Collapse Depth by Todd Tucker Page B

against the numbered, columned pages of the King James Bible was positively creepy. But still…
    “They’re all nerds,” she said. “One time I caught Danny writing on a notepad as he watched football—he said he was ‘keeping score in hex.’”
    Muriel nodded vigorously. “I know what you mean, but I’m his wife. Something is definitely wrong with him. So finally, after he refuses to listen to me about seeing someone, I invite over my neighbor one night to meet him. A neighbor who happens to be a psychologist.”
    “Oh Muriel…”
    “That’s pretty much what Mark says as soon as he realizes who he’s talking to. Asks the guy to leave, very politely, and then tells me that I am trying to ruin his career. No I’m not, I said, I’m trying to help you!”
    She started crying then and Angi reached out to touch her hand.
    “So, he pretty much moves onto the boat at that point. I didn’t see him or talk to him for a week before. When they left early—I didn’t even know. He didn’t even call me. So, I sat around here for a week, and just thought—I guess our marriage is over. So I called the movers and here I am.”
    “I don’t know what to say, Muriel. I’m so sorry.”
    She looked down at the table. “He was such a sweet guy when we got married. And smart! My God, he was smart, the smartest boy I’d ever met. And now he’s a wreck. I swear, Angi—I hate the fucking Navy.”
    Angi held back on that one—she wasn’t about to defend the Navy in this situation.
    “The only thing I’m wondering about now…should I tell someone?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Should I tell somebody that I think they’ve got a certifiable nutcase onboard the
Alabama
? Should I give this bible to someone?”
    Angi thought that over. “I don’t know, Muriel.”
    “I don’t either,” she said. “What would I tell them? That my husband has been having bad dreams and reading the bible? They wouldn’t believe me, so fuck it. Let the Navy deal with him.”
    •   •   •
    As Angi rode the ferry home, she wondered if
she
should say something. After all, it wasn’t just the Navy’s problem. Her husband was onboard that boat, the father of her unborn child. And if the navigator was losing his mind, that was probably information she should share with someone. But, she kept coming back to what Muriel had said—she didn’t have a lot to go on. Nightmares and bible reading, hardly enough evidence to declare a man insane. And what if Muriel was wrong? What if she was just another disgruntled Navy wife trying to stir up trouble for her husband? A call like that really could spell the end of Mark’s career, just the suspicion it might cause, especially as he was on the verge of screening for XO. Danny had certainly never said anything about the Nav going crazy, just that he worked harder than anyone he’d ever met and wasn’t particularly fun to hang out with. But certainly, he’d never said anything about the man losing his mind. She looked at the black surface of the water as they sped across the Sound. She remembered the first time she’d ridden the ferry during Danny’s first patrol, how while looking out at the water she was almost struck dumb with the thought: Danny’s
under
there. As the ferry pulled back into the Kingston terminal, Angi decided just to keep Muriel’s conversation to herself. If there was a possibility that the Navigator was going crazy, she’d just have to add it to the long list of things she worried about while Danny was at sea.
    •   •   •
    Kincaid watched as the red digital numbers on the treadmill turned from 4.9 to 5.0. Halfway there. He felt strong. He wasn’t breathing too heavy, and the dull pain in his right knee had departed, as it usually did around mile three. He cranked up the speed to 7.0, put the incline up another half percent. He felt his legs respond, a satisfying tightness in the hamstrings, and felt the sweat start to soak through the collar of his