It's Murder, On a Galapagos Cruise: An Amateur Female Sleuth Historical Cozy Mystery (Miss Riddell C by P.C. James (easy novels to read txt) 📕

“And today you’re refreshed and raring to explore,” Freda said.

“Well, happy enough to get off the boat and wander the streets. I get nervous when I see police uniforms.”

“Where did you learn to distrust the police?” Pauline asked.

“Growing up in Germany, during and after the war,” Arvin said. “My family were lucky and were given permission to go to Israel.”

“That would have been better, I’m sure,” Pauline said.

Arvin’s expression remained grim. “Not really,” he said. “The police were on our side, that’s true, but lots of others weren’t, so it was just as frightening. I left the moment I got the chance. You see, I’ve been running all my life.”

“We’re back at the landing place,” Freda said, diplomatically changing the subject. “Are we going back on board or do you want to walk some more, Polly?”

“I think I’ll go back,” Pauline said. “It’s hot now. A cold drink and some shade would be very welcome.”

In the evening, the passengers were gathered into the lounge to hear from the captain in person.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Captain Ferguson began, “I hope you all enjoyed your day on Santa Cruz and, in particular, the Charles Darwin Center.” He paused while his audience enthusiastically assured him they had.

“The unhappy event of last night, which the police are now happy was indeed an accident, has thrown our intended itinerary and required us to re-plan your cruise.” An unhappy silence greeted this statement and Ferguson pressed on quickly. “Have no fear, you will see all the places you chose to see when you signed up for the trip, we will just be doing them in reverse order. Other groups have been moved forward to take the spots we weren’t able to take because of this forced day in port.”

“The good news is, we have been cleared to sail in another hour. Our first landfall tomorrow morning will be on the small island of South Plaza. You’ve all come to see marine iguanas but, on this island, you’ll see the opposite: iguanas as they exist everywhere else on this planet, that is, on land. Those of you who have bought tickets for this tour, please be ready to disembark by eight-thirty a.m.”

Instantly a babble of questions arose as people wanted to get clarification. Many had not heard what he said accurately, many hadn’t been listening at all. Pauline’s heart sank. The thought of nine more days of people not hearing, while others refused to even listen, was setting her teeth on edge. Finally, there was calm and Ferguson was able to continue.

“We will be issuing a new itinerary as soon as they are printed,” he said, “but keep the old ones for the information they contain. The new itinerary will only include the names, dates and times of the stops because we have no professional printers on board to redo the whole pamphlet.” Once again, the passengers fell to talking among themselves and the noise level was too high for him to speak and be heard.

When it quieted, he continued, “The area where the crewman fell from has been roped off while the Engineering & Maintenance crews make and install a new gate. This will only be for today or part of tomorrow at the latest. Meanwhile, I would ask you to keep well away from the area. If the ship were to roll suddenly, you may also fall against the gate and possibly fall to the deck below.”

“If the gate is dangerous,” a passenger called out, “why wasn’t it fixed before we sailed? And how can we be sure other gates aren’t also unsafe?”

“A full investigation is being made into the circumstances around the gate and how it came to be as it was,” Captain Ferguson replied, “and I’ve had officers and local safety inspectors examine every similar gate and railing on the ship throughout the day. I’m assured there is no other hazard.”

“Even if the gate is made safe, Captain, how can we be sure there isn’t a murderer onboard? The police were very quick to call this an accident,” another passenger asked.

“They were quick to call it an accident because all the evidence suggests it was. There’s nothing to say he wasn’t alone when he fell or that anyone onboard wished him harm,” Captain Ferguson replied. “But your question is one I and the company would also like answered. Can we be absolutely sure that Jose Garcia was not pushed?” There was further murmuring, which he let die down before he continued.

“As some of you may know, we have onboard no less than two detectives, both highly regarded in their own way. The company has asked them to investigate the occurrence and provide some additional assurance that the police were correct in their assessment. I hope you will help them in any way you can.”

Captain Ferguson asked Detective Somerville and Pauline to stand, introduced them with some details of their careers, before urging the passengers to remember their faces and answer any questions they might have.

“What if you find there is a murderer onboard?” a passenger asked Somerville.

“Then we’ll notify the captain, and he will notify the authorities,” Somerville replied. “Remember, Miss Riddell and I are also passengers on the ship. If we find a murderer, as detectives, we’re even more at risk than you are.”

“Does this ship have a jail?” was the follow-up question.

Captain Ferguson replied, “We have a secure cabin that we keep for those highly unusual cases where isolation of a passenger or crew member is needed. We’ve never used it in all my time on the ship and I don’t believe we will this time either.”

The subdued conversations that followed this suggested the passengers weren’t as happy with the idea of an investigation as Captain Ferguson had hoped they would be.

He continued, “I’m not going to sugar-coat this,” he said, “this isn’t a nice thing to have hanging over us on what should have been a joyful vacation, but I ask you