Hell Ship to Kuma / Barge Girl - Calvin Clements

HELL SHIP TO KUMA

Johnny Roper should be captain of his own ship by now, but bad luck seems to follow him around. He's forced to hire on as bridge officer on the Wanderer, a rusty old freighter with a dubious crew, to get back on his feet. The engineer is a drug addict, the mate a coward, the second mate a thief... and the captain, Murdock, a sadistic bully. Their mission is to pick up freight on Kuma. But as Roper soon finds out, they have a passenger on board-Karen Gorman has been hired by Kuma's big boss, Da-Chong, as an entertainer on the island. Roper should have known better than to sign on, because the Wanderer is a hell ship headed for disaster.

BARGE GIRL

The first time tug captain Joe Baski sees Stella she's standing on a coal barge, hanging up her washing. The way the sunlight shines through her tight dress, Baski knows right off he's going to have to meet her. But he quickly finds out that Stella-raised on the New York East Side, looking for a way out-married an older guy named Murk. Undaunted, Baski seduces the blond beauty. That's when his troubles begin. Because a near-fatal accident involving Murk arouses the attention of Delancy, the local cop, and more importantly, the insurance claimer, Coletti. Colleti says the accident is Baski's fault, that he had been planning murder. And in his heart, Baski knows that Colleti might be very close to right.