Mersey Murder Mysteries Collection - Books 4-6

Chapter 3-2

“What, oh aye, of course, Sergeant. That"s what it is. Now, do ye want to hear the rest, or nae?” His accent betrayed his own irritation again. Ross had always found it amusing that his Scottish roots only really showed at times of anger or frustration as a rule.

“Of course, please, do tell.”

“Lint, cotton fibres, Inspector, right here,” Nugent indicated the dead man"s nostrils.”

“Lint?”

“Aye, in all probability from his own pillow,” Nugent indicated the white cotton pillowcase under the dead man"s head.” Someone held it over his face, either to stifle his screams, or to suffocate him as his killer waited for any d**g used on the man to take effect.”

“A bit of overkill, wouldn"t you say, Doctor, poisoning him and then suffocating him to make sure?” Drake commented.

“Whoa, Sergeant Drake,” Nugent quickly corrected her. “I"ve nae said for sure that yon chappie was poisoned. Poison is a possibility I grant you, but equally, the killer or killers may have administered a d**g to render him unconscious, or even some sort of recreational d**g to incapacitate him while they killed him.”

“My apologies, Doctor Nugent,” Drake said. “But you also just raised the possibility of two killers working together, did you not?”

“Aye, well, that"s just speculation. It"s up to you and the Inspector to fathom it out, isn"t it?”

“Yes, it is, Doc,” Ross butted in. “We need to get you and the corpse back to your lab so you can conduct a full autopsy as soon as possible. Izzie, would you go and see our friends on the launch? Tell them to be ready to transport Doctor Nugent and Mr. Lees back to shore with the body. Miles, can you arrange for your forensic people to meet the launch and come out here to carry out a full examination?”

Drake nodded in response and walked out of the cabin, up to the grandly named promenade deck from where she called to Sergeant Beswick, who ran up the gangway steps to confer with her as she made the necessary arrangements. Booker meanwhile called his senior duty forensic technician, Darren, (Daz) Osborne, who would pull together a team of four operatives and enough equipment to carry out their examination of the crime scene. Four would be enough, Booker decided, not wanting to overload the police launch with unnecessary personnel and equipment.

“Thank you, doc,” Ross said to Nugent. “You"ve given us quite a bit to go on from a preliminary examination of the body. I appreciate the diligence and speed at which you"ve worked. It can"t have been easy in such cramped surroundings.”

From past experience, Andy Ross knew it never hurt to massage the ego of the senior pathologist who now positively glowed in response to the Inspector"s compliment. Ross knew now that Nugent would pull out all the stops to carry out the autopsy as quickly as possible.

“Aye, well, you know it"s always a pleasure to help you out whenever we get the opportunity, isn"t that right Francis?”

“Yes, of course, Doctor,” Francis Lees replied. Always a man of few words, Lees said no more as he concentrated on packing away his camera and other equipment, ready for the voyage back to shore. Ross hoped the man would fare a little better on the return voyage, and then had an idea.

“Mister Gray,” he called to the officer who still stood like a sentinel just outside the cabin.

“Yes Inspector,” Gray replied as he stepped just over the threshold, staying well away from the main interior of the cabin. “Can I help you with something?”

“You can indeed. Doctor Nugent and Mr. Lees will be leaving soon with the body of Mister Gaspar. Before they go, would you please run and ask your ship"s doctor…what was his name again?”

“Doctor Hanning, sir.”

“Yes, of course. Please ask Doctor Hanning if he has something Mr. Lees can take before he leaves to help him to combat his lack of equilibrium once the launch is in motion? I"m sure the doctor has to help the occasional passenger with similar problems from time to time.”

“Oh yes, of course he does. I"m sure he has something Mr. Lees can take that will act quickly and help with his sea-sickness.”

“Thanks,” said Ross. “Quick as you can please, Mister Gray.”

“Oh right, of course,” said Gray who got the message and disappeared quickly to find Doctor Hanning, returning just five minutes later with two small, purple coloured pills in a tiny plastic dispensing tub, just like the ones Ross had seen many times in hospitals over the years, together with a bottle of still spring water and a plastic tumbler. He knocked on the cabin door, not wanting to intrude on the crime scene, and Izzie Drake, by now returned from making arrangements for the transfer of the body to shore with Nugent and Lees, took them from him.

“Doctor Hanning sent these for your Mr. Lees. He assumed you wouldn"t want anything in the cabin touched so he sent these too,” he said, holding out the bottle of water and the tumbler.

“Very thoughtful, thank you, Mister Gray,” Ross called to him from within the cabin, “and please convey my thanks to Doctor Hanning.”

“Right sir, I"ll do that,” Gray replied, pleased to have been of help.

“The launch is waiting,” Drake now said. “I took the liberty of asking Mr. Neary to provide us with assistance in getting the body from the deck to the launch. Better that we have help from people used to negotiating that ramp-like stairway, not wanting to slip and fall and maybe drop the body overboard. There"ll be four seamen waiting for us on deck.”

“That was smart thinking, Izzie, well done, quite right,” Ross smiled at his sergeant, always the model of efficiency.

Ten minutes later, Nugent, Lees, his sea legs chemically reinforced by Hanning"s tablets, and the remains of the unfortunate though mysterious Doctor Gaspar/Barras/Sanchez, whichever he may be, if any were his real name, were on their way back to Liverpool, where Nugent would soon begin a comprehensive examination of the body, assisted by Francis Lees.

After ensuring that cabin 6 was securely locked and that he was in possession of the key previously possessed by Gaspar, (that name would do for now, as it was the one he"d travelled under, Ross decided), the spare key being locked in the captain"s safe, Ross, accompanied by Izzie Drake and Miles Booker were escorted back to the bridge by Robert Gray, leaving two crewmen to guard the passenger deck, ensuring nobody gained unauthorised entry to the cabin or indeed any of the passenger accommodation.

“So,” George Gideon said after being informed of William Nugent"s preliminary findings, “you"re saying it"s almost certain we have a killer on board, is that correct, Inspector?”

“It certainly looks that way, Captain, I"m sorry to say.”

“Blood and sand,” Gideon cursed, uttering an old fashioned turn of phrase that Ross hadn"t heard in many a year. Maybe it was rather more prevalent in Australia, he surmised. “That"s all I need,” the skipper continued. “The b****y owners are going to be damned furious at the delay.”

“Yes, well, I"m sure I don"t have to remind you, or the owners, that a man is dead, Captain Gideon, and we have a duty to investigate his death and apprehend his killer who, it seems virtually certain, is on this ship even as we speak.”

“b****y hell. Of course you"re right, Inspector. A killer, loose on board my ship? What can we do to help you, Inspector Ross? Just name it.”

“Just do as you are at present,” Ross replied. “Cooperate with us, give us whatever assistance we need, and with luck, we can solve this case without causing too much delay and disruption to your crew and passengers" plans and of course, to your ship"s sailing schedule.”

“You"ve got it,” Gideon said with firm resolution in his voice. Ross liked him even more. He saw George Gideon as a man of action, decisive and not easily shaken, a man who"d be useful to have at your side in a fight. He hoped of course that no fighting would be necessary when they identified the killer or killers, but one never knew. Gideon continued to speak even as Ross was thinking these thoughts. “So, what do we do next, Inspector Ross?”

“Next thing we do, with your permission, Captain, is visit the main saloon as you call it. It"s time Sergeant Drake and I spoke to your passengers.”