10. Waves of Suspicion
A fter a hearty meal at the diner, they crashed early in their new suite, exhausted from the shock of the murder. Poppy didn’t expect to sleep so well, but the adrenaline had worn off.
Mina woke her for breakfast, and she realised they had slept for over twelve hours. It was the reset they’d all clearly needed.
At their assigned table in the breakfast room, a waiter came by to take their order, but they decided to go for the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. The complimentary mimosa caught Poppy’s eye, but the thought of champagne made her stomach flip, so she chose water instead.
“You need to eat something; it might help you feel better,” she said as Mina happily accepted the extra glass in spite of her seasickness.
“Maybe if I drink, I won’t notice the rocking as much,” Mina replied, looking a little green.
“Let me make you a plate,” Poppy offered. “Some carbs might give you some energy, if nothing else.”
“I should be the one helping you,” Mina said, starting to rise. “It’s my job.”
“Forget about that. It’s just breakfast.” Poppy pulled down her pink cover-up, which had stuck to the back of her thighs because of the leather seats.
She couldn’t wait to get outside and enjoy some time in the sun.
Even though they were in a new room, the bathroom was identical, so the less time she spent there, the better.
Isaiah was already exploring the endless options. Poppy lingered by the pancake and waffle station, piling some onto a plate for herself and Mina along with sweet and savoury sauces and a bowl of fruit.
“I’ve never seen a breakfast buffet with caviar and gold leaf-topped salmon parfaits before,” Isaiah said from behind her, catching the plate before Poppy dropped it.
“Nice reflexes,” she replied, taking it back from him. “I’ve never been so jumpy, and I didn’t hear you coming.” With her wedge flip-flops on the marble floor, everyone could hear her approach.
“Don’t mention it, but you can thank me by explaining what aspic is. I know I don’t want liver as my first meal of the day,” Isaiah said with a smile. She could tell he was trying to lighten the mood.
“It’s like jelly with meat inside; it’s French,” Poppy said, never having been a fan.
He shuddered. “I think I’ll avoid that section.”
His discomfort made her smile, but she couldn’t let him see that she was warming to him.
“This should make you feel right at home,” she said, picking up some extra crispy bacon with gold tongs. She dropped it on his plate, followed by a glazed doughnut.
“Ms Roe, I’m starting to feel that I’ve done something to offend you,” Isaiah said, following close behind her. His cologne, with a light touch of cedar and sandalwood, smelled good.
“It’s not that you’ve offended me, Mr Rivers. I hadn’t known you for more than forty-eight hours, and a body has dropped. Forgive me for not trusting you implicitly.” She didn’t like it when he called her Ms Roe.
“I could say the same about you– or is it that you’re embarrassed that I rebuffed your advances while you were drunk?”
She flushed, remembering her embarrassing attempt to kiss him before she’d run to the bathroom.
“Don’t think too highly of yourself. That was a test. I’m never wrong about people; I sense you want something from me.
If it’s not my body, you’re here for some other purpose, and I’ll find out what it is.
No detective drops everything to board a ship as a bodyguard.
Everyone wants something, and I know you aren’t any different,” she told him.
“If I continue to pass your tests, then I’m sure you’ll start to trust me,” Isaiah said, skipping the sushi section.Poppy made a mental note to come back at lunchtime. The octopus ice sculpture was a little off-putting first thing in the morning.
“If protecting me was your top priority, why not insist the captain turn the ship around? Why go along with the cover-up? You’re a detective. Surely ignoring justice for the victim should be killing you.”
Isaiah sighed, walking away. “This isn’t the time or place to discuss this.”
“This is the perfect time and place. It’s not like we can go anywhere else for the next fortnight.
” She followed him. “If you don’t tell me why you’re so happy to overlook the murder, I might have to tell the captain that you can’t be trusted.
I could tell her that I woke up and you were gone.
Then I can’t give you an alibi for the other night, and you’ll spend the rest of our voyage in the brig. ”
That got his attention. Isaiah glared at her. “You wouldn’t. You’d leave yourself and Mina unprotected to soothe your curiosity?”
“It’s not curiosity; it’s self-preservation.”
He clenched his jaw, and she could hear him thinking it through.
“You don’t want to try me!” She refused to be the first to break eye contact.
“Would you like a custom omelette?” a chef asked, interrupting them.
