Free Cold Grave by Kathryn Fox Page B

took GHB when it was offered.’
    Karen sounded as if she was trying to convince herself.
    From what Jasmine had said, Lilly was rebellious but not reckless.
    ‘It would also have been easy for someone to spike her drink.’ Despite common misconceptions, a girl who drank alcohol wasn’t necessarily out for sex. ‘If her blood alcohol was low, but GHB levels were high, it could have been added to her drink. She may not have been capable of consenting to anything.’ The bruise on her neck still bothered Anya. It was highly suggestive of her being held down or choked.
    Martin looked around. ‘Seems like a fair few women are looking for holiday hook-ups. I’ve been hit on a few times already. Not that I’m interested,’ he stressed. ‘It’s pretty scary to think that any of these guys could drug a woman that easily.’
    A chorus went up on the dance floor. A number of men were hooting and hollering. One lifted a woman up and over his head. Her dress had flipped up, revealing skimpy underwear beneath, which led to more cheers. Another man stripped off his shirt, then trousers.
    Bystanders clicked photos on their phones, as if it was part of the entertainment. To Anya, the women appeared uncomfortable. Another tried to get her friend down, but was lifted up and passed around in the process.
    A female security officer approached the centre of the group. The two women were lowered to the ground, and quickly retreated to a table near where Anya and Martin were sitting. It looked as if the men were telling the guard to lighten up.
    ‘Does she need backup?’ Martin asked Karen.
    ‘This happens all the time. There’s not much she can do apart from ask him to put his clothes back on.’ Karen rubbed her eyes. ‘Company policy is to let people have fun on their holiday. If a fight breaks out, all security can do is let it play out. And we’ll patch them up in the infirmary later.’ She shrugged. ‘I’d better go relieve Rachel. Thanks again for all your help. We couldn’t have got through today without you.’
    Martin watched the floor show. Anya knew he would step in if the men harassed the guard. She turned to the two women the group had treated like human parcels. They looked shaken, so she approached them.
    ‘Are you two okay?’
    ‘Bloody pricks. They’ve been hassling us from the moment we got on board. Guess their mums never told them “No”.’
    The young woman was trembling as she reached for the compact in her purse. Emma was engraved on the lid.
    Anya knelt down beside one of the chairs. ‘Did they hurt you?’
    ‘It was just a bit scary when the big one threatened to throw me over the side if I didn’t show him if I was wearing underwear. I mean, I know he was joking . . . I guess I overreacted.’
    ‘One of them offered me a hundred bucks to take my underwear off and dance with him.’
    The dispute with the security officer continued on the dance floor, albeit more quietly now.
    Emma added, ‘After what happened to that girl, Bec and I are too scared to piss anyone off.’
    Anya felt her pulse quicken. ‘What do you mean?’
    The two women exchanged quick glances. ‘You don’t know?’ They moved closer. ‘A woman died last night. We heard some guys were talking about a “chinger” who choked on her vomit. The woman who told us said they thought it was hilarious.’
    Anya felt bile rise in her gullet. ‘Do you know who those men were?’
    It was possible a group of men had been with Lilly. Finding them and proving they had drugs on board was one thing. Proving they gave them to an unwilling Lilly, raped her and left her for dead was something else.
    Anya had to find FitzHarris straightaway.

8
     
    After giving Martin the pass key to her cabin so he could put Ben to bed, Anya went to the customer relations desk and paged FitzHarris. She felt queasy, and wondered whether it was exhaustion or the movement of the ship. The massive chandelier in the centre of the atrium seemed to swing a