5
The Captain : 1st Night – 2
I make my way down to the reception area and ask the assistant purser to call me a taxi. It takes forever to arrive. I pace up and down the length of the atrium, staring blankly at the high end art on the walls. Every second counts in an a*******n. I know that. I’ve seen the films. Read the books. The first twenty-four hours are crucial. If the victims aren’t found within a day, you can say goodbye to their chances of survival. Come on, come on. Where are you?
“Captain, your taxi’s here,” the Purser calls out at last. “I phoned ahead to the port gates. He’s driven right up to the foot of the gangplank. Thought it would save you time.”
I hare down the gangplank and jump into the taxi. “Alfred Road Police Station, please. You can have fifty rand if you make
