Page 24 of The Situation Ship
“When security talks to us, say nothing about what my ex or manager were planning until we know more. Only answer the questions asked, and no more. We do what Isaiah says, and we’ll be perfectly safe. It’s why we hired him, right?” Poppy whispered quickly.
“Right.” Mina nodded.
Poppy took a deep breath and opened the door just as the body was being carted away in a black body bag by men in black uniforms withSecuritywritten on the backs. They didn’t even look up as they passed.
“Where are they taking her?” Poppy asked Isaiah.
“Every ship has a morgue. A lot of people die aboard ships. They’ll keep her there until we dock,” Isaiah said.
She shivered, not wanting to think about a morgue being only a few floors away.“Do they know why Patrice was here?”
“They checked her recent location when Mina called for help. They’re assuming Patrice came by to check on us when you were marked absent during the drill. But they found your smartwatch on her, and they don’t know why,” Isaiah said. “She had been assigned to this floor for the past three years. There are no issues or marks on her record.”
“Do you think she found my watch and was just trying to return it?” Poppy swallowed, fearing this might be her fault.Mina might be right about the mistaken identity. Maybe someone saw her enter my room and thought it was me.
“Maybe; we can’t know for sure. Security wants to close off the suite, so grab your necessities, but don’t go into the bathroom. We’ll be moving to new rooms.”
Poppy nodded as he gestured for her to go into the room.The smell of blood had taken over the whole suite.
She rubbed her wrist, trying to remember when she had taken off her smartwatch. Drinking had jumbled her memory, and her paranoia kept asking whether she had taken it off or if it had been swiped. Poppy knew she’d had it when she went to her room to change for the pool and said goodnight to Mina –not that she suspected Mina of killing Patrice. Then again,she had never suspected Joshua. Mina had said she was passed out in her room, but how could she confirm that?
Watched by a gruff security guard, she grabbed her large handbag from by the bed, which had all her daily essentials: a purse, makeup wipes, books, and an e-reader.
“Please leave the suitcases, Ms Roe,” the guard said when she glanced at them.
“Are you just going to bark orders, or do you want to introduce yourself?” She didn’t like the thought of being without clothes or underwear, but it didn’t seem right to cry over clothes when someone had just been murdered ten feet away.
“Head ofMidasSecurity, Kenneth Colter, and this is my scene, so you’ll do what I say.”
“We’ll follow your orders; no need for any hostility,” Isaiah said soothingly.
“Sorry. It’s not every day I pull a woman I’ve worked with for the past few years out of a bath filled with her blood,” Kenneth said, pulling at his black cap.
“Bad day for all of us,” Poppy said. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, but we have a job to do, so please let’s work together,” Kenneth said.
“Has the captain been informed of what’s happened?” Isaiah asked him as Poppy hovered by the door. She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she just wanted to get out of there. She didn’t know if they considered her a suspect.
“Yes, and Captain Hamill ordered us to secure the suite. The three of you will be moved to another area of the boat. You’ll be brought to your new accommodation once we’ve asked you a few questions,” the security guard said, eying them both like they were guilty.
“I’ve got everything,” Poppy said quietly, not wanting to linger. Everything, except her suitcases. She wished she could bring her clothes, but nothing could leave the crime scene. She would just have to buy what she needed on board. She didn’t look forward to seeing her credit card bill when she made it home– or at this rate,ifshe made it home.
Isaiah escorted her out, leaving the security guard to lock the suite. Mina was waiting for them in the hall with a suitcase and bags in her arms. She was allowed to keep her things, because technically her adjoining room wasn’t part of the suite. Poppy noted the fear in her eyes and wished she had a better poker face. At least any onlookers shouldn’t be able to catch a hint of Poppy’s emotions if they looked at her. She had spent years crafting her mask, and it came to her naturally.
Without it, anyone could have seen how terrified she was. For weeks, Poppy had feared being suspected of murder, but she’d never expected it to be for the death of a stranger.
“Wait here. Captain Hamill will call for you soon,” Kenneth instructed before he entered the bridge.
Poppy, Mina and Isaiah obediently waited outside the glass door, through which they could see the crew hard at work on the bridge. As crucial as addressing the murder was, Poppy understood the captain still had a ship to run.
“Do you think we’re under suspicion?” Mina whispered.
“No, the captain just wants to hear our statements and figure out how this could have happened,” Poppy said, trying to calm her down.
“I suppose we’d have to be pretty stupid to kill someone in our own suite and then leave her in our bathtub with the murder weapon,” Mina agreed.
Let’s hope that seems obvious to everyone,Poppy thought, fidgeting with the tie on her robe, keeping the thought to herselfso she wouldn’t upset Mina again. She wished she could have put some clothes on before meeting the captain so she could feel less vulnerable.
