9. ‘She Slipped.’
“ W ait 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 herself so 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.
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 the Midas .
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, if she 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 staff is 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 the Midas since 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.
“That won’t be necessary. We’ll follow your orders,” Isaiah assured her, and Mina nodded.
“Ms Roe?” Captain Hamill prompted, resting her elbows on the desk.
Frustration boiled under Poppy’s skin, but Isaiah’s hold on her shoulder warned her not to argue. His job was to protect her, and she understood that the captain was trying to protect everyone else on board.
“Sorry for being so rude. It must be the shock from the accident,” she said, softening her tone.
“There’s no need to apologise; I’m just relieved we’re all on the same page. We’ve arranged new rooms for you on the third floor. The rooms are smaller, but closer to our security room,” Captain Hamill informed them.
“Thank you. The rooms don’t matter so long as we’re safe and together,” Poppy said, not going to complain about space when she had seen a dead body only a few hours ago.
Also, she’d spent the last year on tour buses, so she would feel right at home.
It was good to know she could get to Isaiah and Mina faster if something went wrong.
“Before you go and get settled, I need to confirm the whereabouts of all three of you last night to build a timeline of the incident,” Captain Hamill said; clearly, she was more suspicious than she had let on.
Would she investigate secretly, or would their statements be used against them later if the ‘slip and fall’ theory didn’t hold?
“And to rule us out as suspects?” Isaiah added.
“Nothing like a few cocktails before slaughtering a maid and then calling security on ourselves.” Poppy pressed her lips together; she hadn’t meant for the comment to slip out.
“There’s no need for that, Ms Roe. Please answer my questions so we can get through this as painlessly as possible,” Captain Hamill said.
“You can check everything on our watches, the cameras—” Poppy reached for her wrist. “Right! My watch –I lost it in the bar last night. I was drinking, and I must have taken it off. Security said Patrice had it last night when she fell. You might be able to figure out her movements before the accident if you can trace it.” She wanted to know if she had lost it or if it had been nicked so that Patrice could get into her room when she wasn’t there.
“I’ll call the security office. They should be able to tell us where it is and when it was last used.” The captain picked up the phone on her desk and dialled. “I need a trace on a wristband.Empress suite. Poppy Roe.”
There was a pause.
“When was the last time you remember having it?” Captain Hamill asked Poppy.