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) 📕

Freda’s withering stare suggested Pauline was wrong.

Their guide gathered them around to explain why this island was important and to remind them of Captain Ferguson’s morning message.

“Normally,” the guide said, “we only stay here for half a day. With the changes to our schedule, you’ll have longer on the island if you wish to stay on after our hike.”

He paused to see if that raised any questions and when it didn’t, he continued, “This is the longer of the two walks so if you’ve changed your mind, or have gotten on the wrong boat, now’s the time to say. The guide for the shorter hike will be here in the last tender, which I see making its way over from the ship. We can transfer you over to the shorter hike.”

No one moved and he continued, “Excelente! You are all in the right place and ready to hike. Some background information before we leave: Some of the things we will see on this island include a subspecies of land iguanas, very unlike the marine iguanas you’ll see throughout your cruise. Normally, you’d see this at the end of the trip and the contrast between these and what you would have been seeing up to this point would be more striking to you. This time, you’ll have to hold the memory in mind to the next island in order to appreciate the contrast. Now, remember, these particular iguanas live only on this island. It was these small differences among the creatures of the islands that got Charles Darwin thinking about how species develop and, from that, how life on this planet developed. What we call nowadays the theory of evolution.”

“As well, we will visit some cliffs on the other side of the island,” he paused to let the groans from some of the party subside, before he continued with a grin, “Don’t worry, it isn’t a very big island. When we’re there we’ll see some of the spectacular seabirds that make the Galapagos Islands their home.”

To Pauline, the iguanas looked very much like the iguanas they’d seen the day before on Santa Cruz. Iguanas she hadn’t taken a lot of notice of because she’d been so focused on giant tortoises. The seabirds were more interesting for they included the darkly malevolent-looking frigate birds. Watching them swoop and soar overhead was fascinating, like seeing a pre-historic pterodactyl in flight.

“I thought the iguanas would be bigger,” Freda said, as they watched a group of them sunning themselves on a rocky outcrop.

“Disappointed already, Freddie?”

“Not at all. It’s just the tortoises were so unusual, not like we’re used to, and I’d expected the iguanas to be something different too, I guess.”

“Are we staying on the island after the hike is over?” Pauline asked.

Freda shook her head. “It’s too hot for me,” she said. “I should have acclimatized before I came on this cruise.”

“The sun is hot,” Pauline agreed, “but I find the air pleasant and the breeze even better.”

“If it wasn’t for the breeze, you would have been carrying me by now,” Freda said. “For me, it’s back to the ship, an excellent lunch and then some time in the shade.”

“Tomorrow’s first stop will be better for you because it isn’t a walking trip,” Pauline said. “It’s a ride in one of those rubber boats they have hoisted up on the deck. You’re not sure of the heat; I’m not sure about those rubber boats. The sea is pretty calm here, maybe that’s why they got lulled into calling it ‘pacific’, but I’m used to seeing those little rubber things on lakes, not oceans.”

“They’re called Zephyrs, Polly, and they’re perfectly safe. You see them on all the exploration documentaries.”

“At least they’ll keep us cooler than today’s hike is doing,” Pauline said, “which is what I was trying to say. We’ll need swimsuits instead of sunhats.”

That evening, Pauline, Somerville and Ferguson re-grouped in the captain’s cabin.

“I hope you enjoyed your first day on the islands?” Ferguson asked.

“Sure, sure,” Somerville said. “More to the point, I learned our friend Jose had a run in with a passenger the day we boarded the ship.”

“You refer to the misunderstanding with Mr. Weiss?”

“Call it what you like,” Somerville said. “It wasn’t mentioned before.”

“Mr. Weiss misunderstood what Jose was doing with the baggage. The matter was easily settled and amicably,” Ferguson said.

“You’re speaking of Arvin Weiss? The man who shares our table at dinner?” Pauline asked.

“The very same,” Somerville replied. “It isn’t only bus drivers he takes exception to, it’s guys carrying his bags, too.”

“What an annoying man Mr. Weiss is.”

“Agreed. But could his paranoia, you can hardly call it anything else, spill over into bodily harm?”

“I wouldn’t have thought so,” Pauline said. “However, as you say, people who see slights and persecution in everything, may lash out and cause harm.”

“I’m sorry,” Ferguson said, “what is this about bus drivers?”

Somerville explained the incidents at the start of the bus journey from Quito and how Arvin had characterized the exchange later that evening at dinner.

“Oh dear,” Ferguson said. “I do hope a passenger isn’t involved in this unfortunate incident.”

“A passenger being responsible would be better than a crew member being responsible though, I would have thought,” Pauline said.

“Yes, but the passenger will, in their own defense, claim they were provoked by the crew member. Even if it isn’t true, the mud will stick.”

“Everyone on the bus and around the dinner table that night will be happy to give Mr. Weiss a ‘character reference’, Captain, I promise. I was ready to order the driver and tour guide to leave without him that morning and I was ready to blow a gasket at the table that evening,” Somerville said.

Captain Ferguson smiled. “I hope it won’t come to that. Mr. Weiss was perfectly happy when the true situation with the baggage was explained to him. I’m sure there was no lingering rancor.”

“Maybe, but I’m going to question his movements that evening.”

“I think the captain is right,” Pauline said. “If Arvin had any grievance