Chapter 39: By Land or Sea

They are getting closer and closer to the Caribbean Sea. They took 49 all the way to 10 and then 10 to Baton Rouge. Then out of Baton Rouge they take 10 again and head towards New Orleans. As Gabriel is driving, Molly is looking out the window and then gets excited, “Gabriel, look a cruise ship is going out tomorrow.”

“We can check into it, babe, but don’t get your hopes up because I’m not sure if they’re running yet because of Covid.”

“They are.”

“They are, huh?”

“Yep!”

“Alrighty then.” It doesn’t surprise Gabriel that Molly knows something she really shouldn’t know, but he has given himself over to her wonder almost from the beginning.

“The waves crash over the waves, the white foam rages against the land and the sea screams for justice because time is not infinite for thee and...” Gabriel is building to a crescendo.

Molly looks at Gabriel like he is a goofball, “What are you doing?”

“Hey, do you mind, I was in the middle of a best seller.”

“Excuse me?”

“I thought maybe I’d write a story about our tales together.”

She gasps, “Can I help?”

Gabriel walks over to Molly where she is now looking at a dead Jellyfish and he puts his hands on her head and kisses her sweetly, “You already have babygirl, you already have.” Molly’s eyes tear up. “But yes I would love to write a novel with you.”

They walk hand in hand along the beach: the breeze blowing Molly’s long pink flowered skirt prettily. There are many reasons four is Gabriel’s favorite number. Gabriel looks to the south and hopes the fierce dark outline he sees is not another storm headed their way. The remnants of the last one are still being cleaned up.

When they get back to their ocean front property they immediately head for the bed. Once Gabriel gets comfortable, Molly snuggles into him. He doesn’t know how long they were asleep when a soft knock comes to the door.

Gabriel manages to get out of bed without waking Molly. Before answering the door Gabriel looks to see that Molly lying there in her favorite sleeping outfit can’t be seen; for several reasons. There is a young man dressed in a tuxedo, who smiles genuinely and hands him a package.

“It’s not ticking is it?”

“Sir?”

“Nothing. Who is it for because we just got here several hours ago?”

“Yes, sir, it is for Joseph from his Mary.”

Gabriel looks quickly over at Molly and turns back to the messenger, this time he is going to get some answers if he has to beat it out of him, but when he turns around the messenger is gone and nowhere to be seen in the long corridor.

He slowly and quietly opens the box. The first thing Gabriel sees is a newspaper with an article circled. He picks the newspaper up and barely notices the alarm clock under it; that is until it goes off. With a start Gabriel looks to heaven and says, “Very funny.” Gabriel hears laughter, but it comes from Molly, but it is not her chuckle.

As Gabriel is fumbling with the clock trying to shut it off, Molly stirs. She sleepily rubs her eyes, “Why did you set the alarm?”

“I didn’t, it’s coming from a clock that is in a package that just arrived.”

“Ewe, I love packages. Who is it from?”

“The box isn’t marked, but the messenger said it was for Joseph from his Mary.” At long last Gabriel gets tired of the damn clock and is ready to throw it out the window when Molly walks up and takes it from him and then pulls the batteries out of it, silencing it at long last. “Humph!”

After she gets done laughing, she walks over to the box, saying, “I don’t remember sending a package,” and starts going through it. She’s digging around in the packing peanuts and keeps pulling out money, but nothing else. “Oh, what a jip!”

Other than a newspaper with an article circled, an alarm clock and fifty thousand dollars in cash, there is nothing else. That is until Gabriel dumps the packing peanuts on Molly’s head. “Hey!” Molly picks up a handful and throws them.

Gabriel goes on the attack and is tickling her on the bed when he notices a packing peanut stuck in her hair, “Hey, this has writing on it.” It is a single letter: this one being a ‘T’.

“Oh, I love puzzles.”

They gather the peanuts and the article and pile all the pillows against the headboard so Gabriel can lean back comfortably and then Molly sits in front of him leaning into him. While Molly is separating the peanuts into piles of matching letters, Gabriel looks at the newspaper article; with one hand holding the newspaper and the other holding Molly.

“Listen to this babygirl, ‘Another student goes missing from Saint Gabriel’s School for Troubled Girls outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This makes the eleventh in six months, the first the day after Easter. The Headmistress Tara Beelzulbee gave a statement saying, ‘these are troubled girls and there is no proof of foul play, they probably ran away, but the authorities are investigating with due diligence’. Though they would not say it, this reporter has to believe the school is in danger of closing. When asked, the Headmistress said they would still be holding their annual Halloween pageant that the whole community attends. It is great fun!’”