Adam nodded. He knew from Jennifer that dancers were obsessed with their weight.
“Would you like me to come to your cabin tonight?” Heather asked as casually as she would if inquiring about the weather.
Adam was glad he hadn’t been eating. If he’d had anything in his mouth, he would have choked. As it was, he coughed and glanced around to see if anyone else had heard, but his fellow guests just continued eating in their silent half-stupor. Adam turned to Heather. Although her voice was strange, she certainly didn’t seem drugged. Adam decided to play along. She might be able to answer some questions about this increasingly odd cruise.
“Come after your last performance,” he whispered.
“I’ll be in your cabin at eleven,” she agreed enthusiastically.
Adam turned beet red. Fortunately, the other diners seemed too out of it to notice. With a quick smile Adam nodded to her.
He went down to his cabin and hastily ate some of José’s bread and cheese. At the afternoon lecture Adam noticed more and more empty seats. There was no sign of Alan, though later on Adam caught up with Ned and Clair. They smiled but hadn’t seen Alan and had very little to say. Adam guessed they were receiving low dosages of tranquilizers. By the third lecture, a good number of people in the audience were asleep, and Adam was convinced it wasn’t just because they were bored.
At four he left and went to meet José. Maybe the sailor would have an idea where Alan might be found.
“I’d like to talk,” said Adam when José let him through the barrier.
“What’s the matter?” asked José.
“Nothing,” said Adam. “I’d just like to ask you some questions.”
José led him back to his cabin and shut the door. From an upright locker he produced two glasses and a bottle of dark rum. Adam declined, but José filled both glasses anyway. “What’s on your mind?” he said.
“Have you been around the entire ship?” asked Adam.
José downed his rum in a single gulp. “Nope,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Not all of it. I haven’t seen where all those pricks with the white coats berth.”
“I thought they lived up here with the crew,” said Adam.
“What, are you crazy?” asked José. “We never see those weird guys. They have cabins on C deck.”
“Where is that? I thought B was the lowest deck.”
José lifted the second glass. “You sure you don’t want some rum?”
Adam shook his head.
“The stairs to the stewards’ quarters are in the passengers’ mess,” said José, sipping the second drink. “The only reason I know that is because I went there looking for something to eat one day when we were in port. Unfortunately, I got caught and I almost lost my job. But what do you care about those guys?”
“The reason I’m asking these questions,” explained Adam, “is because a passenger in the room next to mine seems to have disappeared. First he seemed ill, and now he’s vanished.”
“Did you try the sick bay?” asked José. “One of the crew told me they have a fully equipped hospital. He knew because he helped bring in the equipment.”
“Where is it?” asked Adam.
“On B deck,” said José. “Behind the doctor’s office.”
Adam picked up the food José had wrapped for him. The sick bay sounded like a promising place to find Alan.
“What about more cigarettes?” asked José.
“Sure,” said Adam. “Tomorrow morning. Same time.”
“Sounds good,” said José. “Let me check the hall.” He put down his empty glass and started to open the door.
“One more question,” said Adam. “Do you know anything about the dancers?”
José looked back at Adam with a broad smile. “Not as much as I’d like to know.”
“Are they prostitutes?” asked Adam, thinking it would be good to know for sure before Heather’s visit.
José shook his head, laughing. “No, they’re college girls working for extra credit. What kind of question is that?”
“Do you ever get to see them?” asked Adam.
“I wish,” said José. “Listen, they never let us mingle with those weirdos who run the cruise. But I did see one of the girls on a beach in Puerto Rico about a year ago. I tried to get some action, but she wasn’t interested. I was pretty drunk and tried to grab her. That’s when I found out she was wearing a wig. It came off, and her head was shaved. On either temple there were big round scars. Now tell me that isn’t weird.”
“What had happened to her?” asked Adam.
“I never found out,” said José. “She kneed me and suddenly I lost interest.”
“What a cruise,” said Adam, picking up his parcel.
“What’s the matter?” asked José. “You’re not enjoying yourself?”
When the phone rang, Jennifer had a premonition it was Dr. Vandermer. She heard her mother answer and then a moment later give a little shriek. That was when Jennifer knew. She started downstairs before her mother could call her. When she reached the kitchen, Mrs. Carson wordlessly held out the receiver.
“Hello, Dr. Vandermer,” Jennifer said, controlling her voice.
“Hello, Jennifer,” he said. There was a long pause. “I’m afraid I have bad news.”
“I expected it,” she said. She could sense that Dr. Vandermer was struggling to find the right words.
“The amniocentesis is definitely positive,” he said. “This time I supervised the straining of the amniotic fluid myself. There was no chance of error. The same major chromosomal abnormality is there. In fact, the specimens were never mixed up. I’m afraid that in addition to Down’s syndrome, your fetus must have significant developmental abnormality of its sex organs.”
“Oh God,” said Jennifer. “That’s terrible.”
“It is,” agreed Dr. Vandermer. “Look, if we are going to do something, I think we should act quickly.”
“I agree. I’ve thought it over carefully, and I want to have an abortion. The sooner the better.”
“In that case I’ll try to arrange it for tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Dr. Vandermer,” said Jennifer. Then she hung up.
Mrs. Carson put her arms around her daughter and said, “I know how you must feel, but I believe you are doing the right thing.”
“I know I am. I just want to talk to Adam.”
Mrs. Carson’s mouth tightened angrily.
“Mother, he’s still my husband, and I don’t want to do this without telling him.”
“Well, dear, whatever you think best.” Her mother left the kitchen and went upstairs, probably to complain about Adam to her husband on the other phone.
As soon as she was alone, Jennifer dialed the apartment just in case Adam had returned. She let it ring twenty times before hanging up and dialing information for Arolen Pharmaceuticals in Montclair, New Jersey. When the Arolen switchboard answered, she demanded to speak to Clarence McGuire. She wasn’t put through until she’d had a shouting match with his secretary.
“How are you, Mrs. Schonberg?” McGuire said when he finally came on the line.
“Not very well,” said Jennifer coldly. “I want to know where my husband is.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know myself. He called in and said he had to go out of town because of family problems.”
“You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?” asked Jennifer. “I thought you’d sent him to Puerto Rico.”
“He turned down the offer,” said McGuire. “And there’s no reason for me to lie to you.”
Jennifer hung up feeling confused. She’d been so certain that Adam was on a trip for Arolen and hadn’t wanted to tell her, she had trouble conceiving of any other possibility. Impulsively, she placed a call to Adam’s father.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Dr. Schonberg,” said Jennifer, who’d never called the man before, “but I’m looking for Adam and I thought you might know where he is.”