Chapter Fourteen

Life and Death

Carolina was smiling broadly as she made her way toward her sister's cabin. Eva would not be happy at first but she would come around eventually. Carolina was both overjoyed and disappointed at the findings. The gold was solid and the amount huge; it was nothing but a small fortune. However, the way it had been acquired was so wrong, so disgraceful, that she didn't know what they should do with it.

Technically it was their father's gold but then again, he'd struck a deal with Aníbal, who'd probably been promised parts of it. Now, Aníbal had also perished during the journey overseas and Pedro would no doubt claim some part of it because he and Carlos had owned the company together but surely, not even he could lay claims on money from such a tragedy?

Carolina sighed and shook her head; Eva was good at reasoning and seemed to have a plan for everything. She knocked on the polished wooden door and frowned as no one came to answer.

"Eva?" Carolina called worriedly. She knocked again, forcefully this time, and waited patiently. "Eva!" she shouted.

Carolina instantly knew something was wrong, it wasn't like Eva not to let her in. She took off at a run toward the bridge, to call for help. Fernando was still down in the storage compartment and wouldn't be able to help at the moment but the captain surely knew how to help her.

OOOOOO

Rojas ran for his life through the bowels of the ship. He hauled himself up on an access ladder and climbed for all he was worth. Sailors who recognized him shouted at him to stop. The doctor broke the seal of a hatch and got out on a lower deck. He crisscrossed through passengers and halted mid-step as Varela's goons saw him. The doctor started to back away and then took off at a run through the stairs leading to the bridge, praying the captain was on duty.

He flung the door open, causing several officers to swirl around and stare at him in surprise.

"Doctor Rojas?" Santiago acknowledged with a frown.

He panted as he bent forward to rest his hands on his thighs. "Come quickly!" he managed through shallow breaths.

"Doctor?" Carolina asked quizzically having followed him from the deck and up to the bridge.

He locked eyes with her and she shuddered at the intensity. "Eva, Nicolás," he said darkly.

Carolina grabbed his arm and began to haul him out of the room. "Where?" she demanded.

OOOOOO

Eva froze as a chill ran down her spine. The Frenchman had gone over the edge, his eyes seemed dark and wild as he glared at them, gun in hand. His index finger tightened the grip around the trigger. Eva was desperate, it couldn't end like this. She gently placed Nicolás's head in her lap and squeezed his limp hand as she leaned over him in an effort to shield him from any harm.

Ice gripped at Chantal's spine and she grew cold as Jean took another step toward Eva and Nicolás.

Carolina and Santiago appeared in the doorway, both panting as they'd run half across the ship to reach them. "No!" Carolina shouted anxiously. "Eva!"

"When I met you Chantal you would do anything for the right reasons. You were the kindest, sweetest yet the most stubborn woman I had ever met," Nicolás's voice echoed softly in the back of her mind.

She swallowed, this was not for the right reasons, this was wrong, so wrong. And every time she looked at the beautiful Eva Villanueva, she saw the despair in her petite yet strong features. She was the woman Chantal had once been. No, she corrected herself, she still was that strong and independent woman, she refused to be afraid any longer, not for Jean, not for anyone.

"Jean," Chantal called softly yet her voice was serious. "Give me the gun, it must end here."

"Never," he whispered coldly and raised the gun.

When Chantal made the decision, she felt a ruse, a feeling of love and kindness she hadn't felt in a long time. Without hesitation she stepped into the bullet's path and felt it drill itself inside her abdomen. She fell to the dirty wooden planks that made up the floor in the cargo area. Someone called her name and she smiled as she felt life leaving her.

Then a shot went off and Jean fell forward and collapsed in a heap, his eyes glazed and unseeing; he was already dead when he hit the floor.

Varela stepped out of the shadows, his eyes dark and cold and his lips pursed into a thin line of disgust as he looked at the dead man before him. "My apologies I would have acted sooner if I'd had a clear shot," he said.

