Page 25 of The Situation Ship
Isaiah stopped pacing when the door opened.
“Ms Roe, I’m sorry to keep you all waiting. I wish we weren’t meeting under these circumstances,” said a woman in a crisp white shirt and lapels that signalled her authority, appearing through the door. Poppy accepted her outstretched hand. “I’m Captain Hamill – Octavia Hamill; my head of security was just getting me up to speed. Please follow me to my office.”
They did as they were told; Poppy felt the eyes of the crew watching as they entered the bridge.
“This is my first mate, Davide Rossi,” Captain Hamill said when they entered the small office. “He’s going to be a witness to this conversation. It’s part of the procedure – no need to worry. Please take a seat.”
Poppy and Mina sat beside the captain’s desk, while Isaiah stood behind them by the door. There was barely enough room for all of them.
“I need to hear from you in case we’ve missed anything. I’m sorry for the shock you’ve suffered. I can assure you that nothing like this has ever occurred on theMidas. Certainly not under my ten years’ captaincy,” Captain Hamill said, looking at her head of security, who would probably get a stern talking-to later.“I assure you that we’re going to try and make this investigation as quick and painless as possible.” The captain spoke as though they were talking about their luggage going missing and not the discovery of a dead body.
Despite the assurances, Poppy didn’t like how the captain and first mate looked at them. She felt like they were about to be asked to walk the plank. She barely heard Mina and Isaiah introducing themselves over the blood rushing to her ears.
“We’ll tell you everything we know, but I want to get home. How long will it be before we get back to the port?” she asked, wanting to cut to the chase.
Captain Hamill looked at Davide as though Poppy wasn’t speaking English. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. We can’t change our course and return to Dublin. There are protocols to follow,” she said sternly.
“Someone’s been killed. We can’t just continue as though nothing has happened,” Isaiah argued.
“Forgive my callousness, but turning back won’t make a difference,” Captain Hamill said.
“It will if a murderer is on board,” Isaiah argued.
“If Patrice was killed, then my security team will catch them,” Captain Hamill said with utter confidence. “However, turning back against the wind would only increase our time at sea. We’ll only make port again for the day trip in Italy before continuing to Greece. Mr Eckells has been informed about the situation, and he has every faith that this situation can be resolved quietly and discreetly. Once we reach our destination, we will inform the authorities.”
“If? What do you mean,ifshe was killed? She was stabbed in the chest. If you had seen what was done to her, you wouldn’t be saying that!”
“I think you’ve been misinformed, Ms Roe. I was informed by the chief medical officer that Patrice was killed by blunt-force trauma to the back of her head. Regrettably, this could all be a tragic accident– a slip and fall.”
“A slip and fall? I saw the knife!” Poppy exclaimed, noticing Mina’s leg bouncing. Clearly, Poppy wasn’t the only one feeling anxious, though her anxiety was quickly shifting to irritation.
“What happened was a tragedy. My security team will investigate, and I promise you that the safety of guests and staffis my top priority. But we can’t rush to any conclusions that might cause a panic,” Captain Hamill said calmly.
“In other words, you want us to shove what happened under the carpet so the other guests don’t freak out?” Poppy demanded. “We’re trapped with a potential killer on board and you want us to pretend it was an accident!”
Captain Hamill sighed.
“I’m sure the captain will perform a thorough investigation,” Isaiah interrupted, resting a hand on Poppy’s shoulder. She took the gesture as a hint to remain quiet. “What about preserving the evidence and the scene in the meantime?”
Poppy was surprised he didn’t argue with the captain’s plans, but maybe he would toe the line because this was what Mr Eckells wanted. Besides, he had about as much authority here as she did.His badge didn’t do too much on international waters.
“Our medical staff will make sure that the body is preserved, and the Empress suite will be sealed off until an investigation can be carried out.” Captain Hamill smiled at Isaiah.
“Have any other slips and falls occurred on theMidassince we left port?”
Poppy didn’t know how they could ignore the knife sticking out of Patrice’s chest. No one could look at the body and think it had been an accident. She didn’t want to be part of a cover-up that would let a killer go free.Though you were quite happy to cover up your own murder.She shoved the thought down.
“No, Patrice’s accident is a first. We all want to get to the bottom of this, but I’m sure you can understand how a murder could cause panic onboard. I’ve nearly two thousand souls aboard. A mass panic is a danger to my staff, the ship and our guests. As the captain of this vessel, I’m telling you that this was a slip and fall until we reach our final destination.” Captain Hamill looked at the three of them sternly. “Do you understand me?”
They all nodded in agreement.
Captain Hamill took a deep breath, and the first mate returned to his duties as though this situation was no big deal. Poppy got the gut-wrenching feeling that ‘accidents’ were a standard protocol for any onboard incidents.
“I understand your position, but what if there’s another… accident?” she asked. “Patrice’s fall resulted in several knife wounds. I’m sure the medical officer would agree that even if she fell during the attack and hit the back of her head, with that amount of blood loss, you can’t rule out exsanguination.”
“Ms Roe, I appreciate your determination to investigate what happened to Patrice. She was one of my crew, and she will be dearly missed. However, if she was murdered, as you insist, then the three of you would be my key suspects. I would be forced to hold you in the brig until we docked at the end of our journey. I don’t want to, but I’d have to – for the security of everyone on board.”
The threat to lock them up didn’t fall on deaf ears.
