44When Chief Mate Bandi arrived at the Captain’s quarters with Osman and Afu they saw Halpin’s head on his desk and his hand resting on an empty vodka bottle. One of his eyes was swollen and his nose looked broken.
“What the f**k?” Bandi stopped short.
“What the hell’s going on?” Osman rasped as he entered.
Bandi tossed the bottle onto the cluttered bed and walked around Halpin. “It doesn’t look like he’s in any condition—”
“He just talked to you, didn’t he?” Osman challenged.
Bandi rolled Halpin’s head to examine the damage. “He didn’t do this to himself.”
“He didn’t.” A voice from behind held a gun to Bandi’s back.
“You’re dead!” Osman declared.
“Who are you?” Bandi asked. “What do you want?”
His answer was a shove that propelled him into Osman.
“I didn’t expect to see you agai
