Sea Sick: A Horror Novel

Donovan nodded to him. “You gonna behave now, Jack?”


Jack didn’t see any option but to agree; he was beat. “I’ll listen to what you have to say, but you best be telling the truth or so help me…”

Donovan pulled out a couple of chairs from his storage space behind some crates and helped Jack down into one. “There’s only one liar aboard this ship, Jack, and it ain’t you or me.”

“You really did a number on me,” Jack admitted, wincing in his chair.

Donovan chuckled. “Well, you can’t say you never had it coming. I wouldn’t worry, though. I figure you’ll be perfectly fine this time tomorrow – ‘cept a little bruising here and there.”

Jack huffed and found that it hurt his ribs immensely. “So, tell me why Tally would say that you attacked her if you didn’t?”

Donovan shrugged. “Beats me? But think about it, you’re a police officer.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that for every woman who has been genuinely attacked, there’s another two making false allegations. Usually just to destroy a man’s life out of some sort of spite.”


Jack thought about it. It was true that in his years on the police force he had seen woman cry rape before when it wasn’t true. What was so maddening about those claims was how much harder it made things for genuinely abused woman to seek justice. Nonetheless, it was true that some women were capable of such lies, but was Tally? Jack didn’t see any sense in it.

“Why would Tally want to accuse you? What would she have to gain?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, pardner. Maybe it would be best if we went and asked her.”

“I don’t know about that,” said Jack. “She went into hiding after…after what you allegedly did. I don’t want to scare her away again.”

“Look, Jack. I don’t know what the hell her deal is, but she’s up to something. I don’t know what she has to gain by making us enemies, but it obviously factors into some agenda she has. Maybe she’s behind this whole time-crap magic that’s been going on. Maybe I was getting close to something she didn’t want me to know about.”

Jack laughed. “What, by getting drunk and gambling? You haven’t discovered anything.”

Donovan nodded. “Perhaps you’re right there but, either way, the only person that knows for sure is her.”

Jack thought about it and decided he agreed, with certain conditions.

“Okay, I’ll go find her and talk to her. But you stay here.”

Donovan sighed. “She convinced you of lies last time, so what makes you so sure you won’t buy the same line of bullshit again?”

“Because I’m a good police officer,” Jack said. “And if I have reason to suspect someone is lying then I’ll know whether they are. I had no reason to doubt her before, but this time I’ll search a little deeper.”

“Okay,” said Donovan. “I trust you.”

“If I find out that she’s telling the truth…”

Donovan raised his gun at Jack. “Then you and me will have a problem, which is why I’m hoping you’re as good as you say you are at detecting bullshit.”

Jack turned around and said nothing.

***

Jack hadn’t seen Tally since the day she’d told him she’d been raped – the night they had lain together like lovers. Jack was mad at himself for not checking in with her sooner – letting his vendetta against Donovan consume him. When a woman shares something like that with you and falls asleep in your arms, the least you can do is catch up with her the next day.