The Cecaelia was at sea. Laura had a sparse agenda for the day. Francis delivered another hot breakfast and a carafe of coffee. She enjoyed it in her Eames chair, looking at the open ocean. The rest of the morning was spent in her state room, headphones in, writing up her findings from her first round of interviews with the crew. It was productive, if a bit dull. She hit a stopping point in her writing, and realized that her stomach was rumbling. It was already after noon.
Laura decided to head upstairs to eat at the buffet. The ship had an amazing buffet, open all hours of the day and night. They often stocked a late night snack. You could stop by to grab a pastry and a coffee at midnight, which Laura loved.
The graciously paneled and impeccably clean elevator swished open, and she stepped onto the sun deck. It was stocked with teak furniture, the cushions made from soft natural linen. A small pool in the middle was empty, but the deck furniture was full of people lounging with drinks. She could hear the buzz of subdued conversation.
Through another mahogany door, the buffet opened in front of her. An ice sculpture of a grizzly bear stood in the entryway. It was gigantic. Fat beads of water were also dripping from its claws, as it melted during the busy lunch service. The seating was to her right, arranged alongside the large windows. The tables were round and set with elegant place settings and multiple wine glasses. To her left, different stations were filled with food. Guests carried plates away, and crew members in chef’s whites and checked pants hurriedly restocked the chafing dishes from large pots and pans.
She scanned the stations, and spotted a Mongolian stir fry grill. A chef in a white hat was standing in front of a large flat top grill, seasoned brown from use. He was holding two large metal spatulas, and tapping one idly against the grill’s edge. She filled a red lacquered bowl with thin shaved slices of beef, bean sprouts, onion, red peppers, celery, and noodles. She slid it across the counter to the chef, who nodded and tipped it onto the grill. It hissed and sizzled, and erupted in steam as he added sauces from a squeeze bottle and tossed the ingredients from one side to another.
Her still-steaming bowl in hand, Laura scanned the dining area for a spare seat. She saw a hand shoot into the air and heard a faraway “Laura!” It was Brian. He waved her over. At the table, she saw his daughter and a woman she didn’t recognize. Brian was sharply dressed in a black mock-neck sweater and heavy-framed dark glasses. He looked like a techy Clark Kent.
“I’d like you to meet my daughter, Juni.” Juni smiled and put her hand up in a mute, shy greeting. She was slight, and her hair was in neat braids. She bent down again and resumed her coloring project, with colored pencils in a small spiral book. “And this is my nanny, Annaliese. Juni and Annaliese, this is Laura.”
Annaliese was a tall, blonde, nordic looking woman in a chunky cardigan. Her hair was in a thick, single braid. She must have braided Juni’s hair, thought Laura. She hadn’t grown up with a nanny, or really known anyone with one. It must be a different kind of life.
Annaliese sat forward. “Pleased to meet you too, Laura.” Her accent was precise and clipped. It sounded German. “Brian told me all about you after dinner. He said you were very charming.”
Brian shot her a little, don’t tell her that look.
“What? I don’t think it’s a big deal. I see the hard time he has meeting anyone. When you are wealthy, there is a certain caution you must use. But here?” She spread her hands, “everyone is wealthy. You don’t have to have the same worries.”
“Not everyone.” Said Laura with a small smile. “I’m on board as a favor to the captain. It’s more work than pleasure.”
“Ah, I see. No offense meant. I’m sure you understand.”
“Not entirely, but I can imagine.”
“Of course.”
There was a small, awkward pause. Juni was busy coloring, with a plate in front of her covered in small piles of white rice. A half empty porcelain mug of hot chocolate sat beside it. She leaned over to Brian’s ear and whispered loudly. Brian nodded to her and to Annaliese. “She wants to go back to the room to watch a princess movie. I’ll meet you there in a little bit.”
Juni and Annaliese got up from the table. Brian hugged Juni and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll see you in a little bit, sweetie. Listen to Annaliese, OK?” She nodded earnestly, and tucked her drawing pad under her small arm.
When she was out of earshot, Brian leaned forward. “She’s been watching Frozen on repeat. She thinks her nanny is Elsa.” They both laughed.
“I can’t blame her. It’s uncanny.”
