Page 90 of Night's Reckoning
All the university students and divers gathered in the operations room and the mess hall where Cheng’s crew cared for them. Mr. Lu arranged for the helicopter to come from Shantou. Professor Chou would accompany Meili’s body back to Shanghai while his colleague, Professor Yao, continued on theJinshé.
Ben spent time with all the students that day, especially Lin, Delun, and Jon, who were Meili’s closest friends.
“She was so excited to be here,” Jon said. “And she was doing such good work.”
“She’d never been on a ship this big before,” Lin said. “She had quite a bit of seasickness the first few days. I wonder if that was what happened?”
Ben kept having to swallow his words. “It could have been anything. If she went out after dark and was walking along the rails, a sudden shift could have caused a fall.”
“She was such a good swimmer though.” Delun’s hands were folded on the table, and he was worrying his thumb. “This is quite shocking.”
“You know, I’ve had falls that knocked the wind out of me,” Ben said. “If I’d been alone in the ocean…”
“We forget the ocean can be so dangerous.” Lin’s eyes filled with tears. “I will miss her so much. She was such a bright and cheerful person.”
Jon and Delun both concurred, leaving Ben feeling like shit. She hadn’t lost her balance. She hadn’t been careless. She’d been attacked.
“Do you think Professor Chou will come back soon?” Jon asked. “When will they conduct a funeral?”
Delun kept his voice low. “Were her parents religious?”
Lin shook her head. “No, I do not think so.”
“We should have a wake,” Ben said. “Tonight. For Meili.”
Lin frowned. “A wake?”
“We can get pictures of her and put them up in the mess hall. We’ll all share a drink and everyone can share their favorite memories of Meili.”
“I like that idea,” Lin said. “We can invite the crew as well.”
Leaving Meili’s friends with a purpose, Ben walked down to the operations room to find Fabia, who was briefing Professor Yao on the status of the excavation so far.
“The rate of progress has been exceptional, but I am concerned that some of the measurements have been less than precise.” Professor Yao pointed to several spots on a diagram. “There should be storage jars here, for instance. Where are they?”
“Perhaps lost or damaged.” Fabia spread her hands. “I can only organize by what the divers note, and underwater measurements are notoriously hard to keep consistent.”
“So true.”
Fabia shot slightly panicked eyes to Ben.
“Fabi, can I talk to you for a second?”
She excused herself from the professor and walked to Ben, switching to Italian. “He might be more difficult.”
“I thought Professor Chou briefed him.”
“I thought he had too, but…” Fabia shrugged. “What should we do?”
“I’ll pass the word along to Tenzin and Cheng tonight,” Ben said. “Anything else I should be concerned about?”
“Other than a friend being killed?” Fabia’s expression held the same bitterness Ben’s did. “I guess not.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” She looked up. “Or are you accustomed to their way of thinking now, Nino?”
He clenched his teeth. “Not fair. I’m trying to keep everyone safe here.”
