Jude rose and walked to the bar. Hardy glanced over and didn"t seem thrilled to see him. Still, he was cordial.
"Long day," he said to Jude.
"Must be hard for you right now," Jude commiserated.
"Oh, very. I"m good at my job. I like people, I like doing fun and crazy things. But trying to keep morale up when so many of the pa.s.sengers are terrified-wow." He took the gla.s.s of scotch the bartender had poured for him and downed it in a swallow. "Sorry, but if this is going to get me fired, fire away," he muttered.
"I"m not here to fire anyone," Jude told him.
"Good. I"ll have another," Hardy said.
"I"ll be happy to buy you a drink." Jude signaled the bartender.
"Well, thank you! I accept. Then I"m going to try to sleep. Gotta be up and at "em first thing tomorrow!"
The bartender brought his drink; Jude signed the tab.
Hardy turned and leaned against the bar, lifting his gla.s.s toward the piano where Alexi and Clara sat, now doing a Broadway song together.
"Gorgeous, huh? Simply gorgeous."
"Yes, they are."
Hardy turned back and studied Jude and raised the gla.s.s to him next. "Well, kudos to you, sir. Kudos. I tried to become...friends with Alexi many times. I guess she seemed all the more beautiful because she was so untouchable, so tragic. I guess you"ve managed to break through that wall of ice."
"She"s been helping me," Jude said.
Hardy broke into laughter. "Helping you, huh? That"s what you call it?"
Jude smiled. "I need to know people on the ship. She"s introduced me, taken me around, shown me how things work."
"They work well for you, huh?" Hardy asked, sounding bitter. Then he shrugged. "Sorry. Sour grapes. Anyway, sir, once again, kudos to you. I guess Clara is helping you, too?"
Jude pictured himself giving the man a sharp blow to the jaw.
Instead, he smiled again. He"d long ago learned that his job required him to maintain his temper-and he learned that he could.
"You"ve tried to befriend Clara, too, huh?" he asked.
Jensen Hardy flushed a dark shade of red. "She"s another ice queen. Apparently, she joined the cast after a bad breakup. She"s primarily interested in her career. Her friends are all the actors and performers on board. I could be an actor, you know. I was an actor. h.e.l.l, I am an actor. Acting pleasant all the time is worthy of an Emmy, I can tell you that." He winced. "Sorry, don"t take offense. I need my job. And I"m an idiot, talking to you like this. Because you can get me fired, right?"
"You"re not going to be fired," Jude told him again. "Not through me, anyway."
"Well, here"s hoping!" Hardy said. He stared at the piano bench and the two young women smiling as they sang another duet. He gulped the rest of his drink, set down his gla.s.s and said, "Thanks for the drink...Jude."
Then he left the piano bar.
Jude saw the ghost of Byron Grant following him...
Hank asked for a final number; Alexi obliged. Then, with effusive thanks, he turned to leave. Jude cut him off when he would"ve headed into the hall.
He frowned at Jude before managing a smile.
"What can I do for you, Mr. McCoy?"
"Just wanted to ask about your friend Ginny. Is she okay?"
"Sure. She wasn"t feeling well. Lots of people are down with seasickness, you know?" Hank held his head at an angle. "What? The two beauties at the bench aren"t enough for you, sir? You"re trying to corner every cutie on the ship?"
He asked it lightly, as if he and Jude were just two guys discussing the merits of certain women.
"I was making sure she"s doing okay. And that you are, too," he added.
"Ah," Hank Osprey said, a.s.sessing Jude. "She"s fine. And so am I. She"s in her own cabin, by the way. You don"t rush a good thing. Well, maybe you do. Maybe you can. I can"t-I"m rich. That"s my a.s.set. I guess you"ve got a few others. Anyway, like I said, she"s fine. And I intend to see she stays that way-and stays in love with me. I know what you"re thinking. You"re thinking that she"s using me. But I don"t believe it. Not this time."
"I hope you both continue to do well throughout the voyage," Jude said. "And afterward."
"You"d have to say that, huh? Being with Celtic American and all."
"No. I"m saying it because I mean it."
"Well, I hope you do okay, too. And...hey. Look after Alexi. Everyone knows there"s something going on between you. She"s special. I guess I always hoped that one day she"d see me, really see me. Not just be kind to me because it"s her job and part of her nature, but..." He paused and shrugged. "I"d have married her in a wink. She might"ve changed everything for me."
"But you"re in love with Ginny."
"That"s right, I am! But you have a woman I l.u.s.ted after for many a long night."
"I wish you and Ginny the best," Jude said simply, ready to wrap up the conversation.
"I wish the best for all of us. This storm is really bad. They say Cozumel is a mess. Some ships were smashed to pieces. They couldn"t get out. They"re expecting a high death toll once the hurricane moves on. Guess we got out just in time. Makes that explosion seem like nothing, right?"
"As far as the storm goes, we"ll be fine."
"Well, then, good night. I"m sure I"ll see you tomorrow. You ought to sing, Mr. McCoy. This is a piano bar, after all."
"I"ll think about it," Jude said, then watched as Hank Osprey walked out of the saloon and down the hall to the elevators.
"Mr. McCoy?"
He turned. Roger Antrim was just behind him. Smiling.
"Roger," Jude said, nodding.
