Page 20 of No One Aboard
In the day, it looked like a hollowed-out skull.
“Everything’s been photographed and taken into evidence,” Madden said as she strode across the deck. “Mostly the personal items have been removed for legal use, and unless something arises, everything else on her is in your care. And if the Camerons turn up to reclaim their property, you will still be entitled to a monetary reward for your role as salvor.”
Jerry let his fingers brush against the teak wood cap rails. Was this how everybody made their fortune? Through sheer dumb luck?
Madden paused outside of the companionway to the chart house. “There is one thing we found that I want to see if you’ll help me with.”
“Me? Help... ?” He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had needed his help for, well, anything.
Brenna Madden nodded sharply and turned to head down the companionway.
“Uh... um... first... what did they find? Wh-when they searched it all?” Jerry cleared his throat and tried again. “Did they get any closer to what happened?”
Madden eyed him, as if searching for a sign that Jerry was the type to leak to the media. She seemed to decide he wasn’t.
“Not much was out of the ordinary, as you already know. The message on the mirror is of interest, as well as the ship’s log that the captain kept. We found raw meat loaf in the fridge, which is of note because it likely means they were thawing it out to eat within twenty-four hours. So they couldn’t have planned to leave too far in advance.”
Jerry frowned. “You think they just... left?”
“We’ve searched the ship. Every cranny and bilge. There’s no blood, nothing to suggest a struggle, unless you count items that fell on the ground, but that could have been from the boat rocking. We have reason to believe that some or all of the passengers could be alive.”
Madden’s words sounded upbeat, but her face was grim.
“What reason?” Jerry asked.
Madden ran her tongue over her teeth, taking a deep breath. “One of the ship’s two expandable life rafts is missing, and there was a painter line attached to the ship that they would have used to launch it. The raft would be big enough for them to all be aboard.”
They could all be alive...
But that was too good to be true, wasn’t it?
And it didn’t quite make sense to him.
“But the... the vessel is perfectly seaworthy.” Jerry took off his cap and tossed it from hand to hand. “There was no reason for them to abandon ship. No flooding or boat malfunction or... or something.”
“I think we should take it as a hopeful sign, Mr. Baugh. There are hundreds of coast guard members out there right now searching for that life raft. If the Camerons return safely home, you can go back to your life with a substantial reward for salvaging their property.” Madden climbed down into the chart house. Jerry followed after.
“And... if they don’t turn up?”
“ThenThe Old Eileenis yours.” Madden continued, “Now for the thing that I was talking about earlier. Here he is.”
“He?” Jerry came down from the last step and turned to see a large cage inside of which was an almost-as-large striped cat.
Sheila had had a cat toward the end of their marriage. Jerry had suspected that the dreadful creature was her preemptive replacement for him, and he had hated it since the moment it set its fluffy white paws on his carpet. He’d always been more of a dog person anyway and had fantasized about taking a dog with him onSheila 2.0. The beloved border collie of his childhood came to mind.
“You found... a cat? On this ship?”
“Yes.” Madden seemed almost as disgusted as Jerry. “He gave us quite the surprise. He somehow managed to hide all throughout the initial search that night, but we found him in one of the cabins under a bed during the second search yesterday.”
“And you want me to... what?”
She faced him, lips turned down. “The rule of salvage, Mr. Baugh. This ship is yours. So far no Cameron relatives have turned up to claim it, and the legal officials who are reviewing Francis Cameron’s will seem to agree that it was not intended for anyone who isn’t currently MIA. So for the time being, while we conduct our search, will you keep an eye on him?” She jerked a thumb at the cat, who had paused his pacingto watch the two of them, as if aware their conversation was about him.
Jerry ran a hand through his thinning hair, then put the cap back on. “I think there’s probably someone better for a job like that, Detective.”
“My next person to ask is whoever owns the nearest pound,” Madden said dryly. Jerry couldn’t be sure if she was guilting him, but it damn well felt like it.
“Shit,” he muttered. “Just a couple days, then, until you figure things out.”
