Free Damned by Logic by Jeffrey Ashford Page B

why, where she or he had gone.
    He turned to leave as Belinda walked in. ‘There is one of you around to do some work, then.’
    The DI’s mood was clear and forbade any droll comment. ‘It’s been a hectic day, sir.’
    â€˜Find out which shipping company runs the
Helios
.’ He left.
    She sat at her desk, did not immediately do as ordered. Peter had rung home whilst she’d been at work. Her mother was sufficiently old-fashioned to have disliked her moving into Peter’s flat before their marriage, yet had been sorry when she had moved out, having decided he could make her daughter a good husband if only ... Until one lived with him, one could not judge the selfishness of his character. Anyway, she didn’t like to hear that he was calling; moving out had meant to signal a new start for her, away from him and his influence. How could she hope to move on if he still rang for a chat – or whatever excuse he liked to give.
    The internal phone rang.
    â€˜When did she dock?’ Glover asked.
    It took a moment to banish Peter and relationship issues from her mind and reorganize her thoughts. ‘I’m still looking,’ Belinda lied as she shook herself out of her reverie. ‘I’m afraid there’s rather a long list of companies and I can’t yet say.’
    â€˜Don’t waste time.’ It was almost as if Glover had a sixth sense and could judge she’d not yet started the job in hand.
    â€˜Then I’ll ring off.’ She did so. Her comment would not have improved the DI’s mood, but it didn’t hurt any of the men, whatever their rank, to remind them a WPC wasn’t to be dismissed as a mere woman. She went on to Google and searched for a list of shipping companies based in the UK which concentrated on cruising. The first one she phoned sailed to the Caribbean. Hot sunshine, blue, calm seas, warm sand drifted into her mind. Peter had bought a flat in Florida and announced that was where they’d spend their holidays. He had not asked her to see the flat before he bought it or if she would like to go there; when she pointed this out, he had been surprised and then annoyed she should expect him to have done so ...
    Forget the past, she told herself. She phoned four companies before a man in the Rex Cruising Company offices told her they ran MV
Helios
. She had docked after a Mediterranean cruise on Thursday.
    â€˜Thursday of last week?’
    â€˜Obviously,’ the rather facetious salesman on the other end of the phone replied. He won’t be getting my business anytime soon, Belinda thought to herself and had to refrain from quoting Glover’s Law at him: ‘If you don’t check, there’ll be a mistake.’
    She went along to Glover’s room and reported back to him.
    â€˜Good work.’
    As she left, she wondered what had lightened his mood. Men’s moods were so often like weather vanes in an indeterminate wind, swinging backwards and forwards.
    In the CID general room, she closed down her computer and cleared the top of her desk. Halfway to the door, her phone rang. She debated carrying on through the open doorway, then thought the better of it.
    â€˜Get on to Southampton and ask them to question the staff of the
Helios
about Melanie Caine,’ Glover ordered as soon as Belinda picked up the receiver. ‘Do you have a photo of her to fax them?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    She sighed as she turned her PC back on and shrugged off her jacket. She texted her mother to say she would be home late.
    DC Smaithe braked the car to a halt by the side of the large trailer from which stores were, via a long mobile conveyor, being loaded aboard the
Helios
. He picked up the envelope in which was the faxed photograph of Melanie’s head and shoulders, walked over to the gangway and up to the entrance of the deck.
    â€˜Crew boarding pass, please,’ said the crew member on watch.
    â€˜Detective Constable