up a piece of amber jewelry.”

  Later, over a cup of clam chowder and a shared crab salad sandwich, Millie told Claire about Mrs. Bernbaum’s life quest.

  “She’s been carrying his ashes around with her all these years?” Claire was shocked.

  Millie nodded. “Isn’t that touching. But now she says it’s time to let go.”

  “I guess. Fifty years and another husband, and she still hasn’t buried him? I’m not sure I think that’s touching, Mom. I think it might be a little spooky.”

  “No, dear. You don’t understand how difficult it is to give up your loved one. You know, I slept in your Dad’s old flannel shirt for several years before it finally disintegrated in the washer leaving me no choice.”

  Claire looked at her with amazement. She never knew this about her mother; suddenly she realized how hard it must have been. Her mother had been a young woman. With her husband’s untimely death, Millie had suddenly been alone in the world to cope with raising a young daughter. She had to be strong for her daughter when she probably would have preferred to fall apart. Claire reached over and grasped her mother’s hand. That reminded her how Mrs. Bernbaum always grabbed her listener’s arm to hang on when she was telling a story. Here she was, less than half Mrs. Bernbaum’s age, already acting just like her.

  Millie patted her hand and then told her, “I told Mrs. Bernbaum we would come to the cemetery tomorrow. I thought she could use some support. Even after all this time it will still be a wrenching experience for her. I know that. You don’t mind, do you?”

  Claire nodded agreeing. “What time and where?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll check with her tonight. I’m sure we can fit it in around the excursion we booked. I’ll ask Ruth and Lucy if they want to come, but they may not want to. They don’t really understand Mrs. Bernbaum’s feelings for Nate.”

  “No, they’ve had different experiences with the men in their lives,” Claire agreed thoughtfully.

  The women settled their bill and walked down the street towards the Russian Orthodox Church which sat right in front of them requiring the street to branch around either side of it. The little town was a unique blend of Russian frontier architecture and fishing village.

  “I just love this town. I read Louis L’Amour’s, novel, Sitka, when I was young and was taken with the romance of that time. I think they made a movie out of it, too. Anyway, I feel like I’m there. I’m in that Sitka he talked about,” Millie said in a dreamy tone.

  “I saw that movie. What’s interesting about that time is that it wasn’t so long ago. Actually, Mrs. Bernbaum’s Nate lived here not long after the Gold Rush. When you can talk to someone who knew it first hand it makes it all seem like it was only yesterday. It’s exciting, isn’t it?

  “Here let’s check out this shop.” Millie’s attention was now riveted on shopping.

  Claire, good-naturedly, followed her Mother into the shop. They weren’t in a hurry, so if Millie wanted to pick up souvenirs, this store seemed to have a nice selection.

  * * *

  “Whoa, grab that glass.”

  Sean captured the wine glass just as it teetered on its edge.

  Pearl wiped her mouth with her napkin, her face a strange greenish color. “Harold, I have to go. Please excuse...” and she was gone, moving quickly through the tables, heading for the door.

  Harold put down his fork and excused himself before following his wife to make sure she made it to their cabin safely.

  “Well, everyone else okay?” Lucy asked looking around the table.

  “I guess we’re going to have a fun night, huh?” Ian didn’t look like the rough sea was going to bother him.

  “This is nothing. It was really rough out there on the fishing boat, wasn’t it girls?” Sean asked Ruth and Lucy.

  “Yeah, but not so much so that I let go of my fish.” Ruth was proud of the picture she had passed around of her holding a seventy pound halibut. Actually, it was seventy-six pounds and measured fifty-three inches long, as she had told everyone several times.

  “For sure, that was a beauty. I’m wishing I was sending home the fillets from a seventy-pounder. Mine seemed a little puny in comparison.”

  “Your mistake, Sean, was not catching three, like I did. Mine might not have been as big as Ruth’s, but the smaller ones are easier to bring in and I ended up with as much fish as she did.” Lucy’s smile indicated how pleased she was, as if she could control which fish took which hook.

  “All I can say is I’m looking forward to cooking it. We’ll have a wonderful meal. Actually, with that much fish, we’ll be eating it all year,” Millie said with enthusiasm before asking, “Mrs. Bernbaum, perhaps you and your nephew would like to join us for dinner one night? Ruth is going to supply the fish and I’m cooking it. Ian, Sean, are you sure you can’t stay in San Francisco for a few days? I assure you this will be a meal you won’t want to miss.”

  The ship rolled sharply and Claire grabbed the table as her chair started to slide out from under her. Ian grabbed it and held it steady.

  “When will your fish arrive, Ruth?” Claire asked, giving up on her soup. The lurching of the ship was making it too difficult to get the spoon to her mouth with anything on it.

  “They said next week. They fillet it, flash freeze it and then overnight it with dry ice. They said I could expect about fifty pounds net weight. It’s going to be the most expensive fish you ever served, Millie. But it’s going to be delicious. Wait and see.”

  Pedro and Juan started clearing the table. They didn’t seem at all disturbed by the turbulence of the water.

  “Where are the Merriwetters?” Pedro asked.

