Deadlock

2

For about five minutes after Arturo said that, Charlie just sat there staring at him. Of all the crazy-ass things. Spend the night on a haunted boat. This was rich. This was just rich. Hey, Stephen-fucking-King, I got one here for you.

It had to be a joke. Guys like Arturo didn’t give up money like that so easy, not fifty grand. There had to be a catch. “Just spend the night there… that’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“And you wipe out my debt?”

“Just like that. Gone.”

Charlie had to have another cigarette. “Okay… why? So I can prove there’s no ghosts out there?”

That was it. That was it exactly, Arturo explained. That last crew he’d put aboard, the foreign one, were all set to weigh anchor in the morning, but in the middle of the night, they ran off. They wouldn’t spend the night on her. Didn’t matter how much money was in the offing. There was something wrong with that ship, they claimed. They wouldn’t say much more.

“See, I got a guy that’s got another crew all lined up for me. And I got a contract to move some zinc ore that’s worth a bundle. But my boy won’t put his crew on. Doesn’t think it’s safe. I had the ship checked stem to stern, see if there were any gases or anything that might drive guys nuts. Nada. She checks out. My boy is ready to put his crew on, but some of ’em are spooked. Now, if I get a guy… guy like you… to spend the night on her and you come off in the morning and your hair’s not white or anything, the crew’ll board the Addams and sail her. I get one good voyage under her belt, I’ll be able to sell her full price. Between that and the ore shipment, I’ll make a mint.”

Now it was making sense. “Why me?”

“Why not you, Charlie? Like I said, you got balls,” Arturo said, sweetening it a bit. “Now, some of those sailors, they’re pretty tough boys. But sailors are sailors, right? And some of ’em are scared of the dark like little old ladies. But not you. You got balls, you gotta haul ’em around in a wheelbarrow. You don’t spook. I watched you a long time, Charlie. You’re the real thing. You came in here today knowing you might not walk out again and you still didn’t even flinch. No, you’re the boy for this. You spend the night and tomorrow morning you leave free and clear.”

“And that’s it? That’s all I got to do?”

“Sure. The sailors say that whole ship is bad, but particularly the captain’s cabin. That’s where I want you to spend the night. In that cabin.”

“Alone? How about I bring a girl with me and have some fun.”

“No dice. You do it alone. That’s important. If a guy alone can spend the night there, then there’s no reason a crew of swabbies can’t.”

“So I spend the night in a cobwebby, rat-infested floating haunted house.”

Arturo shook his head. “It’s not like that. Everything’s been cleaned out. She’s been mopped and empty for years now. I had a fresh mattress and bedding put on her for you. There’ll be food and drinks. There’s no juice on her right now because the plant is down, but I’ll have some lanterns there for you. You might want to bring a radio or something to keep you company.”

Charlie just sat there for a time. You couldn’t ask for an easier set-up than that. He didn’t believe in ghosts and he didn’t scare because of bumps in the night. He’d lock himself in, bring a .45 with him and catch some Zs. $50,000 worth. “And that’s all there is to it?” he asked one last time.

“That’s it, my friend,” Arturo said. “Just spend the night on a ghost ship in a haunted cabin.”