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) 📕

she said, “but, Polly, I’ll never imagine your life of solving puzzles as being exciting and romantic again. I’m cured of that.”

“Back to nursing it is, then?”

Freda nodded. “Yes, I think so. A world where we want everyone to go home free from hurt is the life for me. Even if we can’t always make that happen.”

Pauline was about to respond when officer Sanchez arrived at their table.

“Miss Riddell,” he said, “the captain asks you to join him and Detective Somerville in his cabin right away. The chief engineer has agreed to talk to you all.”

“I’ll meet you at dinner, Freddie,” Pauline said, with a wry expression. “You can continue talking to the passengers without asking a question while I’m away.”

“It’s all very well for you to make jokes about it, Polly, but it isn’t funny.”

Pauline didn’t reply. She followed Sanchez as he quickly led the way to the captain’s cabin, where Somerville, Ferguson and the chief engineer were sitting in ominous silence awaiting her arrival. The lack of conversation boded badly for their meeting, Pauline thought. Even men could usually manage some kind of small talk at times like this. She took the seat that was offered and waited for Ferguson to introduce her.

Gregor Mikailovitch stared back at the three people opposite with a calm, steady gaze.

“Gregor,” Captain Ferguson began, “I want to be make it clear to you, and my two detectives here, that you are invited to talk to us about your dealings, or lack of them, with the dead man. You are not accused of anything and you shouldn’t assume because we asked you here that you are.”

Gregor nodded.

Before Somerville could launch into his usual deluge of accusatory questions, Pauline said, “I second the captain’s statement. A question I have though is, we heard that Jose perhaps molested one of the female crew members. It’s possible there were others. Had you heard this?” A surge of triumphant pleasure swept through her when she saw Somerville’s surprised expression as he realized she’d learned something he hadn’t.

Gregor only nodded in reply.

“Can you explain more?”

“I heard that one of the young women had been badly frightened by him. That’s all.”

“Did you speak, or do you know of any of the male crew members who spoke, to the dead man about this?” Pauline continued, still hoping to have Gregor open up before Somerville shut him down.

“Let’s cut to the chase here,” Somerville said. “Did you have a word with him and did that ‘word’ go too far? I mean, I can understand it if it did.”

Pauline was annoyed by Somerville’s intervention, but she couldn’t help admiring how quickly he’d grasped the initiative on what was her evidence.

“I don’t understand why you think I would kill a man because he’d made a clumsy approach to a woman,” Gregor said. His expression, which had been impassive until now was becoming frosty.

Pauline stepped in. “We hear that you are something of a father-figure to the crew because of your seniority and your experience. Your wisdom, if you like.”

“Do fathers kill their children if they make a mistake where you come from?”

“Of course not, but accidents happen,” Somerville said.

“Why would I even want to be involved? A foolish misunderstanding between young people isn’t unusual or dangerous.”

“We have been led to believe it was more than just a misunderstanding,” Pauline said. “We heard the young woman was seriously molested.”

“That isn’t what I heard,” Gregor said, “and as the young man isn’t here to defend himself I will continue to ask – why do you imagine any of this has anything to do with me?”

“We hear you have strict beliefs about behavior and manage the technical crew with a firm hand,” Somerville said.

“Ah, I see. Believing that the crew should behave properly at all times means I murder them if they don’t.”

“Not at all,” Pauline said. “We don’t really know anyone has been murdered to be honest. We’re only asked to set the company’s directors’ minds at rest about this awful event.”

Gregor didn’t reply, so Pauline continued, “We thought it possible, hearing of this serious incident you may have felt the need to confront the victim and things may have gotten out of hand.”

“Let me put your mind at rest. I did speak to him about the incident. He maintained that his intentions were honorable but clumsy and the young woman was upset. These things have happened since time began. Indeed, don’t you English have a nursery rhyme about it? How does it go,” he paused, “Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry. Is that not right?”

“Yes,” Pauline agreed, “that’s how it goes but we have been led to believe it was more than just a kiss.”

“I imagine it was also,” Gregor said, “but without proof, there was no reason to do anything other than warn him. I saw no reason to descend to homicide.” Then added, with grim humor, “At least, not at this stage.”

“Where did this talk take place?” Somerville demanded.

Pauline sighed. The way he spoke really had the most annoying habit of setting people’s backs up. Gregor may not have felt like killing Jose but he was becoming seriously angry with Somerville.

However, Gregor answered calmly enough. Only the martial glint in his eye suggested otherwise. “In my office, where else? These are not matters to be discussed in public.”

“Are there witnesses?”

“What is it about the words ‘not matters to be discussed in public’ leads you to suppose there might be witnesses?”

Somerville had the grace to redden at this rebuke but continued, “You do see how this looks to an outside observer though, don’t you?”

“I think a rational outside observer would be more surprised if I hadn’t spoken to the young man after the incident or that I hadn’t done so privately.” Gregor’s answers were now bordering on outright sarcasm and Pauline felt it was time to wrap this up before it deteriorated further.

“Is there anything you can tell us that might shed some light on what happened?”

“I’ve thought