Cruise: A Thriller Page 13

  The time had come to implement her own plan.

  33

  The sliding window was her best and only chance. Behind her was the crew’s quarters. Since the vast part of the space was covered by the prow, trying to escape along there would be impossible. She was trapped. To try to escape through the stern was not a bad idea. But then she had to get past Frank first.

  “Once I was back on the mainland it was the beginning of a really strange period,” Frank went on. She could hear a strange reverie in his voice, as if he were speaking to himself instead of to Heleen.

  “A few weeks before our cruise I had arranged an apartment in the tourist area of Salou. I rented it directly from the owner and paid ahead. Once I was off the ship, I could hide there while I worked on my outer transformation.

  “To stand out as little as possible, I mingled among the tourists on the beach in the afternoon and stayed in my apartment in the evening. The days dragged on. I only focused on getting a serious tan all over my body and gaining some weight by only eating fast food, which I washed down with bottles of soda. With minimal exercise, I gained an extra fifteen kilos easily. I let my beard grow from day one. After about two weeks, once it began to look like a real beard, I began to use the first color rinses. I had to be careful, because I certainly couldn’t go gray from one day to the next. Then I replaced my contact lenses with glasses. Frank Eldering was now Fernando Cervantes. I had arranged the right documents for my new alterego on the black market a few months prior.”

  Heleen was barely listening to what he was saying anymore. She was concentrating on her escape plan. She also needed to have a plan B. The chance that she would need to use it if plan A didn’t work seemed even bigger now.

  While Frank went on about his return to Blanes and Fernando Cervantes, Heleen quickly jumped to her feet. She pressed the window lever up with her ​​fingers. She put her shoulder against the glass and pushed hard against the window. There was no movement, causing only her shoulder to shift. She slipped and fell, landing on the table with her ​​upper body.

  Frank looked at her with contempt and nodded briefly to the set of keys hanging from the ship’s ignition key.

  “We only open the windows during Sunday afternoon summer trips.” He sounded like a schoolteacher. Defeated, Heleen dropped back down to her little seat. She had gambled and lost. At least, that’s what she wanted to him to believe.

  “I had not taken that into account,” she replied, remarkably resilient. While her words still echoed, she rolled back, pulled her legs up, and stretched them upward in one swift motion. The hard kick hit the center of the right window of the sliding door. The heels of her shoes splintered the glass, which shattered into pieces against the outside railing of the ship. Heleen pulled her legs back in again and got up fast. Without thinking, she lunged forward. She slammed her head against the railing and saw stars for a moment.

  She lay there, sandwiched in between the railing and the cabin. She felt the glass splinters pierce her body. She leaned on her right side, her left leg still hovering over the sliding door. The moment she wanted to pull her leg out, she felt Frank’s iron grip clasping her left ankle. After her desperate action he had jumped down and grabbed her.

  “Get back here,” he growled between his clenched teeth.

  Heleen didn’t waste a second. With all her strength she kicked him with her right leg, which hit him full on his cheek. He staggered, which made him lose his grip on her ankle. Reflexively, Heleen grabbed the railing and used all her strength to pull herself up.

  For someone of his size and stature, Frank quickly bridged the distance between the cabin and the stern. He pushed the throttle lever next to the steering wheel into the neutral position. The penetrating sound of the pounding diesel engine turned into a slow and regular hum. He walked to the railing on the port side. By way of the gunwale he came closer and closer. When he was about two meters away from her, he suddenly stopped.

  “Why are you doing this, Heleen? I already told you that nothing is going to happen to you.”

  The boat had stalled in the meantime. The waves were now more pronounced. The ship was a like a beach ball floating in the Mediterranean. As Frank struggled to maintain his balance, he realized that his eyes filled with rage and grim facial expression did not match the kind words coming from his mouth. He changed his expression quickly to an innocent grin, drew his eyebrows up in surprise, and carefully stepped forward.

  “Everything that’s happened so far is exactly what I told you would happen! During our trip I told you the truth. Now we can just go back to the port, and you’re free to go.”

  They could almost touch each other. He stretched out his hand invitingly.

  “Come on, Heleen. After tonight, we need to put the past to rest. You go on with your life, and I will simply disappear with my new family. It’s all part of the plan. Please, just give me your hand, and we will sail back and talk about the rest as adults.”

  Heleen’s gaze moved from his stretched-out hand to his eyes. She looked at him, carefully taking him in. Then she nodded obediently and took his hand.

  “You’re right,” she said in a voice free of any and all resistance. Frank nodded to her in agreement.

  “A wise choice,” he agreed. Heleen tightened her grip on his hand. But instead of moving toward him, she planted her left foot against the side of the cabin.

  “A choice that is right up your alley,” she hissed in disgust. Before Frank realized what she was up to, Heleen pushed back hard with her leg. In her fall she pulled him with her. She only let go of his hand after they hit the waves.

