Ghost Writer(41)

He was still on his first cup and had only taken a few bites of his scone. I popped the last bite of scone into my mouth and washed it down with my second cup of tea.

He sighed. “I suppose not.”



Although I had been carrying around my smartphone, I had not set it up for roaming in the Arctic. I’m not sure I could. On the èmil Gagnan, I was connected to the outside world via WiFi and the ship’s satellite link. On the Nottawasaga, I had to go to Communications. There I was introduced to Petty Officer Marian Sloan. She greeted me warmly, telling me that it was a pleasure to meet me after talking to me over the radio. I supposed she was the com officer I fell asleep on.

“Don't you worry, Ms. Kirby, I'll contact as many of your family members as you need.” She then shot a look at the captain, wondering if he'd refute her. He just nodded.

I suggested that we should try Will first, since he'd have the number where I could reach Seamus. When I mentioned that Seamus would be at CFB Kingston, Sloan laughed, and I felt silly for thinking that she wouldn't be able to reach a Canadian military base from a Canadian military vessel.

“We'll call Kingston first. We can get the Duty Officer to fetch him and call back at a pre-appointed time. Meanwhile, we can try your ex-husband's and father's phone numbers.”

“My dad always has a cell phone on him. It's a carryover from being a cop and always having his radio handy.”

Sloan set up the call to Seamus and reached my dad shortly afterwards. From the sound of it, he was enjoying happy hour at his favourite pub.

“Hey, Dad! Ca va bien?”

“Just peachy, bébé. Can I call you back? It's a bit noisy here.”

“I don't think so, Dad. I'm calling ship-to-shore. It kinda important I talk to you now.”

“Hold on, bébé.”

Everyone in the room heard him bellow, “Shut up!”

Sloan and the captain grinned.

“Okay. Go ahead.”

I had worked out my approach while I waited for the connection. As I started, Gravell walked in looking rather stern. It threw me off. He exchanged a few words with the captain. I forced myself to ignore them.

“There was an accident, and I was trapped under the sea for a while. It's going to hit the papers sometime soon. They may make a big deal out of it, or it might be a paragraph on page three. Either way, I'm fine. Okay?”

While my dad asked who, what, where, when, and why, I watched Captain Campbell remind Gravell who was commanding this vessel. Gravell stepped back and turned to scrutinize me. I looked from one to the other. The captain mouthed, ‘Don't worry about it.’

“I can't go into details, Dad. I still have to call Seamus and Will so they won't worry. I didn't realize the press was going to get hold of the story so soon and, like I said, I don't know what they're going to do with it.”

“Don't worry about me, bébé. I know how the press can twist things. I'll wait for your report. Be safe, okay?”

“Bien sur.”

The conversation with Will was even shorter. I cheated and told him to call Dad. The main thing was he knew I was safe.

I thought I did pretty well. I conveyed a lot less information than Dora would at the press conference Reuben had probably already organized. Yet, there was Gravell, hard as stone and looking like he was just waiting for an excuse to shut me down. Captain Campbell wasn't looking too happy either. I had put him on the spot. There was no doubt in my mind now that Gravell held more power than his position implied.

“I would prefer to talk to my son in private.”

Gravell shook his head.

Captain Campbell shrugged apologetically.

All day I had been hearing the metaphorical sound of sabres rattling, and I was ready to rattle my own. I started with the big dog.

I walked up to Gravell and poked him in the chest.

“You're looking for trust? Try giving me a little.”

I turned to Campbell.

“Captain, if you cannot give me privacy, can you at least listen somewhere else. Then, maybe I can pretend I'm not as angry as I really am.”

He nodded and ushered Gravell out before him.

Sloan didn’t move. “I have to stay, Ms. Kirby. Sorry.”

“I know. I understand. I'm probably being unreasonable.”

The woman stuck her chin out defiantly. “I think you're holding up pretty well, under the circumstances.”

I gave her a grateful smile, took a few deep breaths, and managed to settle down by the time I heard my son's voice asking “What's up, Mum? Something happen?”

“Yeah, something happened, but it’s okay. I'm okay. The only reason I'm calling about it is ‘cause the papers might make a big deal and I wanted you to know that everything is okay now. Besides, it gives me a chance to talk to you. How's it going, Shay?”

“I'm glad you called. I sent you a letter. I was a bit strung out at the time. Things are better now, so don't worry about anything you read okay…Hey! We both have the same problem.”

“That's right. Neither of us will believe everything we read. Of course, if you say you miss me, I'll believe that because I want to.”

“Yeah. I miss you, Mum.”

“Miss you too, Shay. I love you.”