"I shouldn"t have stayed out so long. Poor Lorna... But being like this has made her pretty cranky. I was trying not to be a terrible husband, and trying not to get on her nerves. See you tomorrow, I guess."
"Yes, see you then. Is Lorna doing any better? Was the ship"s doctor able to give her anything that helped?"
"Yes, I think so. She was doing better, just very tired. Well, I"m going to go back up to see her. Maybe she"ll be asleep," he said, sounding-to Jude"s ears-rather hopeful.
When Jude returned to his seat, he saw that Alexi, Clara, Ralph, Larry and Simon were all singing together. The number was "Closing Time."
As they sang, Jackson Crow came along and waited in the hallway.
When Alexi finished, Jackson entered the Algiers.
"Time for all good little boys and girls to go to bed, I take it," Ralph Martini said.
"So it is," Jackson said, greeting them with a casual salute.
"And we appreciate having two G-men-or should that be he-men?-walking us to our rooms," Simon said. "Alexi, you need any help?"
"Nope, just throwing the music in the bench and the cover over the piano," Alexi said. "Let"s go down." Easily said, but not as easily done. As they reached the elevators, the ship pitched severely. Ralph crashed into Jackson; Simon fell against the wall, and Alexi and Simon almost tumbled onto the ground.
They all laughed, regaining their balance.
"This is getting serious," Ralph murmured.
"Hopefully, if it gets any worse, they"ll ask us all to stay in our cabins-and be ready to climb into our lifeboats," Larry said.
"Hopefully, it won"t get any worse," Clara said mildly. "Anyone for taking the stairs? I"d just as soon not be stuck in an elevator."
"I say we take the stairs," Jude agreed.
"And I"ll add that everyone should use the banisters," Jackson said.
So, they proceeded down the stairs. And Jude and Jackson made sure that, one by one, they all got into their rooms until only Jackson, Alexi and Jude stood in the hall.
"I"ll see you in the office in the morning?" Jackson asked Jude.
"Anything new?"
Jackson shook his head, glancing at Alexi. Even to Jackson, Jude thought, she was one of them.
After all, she"d been the one to bring them Byron Grant.
"I"ve asked Angela to check into Ms. Virginia "Ginny" Monk," he said. "We"re still trying to regain contact with the police in Cozumel. Then we"ll be able to learn if they found...anything in the churches. So for now, good night."
Alexi opened the door to her cabin, and Jude closed and locked it. As he did, the ship rolled again. He wasn"t quick enough, and they both tumbled backward.
Luckily, they wound up on her bed together, laughing.
"We could be in real trouble, like we were saying, and here we are, laughing."
"Yes." Jude was careful to lift his weight off her. "But worrying about the storm isn"t going to change the weather.
"I hope they"ll ask everyone to stick to their cabins," Alexi said.
"Maybe they will." Jude looked at her as she lay there beside him, eyes wide, hair floating around her. He stroked her arm, marveling at the softness of her skin. She reached out and touched his cheek.
"I wouldn"t mind staying here," she said, and added softly, "with you."
He kissed her. She tasted sweetly of mint. At first his kiss was gentle and then it deepened and, as it did, he felt his muscles tighten. His fingers found the zipper to her gown. She stood up to remove it and fell back on the bed. He helped her take it off before awkwardly struggling to remove his own jacket, holster and gun.
They managed to get their shoes off.
He unclasped her bra and nuzzled her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Then he felt her fingers at his belt buckle. Felt his erection swell. Felt her touch.
Their lips met again. Bit by bit, they threw off the rest of their clothing.
The ship continued its wild pitching and swaying.
And somehow, that seemed to enhance every brush of their fingers, every kiss, every caress.
Desire became overwhelming. After a moment"s pause to deal with protection, he quickly slid inside her, embraced by her warmth, Alexi meeting his every movement with a writhing motion that drove them both to climax. They were barely breathing regularly before they were moving again, touching...
More slowly this time. Each of them seemed determined to know the other completely. Jude felt that she was part of life itself; that her scent was part of breathing, her warmth part of his existence.
They made love, accepting the rise and fall of the waves beyond the porthole, clutching each other as if it was the two of them against the world.
At last they lay together, naked, panting, still holding on.
"I"m pretty sure that by tomorrow, Captain Thorne will ask for limited movement around the ship," she said. "He"ll batten down the hatches, so to speak. And he"ll get us to the closest safe port as fast as possible."
"And you mean we won"t catch our killer on board?" he asked.
"I just pray that the killer won"t have a chance to strike again."
"We"ll stay on it-with greater resources," Jude said. "We"ve eliminated a number of suspects. And we"re watching everyone still on our list. We"ve also got the help of agents back in the offices who are researching the histories and recent movements of-"
"What if they don"t believe that the killer is actually on the ship?" Alexi broke in. "We"re going on the word of a ghost. Will the powers that be even believe you?"
He could see her eyes in the ship"s dim light.
And all he wanted was to make port.
For her to be safe.
And yet, when they left the ship...
"Jackson will stay on it, with his Krewe of Hunters. Because, in his unit, the bosses believe in the words of a ghost."
She settled closely against him. "And what about you?" she whispered.
I just want to keep holding you.
"I imagine I"ll stay on the case. It"s Crow"s case now and I think he wants me to continue."
She nodded. "I hope we reach port soon," she said, echoing his own thought. "And I hope they cancel the next sailing. They"ll probably need some repairs, anyway."