with new
eyes. "You know, it's funny, Mr. Waterman. I never used to like
it down here. It always seemed so cold and damp to me. But now
somehow I can feel more of Marty here than anywhere else. I
think it's because he sr ent so much
time
here in those last years before ..." She looked back to me,
surprised, as if I'd been the one speaking.
"Listen
to me prattle on. A sign of old age, I'm afraid. Anyway, I heard this
sobbing from inside the ladies' room. The door wasn't even locked.
There was that poor child sitting there, pants down around her
ankles, just bleeding up a storm. At first I thought she had, you
know—" I indicated that I did. "But then I could see that
it was more than that. She was hurt."
"And?"
"I
took her right to my doctor. She didn't want to go, but I insisted. I
practically had to drag her." I waited. "She'd been used
terribly, Mr. Waterman. She was just raw everywhere down there. Dr.
Conger wanted to call the authorities, but Norma simply wouldn't hear
of it. Kept saying it was all her fault. That she'd gone on board
with him willingly. Dr. Conger said there was no way we could press
charges without Norma's testimony,"
She
leaned closer, whispering.
"Doctor
also said it wasn't the first time, either. Said she was terribly
scarred down there. Internally."
"Any
idea who—"
"I
know exactly who. Norma told me. And don't think I didn't let him
hear about it. You know what that pig did, Mr. Waterman? He laughed
in my face. Called me a dried-up old hag and laughed in my face. Put
me off the boat."
"Which
boat?"
"The
Haida Queen, It's over on—" "I know the boat."
I
described my earlier encounter with the two, deckhands.
"Not
those two. They're just the hired help. Buster is his name. He's the
mate. He doesn't do anything.
Just
sleeps all day while the other two work. A big ox. No, a pig."
"Approximately
when was this?"
"I
can tell you exactly. I just got the doctor's bill the other day."
She
skipped back on board, went below, and reappeared with a white
business envelope.
"Tuesday,
September twenty-sixth," she said after extracting the contents.
"So this happened the night before, the twenty-fifth."
"And
you haven't seen her since about two weeks after that?"
"That's
right. I'm sure of the time because I brought her a sandwich every
day for lunch after that. She came over every day at noontime. We
talked. She hardly ate. Always fed most of her sandwich to the gulls.
I gave her Marty's old red Pendleton coat to wear. Then"—she
shrugged— "one day, she didn't come any more. I've been quite
concerned."
"Any
idea where she came from?"
"Up
north. That's all she'd say. Up north."
"That
covers quite a bit of ground."
"I
guess it does. But Norma had a way of not answering questions."
"Did
she share anything else personal?"
"She
said she'd recently found her momma and that her momma was better now
and had a real important job. She also said that a ship was coming to
take them all to the promised land."
"You
have any idea what she meant by that?" I asked.
"Just
what she said, I guess. That she'd seen her mother and they were all
going away on a ship." "Nothing more specific?" "Norma
tended to be a bit vague." I was beginning to feel rather vague
myself.
"Did
she live down here somewhere?"
"Oh,
no. There's no living on board anymore. She had a room in the city.
Rode the Metro bus down here every morning."
"Any
idea where in the city?"
She
shook her head. "You might ask that pig, Buster. Norma said he
drove her home . . . afterward. A real gentleman, that Buster."
She
drew the collar of her sweater close around her throat.
"You
wouldn't by chance have a picture of her?" She shook her head
sadly.
"Any
obvious identifying marks?" I asked, trying not to lead her.
"Just
that big smile," she said wistfully.
I
collected a full description, wrote it in my notebook.
"Thanks,"
I said.
"You
will let me know if you find out anything, won't you? I've been so
concerned about her."
I
said I
eyes. "You know, it's funny, Mr. Waterman. I never used to like
it down here. It always seemed so cold and damp to me. But now
somehow I can feel more of Marty here than anywhere else. I
think it's because he sr ent so much
time
here in those last years before ..." She looked back to me,
surprised, as if I'd been the one speaking.
"Listen
to me prattle on. A sign of old age, I'm afraid. Anyway, I heard this
sobbing from inside the ladies' room. The door wasn't even locked.
There was that poor child sitting there, pants down around her
ankles, just bleeding up a storm. At first I thought she had, you
know—" I indicated that I did. "But then I could see that
it was more than that. She was hurt."
"And?"
"I
took her right to my doctor. She didn't want to go, but I insisted. I
practically had to drag her." I waited. "She'd been used
terribly, Mr. Waterman. She was just raw everywhere down there. Dr.
Conger wanted to call the authorities, but Norma simply wouldn't hear
of it. Kept saying it was all her fault. That she'd gone on board
with him willingly. Dr. Conger said there was no way we could press
charges without Norma's testimony,"
She
leaned closer, whispering.
"Doctor
also said it wasn't the first time, either. Said she was terribly
scarred down there. Internally."
"Any
idea who—"
"I
know exactly who. Norma told me. And don't think I didn't let him
hear about it. You know what that pig did, Mr. Waterman? He laughed
in my face. Called me a dried-up old hag and laughed in my face. Put
me off the boat."
"Which
boat?"
"The
Haida Queen, It's over on—" "I know the boat."
I
described my earlier encounter with the two, deckhands.
"Not
those two. They're just the hired help. Buster is his name. He's the
mate. He doesn't do anything.
Just
sleeps all day while the other two work. A big ox. No, a pig."
"Approximately
when was this?"
"I
can tell you exactly. I just got the doctor's bill the other day."
She
skipped back on board, went below, and reappeared with a white
business envelope.
"Tuesday,
September twenty-sixth," she said after extracting the contents.
"So this happened the night before, the twenty-fifth."
"And
you haven't seen her since about two weeks after that?"
"That's
right. I'm sure of the time because I brought her a sandwich every
day for lunch after that. She came over every day at noontime. We
talked. She hardly ate. Always fed most of her sandwich to the gulls.
I gave her Marty's old red Pendleton coat to wear. Then"—she
shrugged— "one day, she didn't come any more. I've been quite
concerned."
"Any
idea where she came from?"
"Up
north. That's all she'd say. Up north."
"That
covers quite a bit of ground."
"I
guess it does. But Norma had a way of not answering questions."
"Did
she share anything else personal?"
"She
said she'd recently found her momma and that her momma was better now
and had a real important job. She also said that a ship was coming to
take them all to the promised land."
"You
have any idea what she meant by that?" I asked.
"Just
what she said, I guess. That she'd seen her mother and they were all
going away on a ship." "Nothing more specific?" "Norma
tended to be a bit vague." I was beginning to feel rather vague
myself.
"Did
she live down here somewhere?"
"Oh,
no. There's no living on board anymore. She had a room in the city.
Rode the Metro bus down here every morning."
"Any
idea where in the city?"
She
shook her head. "You might ask that pig, Buster. Norma said he
drove her home . . . afterward. A real gentleman, that Buster."
She
drew the collar of her sweater close around her throat.
"You
wouldn't by chance have a picture of her?" She shook her head
sadly.
"Any
obvious identifying marks?" I asked, trying not to lead her.
"Just
that big smile," she said wistfully.
I
collected a full description, wrote it in my notebook.
"Thanks,"
I said.
"You
will let me know if you find out anything, won't you? I've been so
concerned about her."
I
said I
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