“True.” Brian leaned back and leaned a hand against his face, pensively. “I have to tell you, Laura. I was thinking about you after our dinner the first night. I was hoping I would run into you again.”
Laura felt her pulse quicken. She had, too. But she had pushed it out of her mind. “If I’m being honest, I was too.”
Brian smiled a slow smile. “Forgive me if I’m being forward, but would you like to join me for a drink later?”
“I’d love to.”
“Great. Stop by my room at five.”
“Your room?”
“Well sure. If that’s OK. It’s honestly the size of a condo. I haven’t had anyone to show it off to.” They shared a laugh.
Laura left the buffet in a slight daze. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing with Brian. Was it really a good idea to have a drink with him, on what was basically a work engagement? She shook the thought away. She hadn’t dated much. And, at any rate, wasn’t she able to have a little fun after hours?
When the sliding doors quietly slid open to the sun deck, she was startled by a deafening roar. She instinctively ducked to take cover behind a solid handrail. When she looked up, she saw the underside of a small helicopter. The downdraft whipped her hair around in wild shapes. To her surprise, the crew didn’t seem phased at all. Bemused, maybe, but not surprised. Some other guests were surprised, but seemed to be quickly calmed by the crew.
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The helicopter slowed, turned, and touched down for an expert landing on a small helipad at the foredeck. Laura had seen it when she boarded, but she had assumed it was for emergencies. The ship had listed helicopter excursions, but she had pictured a small airfield off-ship.
The rotors slowed down and the engine roar subsided to a low whine. Laura found a crew member, and asked them about the helicopter.
The woman nodded understandingly. “Yes. We have regular helicopter tours directly from the ship. Some of the areas we visit are ecologically sensitive, or remote. Glacier Bay, for example, is a National Park with no port or facilities. We aren’t allowed to dock there, or actually even stop. The boat just keeps moving slowly. So, we partner with local tour companies who land on the ship to pick up passengers for the excursions.”
Laura thanked her, and continued walking. She was lost in thought. She had been trained to see risks, and that had solidified into a hard-earned habit. A helicopter landing on your ship was a risk. A crash could damage the ship and end in flames. An unauthorized helicopter could force an entry. She decided to ask the security chief later, and parked the thought. More for her report.
Back in her state room, she settled in to continue writing. The hours passed by. She ordered tea, a pastry, and fruit to her room. Francis appeared with a silver tray and his flirty smile, and quickly left. Before she knew it, it was nearing five o’clock. Her pulse quickened thinking about seeing Brian alone. She took a deep breath and settled herself.
She stopped in the bathroom and inspected the state of her makeup. It was workable. She wasn’t sure what the standard was for a drink with a billionaire. There were probably only a few people in the world who would know. She made her way to the end of the ship, down a few floors, and to his door. It was at the very stern of the ship, past all of the other rooms. The very end of the hallway. The door was a double width door in dark wood. Next to it, a placard listed it as the Owner’s Suite.
After she approached, the door swung open silently. Brian was framed in the doorway. He was wearing a crisp white tuxedo shirt with french cuffs and cufflinks, and black dress pants. A tux jacket and bow tie were hanging on a nearby coat hook. He looked trim, tall, and well built. He saw her surprise and shrugged. “It's formal night in the dining room. Juni wanted to dress up, so why not go along?”
Laura smiled. “Where is Juni, anyway?”
“Ah. I booked Annaliese an adjoining room. She’s watching a movie with Juni now. We have the place to ourselves. Speaking of the place, can I show you around?”
“Sure.”
Brian held the door as Laura walked in. She felt her breath catch when she saw the room. It was gorgeous. It opened into a two-story tall atrium, with a swath of gigantic windows looking over the stern. They were tipped outward, curving over toward the surface of the water in a gigantic arc. To her left, past the surprisingly large kitchen, was a staircase leading to bedrooms. To her right, a living room larger than hers at home. The furniture was sumptuous. A wall in the living room was covered in leather bound books.
Brian strode over to the kitchen. “Amazing, isn’t it? Couldn’t ask for a nicer room. Can I make you a cocktail? I make a killer old fashioned.”
“I’d love one of what you’re having.”
