Read Online Dark Passage by Marcia Talley - Free Book Online Page A

a tray, presumably preparing for the arrival of the knitters who, if the number of splits being chilled was any indication, were expected to be heavy drinkers.
    I sidled up to the bar. ‘Hello,’ I said. ‘How does this work exactly?’
    The barkeep – Pia from Italy – looked up, smiled, and tucked an errant strand of her straight black bob behind an ear with her little finger. ‘What would you like? Phoenix specializes in Greek wines, of course.’ She indicated the iced basins. ‘Our featured wine today is Ode Panos, a sparkling wine from Domaine Spiropoules. It’s lovely.’
    I dug the sea pass out of my pocket and slid it toward her across the bar. ‘I’d like to try some, thanks.’
    Pia ran my sea pass through her portable scanner and handed it back. ‘Shall I start a tab?’ When I nodded, she slid a bottle of Ode Panos out of its ice bath, quickly and expertly removed the cork – with a muted pop and a wisp of smoke – tipped the flute against the lip of the bottle and slowly poured.
    Since nobody else had arrived, I asked, ‘Have you been working on
Islander
long, Miss …?’
    â€˜It’s Fanucci. Pia Fanucci.’ She handed me the glass. ‘Not on this particular ship, no, but Tom and I have been with Phoenix Cruise Lines for a while. We used to work on
Voyager
.’
    I took a sip of the wine. Pleasantly bubbly, a touch of rose, a bit of green apple with a hint of banana. A little too perfumy for my taste, but as a mid-afternoon aperitif, not bad. ‘Is Tom your husband?’
    â€˜No, he’s my work partner.’ She brightened. ‘I guess I should explain. When I’m not tending bar, I’m Tom’s assistant. He’s Thomas Channing, the magician. He goes by Channing exclamation point,’ she added, drawing a line in the air and dotting it with the tip of a well-manicured finger.
    I knew all about One Name celebrities, like Elvis, Cher and Madonna. My son-in-law’s real name was Daniel Shemansky, but ever since he and my daughter returned east from Colorado, he’d styled himself just plain Dante. Not that Dante was particularly famous, but their luxury bay-side spa, Dante’s Paradiso – get it? – seemed to be thriving.
    â€˜You should come see the show,’ Pia continued.
    I set my glass down on a paper coaster, carefully centering the base over a black-and-white sketch of the ship. ‘I read about it in the program and was thinking about going tonight.’
    â€˜You’ll enjoy it,’ Pia said. ‘I’m a newbie, but Tom’s been in show business a long time. Atlantic City, Las Vegas. He’s been working the cruise ships now for about three years. He designs his own illusions, although there’s a guy in Virginia who actually builds them for him. They’re totally amazing.’
    I grinned. ‘What kind of magician would he be if they weren’t?’
    Pia beamed. ‘Exactly!’
    â€˜So you get cut in half, float in mid-air …’ I waved a hand vaguely. ‘That sort of thing?’
    â€˜
Exactly
that sort of thing,’ she chuckled. ‘My favorite is the Zig-Zag Box, but the highlight of the show, really, is the Indian Sword Basket.’
    â€˜Eeeek!’ I squeaked. ‘I’ve always wondered about that. Are the swords fake?’
    â€˜Oh, no, they’re very real. You’ll see!’
    â€˜How’s the comedian? I see he’s on first.’
    Pia shrugged. ‘He’s OK, I guess. But this is his first gig for Phoenix Cruise Lines, and I think he’s a bit too blue for a family audience. Last night we had people walk out. Not good if he’s opening for us.’
    â€˜Not at all,’ I agreed. ‘But I promise to tough it out, laugh at all his jokes – lame or not – and look forward to seeing you and the amazing Mister Channing Exclamation Point. And I’ll bring my