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Chapter 19
Elena struggled to have him let her go; he did. She stood up.
“Oh Mason,” she cried in sudden agitation, “what is it?”
“What?” he got onto his feet and approached her. “Where?”
“Over there! Look!” she was pointing at something glistening overboard; he leant
down, over the rails.
“Where?”
“Right there!” she cried and pushed him, hard. He flew overboard and found
himself gulping down the salty cold water.
“Elena!” he called as soon as he could breathe.
“Yes; what is it, Mason?”
There was a gun in her hand now. “Swim away, Mason,” she said, “as quick as
you can. The boat will explode very soon, I swear it will. Don’t be a fool and swim
off, or you will be hurt.”
“Elena,” he pleaded – but it was getting hard, with his shoes heavy and wet, and
his tie, and his jacket.
“I’m dead inside and you’re not; swim away, Mason, or I swear I’ll shoot you.
Good riddance of bad rubbish.”
“Elena,” he tried again, and then there was a warning shot. Elena gave a short
laugh, in her own peculiar manner.
“Go. Away.”
“Elena, please. Let me help you.”
There was another shot, and this time Elena did not miss. She fell onto the deck.
‘It must be a nightmare,’ Mason thought; what was he to do now? How could he
get back to check if she was dead?
He heard a noise in the distance – a boat was approaching him. ‘They can help,’
he told himself and struggled to swim towards it.
This moment, the yacht did explode.
*
“Hey Mase, are you all right?” Pearl asked with concern.
Mason had been lifted on board the boat. Having changed his clothes for dry
ones, he was now standing by the rails watching the few burning pieces of wood,
all that was left from the ‘Juno.’
“I’ve never seen such a--” he said. “Ah, it’s you, Pearl. Hi.”
He was not surprised to see Pearl; on the whole, he seemed in a kind of stupor.
“Are you all right?” Pearl repeated.
“Yes. No. Pearl, Kelly--”
“She’s safe.”
“Her car--”
“We know. Kelly and Jeffrey are both safe and sound.”
“Thank God,” Mason said. “…Elena’s dead, Pearl.”
“Yeah, she would be, in such an explosion. Good riddance--”
“Pearl. She was my sister.”
“I’m sorry Mase.” Pearl put his hand on Mason’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. But it was
too late. You would not have helped her.”
“It’s never too late while one is alive. And – well – Elena is not.”
“But you are.”
“Yeah. I know.” Mason rubbed his forehead. “I can tell from this heartache.”
“Shall I get you anything?”
“Yes, please. A bottle or two will do.”
Pearl estimated Mason’s state. “Okay. Mason, but you need to know something
else. We’ve arrested your Indian.”
Mason’s eyes flashed. “You sure?”
“Not until you identify him. But he looks like the fellow in the picture, and he was
caught when he was stuffing Kelly’s car with explosives.”
“And he’s killed my sister Elena,” Mason said quite clearly, for everyone to hear.
“I’ll identify him, and then God help me, I’ll get him electrocuted.”
Pearl stared at Mason, puzzled. He’d heard the shots before the explosion, just
like the members of the crew had. “You mean he--”
“He’d planted a time bomb on the ‘Juno,’ before he went to Kelly’s place, and so,
he’s not only guilty of attempted murder; it’s a first-degree murder, and,
gentlemen of the jury, I demand a death penalty for this person.”
Pearl shook his head. “Okay Mason,” he said gently. “Let us phone Julia, and then
you can get as drunk as a fiddler if you wish.”
She picked up the phone almost immediately. “Mason?”
“Yes, Julia,” he said and smiled; hearing her voice felt so good.
“Are you all right? Where are you? Why the hell didn’t you--”
“Julia, I’m sorry. I’m all right. I’m coming,” he interrupted. “I’m – Elena’s dead.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“I’m here with Pearl, he’ll take care of everything I believe. …By the way –
excellent choice of friends, Julia… Now if I do not get a drink I’ll get crazy, mind it,
Pearl. Julia, I’ll come home, or rather I’ll be carried home very drunk. It’s a fair
warning, isn’t it?”
“After a sleepless night. Quite fair,” she said dryly.
Mason sighed deeply. “Julia, I almost got killed several times this night. Elena
did. Please have a little mercy. And – we’ll have to postpone the wedding to have
Elena buried and all the decencies observed.”
“Of course. As you wish.”
“Call me an alcoholic, Julia; I thought I’d never see Matt and you again; that I shall
never see our baby,” Mason said tenderly.
She sighed to hide a sob. “Mason. Please come home – in any state whatsoever,
just please do come and keep safe.”
Mason nodded, forgetting that she could not see him. “I’ll do my best now,” he
promised. “Please forgive me.”
And then he turned to Pearl and took – not a glass from his left hand but a bottle
from his right one. “Cheers.”