  “I don’t think Pearl was feeling well. She left,” Mrs. Bernbaum said. Obviously she wasn’t bothered by the movement of the ship.

  “Actually, I’m not feeling well, myself.” Richard did look pale. “I wonder if you can excuse me.” He stood up, paused a moment as if trying to get a feel for which way the ship was moving and lurched off towards the door.

  “Oh, dear, I hope he takes some of the medicine he gave Anita.” Mrs. Bernbaum gazed after him with a concerned expression on her face. Then turning towards Claire, she said, “Not that it seemed to help Anita any.” She nodded her thanks to Pedro, who just set down her plate of roasted chicken.

  “Mrs. Bernbaum, was your nephew able to contact Anita today?” Claire spoke in a low voice so her words wouldn’t reach the others at the table.

  “No, no one answered the phone. I’m still very worried. Did you hear from your friend?”

  “Yes, I did. He said no one answered the door and the neighbors reported that Anita went on a cruise to Alaska and they didn’t expect her back until Wednesday. My friend suggested we contact the Juneau police and have them check the hospitals and,” she hesitated a fra
ction of a second, then finished, “the morgue. He says it appears she didn’t return to San Francisco, so something might have happened to her in Juneau to prevent her returning to the ship.”

  “Oh, dear, now I’m really worried. I hope she didn’t have an accident. The poor thing. What if she’s in the hospital, waiting for me to find her? I didn’t think Anita would just desert me. I should have insisted they look for her right away.”

  “I don’t think you could have done much, Mrs. Bernbaum. I believe there is a waiting period before the police take any action on a missing person. But maybe if you talk to the cruise line’s security people, they can start the steps to look for her in Juneau?”

  “Yes, you’re right. After dinner I’ll ask Dickie to contact the security people.” Then she remembered. “Oh, dear, I forgot Dickie left.” Then she straightened her spine. “Well, no matter, I think I can use the phone. I’ll just call them.”

  Claire nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll walk you back to your cabin and even stay with you while you call, if you like.”

  “Oh, thank you dear. That will help.” She took a bite of chicken before continuing. “You know, my dear, I’m a little disappointed at Dickie’s attitude. He refuses to consider that Anita missing the ship could be a serious matter.

  “He didn’t like Anita, you know. Well, it was mutual. She didn’t like him either. I admit she was very suspicious of Dickie, but really, Anita wouldn’t do any thing to harm me. As disapproving as she was of this trip, she did come rather than have me be on my own, so I find it very strange she would become so annoyed she would leave, and without even telling me. No, I’m sure something happened.”

  “You know this lurching and rolling is getting to me. I’m going to skip dessert and head down to the cabin for an early night. Please excuse me.” Ruth was the next casualty. She put down her napkin and got to her feet, holding firmly to the table. Then seeing Millie’s worried expression, she reassured her. “Don’t worry about me, Millie. I’m fine. I’m just tired and not inclined to continue fighting this roll. I’m going to bed and let it rock me to sleep. See you all tomorrow.”

  Claire noticed, as she watched Ruth weave an unsteady path through the tables, how many of the diners had left. Tonight was not a good night for dinner.

  “Is she not feeling well?” Pedro asked, picking up Ruth’s almost full plate.

  “No, she’s passing on dessert. How about you, Pedro? Does it ever bother you?”

  He gave an exaggerated shrug, rolled his eyes. “Not much. I am a sailor you see. We walk like this.” He lurched around the table gathering their finished plates while they laughed at his antics. “Problem is, we try to walk that way on land and then they think we’re drunk.”

  “We’ve really been lucky on this trip, don’t you think?” Lucy asked him. “This is the first rough weather we’ve had.”

  “Yes, we’re very lucky this trip. This is our last trip to Alaska this season and some years the winter moves in too quickly and we get storms on our last trip. But this year is good. You are very fortunate.”

  “So where do you go next?” Lucy persisted.

  “We will go through the Panama Canal and then up and down the East Coast between South America and Miami. The weather will be lovely. You should come with us. South America is very exciting.”

  “Ah, Pedro, you are tempting me. But my publisher is expecting another book, and he can be very demanding.”

  “Forget about writing books, come work on the ship. Then you can travel and enjoy while you’re earning a living. That’s what we do.” He used his hand to gesture to the other waiters and servers in the near vicinity. “It’s a great life.”

  Pedro handed out the menus with the dessert choices and announced, “Our maitre d’ visited the kitchen today. He has prepared a special dessert for this table. He calls it Melting Glacier. It is a warm chocolate cake with hot fudge sauce on vanilla ice cream. Very delicious. It is not on the menu, only for you, but if you’d like to try it, he will be pleased.”

  “He cooks? Lucy, this is a man of many talents,” Ian said with one raised eyebrow. “Pedro, I will have the special. How could I resist.”

  Everyone agreed to try the special dessert. Lucy sparkled, flattered at the attention. “Those Italian men, they certainly know how to woo a woman,” she murmured, smiling.

  “Apparently so,” Mrs. Bernbaum said dryly. “Be careful, my dear, you may end up with your one true love after all.”

  “Not a chance, but it is fun. And he’s a great dancer.”

  “And he comes in and out of San Francisco half of the year,” Millie commented.