  34

  The Mediterranean wasn’t as cold as she had expected. It felt like a sticky blanket that covered every part of her body. She was lifted up by a wave and surfed along the top of the crests for a few meters. It was not more than a slight undulation that enveloped her like a safe shelter; she could easily hold her head above water. Frank had no interest in her. With uncontrolled strokes, he swam back to the boat. She knew he had never been a good swimmer. He managed to stay afloat, but that was pretty much it. It was one of the reasons she was attempting this escape in the water.

  After the fall from the ship, they had landed in the water very close together. She immediately swam away from Frank. He had no chance to grab her. He had first looked around, very confused. Once the whole situation dawned on him, he quickly made his way through the water back to his boat, where he would be safe. Once back on the boat, she’d hoped he would think his plan had succeeded with a bit of a strange detour. As he swam back to the ship, she had kept a close eye on him and tried to limit the distance between them to no more than ten meters. This was quite a challenge, because the clouds were hiding the moon and there was little light.

  Once Frank was just a few meters away from the port side, Heleen stopped swimming. She took a deep breath, which helped keep her afloat, and began to tread water. For the first time in her life, she was grateful for her strict swimming teacher, who had made her practice this exercise over and over again, decades ago. With great difficulty, she tried to pull her jacket off. When she succeeded in doing, so she noticed, much to her relief, that the windbreaker floated.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw how Frank climbed onto the ship via a ladder on the stern. With powerful strokes, she swam toward the bow. A wave gave her an extra push, so that she reached the right place just before the first ray of light flashed across the water.

  The fender, a type of padding cushion, dangled between the bow and the middle part of the ship. A solid line ran from the railing to the end of this cushion. When they boarded the ship, she had seen in a flash that only the lower portion of the fender functioned as a buffer between the railing and the jetty. Although she knew little to nothing about tides, the ship had to be docked during low tide. Meaning that it was inevitable that tonight was high tide, and that the line actually had too much leeway. This extra piece of rope could now be her lifeline.

  She
had seen at least two of these pads, one somewhere in the vicinity of the bow and the other at the height of the stern. Whether there were any fenders on the other side, she did not know. She had not seen that side. Because Frank hadn’t wanted to lose sight of her when he was on the docks, he had released the rope that was attached from the railing to the front of the ship, then released and maneuvered the second line from the stern. He had not even bothered looking at the fenders.

  She clasped both hands around the upper part of the pad. Then she turned her upper body slightly to the left, so she had a clear view of the port area and of the back of the ship. The light beam from Frank’s flashlight panned across the waves. She watched how the beam made a semicircle from the stern around the port side. Because he remained in place, her hiding place stayed outside of the flashlight’s reach.

  Suddenly it became dark. Frank must be shining the light on the starboard side while remaining in his safe place. Afraid to fall overboard again, he was avoiding taking any more risks, the coward.

  The deep pounding of the diesel engines became more powerful. The ship began to move. Was he actually leaving? Slowly, she turned to the port side.

  A ray of light crept toward her.

  Frank walked along the railing. He had the bow of the boat turned toward the waves, making it more stable. The throttle was set on the lowest setting, just enough for the light thrust that was needed to slide gently through the waves. The risk that Frank was taking showed how important her final disappearance was to him. He wanted to see with his own eyes that she had drowned just as he had planned and not swam to the nearest ship.

  The moon found an opening in the clouds, and its faint glow highlighted Frank’s outline. He had a flashlight clamped between his teeth and moved his head slowly back and forth, causing the beam to move systematically in front of him, helping him scan the area. His right arm was partly in view. Heleen suspected that his right hand was holding on to the various protrusions on and next to the roof of the cabin. His left arm was floating above the railing. In his hand he held a stick. The end of the stick was made ​​of metal. The shimmer of it in the moonlight caused a shiver down her back. Frank was getting closer to her slowly. It was only a matter of seconds before the light would land on her. She had to make a move now, something she had not taken into account before. And she had to do so without making a sound. He was now so close that he would notice each and every sound.

  The distance to the sharp bow, which was cutting through the water, was two meters. The idea that came to mind was insane. But it was the only way to escape the deadly steel, and to linger here meant certain death.

  She turned her body a half turn. This placed her on her stomach, and she could see what she was aiming for clearly. She took a deep breath several times. Every muscle in her body tensed up. She let go of the fender and swam the most powerful breaststroke of her life.

  The first few seconds of her desperate attempt didn’t give her much hope. She had to go faster, while the ship moved steadily along. The bow was almost within reach. Giving everything she had, she managed to get to the thin piece of steel. She reached out her hand and allowed herself to be dragged along for a moment. She could barely hold on because this part of the ship moved up and down too much. She placed her other hand next to her right hand and pulled herself to the front of the sharp bow.

  The prow rocked to the rhythm of the Mediterranean, making her go up and under rhythmically. While the sharp point of the bow cut into her chest, Heleen tried to keep her balance by pushing back with both hands against the steel. In doing so she deliberately leaned her upper body slightly toward starboard. If she slipped back toward the port, she would be a defenseless against Frank and if she ended up under the ship, then it was all over.

  When she was able to see what was happening on the ship, Heleen saw that Frank was approaching the bow. She had to move again. At the highest point of a wave, she pushed her body to the left. Beyond the reach of the prying light, the ship glided past her. Despite her fatigue, she responded immediately. She pushed her head back and switched to the backstroke. Looking for the fender, she searched the entire right side of the ship with her hands.