“No,” they snapped in unison. The startled chef, along with the other guests in the queue, stared at them.
“Come with me!” Isaiah took her plate.
“Where are you going?” Poppy trailed after him. He put their plates down on a table filled with other guests, who stared at them in confusion.“Excuse us,” said Poppy over her shoulder as he took her wrist and led her out of the breakfast room and into the kitchen.
There was no way they were supposed to be back here, but she wouldn’t argue with him when he was on the verge of cracking. I knew there had to be some secret motive beneath his calm exterior.
“We need somewhere to talk privately,” Isaiah barked at the busy kitchen, filled with wait staff and cooks.
“Take the fridge,” the kitchen porter said, pointing away from the chaos of the cooks preparing a constant carousel of fresh food. Isaiah pulled her in that direction. Poppy was surprised they hadn’t been told to leave, but this wasn’t the type of ship to refuse a guest’s request.
“What are we doing in here?” she asked, looking at all the vegetables surrounding them and shaking his hand from her wrist, not wanting a bruise. She caught a flash of guilt in his eyes as she rubbed the tender skin.
“You wanted us to have a frank and honest discussion. No one can hear us here, and it’s obvious we won’t be able to enjoy our meal until you learn to be civil.”
“I’m being civil,”Poppy countered. “I want to know what you want and why you came on board. It’s a simple request.”
“I’m the only one with secrets, right? You aren’t hiding anything?” He stepped closer to her, and she swallowed. He didn’t know about her previous plans for boarding the Midas .
He shook his head, and his expression made her feel as though he was looking into her soul and reading her darkest thoughts.
“Were you shocked to find a body in the tub, or was it Patrice that surprised you? Were you expecting to find someone else?” he asked calmly.
Poppy suddenly wished she hadn’t antagonised him. “I don’t have to listen to this. You’re just trying to deflect from your own motives.” She pushed past him to the fridge door.
“My motives are solely a consequence of your own actions. I know what you were planning with Mina, and I took the job to see if you could really commit murder.”
She stopped at the door, a cold sweat breaking out.
“If you don’t know what I’m talking about, walk out.”
She weighed her options: walk out and still be left in the dark about whether he was on her side, or confess and see what he would admit.
“It’s not murder if it’s self-defence, and Joshua never boarded the ship, so I had no way or reason to act against him.
” She let go of the door handle, fear creeping up her spine.
“Did my manager hire you to protect Joshua? To carry out their plot if Joshua couldn’t take care of me himself?
” She doubted if anyone would hear her if she screamed.
She backed away from him, only to hit a shelf full of produce.
Carrots cascaded down around her. She was sure the chef would be pissed to have guests making a mess in their fridge.
Isaiah’s eyes widened, and he held his hands up defensively.
“No! You’ve been thinking I might’ve been hired to hurt you?
Look, I was visiting Eckells at Heaven’s Heart, the club Mina works at.
I overheard her talking to her boss about your predicament with Joshua.
Eckells hired me to ensure you and Mina are safe, and not cause trouble that’ll blow back on the Midas . ”
Poppy let his words sink in. “You knew I was planning on killing my boyfriend, and instead of arresting me, you decided to come on board? Forgive me for thinking that those two things seem to contradict themselves.”
“No body, no crime for me to investigate,” Isaiah said. “Still, I wanted to know what could motivate the woman who seemingly has everything to kill, and I wanted to stop you before you did. Then I heard you and Mina talking about his plans to kill you , how he was working with your ex-manager.”
Poppy’s breathing levelled out as he confirmed he wasn’t a threat. “But you said you wanted to stop me, not him. What if Joshua had come on board? Would you have protected him or me?” she asked, stepping closer, studying him.
“Would you have killed Joshua if he didn’t try to harm you first?” Isaiah asked, closing the gap between them. She stared at his chest, and he tipped her chin up to face him.
“No, I’d never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it,” she said firmly. “But given how you’ve spied on me, how do I really know you weren’t hired to harm me? And you aren’t just telling me all this so I let my guard down?”
“Because if I wanted to harm you, I could’ve easily drowned you in the spa pool. Or you might’ve fallen down any one of the dozens of staircases or fallen overboard—” He cut himself off with a shrug.
Poppy froze when he mentioned how her aunt had died. Had he looked into the case after taking the job?