Santiago stared from the dead man to Nicolás and then to the woman he'd come to embrace as his daughter-in-law. He sprang into action, trying to get Nicolás up from the floor and over to Chantal but the younger man grunted in pain and managed only to sit. When their eyes met Nicolás had tears running down his cheeks, he knew what Chantal had done; she had saved his life and probably Eva's lives. The captain swallowed, overcome by emotions as he let out a quivering breath.

Carolina rushed over to her little sister, knelt beside her and hugged her for support even though Eva was probably in more need for support than Carolina. Eva grasped her sister's shoulders as she sniveled.

Santiago left Nicolás's side and walked over to his wife and sat down next to her. She clasped his hand in a moment of clarity and nodded faintly at him as her eyes began to close. "For all the right reasons," she whispered.

The captain desperately looked at the doctor who'd arrived only moments ago. Rojas shook his head dejectedly, indicating that there was nothing he could do, it was too late.

The captain bowed his head downwards in sorrow and gently squeezed her hand even though he knew she was already dead. "Sleep well, Chantal," he said in a subdued voice.

OOOOOO

Eva hesitated outside the door to the infirmary, unsure whether or not it was the right call to visit Nicolás. She knew he needed time to heal, both physically and psychologically but then again, she needed to see him to heal herself after everything that had happened. Because, as strange as it might sound, considering that they hadn't even known each other for that long he had become her rock.

She took a deep breath and twisted the doorknob to let herself in. The room was quiet and dark as Nicolás was sleeping. The nurse smiled kindly at her as she stepped away from her patient. "He's doing well all things considered," she said.

Eva felt relief at hearing those words but she saw what state he was in and knew it would take some time for him to recuperate. He had vivid bruises on the left side of his ribcage and cheek. The wound next to his temple could hardly be seen through his dark hair yet she knew it was there, knew it had almost killed him. Doctor Rojas was afraid of the injuries that couldn't be seen on the outside, the internal injuries, the bleeds which; if they weren't absorbed by the body itself or left untreated, would remove him from the land of the living and take him away from her forever.

She pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, remembering the last time she'd sat like that. It felt like ages ago when in reality only a few weeks had passed. He looked so fragile this time, like he was made of porcelain, and she hardly dared to breathe when she looked at him.

Eva forced a smile on her lips and gently took his limp hand in hers. "Nicolás," she whispered. "Please, you have to survive this."

OOOOOO

"Carolina," Fernando said seriously as he fixed her with a disapproving look where he stood next to the window in his office. "You have to start trusting me. I don't appreciate you sneaking onboard the ship without telling me."

"I thought we'd sorted that out already," she replied coldly and felt something spark in her at his words. It was the way he dared to chastise her for her behavior when he was the one who kept the truth hidden under veils of secrets that really got to her.

"No, Fernando," she said in a steady voice. "Don't you dare to reprimand me when it is you who constantly keeps things from me."

He rose his eyebrows in surprise at her outburst and stuck his hands deep down in his pockets. "I believe it was you who hid a letter from Rosa Marín for several years-," he deadpanned.

"Well," Carolina countered, "I wasn't the one who was going to elope with her and leave his fiancée high and dry."

Fernando averted his gaze for a moment and had the decency to remain quiet.

"I was shocked to find out about papá's dirty business deals, Fernando, and I am just as shocked to learn that you let Aníbal stove away stolen goods onboard."

"Now, hold on a moment," he protested as he turned to face her once again. "I didn't exactly let him do it."

"No?" she questioned. "I am so disappointed in you, perhaps it would have been for the best if Francisca hadn't confronted Rosa, then the two of you could have left. Perhaps then I might have been better off."

"Carolina," he called but she had already turned around and taken one step outside the room. He grimaced as the door slammed shut behind her.

OOOOOO

Pierre was exhausted, not so much physically as psychologically, as he stepped out in the fresh breeze upon deck near the fantail. He held a white porcelain urn in a steady grip, afraid he'd drop it.

Behind him the captain and the musical band walked out to join him. Several sailors came to attend as well at the very small an unofficial gathering that was to become Clara's funeral.

