Chapter 20 #2
Early, a ship-wide announcement came over the loudspeakers.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain. Today is day 4, and we’ve arrived at our private island!
All passengers must disembark by 11:00 AM to enjoy the island’s beaches, activities, and complimentary dining options.
The ship will be closed to guests today as our crew conducts mandatory safety drills, including lifeboat testing and ship-wide maintenance.
Please follow the disembarkation instructions in your newsletter and proceed to the gangway with your cruise card.
Crew members, report to your designated areas for today’s training.
We look forward to welcoming you all back on board this evening. Enjoy your day ashore!”
Passengers around her scarfed down eggs and toast, their forks clinking as they glanced at departure schedules, their chatter buzzing with plans for the day.
The ship had weighed anchor about 250 yards from the cruise line’s private island before dawn, its turquoise waters sparkling under a cloudless sky.
Every thirty minutes, the intercom crackled in three languages: “All passengers, please proceed to the queues to board tenders to the beach.” A staffer’s voice followed, promising an island lunch at noon and a reggae band to serenade dinner, along with a host of activities.
“Our staff have security drills to perform, so please remember that this is a mandatory fun day.”
Olive’s lips curved into a smile as she imagined the night sky erupting in fireworks before the tenders ferried everyone back to the ship. All morning, the announcements came every fifteen minutes until the last one at 10:45 AM, ferrying the final round of the island goers to the private beach.
The tenders could hold more than 200 people. She couldn’t believe how efficiently the ship emptied.
Their party, however, had remained aboard. After all, they had a wedding to put on. With the security for Melissa’s sister and Cynthia Norton and a skeleton crew left manning the ship, they pretty much had the ship to themselves.
She found a nice corner of shade near the empty pickleball courts and settled back in with her book. When she realized she had read the same page three times, she closed the cover and closed her eyes.
The faint, briny tang of sea air laced with sunscreen drifted from the decks below, the smell enhancing the edge of her headache.
“God,” she breathed, “help us stay open with each other so that any unintentional hurt can be quickly set to right. Thank you for last night.”
She wiped her eyes and took a drink of water, the cool liquid quenching her throat.
Then she opened her worship music playlist. She adjusted the earbuds in her ears, then leaned back in the chair and put her arm over her eyes.
“God,” she whispered, “I trust Your plan. I love you and I know You brought Jerry into my life on purpose.” She began praying for him, for his friends, and for their time together that day.
Every member of the crew had an assigned lifeboat.
Today, they would conduct drills at each lifeboat and check the equipment.
They should have done this before leaving Miami, but the first mate had a family emergency and could not return in time to conduct them.
They decided to make leaving the ship for the passengers mandatory and to do it properly here on the island stop.
Hao, as First Mate, of course, helped provide the perfect cover to gather all of the crew in one place at one time—and to empty the ship.
They all gathered in the main dining hall. They would eat lunch before heading to their assigned spots. Daphnée Desalin, who had arrived from the island via tender twenty minutes ago, led the team of servers to the hall, eyes moving all around to make sure no surprises lurked in the corners.
The servers with the carts dispersed themselves around the room, then paused, waiting for their queue to serve the staff. Daphnée chuckled to herself about her choice of words, even though she said them internally. Then she clapped her hands.
“Welcome, crew. Change of plans. Everyone, please form a single-file line, and we will head to the tender that is waiting on you.”
A maid in a tropical shirt and khaki skirt asked, “Who are you?”
Daphnée smiled, a bright smile inspired by the fact that, finally, finally, after over a year of careful planning, the day had arrived, and her husband could now move forward in the plans to take control of their country. “Let me explain.” She gave the signal to her men.
The “servers” pulled the covers off their carts and pulled out AK-47 automatic rifles.
Screams, gasps, and cries erupted from the crowd.
Daphnée grabbed a suppressed pistol from her tray and stepped forward, waving it in the air.
“You heard me, friends. Form a line. No one will be harmed if you stay quiet and obey our commands.”
One of the chefs stepped forward, anger firing darts out of his eyes. “What are you doing? There are three hundred and fifty of us, and what, twenty of you?” He looked around at the crowd. “We can take them!”
Daphnée very calmly aimed and shot him between the eyes. He crumpled to the ground, and the woman next to him started screaming.
“Shut up!” Daphnée screamed, menacing her with the pistol. The woman stifled her screams and quietly sobbed in fear.
“Any other volunteers?” Daphnée asked. When only whimpers and tears responded, she ordered, “Take your cell phones out of your pockets and drop them on the floor at your feet, then form a single file line.” The room filled with the sound of phones plopping onto the ground like hail.
She aimed her gun at a bartender who tried to hide dialing her phone.
“Must I waste another bullet on the likes of you?”
The woman shakily dropped the phone and held up her hands, turning to follow the line out of the dining hall.