Sophia Holmes and the Tilly Briggs Cruise of Terror *Completed*

Chapter One

It's barely been a day since John left for New Zealand, and we're already bored. On the plus side the flat is quiet, spared from John's permanent lecturing.

"Start from the beginning," dad says to the client perched on the stool in front. "Try and be interesting."

"Right," the man says, looking down to the floor. He's wearing skinny jeans and a tight top, his hair laced with product. "My name is Danny Waters." His hands begin to shake. "My partner and I booked a cruise to America a few weeks ago to get away from work and to celebrate our marriage."

"Your husband?" I confirm, sensing his discomfort but wanting clarity.

"Uh," he replies, his face reddening. "Yeah. His name was Mick."

"If there's been a murder, Mr Waters, why have you come to us and not the police."

"I did go to the police," the man protests. "But they passed it off as a suicide."

"But you don't think it is. Why?" dad asks, frowning.

"Because he didn't say goodbye," he starts to sob and I sigh, leaning back into my seat. And it looked so promising.

"Aw, how touching," dad says sarcastically. "Now if you don't mind..." He waves a hand towards the door.

"Wait!" Waters tries, and I lean forward again. "That's not all. The night he died, he was called out for a meeting with someone - he didn't say who. Apparently some others were going as well. I waited all night and he didn't come back."

"And the other passengers?" I question, my interest growing. "The others who went that night?"

"They didn't come back either."

"You still haven't answered my question," dad says. "Why assume murder?"

"If it was suicide, he would have left a note."

"Not neccesarily."

"Mick was an author, he wrote down everything. He would write a suicide note."

Dad looks across to me, seeking my opinion before giving his answer. I shrug in reply.

"We'll take the case," dad says, steepling his hands in front of his face. "I'll need Mick's diary or notes before we start. What was the name of the ship?"

"The Tilly Briggs," he tells us. "Thank you Mr Holmes. I just want to know, more than anything."

"Yes, right, lovely, leave," dad says, and Waters stands up and leaves, stopping by the door to say goodbye, but then thinks better of it.

As the door closes downstairs, dad brings his hands away from his mouth and looks back over to me.

"Look up the Tilly Briggs," he says, walking over to where I'm sat.

"Doing it now," I mutter, typing the name into the search bar and waiting for the results to come up. "'The Tilly Briggs prides itself on providing a luxury cruise for male couples in a retreat away from prying eyes' ect: ect:," I read out. "So basically it's a gay ship."

"Book us some tickets," dad says, looking over my shoulder. "We need to be on that boat the next time it leaves England."

"I wont be allowed on," I laugh. "I'd be too young anyway. And I wouldn't have anyone to go with."

"Cruise ships are always looking for staff. Find a position as a waiter or something."

I groan. Even the staff are all-male, meaning I'm going to have to pose as a man for the next fortnight. Brilliant. I'm starting to prefer the idea of staying home and being bored.

I type dad's details into the website, but it sends back an error message.

"Minimum two passengers per booking," I sigh, raking a hand through my hair.

"You could be my partner," dad suggests.

I raise my eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"For the sake of the case!" dad stresses.

"No way!" I say firmly. "Waiter, fine. I'm not in any way, shape or form going to be your partner. That's weird - even for our standards."

"What do you suggest, then?"

"We wait until John comes back," I say simply.

"Oh yes, he's going to love that," dad says sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "'Hey John, welcome back. Here's your ticket for a gay cruise to America.'"

"For the sake of the case!" I fire back. "We just won't tell him."

"I'm sure he'll realise what's going on when he sees that there isn't a woman in sight," dad argues.

"But by that time, it'll be too late," I finish, and click 'submit'. "There we go. We're due to leave the day after John arrives back." I sit back in the seat, smirking in satisfaction as Dad walks back to his seat, a huge sulk beginning.

I open a new tab and search for job vacancies on the Tilly Briggs. The results come back with two kitchenhands, entertainer (male stripper), waiters and cleaners. Not seeing much option, I fill out an application for a waiter and press submit.

Chances are they'll come back saying I'm too young, but then I see an email noticifation pop up, and I open it to see a message from Tilly Briggs.

Dear Scott

Thank you for submitting your application as a Waiter for our cruise liner.

Unfortunately we are unable to accept your application at the moment due to your age. However, we are opening jobs in the holidays for applicants such as yourself to gain some work experience as personal assistants to our customers.

I hope you find this offer acceptable, and we await your confirmation.

The Crew of the Tilly Briggs

"Oh!" I say quietly, after reading the email through. "That could be helpful."

"What?"

"They've offered me work experience as a personal assistant," I tell him. I can't help but feel a twinge of suspicion. This suits what I need perfectly, and I'm almost certain it's no coincidence.

"At least they've confirmed one thing."

I look up at him, puzzled. "What's that."

"We're walking into a trap."