'We're short-staffed as it is,' said Jeffers.
'That's what we were thinking. So we want permission to hire some kids to do it for us.'
'Pardon?'
Jimmy nodded beside her. 'Half a dozen kids, ten dollars each, and we'll have that paper through everyone's door in an hour.'
The Captain passed the newspaper to Dr Hill. 'What do you think, Doctor?'
As the doctor began to study it Jeffers said, 'This sounds like a money-making scheme.'
Jimmy folded his arms. 'It's a solution to a problem. If you don't get the paper to the passengers, what's the point in doing it?'
'And kids love earning money,' Claire pointed out. 'They'll do it five times faster than your people can because we'll select only those who're prepared to run everywhere.'
'It'll be like a club. They'll feel like part of the crew.'
'But they'll take their orders from us.'
They looked eagerly towards Captain Smith for approval. They had agreed that if they got the money, they'd pay half to the kids they recruited and keep the rest for themselves. It was important to make a profit. Captain Smith turned slightly to the side, and conferred quietly with Dr Hill. Then he turned back and nodded thoughtfully. 'We can certainly find the money to pay for the distribution,' he said, 'even if we have to dip into your father's wallet.' Claire smiled, slightly embarrassed. 'You've clearly put a lot of work into the paper, both of you. However . . .'
Captain Smith held up the Times.
Then he tore it in two.
'. . . we won't be sending this out to anyone.'
'What're you doing?' Claire shrieked.
'We've been working on that all day!' cried Jimmy
Captain Smith sighed. 'I'm sure you have. But it's just not good enough. Our passengers are here to enjoy themselves. They want to leave their troubles behind. If they read this — good God, there's nothing but death and horror — they'll throw themselves over the side of the ship.'
'But that's what's happening out there!'
'I realize that, Jimmy, and certainly you shouldn't ignore it, but you need to make it more positive.'
'How? People are dying!'
'That's not my job!' the Captain erupted. 'I'm just telling you I'm not sending it out like this — it's like a sixteen-page suicide note. Put some good news in it, for goodness' sake. Put in some sports . . .'
'They've all been cancelled!'
'Then make something up! But sort it out!'
Claire's mouth dropped open a little. 'You can't talk to us like that!'
'Yes I can. When you agreed to edit this newspaper, when you accepted a wage for doing it, you became employees of this ship. So listen very carefully. We need a newspaper ready for tomorrow morning and I don't care if you have to stay up all night to make it. Now scram!'
***
It was raining outside. Torrential. But it was warm rain, like Jimmy had never felt before. With all the work on the paper and the horrors he was writing about Jimmy had almost forgotten where he was. In the Caribbean. He had never even been on holiday with his family — had never left Ireland before, in fact.
Claire said, 'I hate him.'
'I hate him too.'
'Who does he think he is, tearing our paper up like that?'
'I'd like to set his beard on fire. And stick a firework up his arse.'
They stared out into the rain. They were quiet for nearly a minute.
'But he is right,' said Jimmy.
'I know,' said Claire.
***
They returned to the office and set to work on a new version of the paper. They did not ignore the Red Death. In fact, it still remained the main story on the front page. Thousands had died, there was no escaping that fact. But when they looked at the Internet again, they saw that there were positive stories. Many people were still working. Plenty of cities were not experiencing riots. Scientists were predicting that it would burn itself out. The facts were all the same, they were just examined from a different perspective.
Claire and Jimmy worked for three solid hours, then ran off another copy of the paper and took it to the bridge. This time they entered with a little more trepidation. Captain Smith immediately examined their work, his eyes flitting up to them from time to time as he read each article. Finally he finished and handed the paper back to Jimmy.
'Much better,' he said. 'Start printing immediately.'
Then he turned away.
Jimmy and Claire exchanged glances.
'Is that it?' said Claire. 'He might have said thank you.'
First Officer Jeffers came up behind them. 'He has other things on his mind right now,' he said. 'At lunchtime today we had our first cases of this . . . Red Death . . . reported. Three of them. I've just informed the Captain that we now have thirty-two. Dr Hill believes there may be one hundred by tomorrow. In that case we will no longer be a cruise ship. We will be a plague ship.' Claire stared at him. Jimmy stared at him.
'He could still have said thank you,' said Claire.
20
The Plague Ship
Dr Hill was wrong about the possibility of there being a hundred cases of the Red Death by morning.
There were one hundred and fifty.
Seven people were dead, all of them over the age of sixty.
Captain Smith declared that Level Five, on which the small hospital was situated, be quarantined. Passengers who had cabins on that level had to move.
Jimmy and Claire managed just a few hours' sleep — it had taken longer than they thought to distribute the papers, despite hiring six kids from the amusement arcade — and it was past two in the morning before they were finished. Then they had to be up early again to start work on the next edition. They didn't mind.
They met for breakfast in the buffet restaurant on Level Eleven, and it was there that Ty Warner found them. He stood rather sheepishly facing Jimmy. He unfolded a copy of the Times from a pocket on the leg of his shorts.
'You didn't call me gay,' he said.
'Nope,' said Jimmy.
'The photo turned out good.' Claire smiled round at him. He went on, 'About twenty people have said hello to me this morning. They all know I'm Passenger of the Day. My momma collected up all the copies she could find, she's gonna take them home to show the rest of the family. If she gets better. She has that thing. The bug.' Claire made room for him to sit down. 'Last night she was fine, but woke up early this morning real sick, throwing up, big red smudges on her arm. They took her upstairs. Won't let me see her. Won't let anyone up. Say the whole place is in quarantine. I'm real worried about her.'
They sat quietly for a little bit. Then Jimmy said, 'If you think I'm giving you your T-shirt back because I feel sorry for you, you've another thing coming.'
Ty looked a little confused. 'I didn't mention the T-shirt. You can keep the T-shirt.'
Claire put a hand on his arm. 'Don't worry about him, it's just his sense of humour. Besides, it doesn't need giving back, it needs a wash.'
'It's all I have,' Jimmy protested, sniffing at himself. 'And it's not that bad.'
Claire raised an eyebrow. 'Oh yeah?'
'I want to see my momma,' Ty said. 'I don't think putting all the sick people in one place is going to stop this thing spreading. Sure we all been mixing since we got on this boat.'
'It's not a boat,' said Jimmy
'What?' asked Ty.
'It's a ship. Scoop says a boat's what you get on to when your ship is sinking.'
'Don't see that it matters,' said Ty. 'All I want to do is go see my momma.'
Claire gave his arm a squeeze. 'It's too dangerous.'