Page 66 of The Situation Ship
“Are you okay? That must have been difficult,” Isaiah said quietly, resting a reassuring hand on her thigh beneath the table.
“You were right. We should’ve stayed in bed and watched the waves.” She placed her hand over his, grateful to have him by her side.
“Something to look forward to.” Isaiah brought her hand to his lips, not caring who was watching as he kept his words low. “I haven’t had much luck. I asked about a woman in a green dress, but everyone’s had too much to drink and can barely remember what was served for the first course, let alone what a woman wore yesterday. Did you manage to get any leads from your end of the table?”
“Nothing. All they can remember is the chaos following Calliope’s grand entrance on stage,” Poppy whispered, trying to mask her disappointment with a smile so everyone else at the table would think they were merely flirting.
“Should we call it a night?” Isaiah asked, but Poppy’s reply was interrupted by the guests across from them, who had spent the entirety of the dinner ignoring them.
“Forgive us for not introducing ourselves sooner. I’m Douglas Mengur, and this is my wife, Naomi. I didn’t realise you were the niece of Martha Roe. Poppy, isn’t it?”
“No need to apologise. We arrived late, so there wasn’t much time before the food arrived.” Poppy’s voice betrayedher discomfort. She was aware of the dismissive attitude the Mengurs had towards them. They clearly viewed Isaiah as a nobody, when he was worth far more than the wealthy man married to his fourth wife who’d made his fortune through questionable property development.
“My daughter is a huge fan. We went to your concerts in Milan and Paris,” Naomi said kindly. “You really have a great voice. I’m sure your aunt was very proud of you.”
Poppy forced a smile,pretending not to know who I am, and still attending my concert? That’s a new level of pompousness.
“I’m sure she would appreciate some VIP tickets now that we’re better acquainted.” Douglas winked at her, causing Poppy to wish she could peel her skin off. Naomi smiled, but her mortification was evident, impossible to conceal.
A slice of passionfruit cheesecake was placed in front of them for dessert, but Poppy couldn’t take another bite of food.
“I’m so glad you enjoyed the concerts. I’d be happy to invite you to a future show. Unfortunately, I don’t plan on performing again anytime soon. Still, when I do, I’ll let you know,” Poppy said, eager to ease Naomi’s discomfort.
“That’s very kind of you! Please don’t go to any trouble,” Naomi said, resting her hand over her husband’s. “He’s had a little too much to drink, so please ignore him.”
Douglas snatched his hand away, and Naomi flinched.
“This must be your fiancé?” he asked, changing the subject while his wife withdrew into herself.
“Isaiah is my head of security,” Poppy said, playfully brushing her heeled foot up Isaiah’s calf, enjoying how it made him squirm.
“I didn’t think staff were allowed to join us. I’m sure they’d prefer the time off,” Douglas said smugly. Poppy felt Isaiah’s hand tighten on her thigh, silently telling her he was okay.
“I agree with Naomi, Douglas. You’ve had too much to drink,” a retired movie director, Samantha, interrupted, breaking the tension. “It’s a pleasure to have you both with us. Ignore him, and tell us how you got into the security field? I’m sure you have plenty of riveting stories to share.”
“I’m afraid I don’t have many stories to share. I’m a detective, so most of the time, I’m investigating other people’s worst deeds and dirty laundry,” Isaiah said, trying to brush them off.
“A detective?” Naomi asked, sitting a little taller. “How did you end up protecting Poppy? If you don’t mind me asking?”
“I’m afraid that’s a rather short story. Isaiah and I have a mutual friend, and he had some time off, so I hired him for the trip,” Poppy said, unsure of how they’d become the ones being questioned.
“You must have one case you’ve solved that you wouldn’t mind sharing with us,” Sophia interjected from the head of the table.
“I don’t think he can talk about cases. I wouldn’t want him to get in trouble,” Poppy said, giving him an escape.
“There’s one case that comes to mind, and it’s long closed, so there’s no harm in sharing,” he said, prompting a murmur around the table as everyone settled in.
“You don’t have to if it could get you in trouble,” Poppy whispered, despite being eager to learn more about his work.
“Don’t worry.” Isaiah winked at her. “A few years ago, my partner and I investigated a suspicious death. A man had allegedly died in his sleep. The officers called my partner and me to the scene because of his age, health, and his wife’s odd behaviour. The coroner found no signs of foul play, but it was curious why a seemingly healthy man would die suddenly.”
“But if there was nothing suspicious,” Naomi interrupted, “why keep investigating?”
“We planned to close the case after the coroner’s report, but when we returned to inform the wife, we noticed she was cleaning her husband’s disorganized office. She apologized for the mess, explaining that he didn’t like her entering his office. It struck us as odd that she was so quickly disposing of his belongings after his death, not to mention the large amount of stamps and envelopes she was tossing out. Her behaviour was concerning, but we recognized that everyone grieves differently and decided to close the case. Weeks later, the deceased man’s girlfriend came to the station, insisting we reopen the investigation. She believed the wife had discovered their affair and killed him. While affairs can be a clear motive, there was no evidence of harm, but she provided letters they’d exchanged to show he was in good health—”
“Letters? Who sends those nowadays?” Douglas interrupted, prompting Poppy to kick him.
“Sorry, just a cramp,” she said, smiling nervously.
