Free Day Four by Sarah Lotz Page B

though?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘What then? Was it . . . oh my God . . . was she murdered? What the fuck ?’
    ‘No one has said it is murder, Ms Williams,’ Ram broke in. ‘It was more than likely death by misadventure.’
    ‘What does that mean?’
    ‘It is possible that she had too much to drink.’
    ‘What, you mean she died from alcohol poisoning?’
    ‘We cannot be certain until more investigation has been done.’
    ‘God. Kelly. Poor Kelly. She was so . . . I’ve never known anyone who died before. Except for my nan, but she was really old. So . . . when we get back to Miami, will I have to talk to the police? The FBI and that?’
    Ram sighed. ‘We cannot say at this point.’
    She adjusted the straps on her flimsy red dress and licked her lips, her tears forgotten. Devi could now read excitement in her eyes, and judging by the look of distaste on Ram’s face, so could he. Devi sighed inwardly. It was obvious this girl didn’t know anything. After she’d been identified as the closest associate of the deceased passenger, Ram had sent Devi to track her down. He’d eventually located her on the Tranquillity deck, perched on the wall of one of the Jacuzzis, her arm around a bare-chested man, both of them swigging from a Walgreens’ juice bottle – a favourite method for smuggling alcohol on board.
    Devi surreptitiously stretched his back and rubbed his eyes, which stung from lack of sleep. He’d been on duty for over twenty hours now, and had only managed to grab a sandwich and a Coke since lunchtime. Ram, as usual, showed no sign of fatigue, despite being well into his second shift. They’d already spoken to Trining Aquido, the deck steward who serviced the girl’s cabin, but she had little to add. She said that she’d fallen ill halfway through her morning shift, which explained why the body had only been discovered so late. Aquido had also insisted that Althea Trazona, the steward who’d discovered the body, had promised to take over her duties, but according to their supervisor, Trazona had denied this. Whatever the truth, Devi was certain Trazona was hiding something. He was convinced the shock on her face when she’d discovered the body was genuine, so he doubted she was covering for someone, but of all the cabins on the deck, it was too much of a coincidence that she’d chosen to check that one. For now – although he wasn’t entirely sure why – he was keeping this to himself until he had a chance to talk to her again.
    There was a knock on the door and Ashgar, who was supposed to be monitoring the security cameras, poked his head inside the room and gestured to Ram. ‘May I speak with you, sahib?’ Through the half-open door, Devi caught a glimpse of Rogelio leaning against the wall in the corridor outside, and their eyes met briefly. As Damien’s second-in-command, Rogelio facilitated most of the singles group’s activities, and Ram must have called Rogelio in for questioning while Devi was searching the ship for the girl.
    Ram stood up and waved at Devi to continue.
    ‘When did you last see Kelly Lewis, Ms Williams?’ Devi asked, relaxing slightly now that Ram was out of the room.
    ‘Um . . . last night. Night before, I mean.’
    ‘Why did you not report her missing earlier?’
    She crossed her arms defensively. ‘I didn’t notice, did I?’
    ‘Why is that? Were you not friends travelling together?’
    ‘Yeah. But we weren’t, like, best mates or anything. She only came with me because Zoe dropped out at the last minute. Kelly works – worked – in our salon on reception, and when Zoe dropped out she said she’d take her place.’
    ‘And you were both part of the singles group?’
    She sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. ‘Yeah.’
    ‘Where did you last see her?’
    ‘The Sandman Lounge. Bunch of us decided to go after we got back from Cozumel. Kelly wasn’t keen, but she tagged along in the end.’
    ‘Had she been drinking?’
    ‘We all