  “That too, we’ll see what the future brings.”

  The plates of dessert were beautiful, the rich fragrant chocolate oozed over the peaks of vanilla ice cream and it did look like an iceberg.

  “Ooh,” they breathed in unison as they spooned the dessert into their mouths. It was delicious. “How do you suppose he got permission to work in the kitchen? I thought they had all these rules in place because of that stomach virus plaguing the ships? I know, that’s what they told me when I asked for a kitchen tour,” Millie said between bites.

  “Oh, Antonio is also a chef. He graduated from Cordon Bleu. He worked first in the kitchens on the ship before becoming maitre d’. And of course, he is good friends with the chef here. He told me he helps out sometimes, when he has time or inspiration. I guess he was inspired.”

  “Well, Lucy, this dessert is inspiring me. It’s wonderful. I wonder if he would consider sharing this recipe?” Millie was always interested in adding to her immense collection of recipes.

  “I’ll ask him for you, Millie. But if he does share it, you have to promise to make it for me some night.” Lucy finished the last bite reluctantly. “I would like to have this again. Actually, I’d like more now.”

  “Ah, you’d like more?” Pedro was at her elbow. “I can get another serving if anyone would like.” He looked around the table, pausing with his eyes on Ian.

  “No, no. I’m sure we’d like more, but it’s too late, and it’s too rich. But my compliments to the chef. Will he be dropping by the table?” Ian laid down his spoon.

  “No, regretfully, he has been called elsewhere, but instructed me to tell you,” Pedro bowed to Lucy, “he would be seeing you on the dance floor later.” Pedro gestured to Juan to pour the coffee as he collected the dessert plates.

  “Dancing tonight? That should be fun with the ship rolling like this. Are you going, Claire?”

  Claire shook her head. “I’m going to help Mrs. Bernbaum back to her cabin.”

  “Let me help. I have pretty good sea legs,” Ian offered.

  Claire and Mrs. Bernbaum both nodded, accepting his suggestion. Ian put down his napkin and came around the table to help her up.

  “I’ll see you at breakfast, Mom. I hope Ruth will be all right.” Claire stood up, glad that Ian was going to help as she wasn’t sure how steady she was.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Now I know why they have this railing installed in the halls all over the ship.” Claire held on to the one stretching down the corridor leading to Mrs. Bernbaum’s cabin, while Mrs. Bernbaum clung to her arm. Ian held Mrs. Bernbaum’s other arm and braced his other hand on the opposite wall of the corridor. Carefully they made their way along with a minimum of lurching and hardly any stumbling.

  Finally they reached the cabin door and Ian gallantly took Mrs. Bernbaum’s key card, inserted it in the lock, opening the door for them. They were all relieved when they reached the chairs in the sitting area and sitting, immediately felt more grounded.

  “It’s kind of amazing how a ship of this size can be bounced around so by the waves, isn’t it?”

  “It gives you a real appreciation of what a power Mother Nature really is,” Ian said. “I can just imagine what it would be like in a real storm like a hurricane.” He shuddered.

  “I wouldn’t want to be on the seas then, no matter how big the ship,” Claire ag
reed. So far she was not seasick, but she wouldn’t want to test it further with a real storm instead of what the Captain had announced on the speaker system as “rough seas”.

  “Now, Mrs. Bernbaum, did you want to call security or do you want me to do it for you.”

  “I’ll do it, dear. Just help me over to the desk where the phone is, please.”

  “Is there a problem?” Ian looked alarmed.

  Claire nodded. “Mrs. Bernbaum’s caregiver, Anita, didn’t return from shore in Juneau. Anita had been sea sick and very cross since they left San Francisco, so Mrs. Bernbaum thought she just went home.”

  “We had a bit of a tiff, you see,” Mrs. Bernbaum added, in a way of explaining Anita’s behavior. “I thought she got mad and left so I would worry. But now I am worried. We checked and she hasn’t arrived home in San Francisco and I just don’t know what happened to her.”

  While Mrs. Bernbaum dialed the phone Ian whispered to Claire, “What does she think happened?”

  Claire shrugged. “That’s the problem. She has no idea what happened to her. She thinks the Juneau police need to search for her.”

  “Well, the security officers are on their way up here,” Mrs. Bernbaum reported as she hung up the phone.

  Ian stood up. “I’ll be getting out of your way.” He paused a moment before adding, “Unless there is something you need me to do?”

  “No. Thank you so much for escorting me back from dinner, Ian. You were a big help.”

  Claire walked to the door with him. “I’ll just stay with Mrs. Bernbaum, but I’m sure security will take care of everything. Thanks again, Ian. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Claire closed the door gently, trapping the security chain between the door and the sill to prevent it from closing completely.

  “He’s a very nice man, isn’t he? But I sense that your mother prefers his brother. What do you think?”

  Claire looked at Mrs. Bernbaum with surprise. Then thinking a moment, “You may be right. She does seem to be spending some time with him. He is very nice too, perhaps not quite as sexy as Ian, but very comfortable to be around. I think I’ll just have to keep my eyes open. Wouldn’t that be a surprise, if after all these years she finally took a beau?”