Elena struggled to have him let her go; he did. She stood up.
“Oh Mason,” she cried in sudden agitation, “what is it?”
“What?” he got onto his feet and approached her. “Where?”
“Over there! Look!” she was pointing at something glistening overboard; he leant
down, over the rails.
“Where?”
“Right there!” she cried and pushed him, hard. He flew overboard and found
himself gulping down the salty cold water.
“Elena!” he called as soon as he could breathe.
“Yes; what is it, Mason?”
There was a gun in her hand now. “Swim away, Mason,” she said, “as quick as
you can. The boat will explode very soon, I swear it will. Don’t be a fool and swim
off, or you will be hurt.”
“Elena,” he pleaded – but it was getting hard, with his shoes heavy and wet, and
his tie, and his jacket.
“I’m dead inside and you’re not; swim away, Mason, or I swear I’ll shoot you.
Good riddance of bad rubbish.”
“Elena,” he tried again, and then there was a warning shot. Elena gave a short
laugh, in her own peculiar manner.
“Go. Away.”
“Elena, please. Let me help you.”
There was another shot, and this time Elena did not miss. She fell onto the deck.
‘It must be a nightmare,’ Mason thought; what was he to do now? How could he
get back to check if she was dead?
He heard a noise in the distance – a boat was approaching him. ‘They can help,’
he told himself and struggled to swim towards it.
This moment, the yacht did explode.
*
“Hey Mase, are you all right?” Pearl asked with concern.
Mason had been lifted on board the boat. Having changed his clothes for dry
ones, he was now standing by the rails watching the few burning pieces of wood,
all that was left from the ‘Juno.’
“I’ve never seen such a--” he said. “Ah, it’s you, Pearl. Hi.”
He was not surprised to see Pearl; on the whole, he seemed in a kind of stupor.
“Are you all right?” Pearl repeated.
“Yes. No. Pearl, Kelly--”
“She’s safe.”
“Her car--”
“We know. Kelly and Jeffrey are both safe and sound.”
“Thank God,” Mason said. “…Elena’s dead, Pearl.”
“Yeah, she would be, in such an explosion. Good riddance--”
“Pearl. She was my sister.”
“I’m sorry Mase.” Pearl put his hand on Mason’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. But it was
too late. You would not have helped her.”
“It’s never too late while one is alive. And – well – Elena is not.”
“But you are.”
“Yeah. I know.” Mason rubbed his forehead. “I can tell from this heartache.”
“Shall I get you anything?”
“Yes, please. A bottle or two will do.”
Pearl estimated Mason’s state. “Okay. Mason, but you need to know something
else. We’ve arrested your Indian.”
Mason’s eyes flashed. “You sure?”
“Not until you identify him. But he looks like the fellow in the picture, and he was
caught when he was stuffing Kelly’s car with explosives.”
“And he’s killed my sister Elena,” Mason said quite clearly, for everyone to hear.
“I’ll identify him, and then God help me, I’ll get him electrocuted.”
Pearl stared at Mason, puzzled. He’d heard the shots before the explosion, just
like the members of the crew had. “You mean he--”
“He’d planted a time bomb on the ‘Juno,’ before he went to Kelly’s place, and so,
he’s not only guilty of attempted murder; it’s a first-degree murder, and,
gentlemen of the jury, I demand a death penalty for this person.”
Pearl shook his head. “Okay Mason,” he said gently. “Let us phone Julia, and then
you can get as drunk as a fiddler if you wish.”
She picked up the phone almost immediately. “Mason?”
“Yes, Julia,” he said and smiled; hearing her voice felt so good.
“Are you all right? Where are you? Why the hell didn’t you--”
“Julia, I’m sorry. I’m all right. I’m coming,” he interrupted. “I’m – Elena’s dead.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“I’m here with Pearl, he’ll take care of everything I believe. …By the way –
excellent choice of friends, Julia… Now if I do not get a drink I’ll get crazy, mind it,
Pearl. Julia, I’ll come home, or rather I’ll be carried home very drunk. It’s a fair
warning, isn’t it?”
“After a sleepless night. Quite fair,” she said dryly.
Mason sighed deeply. “Julia, I almost got killed several times this night. Elena
did. Please have a little mercy. And – we’ll have to postpone the wedding to have
Elena buried and all the decencies observed.”
“Of course. As you wish.”
“Call me an alcoholic, Julia; I thought I’d never see Matt and you again; that I shall
never see our baby,” Mason said tenderly.
She sighed to hide a sob. “Mason. Please come home – in any state whatsoever,
just please do come and keep safe.”
Mason nodded, forgetting that she could not see him. “I’ll do my best now,” he
promised. “Please forgive me.”
And then he turned to Pearl and took – not a glass from his left hand but a bottle
from his right one. “Cheers.”
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