WALKABOUT - Taking a Mulligan (Part 24)
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146
Peter and Archer had been shadowing Seton all day, making sure nothing happened to him. “Check it out, Peter,” Archer said.
Sensing something was about to happen, Peter stood erect. Okay, I know how that sounds. Get your mind out of the gutter.
Sensing something was about to happen, Peter stiffened. Okay, not much better.
One more time. Sensing something was about to happen, Peter’s eyes narrowed, and his mouth twisted as he assessed the situation.
The girl moved closer to Seton, placed a hand on his arm, whispered something into his ear. He nodded, and she left him there.
Archer grinned and said, “This bird’s gonna ‘ave a go at it with ‘im.”
“Well, maybe not, then,” said Peter.
“Wait for it, mate,” Archer said. “Wait for it.” And sure enough, Seton proceeded to follow her. Archer grinned. “Bob’s your uncle!”
“I’ve a bad feelin’ about this,” Peter said.
“Oh, give the bloke a break!” Archer said. “He’s gonna get some mud for his turtle, that’s all. Nothin’ wrong with that.”
“No,” Peter said. “We’ve got to stop this.”
147
Jasmine
They had just entered her cabin. “Make yourself comfortable,” Jasmine said. “I’ll freshen up. Won’t be long.”
Daniel Seton set his camera on the desk. “I’ll be right here.”
Jasmine had not been in the bathroom more than thirty seconds when there was a PA announcement heard throughout the ship. “Mr. M-O-B. Mr. M-O-B. Please meet your party Promenade portside.”
Moments later, in response to the report by one of the passengers of a man overboard, the ship’s alarm sounded. Seven short blasts. One long. Followed by an announcement over the PA. “This is the Captain. We have had a report of a man overboard. We will be stopping for the time being to account for all passengers and crew and prepare to conduct a search. At this time we require all passengers and crew to assemble at your muster stations. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Daniel called out, “I have to go!” Jasmine stepped out of the bathroom just in time to see the door closing behind him.
148
Jared Mulligan
The man overboard alarm had been for nothing. Heads were counted and recounted, names checked and rechecked. And counted and checked a third time. Everyone was present and accounted for.
As an aspiring writer, I was learning to observe people. The reactions of passengers to the false alarm varied from mild amusement to anger at having been so inconvenienced. I personally was comforted to know that if I went over the side, they would stop the boat and look for me.
I made my way back to my cabin, powered up the computer.
My obituary was now posted.
Tyler Curtis Hamilton
Tyler “Ty” Curtis Hamilton, 61, went to be with the Lord Saturday, September 28th. Ty was born in Lawrence, Illinois July 4, 1954. Growing up, Ty always had a fascination with airplanes.
While attending college, Ty worked at the local airport, spending all his earnings on flying lessons.
Ty devoted himself to a career in aviation, beginning as a flight instructor and moving up to become a corporate pilot, and from there on to ACME Air, where he flew as a Boeing 767 Captain until his retirement.
Ty enjoyed fishing, golf, and spending time with his family.
Ty is survived by his wife, Dianna (Hitchcock), whom he married April 18th, 1979, and their two children, Raquel, 27, and Travis, 25.
A private memorial service was held at the family home. Per Ty’s request, his ashes will be spread from the air over the airport where he learned to fly.
And there it was. My life, summed up in less than two-hundred words. It didn’t seem like much. But now, I had a new life. I was Jared Mulligan. A man I knew a little about, but didn’t really know. I suddenly felt very alone.
I had to ask myself, ‘Who am I?’ and my answer came in the form of another question, ‘Who do you want to be?’
I went to the ship’s Internet Café to take care of some unfinished business. Roughly half the terminals were taken. I took a seat and accessed the new e-mail account I had created the day Sheriff Bridges had appeared at my door. I had taken measures to maintain my anonymity, basically providing false information for all the profile data they asked for when I created the account. And I had created a password that would be easy to remember: Password1234. Not exactly double-knot-spy-proof but I figured it would do.
After the sheriff had left our house, I had sent the video I’d downloaded from my new account to my other new account. From myself to myself.
I logged in, found the email. I would forward it to Deputy Suzanne Smiley at the Page County Sheriff Department. I felt I should do more, but under the circumstances, it was the best I could do. It would be up to her now. Tomorrow, we would be arriving in Sydney.
Just as I was about to hit SEND, I hesitated. If I sent that video, my daughter Shelby, who had no clue who I was, would be in a world of trouble. She wouldn’t likely be facing a long prison sentence, but still . . . a man had been killed and she was as much a part of it as any of the others I’d seen in that video. Might they charge her as an adult? Was I willing to take that risk?
Regardless of what Shelby had done, she was my own flesh and blood. I would like to think that was why I didn’t send the message. But there was also another reason. I feared for myself. I feared that if I sent this email, somehow it would be traced back to the ship, using one of those IP addresses or something. From there, it would be a simple matter of checking the cruise line’s security videos to see who was in the internet café at the time it was sent, and they would have me.
So, for those reasons, for Shelby and for myself, I didn’t send the e-mail and video. I deleted the files on my laptop so that I couldn’t change my mind later.
We would arrive in Sydney early tomorrow morning. I might be met by armed men sent to arrest me and send me back stateside. Or, I might walk off the boat a free man. No way to know one way or the other until the moment it happened.
In the meantime, I had some housekeeping to do. The desktop computer had served me well, but it had to go. There weren’t too many options available. I had already ruled out carrying the computer and monitor off the ship.
I could try to find a trash bin somewhere on the ship that was big enough to accommodate the monitor and the computer CPU, or put them in separate bins, but either way, they were big and cumbersome. It would be hard to find bins big enough, plus there was the matter of drawing attention to myself.
If they did go into a trash bin, they could be found and taken by a staff member. I couldn’t let that happen. Too much information could be retrieved. Or, they would be thrown overboard. So, I decided to eliminate the middle man. I would toss them overboard myself.
I’ve never been a litterbug. Quite the opposite. I frequently pick up trash when I am in a park, or on a hiking trail. I respect nature. But every now and then, you have to make an exception. I supposed in the whole scheme of things, one desktop computer and one monitor on the ocean floor probably wouldn’t rapidly accelerate the rate of global warming. But, please, if you happen to bump into him, don’t tell Al Gore. I wouldn’t want what I was about to do to be heavy on his mind as he flies around on his jet or rides in the back of his limousine.
149
Archer used his lock picking skills, gained access into the cabin next door to that of Jared Mulligan. The occupants were just about now being seated for dinner, and wouldn’t be back for at least an hour. Probably longer. He only needed their cabin for less than a minute. The plan was simple, and he was confident in his ability to pull it off.
Mulligan was a hired killer, and from what he’d already seen, Archer did not underestimate the man. Archer was young, strong, had killed before, and the element of surprise would favor him. Plus, Archer had tossed down a few shots of whiskey.
150
Jared Mulligan
It was dark. Most people were either dining or partying. Or packing, or getting an early start to one last good night’s sleep on the ship. I stood on my balcony, in the Zorro costume. I know what you’re thinking, and you are probably right. It was weird. Definitely weird. But like I said before, I felt more creative while wearing it, and I was now halfway through the first chapter. So, I chose to keep the costume a couple more days after the party. I’d be sure and leave it on the bed in my cabin when we reached Sydney.
151
Yes, it was dangerous to try to attack Mulligan this way. It would have been better to have been waiting when the hit man returned. However, Archer reasoned in his semi-inebriated state, a man like Mulligan would most certainly be on high alert any time he came back to his cabin. He would not be expecting an attack to come from his balcony.