Ghost Writer(90)

At the other end of the table, Captains Campbell and Tinsdale heaved sighs. I could sense an argument coming and nipped it in the bud.

“It was either government conspiracy or treason. That remains to be discovered.”

Now the Tinsdale and Campbell looked uncomfortable. They knew something.

Then I remembered Shore repeating “necessary evil” and something clicked.

“If was going take a shot in the dark, I’d say that Commander Shore was not treasonous. Not from his point of view.”

Shore acknowledged the hit with a tip of his ghostly cap.

Tinsdale frowned.

Gravell hit my knee so hard it hurt.

I’d said too much. Fortunately, Dora came to my rescue.

“You’re not becoming an armchair forensic psychologist are you?”

I laughed, partly from relief. “Not that. This is not an expert opinion, just an informed guess. This is what I do know…”

I couldn't tell them about the barbeque and Shore's phone call. I'd tell Gravell later. Instead I started with Minton's growing paranoia and Kant's fictionalized observations. Neither, by themselves, was a reliable account of events, but together they showed that something wasn't quite right.

“I don't know why he did it, but Mitchell Shore planted the bombs in the torpedo room, galley, and engineering. He tried to set the rest of the crew against Minton. He probably found ways of exacerbating Minton's paranoia. He had known and worked with him long enough to know what buttons to push.”

Shore flashed me a bitter smile.

“I would like to think, that Commander Shore's intent was to set Minton up as the fall guy, but that he never intended to kill his friends. Naire ruined this plan when he noticed something wrong in weapons control, probably an unexplained power drain. He alerted Margolo who noticed a similar problem in engineering.”

“Hold it, what evidence do you have for this?” Reuben asked.

“I'm not saying my story is admissible in court. I don't know if a court would accept Minton's journal or Kant's story, and some of it is based on hearsay from Tim. There is evidence to back up some of this and we’re not done investigating yet.”

I waited for further interruptions before continuing.

“Shore's plan went south when someone, Naire, I think, found and defused the bomb in the torpedo room.”

“The blood sample is consistent with Naire,” Mary Lou said.

“Shore discovered Naire in the act and stabbed him. The he went to engineering to send Boreman and Golanger to arrest Minton, who going to be the fall guy. They left and Margolo probably confronted Shore and was killed.”

“How could you know if Minton wasn't there?” asked Mary Lou.

“That's where the bomb was,” said Alex.

“And that's where Minton found Margolo's body. Meanwhile, Minton decided he could trust Kant and Dawson and was sharing his concerns with them in the galley. Given his state of mind, who knows whether they believed him.”

I glanced over and saw Kant nod and Dawson shrug.

“That's where Boreman and Golanger tried to arrest him. Minton defended himself. He knew he killed Boreman and Golanger. He wasn't sure whether it was his or Boreman's bullet that accidentally killed Dawson and wounded Kant.”

A pot of tea had appeared beside me. Gravell poured. It was too hot, but I took a sip anyway. Then I wrapped my hands around the cup to absorb its warmth. I was feeling chilled and shaky. I had to wrap this up as soon as possible.

“Someone shot Kant when he was down,” said Tracy. “That is, someone was shot while lying on the deck.”

I nodded. “Shore shot Kant. Minton wouldn’t have. I’m sure of it.”

I gazed beyond the living.

“Shore selected Minton to be his First Mate in order to set him up. I think he picked his friends, Dawes and Margolo, because he underestimated their abilities. The one thing he didn't underestimate was their loyalty. None of them believed he was the culprit until it was too late. Minton knew something was going on, almost from the start. The last person he wanted to suspect was Mitchell Shore. Shore was his best friend and probably his hero.”

The ghostly Shore was not a happy camper. He broke free of Kant and Golanger, walked through Tinsdale and the table, his finger pointing, leading him to me. My hands shook, slopping scalding tea over them, and my chest felt tight. Yet, I forced myself to breath slowly and deeply.

Naire and Boreman floated into place between him and me. Dawes came up behind Shore. I could feel Margolo's hands cover mine, cooling the burn, lending me strength.

“Something wrong, Jen?” asked Franchot.

Gravell took a napkin and mopped up the spilled tea. Though I know he sensed Margolo's presence, he patted dry my hands with barely a shiver when he and the ghost intersected.

I took a cleansing breath and the weight across my chest lifted. Tim hadn't been affected by ghosts. Maybe I didn't need to be either.

With a reassuring smile to Franchot, I continued. “Shore killed Kant. Minton killed Shore. Minton cleaned up, including giving his shipmates a proper burial at sea. In his journal, he scribbled that he should have seen it, that he was to blame. I think he preferred to think he killed them all, rather than face the fact that his hero was the enemy.”

Minton's ghost faced up to it now.