onto
Jupiter’s
deck. She was still blindfolded, and the heat of the sun touched her face and legs. He lurched and for a freezing moment
she thought he was throwing her overboard. But then he settled her feet on deck, held her by her shoulders, and she realized
he’d crossed the railing to the
Miss Catherine. We haven’t really moved,
Claudia realized. She wondered how cold a watery grave would feel, the sky forever denied, your flesh drifting off your bones
over the weeks, your leg bones and hipbones and ribs settling into the ooze, like artifacts, for the slow dissolve into muck
itself.
‘Don’t do this,’ she said. ‘Please.’ She balled her hands into fists, but she knew with a sick sinking feeling he was much
stronger than she was. She needed a weapon to even the odds.
‘He’s not going to hurt you.’ Danny’s voice came from behind her. ‘I just want to talk to you a minute.’
So this wasn’t about rape, at least for the next five minutes.
Gar steered her – walking made her broken toe throb even worse – into a galley that reeked of burned pizza, with a thin odor
of rum and sweat souring the air. He steered Claudia into a vinyl booth and pushed her into the seat.
‘Now, Claudia,’ Danny said. ‘We can talk for a few minutes. While we wait to be sure Stoney’s cooperating.’
Breath tickled Claudia’s ear. ‘If this deal sours,’ Gar whispered, ‘I’m gonna have fun with you. Pour some Wesson oil between
your legs and have us a little marathon.’
Her heart struck her ribs like a hammer hitting piano wire.
‘Let her be,’ Danny said. ‘Go back to the other boat.’
‘Behave,’ Gar said, presumably to her. Claudia heard a door close, the smell of the rum moved closer, vinyl crackled as Danny
slid into the booth’s other side. She put her hands – still bound in front of her – on the table. The linoleum was Sticky.
‘Don’t be afraid,’ Danny said.
‘Yeah, right.’ Gar’s threat wriggled in her ear like a worm.
‘I don’t think he’ll rape you. He’s all talk. Those two boys, well, they slept in the same stateroom last night and I heard
groaning. Don’t think they had upset stomachs.’ The barest hint of moral outrage colored his voice.
‘He broke my toe because he didn’t like what I said. And frankly, you’re not in control of him or what he does.’
‘I am.’
‘You’re not,’ she said. ‘I can hear it in their voices. Those two freaks are just using you to get at this cash. You’re too
gentle. You don’t have the stomach for this or what it might take. You’re as dead as me and Ben if this doesn’t work out.’
‘I’m sorry you’re in this mess, but you picked your friends badly. You thirsty, hon? Want some water?’
‘Please.’
A tap gurgled. Then he pushed a glass into her hands. She drank. He moved against the vinyl, making it squeak, trying to get
comfortable. ‘Tell me what you know about Stoney.’
‘Nothing. I know Ben. I barely knew Stoney in high school.’
‘High school. Before he was a millionaire.’
‘Yes.’
‘He much different now?’
‘He has more lunch money.’
A match scratched, she smelled the flash of fire. Cigarette paper crackled its whisper and silky smoke brushed her nostrils.
‘So in high school did he run roughshod over people? Kill anyone who got in his way?’
‘Talk is cheap,’ she said. ‘What proof do you have he killed anybody?’
‘Because only he knew about the journal,’ Danny said. ‘I told him about it, he decided he wanted it, and he killed to get
it.’
The journal. The emerald. She’d heard him refer to both before. But this was about more, about stealing millions of Stoney’s
cash. ‘Forget that for a minute, since he says he doesn’t have it. Y’all can’t get away with stealing his money electronically.
Transactions leave electronic trails. You’ll get caught within days.’ She leaned a little toward Danny and smelled rum. ‘Having
a
Jupiter’s
deck. She was still blindfolded, and the heat of the sun touched her face and legs. He lurched and for a freezing moment
she thought he was throwing her overboard. But then he settled her feet on deck, held her by her shoulders, and she realized
he’d crossed the railing to the
Miss Catherine. We haven’t really moved,
Claudia realized. She wondered how cold a watery grave would feel, the sky forever denied, your flesh drifting off your bones
over the weeks, your leg bones and hipbones and ribs settling into the ooze, like artifacts, for the slow dissolve into muck
itself.
‘Don’t do this,’ she said. ‘Please.’ She balled her hands into fists, but she knew with a sick sinking feeling he was much
stronger than she was. She needed a weapon to even the odds.
‘He’s not going to hurt you.’ Danny’s voice came from behind her. ‘I just want to talk to you a minute.’
So this wasn’t about rape, at least for the next five minutes.
Gar steered her – walking made her broken toe throb even worse – into a galley that reeked of burned pizza, with a thin odor
of rum and sweat souring the air. He steered Claudia into a vinyl booth and pushed her into the seat.
‘Now, Claudia,’ Danny said. ‘We can talk for a few minutes. While we wait to be sure Stoney’s cooperating.’
Breath tickled Claudia’s ear. ‘If this deal sours,’ Gar whispered, ‘I’m gonna have fun with you. Pour some Wesson oil between
your legs and have us a little marathon.’
Her heart struck her ribs like a hammer hitting piano wire.
‘Let her be,’ Danny said. ‘Go back to the other boat.’
‘Behave,’ Gar said, presumably to her. Claudia heard a door close, the smell of the rum moved closer, vinyl crackled as Danny
slid into the booth’s other side. She put her hands – still bound in front of her – on the table. The linoleum was Sticky.
‘Don’t be afraid,’ Danny said.
‘Yeah, right.’ Gar’s threat wriggled in her ear like a worm.
‘I don’t think he’ll rape you. He’s all talk. Those two boys, well, they slept in the same stateroom last night and I heard
groaning. Don’t think they had upset stomachs.’ The barest hint of moral outrage colored his voice.
‘He broke my toe because he didn’t like what I said. And frankly, you’re not in control of him or what he does.’
‘I am.’
‘You’re not,’ she said. ‘I can hear it in their voices. Those two freaks are just using you to get at this cash. You’re too
gentle. You don’t have the stomach for this or what it might take. You’re as dead as me and Ben if this doesn’t work out.’
‘I’m sorry you’re in this mess, but you picked your friends badly. You thirsty, hon? Want some water?’
‘Please.’
A tap gurgled. Then he pushed a glass into her hands. She drank. He moved against the vinyl, making it squeak, trying to get
comfortable. ‘Tell me what you know about Stoney.’
‘Nothing. I know Ben. I barely knew Stoney in high school.’
‘High school. Before he was a millionaire.’
‘Yes.’
‘He much different now?’
‘He has more lunch money.’
A match scratched, she smelled the flash of fire. Cigarette paper crackled its whisper and silky smoke brushed her nostrils.
‘So in high school did he run roughshod over people? Kill anyone who got in his way?’
‘Talk is cheap,’ she said. ‘What proof do you have he killed anybody?’
‘Because only he knew about the journal,’ Danny said. ‘I told him about it, he decided he wanted it, and he killed to get
it.’
The journal. The emerald. She’d heard him refer to both before. But this was about more, about stealing millions of Stoney’s
cash. ‘Forget that for a minute, since he says he doesn’t have it. Y’all can’t get away with stealing his money electronically.
Transactions leave electronic trails. You’ll get caught within days.’ She leaned a little toward Danny and smelled rum. ‘Having
a
Similar Books