Santiago walked up to him and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder, then squeezed it lightly to offer his support. "When you're ready, son," he said in a kind subdued voice.

Pierre nodded at the band members who instantly gripped their instruments and began to play one of her favorite songs while she'd been onboard the large cruise ship. It was one of those songs she'd requested almost every day; one of those songs which did her rich voice justice, the song she'd sung just for him. It was a song of joy, hope and love. Despite the tragedy it felt fitting somehow.

He took a deep breath and opened the lid, then watched silently as the breeze picked up the ashes and spread them over the calm ocean in the beautiful sunset. He swallowed as his hands trembled while the last of her remains left the urn. "You're free now," he whispered as tears sprung from his eyes and trickled down his cheeks.

OOOOOO

"Carolina, what in the world where you thinking?" Fernando admonished as he ushered her back into his temporary office.

She dared a defiant look at him from across the desk. "We didn't intend to stay onboard after the ship had sailed," she replied.

He shook his head in disbelief. "Your little sister has always been a bad influencer."

Carolina straightened indignantly in her chair as she fixed him with a glare. "I am old enough to make my own decisions, Fernando," she replied. "What about you?"

He frowned. "What about me?" he echoed.

"You must have known that Aníbal was smuggling things onboard your ship," she pushed.

"Like I told you before-," he sighed and gave up trying to explain. "or tried to tell you before. He owned part of the company, he had every right to bring cargo into the holds without me knowing every little detail," Fernando countered.

"The contract also states he has obligations-," she began seriously.

Fernando frowned in surprise. "Wait a minute," he cautioned. "How would you know what the contract states?"

She looked at him innocently, the anger gone from her voice only to be replaced by curiosity. "What do you mean?" she managed with a nervous smile.

He fixed her with a stare. "Carolina, I have no recollection of having shown you the contract between Aníbal de Souza and me. So, I'll ask you again; how can you know what it states?"

"Well I," she began cryptically. "Casandra wanted to blame you for the death of her sister and when she didn't come up with anything, we thought perhaps Aníbal had done it."

"Because?" Fernando pushed.

"Because he invested a fortune in your company, Fernando, and it seemed he didn't get anything out of it," she reasoned.

He opened his mouth to protest but Carolina beat him to it. "But it seems he would have if he'd lived long enough," she added sourly. "You see, papá had a deal with the Nazis for which he was paid in gold. Now he didn't trust you enough to tell you about it but he knew that your brother-in-law didn't hesitate to make shady deals."

Fernando stared at her unhappily as the truth unraveled. "If you know everything then why do you accuse me of withholding information?"

She opened her mouth to answer but he quickly continued. "Yes, I knew something was up but I didn't know what. Why else would I search my own ship?"

"Papá and Aníbal came to an agreement that he'd pay a larger amount of money to your shipping company. Most likely you would be let out of the picture as Aníbal took care of the gold papá wanted to smuggle out of the country, out of Europe," Carolina explained.

Fernando nodded. "That's why he was working late at nights, why he was so interested in taking part of the refurbishing and refinement of the ship's different areas," he mused as all the pieces fell into place.

"They thought they'd had everything planned out then Rosa Marín came into the picture and almost had you break up the engagement. Let's face it – you would have eloped with her, Fernando, if you'd had the chance," she finished sadly.

"Aníbal didn't kill Rosa. Francisca did, she admitted to that," Fernando replied.

Carolina hesitated as she looked at him. "There is more," she said. "Papá deceived Uncle Pedro right before he died, he must have. He didn't want to share the gold with anyone else. Uncle obviously thought the gold bars in the suitcase were the only ones but even he should have realized that was just a lie."

Fernando studied her for a moment, contemplating what to say. "Who was he?"

Carolina frowned in confusion.

"The officer who came onboard and claimed the gold?" he clarified. "What is Carlos's connection to him? I refuse to believe it is a coincidence."

"Don't look at me like that. I have no idea, Fernando," she admonished. "Who says he knew papá anyway? Maybe it was Sofía's contact?"

OOOOOO

To be continued