Ghost Writer(65)

“What were you reading?” he asked, pouring the tea.

I had to take a couple of deep breaths because what just happened freaked me out almost as much as the ghosts. Chief Gravell was afraid for me and he was scary when he was afraid.

“Are you all right, Madame Kirby?” He was back to being cool and courteous.

I flexed my shoulders and nodded.

“Did I hurt you?” This time there was concern in his voice.

Again I nodded.

“I'm sorry.”

I fought for control of my emotions. At this point, I was fighting the urge to grab and shake him. Instead, I tried to lighten things up.

“Why can't you be more like James Bond?”

“Excuse me?”

“If you were James Bond, and assuming I qualified as one of the Bond girls, we could be working off some of this tension in bed.”

He stared at me for a minute or so then started to laugh.

“Well, that's a start,” I said, grinning.

I picked up my mug and took a sip of tea.

I had never been a big tea drinker. My mother was a tea drinker. Tea, for my mother, meant a dark, bitter brew leavened with lots of milk and sugar. I never developed a taste for it. Gravell’s tea I could get used to. When he wasn’t having ‘tea, Earl Grey, hot,’ he drank green tea, which had a light taste and needed nothing to enhance it.

At least that’s what he brought me.

I still preferred coffee, but I was beginning to appreciate tea's relaxing effects.

Laughter and green tea seemed to have a beneficial effect on Gravell too. He settled in the chair opposite and pulled out two mini chocolate bars out of his pocket. They were the size you give out as Halloween treats, but no sane adult would give this craft chocolate to tick-or-treaters. I wondered if they came from ship's stores or whether he had a private stash, but I didn't want to ask. Some things should remain a mystery.

“I noticed something a bit odd,” I said, getting back to business. “When the crew visits, Lieutenant Margolo is always in the forefront. Not Commander Shore. The first time, I thought it was because Margolo was being flirtatious. Before he made contact, I sensed someone coming up behind me, and I thought it was you. I only felt the chill when he reached out and touched me. It was almost like he was trying to seduce me.”

Gravell’s face screwed up into an expression of distaste. He gave his head a shake.

“Is that's what made you black out?”

“No. He wasn't threatening, just playful. Then he got serious and they all closed in on me. That's what made me pass out. It's almost like they suck the air away from me. The point is, I thought Margolo was flirting and that's why he took the lead, but he was the first to appear when I summoned them in my cabin and tonight…” I shivered and took a sip of tea to steady myself. “Tonight they came to remind me to get the job done. Margolo was still the leader. So, I thought I'd try to find out why.”

“That's what you were doing when I arrived.”

“Yes. I looked up Margolo's effects, but he didn't keep a journal or write letters home. So I looked up references to Margolo.”

I opened the file on my laptop. Damn. I was forgetting Doc’s instructions again.

Gravell rearranged our mugs and the flask so there was room and shifted his chair around so he was sitting beside me. His knee brushed mine. Experimentally, I shifted so our legs touched. He didn't move away.

“In Minton's journal, Margolo goes from being a mildly respected, but fondly regarded friend, to being a dilettante and degenerate. In Shore's letters to his wife, he describes Margolo in similar, but less inflammatory terms. He likes the man and appreciates the talent of the engineer, but he doesn't seem to respect Margolo as an officer.”

“Yet, Shore selected him for his crew.”

“I think Shore selected his friends. Yet, he underestimated Margolo, was disparaging of Dawes' gambling, and laughed at Minton's foibles. Doesn't say much for the man's command ability.”

Gravell grunted. “That sounds like twenty-twenty hindsight.”

I turned my laptop slightly so that Gravell could get a better view.

“I might have the benefit of hindsight, but someone else showed foresight. She just wasn't in the position to do anything about it. Look. This is a letter to Golanger from his mother. It looks like she packed it with his things just before he left. Shore and his family hosted a backyard barbeque for the crew and their families. Mrs. Golanger attended.”

My dear son,

I know you don't want your mother raining on your parade, but when you have children of your own, God willing, you'll understand the need to protect your young. Not that you aren't a man now, but to a mother, your son is always your little boy.

You're going on a dangerous mission. I know that, even though I don't know where you are going or what you'll be doing. Just as I know that your life will depend on those men I met at that shindig your captain threw. Because of that, I want to make sure your eyes are open to a few things.

Boreman's full of talk, and Dawes acts foolish, but I don't see any real harm in them. Even though he's a coloured man, I think you'll find that Petty Officer Naire holds the same values you were brought up with. You look to him when you need advice. If you got real trouble, go to Lieutenant Magoo. I wasn't sure of him at first, but I think he has a good head on his shoulders.