  Her leg movements were not enough to keep up with the speed of the ship. She ended up in the middle of the ship. The first signs of cramping began. She clenched her teeth and tried to ignore the intense stabbing pain.

  The moonlight helped her. The light showed her what exactly what she had expected: no fenders on the starboard side, because the ship was always anchored on the port side of the harbor. Heleen turned her head and saw from the corner of her eye that Frank was about to come her way. He was halfway through and had increased his speed. From where he would be, he would be able to inspect the starboard side in just a short time. She stopped swimming. Her palms slid down the side of the ship. The moment the stern came within reach, she pushed off hard. When her head reached the back of the ship she pushed off again, this time to the left and with one hand she grabbed on to the metal stairs. She was now partially on her left side. The propeller blades below her were incredibly dangerous. As she allowed herself to be dragged along, Heleen did her best to keep both legs just below the surface, a physical effort she could not sustain for very long. With her other hand, she reached for the ladder. After three attempts, she finally managed to catch it. Below her, the engines growled at her like a predator that could tear her to pieces in an instant.

  Heleen pulled her legs up and sideways. Her stomach muscles were being pushed to their limit. Carefully, she brought her right knee under her arms. Her feet balanced on one of the metal steps. Like a poorly trained acrobat, she pulled herself up. Her left leg automatically moved along. Clinging to the small ladder, she gasped for air.

  Frank was halfway down the ship. From the starboard side of the ship he moved his flashlight across the water’s surface. He was far closer than she had hoped. She would have to forgo her plan to crawl onboard now and hide somewhere in the bilge, while she waited for a better opportunity to come along. If she climbed aboard now, Frank would definitely find her.

  The distance between them was about four meters. It was impossible to stay where she was. Frank would see her immediately. To her left and right was a ledge that was part of the stern. It looked like a spoiler, but slightly wider. She placed her left foot on the edge and felt that the smooth metal would not give way. She crawled to the farthest point of the left stern and let herself slip into the water again.

  She lost physical contact with the ship. A one-meter gap quickly became two meters. The light beam was somewhere near the stern now, which meant that Frank had finished his inspection.

  Heleen called on her last bit of remaining energy. Her strokes became a desperate attempt for survival. Her shoulders were on fire, her heart rate reached dangerous heights, and both of her lungs were screaming for more oxygen.

  Sheer willpower allowed her to catch up with the boat. When her body gave up, she still managed to squeeze out three more strokes. This last-ditch effort brought her within arm’s length of the rear fender on the port side. She made ​​one final stroke and clasped on tightly to a buoy. Exhausted, she clung to it with all her might.

  For a brief moment, she had no idea where she actually was. Drops of water viciously splashed in her face. Her legs were being dragged along and felt lifeless, like ballast. Her stiff hands were tortured by continuous stabbing pains that penetrated down to her bones. To make matters worse, Frank had reached the stern. A few more steps and he would still end up discovering her. The last bit of resistance left inside of her began to leave her. She had fought hard. But at the end of the ride it was still not enough. It was over and done, Heleen realized. Nothing could save her now.

  Suddenly a scene from a movie flashed through her mind. Two divers who had remained under water too long and missed their boat ride back. They floated somewhere on the surface in the middle of the ocean. For hours they fought against the elements and intrusive marine life. They kept
encouraging each other. Don’t give up, rescue would come soon.

  They survived a hellish night. When the rescue troops did not appear the following day, it occurred to them that they were hopelessly lost. After her partner had succumbed to a shark attack, the young woman chose a quick death over a slow one with excruciating pain. She took off her equipment and sank to the bottom.

  She let go.

  This is what it had come down to for Heleen now as well. Any chance of survival was gone. The fighting spirit in her was gone. The diver had her ended her life in the most dignified way possible for the situation. This is what she had to do as well. Let it go. She much preferred the jet-black embrace of the immensely deep waters over being massacred by the man she once loved.

  Her grip on the fender weakened. She relaxed. The stabbing pains disappeared, her palms slid down slowly. It’s better this way, she thought. Really, this is the right decision. I’ve had a good life, too bad about this last year. That was hell.

  The pitch of the engines changed. The pervasive hum was suddenly muted into a dark whisper. The ship slowed. Because of this glimmer of hope in the darkness, it suddenly became much easier for her to hold on. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip.

  The ship had come to halt. Frank had put the throttle in neutral. From his footsteps she could hear that he’d run from the stern to starboard. She heard a splashing sound, some cursing, then another splash. Slowly she realized what was happening on the deck. Frank had found her windbreaker and was busy trying to fish it out of the water! Life began to flow through her body again. There was a real chance that Frank would conclude that she had tried to take her jacket off and that she had drowned in the process. In that case, he would have accomplished his mission and could return to the port with the assurance that she was no longer alive.

  Because the ship had almost come to a complete stop, she was easily able to swim as quietly as possible to the front fender. She took the buoy and remained suspended and motionless in the water.