Читать книгу Jewels On Tiger Island - Catherine Pickren - Страница 16

Port of Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida

Carnival Cruise Lines Ship

It was a beautiful December 16^th morning when they finally departed the Port of Jacksonville. The temperature registered seventy-four degrees Fahrenheit and there was no rain predicted for the entire week. It would be about eighty-eight degrees Fahrenheit once they reached the Bahamas.

Leaning against the ship’s railing, John had turned to Mary to comment about low-flying seagulls when he closed his mouth shut and stared. Approximately fifteen feet to his right and also leaning against the ship’s railing was Sheriff Earl Benson. He was by himself, and John didn’t think the sheriff had seen him and Mary. John nudged Mary softly with his elbow, put his right finger to his lips and pointed with his left finger in the direction the Sheriff was standing. Mary turned her head in the direction John was pointing and also recognized the sheriff. John took Mary’s hand and led her to their room on the third floor of the ship.

Once inside the room, John told Mary they should try not to let the sheriff know they were on the same ship. Mary didn’t understand why, but trusted John’s instincts on this issue. There was something “pseudo” about the sheriff that he couldn’t explain to either Mary or himself.

John spoke, “I’d love to be a fly and follow him around. We should don sunglasses and a hat in case we see him. Being ‘incognito’ should be fun since we probably won’t know anyone else on the ship anyway.”

Mary replied: “I can blend in with the best of them.”

John grinned and said, “Unfortunately, you always stand out in my line of vision.”

Smiling, he donned the sunglasses that were sitting on top of his head and said, “Maybe the sunglasses will cloud my vision.” Mary playfully threw a pillow at him.

They didn’t see the sheriff the rest of the day. It was a big ship, and so it wouldn’t be unusual if they didn’t see him. However, that evening they did see him walking leisurely towards the bow of the ship as they were coming out of the Michelangelo Dining Room. Sheriff Benson had on a bright red shirt with green and yellow parrots on it that could be spotted easily. John and Mary, dressed in evening attire, had planned to see one of the shows on the cruise ship after dinner, but inquisitively, they decided instead to follow Benson and see where he was going.

Sheriff Benson was living up to his reputation and was heading towards the casino. There were plenty of slot machines, and the noise was almost deafening in the casino. John got twenty dollars worth of coins for Mary to entertain herself for about an hour, so he could inconspicuously watch Benson. Earl Benson sat down at a poker game with three other men. John could see why Sheriff Benson enjoyed this game because he played the game well. The sheriff kept his “poker face” intact and won three times with only two-of-a-kind. During the hour and ten minutes that he played, two men “folded”. At eleven thirty-eight, the sheriff picked up his tokens, cashed them in for five-thousand and five-hundred American dollars and started walking towards the exit door.

John quickly moved around a large potted plant and stood beside Mary pretending to

be interested in her game as Benson passed them. “Are you ready to go?” John asked.

“Yes. I have been pulling this lever the past five minutes or so without inserting any coins. My right arm is numb.”

John laughed and escorted Mary out of the casino back to their room. Once inside the room, they stripped themselves of all garments and “hit the jack-pot” with wild and frenzied love-making.