15. Deceit on Deck
“ H ello?” Poppy called out as she went to the observation deck. “Joshua? I know you’re out here!”
All she could hear was the water slapping against the ship’s sides.
Utterly alone on the deck, she felt like she was losing her mind. She sat in a lounge chair and put her head between her legs to slow her pounding heart. The cool air helped settle her nerves as she took a moment to uncrumple and read the note for clues
To her confusion, her name was hastily scrawled on one side while the other simply read You’re welcome .
Poppy frowned. Was the note addressed to her, thanking her?
Or was it a message from Calliope to the killer?
She realised she might be the next target, and this note could be a thank-you to the killer in advance.
Either way, she didn’t want anything connecting her to Calliope’s murder, so she ripped the note to shreds and tossed it over the railing.
Someone was either taunting her or trying to frame her.
If the killer thought they were doing her a favour by eliminating Calliope, it meant they didn’t understand why Poppy had gone after the three people in Isaiah’s file.
The killer wasn’t someone who had been around long.
Dug knew all Poppy and Martha’s secrets; if he had been the one behind turning this luxury cruise into a nightmare, he would have known why Poppy had targeted the others and how Calliope didn’t fit into Poppy’s criteria, which made her doubt that Dug was the one pulling the strings.
The possibilities made her head spin. She considered trying to track Isaiah down again, but she was still mad at him for flashing that file in her face while she was having a vulnerable moment.
Actually, she had expected him to come after her anyway, to scold her for running off and leaving him.
Had he listened when she’d said he was fired?
Was he letting her fend for herself? She couldn’t be angry at him for listening to her, yet she was.
All this was about more than what she did or didn’t feel for him and how he saw her.
They had to find the culprit, or bodies would continue to drop.
At least he couldn’t blame her for killing Calliope.
It’s not like you haven’t killed before, her conscience taunted her.
That was different, she argued with herself.
Is it? Do you think Isaiah would think it’s different?
Murder is murder. He didn’t call you a monster – you did.
What would he think if he knew about what really happened to those in that special file of his?
Do you think he’d come running to your rescue if he knew about the stairs and mopping up all that blood? How you enjoyed every second?
“Stop it. They got what they deserved, and I’m not sorry.
” Poppy let out a steady breath, trying to focus on the moonlight reflecting on the still water instead of the harrowing images burnt into her mind.
Maybe the killer on board is connected to those people I killed?
If someone was trying to get back at her for her role in their deaths, why weren’t they coming after her directly?
A sharp cry broke through her thoughts. Poppy rushed to look over the railing to the pool deck below. She couldn’t see anyone, but heard the sound of rushed footsteps. Afraid someone else might be in trouble, she kicked off her heels and hurried down the steps, only to find the pool area empty.
Before she could return to the observation deck, a gargled cry came from behind.
Poppy turned to find a man lying in a bubbling jacuzzi, its water crimson around him.
She didn’t even think about her safety before climbing in.
It hit her: the white jacket she’d seen Joshua wearing earlier, the blond highlights…
“Joshua?” Poppy rasped, shaking him to try and wake him. His head was resting on the jacuzzi’s side.
His eyes fluttered open. She turned off the bubbles as blood and water splashed everywhere.
“Poppy?” Joshua grabbed her wrist and pushed her away from him. “Get out of here. They might come back.”
“What the fuck happened?” she gasped, trying to find his wound. “Did you kill Calliope?”
“No. I was meant to meet her on deck, but she never arrived.” He gave up on trying to push her away as he lost more strength.
“She’s dead,” Poppy told him, placing her hand on his abdomen to stop the blood flowing freely in the warm water.
“Fuck. I should’ve known she would be next.” He groaned as she applied more pressure.
“Who did this to you? Who killed Calliope?”
“I never should have let you board the ship. I’m so sorry,” he panted, not listening to her. “I should’ve warned you!”
“Warned me about the plot to kill me?”
He nodded. He was growing paler by the second, and it wouldn’t be long before he bled out if she didn’t get help; he was already drifting in and out of consciousness.
“I was scared. I’m sorry.” She could barely make out what he was saying. “I thought I could stop them, but I never should have left you. Forgive me, please.” The words of a man who thought he was dying.
“You didn’t leave me. You’re here now,” she said, trying to put him at ease.
The more he struggled and wasted his energy, the faster he’d fade, and he was her only witness to who was doing this.
She tried to call for help, but the place was deserted.
Clearly, security had been diverted to the theatre.
Where the hell was Isaiah when she needed him?
“Help me get you out of here. I can’t lift you by myself, but we have to get you out of the water,” Poppy urged, but Joshua shook his head.
“I can’t feel my legs,” he whined.
Poppy leaned him against her and realised he was wounded in his side and lower back. He’d been stabbed more than once. Her only option was to leave and get help; there was no way she was going to be able to get him out of the jacuzzi herself.
“I’m going to get help. Save your strength,” she told him.
He grabbed her wrist as she got out of the jacuzzi. “Don’t go! You can’t trust anyone!”
“You need help! I’ll be right back,” she pleaded, freeing herself from his weak grasp. His eyelids were closing. With so much blood lost, she feared it would be too late to save him if she didn’t go now, and she had already failed to help Calliope.
Soaking wet, Poppy slipped on the deck once or twice before making it inside, where she ran into two security guards.
“Help me! A man has been stabbed, but I can’t help him!” she pleaded.
They stared at her wide-eyed, and she realised how she must look. Her cream dress was now a shade of pale pink, and she smelt like iron and chlorine.
“Please calm down,” one of them said. “Have you been drinking?”
“Are you kidding? A man is dying, and you’re asking me if I’ve been drinking?!” Poppy demanded. The woman’s bun must be so tight that it stopped her brain from working.
“You don’t need to take that tone with us. We’re trying to help,” the other security officer said.
“There isn’t time. Please come with me,” Poppy begged. “He’ll drown if he passes out. Please!”
She took off, forcing them to follow. They probably thought she was crazy, but they’d eat their words once they saw Joshua.
“He’s over here. He can’t feel his legs, so I can’t lift him out myself. I think he’s been stabbed in the gut or the back, maybe both. You need to call a doctor,” she gabbled as they hurried around the pool.
“What are we supposed to be looking at?” the security guard with the tight bun asked as they reached the empty jacuzzi.
Poppy froze, staring at the clear water. Joshua was gone. There were no blood stains on the decking to show he’d made his way out. She rushed to the jacuzzi, placing her hand in the clear water. This is impossible.
“Miss? How much have you had to drink tonight?” the male guard asked.
“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.