“Two it is, then. A nice pre-dinner pick-me-up with good company.” He smiled over his shoulder at her while he pulled bottles of bourbon and bitters from the counter. He deftly muddles the bitters, sugar, and water, He added a few large ice cubes and a splash of bourbon. He sliced a thin orange rind, and then picked up a lighter from the counter. “Now, for my secret twist.” He lit the orange rind on fire, and it crackled briefly before he blew it out. A small wafting smell of citrus smoke filled the kitchen. He rubbed the rind on the inside of the rim, and then placed it carefully inside. He handed her a glass. “The smoke changes everything.”
She smelled her old fashioned, and knew it would be good. It was oaky, fruity, with a hint of smoke. They carried their drinks to the chestnut colored leather couch, and sat down together. “Is it your first time to Alaska?”
“No, actually. I worked in the Seattle field office for a long time. They cover cases in Alaska. I had one long case up here, but it might be a story for another day.”
He rested his hand on the back cushion comfortably. “We have time.”
“No, it’s not so much that it’s a long story. It is. It just involved multiple murders, some of them gruesome. I wound up taking down a large criminal operation. It gave my career a nice boost.”
“I can’t imagine the things you’ve seen. I’m sure it was hard.”
“It was. But you know what? I was actually the most worried about the day it would stop being hard. I was worried I would stop seeing the victims as people, or having empathy for them. Just because it was routine. I was worried I would see enough that I would lose some of my humanity. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. That made life harder, but made me feel more grounded.”
“I can imagine it made you better at it, too. If you don't stop caring.”
“Exactly. You must have felt the same way. You said you were an MP.”
He shrugged slightly. “It wasn’t for very long. Everyone does their mandatory service.”
There was a pause. Laura had a lingering question, but wasn’t sure how to approach it.
“Are you wondering what happened with Juni’s mother?”
“You must have seen my internal debate about whether to prod. I am curious who would leave someone like you. Not to be pointed, but you have everything going for you. There are plenty of women looking for someone like you.”
He blushed slightly. “That's kind of you. I figured you would ask. You’re an investigator at heart, after all. I told you something happened, but didn’t fill it in. I can imagine you’re used to having complete stories. Maybe it’s uncomfortable if you don’t. Not that that’s wrong.”
“It’s true.”
“That’s fair. I would be curious too. My ex wife, Jasmine, and I met in college. She is Korean too, second generation. An American citizen. We had a great life together. We were compatible in a lot of ways. Juni came along before my company went public, and I thought she would be our glue for a long time. But, things started to go sideways. When you prepare to take a company public, you get assigned to a large investment bank to underwrite you. They prepare you, and it’s grueling. It’s not just financial. It’s image, marketing, security. Everything that might fall apart under public scrutiny.” He paused and took a sip of his drink. The ice clinked softly.
“The bankers were white men, hot shot Ivy Leaguers. They honed in on my being a foreign national. They pushed me to give up my Korean citizenship.”
“Oh,” said Laura. “Was that the issue?”
Brian laughed, mirthlessly. “No, it gets worse. Much worse. When I didn’t want to, they pushed me to resign to board chairman so they could appoint a white, American man as a CEO. They said the stock performance would make me happy enough. I fought back hard. Jasmine thought maybe I should quit, if this was the world I’d be working in. In hindsight, maybe she was right. In the end, they hired a dialect coach. A famous guy from Hollywood. They asked me to work on removing my accent. I couldn’t stand meeting with him at work, around my employees. I was ashamed at being talked into it. They met me at home, and Juni had to see her dad trained to sound like a midwestern American.”
“Jesus. So, she thought you were a sellout?”
“More or less. She was furious that I would turn my back on who I am to get rich. That I would keep working with people that wanted to fire me. That wasn’t the only thing that happened. From my perspective, though, this was a company that I built from the ground up. It was my baby. Giving it up would have also been a betrayal.” He rubbed his temples with his hands, and then stood up. “Anyway. I’m sorry. That’s not something I share a lot about. It’s hard to know sometimes if you’re doing the right thing.”
Laura stood up next to him. They were close to each other. “I understand.” Brian turned, their faces almost touching.
He leaned forward and brushed her hair behind her ear. His eyes were wistful. “I’d like to kiss you.”
Laura leaned in and kissed him. He rested his hand on her low back and pulled her closer.