Page 50 of The Situation Ship
“I’m not drunk! He was here, I swear. He was bleeding. There was blood everywhere,” she barked, but they were looking at her like she’d lost it.
“Who was here?” Tight Bun asked slowly, as if she were dealing with a child.
“Joshua, my ex. He couldn’t have left himself. There was so much blood.” Poppy paced, trying to work out how he could have disappeared so quickly with no trace. Had whoever had hurt him come back to clean up their mess?
The other security guard left her with Tight Bun to speak on his radio.
“Joshua was listed as your guest, Ms Roe, but he never boarded the ship,” he said. “I’ve confirmed it with reception.”
“I know he didn’t board with me, but he got on somehow. He was working with Calliope, the woman killed in the theatre earlier this evening. She must have got him on board somehow,” Poppy started, but it was apparent from their doubtful expression that they didn’t believe her.
“Ms Roe, considering what you witnessed at the theatre, you might be in shock. Let’s get you back to your suite. In the morning, things will feel much clearer.” Tight Bun tried to ease her away from the jacuzzi.
She wouldn’t be gaslit into believing her mind had made up Joshua’s appearance and injuries. Her dress was still stained with his blood, proof she wasn’t making it up or imagining things. “The cameras – check the fucking cameras! I’m not crazy. Someone must have taken him.”
Tight Bun took her handcuffs off her belt, and Poppy took a step back.
“Ms Roe, if you don’t calm down, we’re going to have to detain you for your own safety and those on board. We’ll check the cameras and clear this all up. Please come inside with us. You’re soaking wet, and the wind is freezing out here. These are for your protection, as well as ours, until we get to the bottom of this.”
Poppy wanted to resist, but she knew refusing the handcuffs would only make matters worse and she wanted to see what was on the cameras, so she offered her wrists willingly.
She let them take her into the bar lounge by the pool, where she stared at the jacuzzi as if she could make Joshua appear. What if he’d pulled himself out when she left because he was afraid? Adrenaline was a powerful drug. Still, she worried that her only lead was bleeding out somewhere. It didn’t make sense. Even if he’d got himself out or someone had taken him, how could the water be so clear? How could he have just disappeared? There was no blood on the decking, only her wet footprints.
Tight Bun hovered over her while her partner radioed about the cameras. Poppy started to shiver, and Tight Bun covered her in a towel from one of the armchairs in the lounge.
Before Poppy could thank her, Isaiah appeared through the doors. His face was red, and he was breathless as though he had been running around.
“What’s going on?” he demanded, crouching down in front of her as he examined her bloody dress. Where had he been? She guessed he had tracked her here, but she didn’t know what had taken him so long.
“Are the cuffs really necessary?” Isaiah snapped at Tight Bun.
“Ms Roe believes she witnessed an attack on the pool deck, and she was upset. We wanted to make sure she didn’t hurt herself.” Tight Bun’s condescending tone made Poppy want to lunge at her.
“I want to hear it from Poppy,” Isaiah said. He crouched beside her, removed his jacket, and wrapped it around her shoulders. She hadn’t even realised how badly she was still shaking.
“I saw Joshua when we were in the theatre. I followed him, but he had been stabbed. I found him in the jacuzzi,” she explained. Isaiah listened without interrupting, much to her relief. “I went to get help, but when I came back, he was gone. These two idiots think I’m drunk and imagined the whole thing.He couldn’t have just walked away! There was so much blood. Even if he did pull himself out of the water, he wouldn’t have got far before passing out.”
Tight Bun huffed. “Sir, we followed Ms Roe to the alleged scene, and there was no one on deck or sign of any such injury or incident. After what Ms Roe witnessed earlier in the evening, we believe she is in shock, and her mind played a terrible and frightening trick on her.”
“I swear to you, I’m not losing my mind!” Poppy clutched Isaiah’s hand, willing him to believe her. She looked at her hands, wishing they were stained with blood, but the water had washed it all away.
“I believe you,” Isaiah said, helping her to her feet. The other security guard returned, and she looked up, hoping the camera footage would earn her an apology.
“Ms Roe, unfortunately, our cameras were updated at midnight, so we are missing about an hour of footage from the outer decks,” he informed them. Poppy’s stomach dropped.
“The cameras just happened to update right when and where a crime took place, but are now working fine?” she retorted. He obviously knew it was suspicious, but he didn’t want to admit she might be right.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Roe, but it’s a schedule loop to ensure we’re running the tightest network to maintain your and everyone else’s security. Can you give us any other evidence than your word? Did you actually see the man’s wound, or was there a weapon?” Tight Bun asked.
“There was so much blood. I couldn’t see exactly where he was hurt, and there wasn’t any weapon I could see. I was more concerned about keeping him alive than gathering evidence!” She wished she hadn’t left him. Then again, she hadn’t expected to have to fight to be believed.
“I’m sorry, but with nothing to go on but your word, there isn’t much we can do. You’ve witnessed a lot while on board, and shock can do strange things to the mind.”
“Like make me see my ex bleeding out in a jacuzzi?” Poppy shot back.
“We want to see the captain,” Isaiah said. His jaw was tight, and she knew he was as fed up as she was about their gaslighting. After what happened between them in the bar, she was surprised and relieved to know he had her back. That he believed her.
“I’m sorry, sir, but given what happened in the theatre earlier this evening, and that we have also received a storm warning, we don’t need to add phantom stabbed guests to the captain’s already stacked plate,” Tight Bun said.
