Deceit. [COMPLETED.]

Chapter 20

"The Mirrel Bay"
[KIRK ATTWOOD.]

Thursday saw the entire forecastle cleaned inside and out which left just the livery to paint. Richard had employed six extra people and the repairs to the engine were all but completed.       

I called home. Thankfully everything had settled back to normal, nothing extraordinary had happened except for the fact that our friend Mr Whartley had tried to contact me. He wouldn't say why and quite frankly I didn't care. I'm sorry to say but he just wasn't someone I wanted to get to know.

Afterwards I took time out to try and tidy my cabin and have another chat with the office.  

'Curtis my boy, how are you?'

'Fine,' I said still unsure why he wasn't using my real name. 'Has anyone thought about all the plans that are posted around the ship?  'General Arrangement plans', 'Fire Control Plans' that sort of thing. We have at least five of them and they don't exactly look new.'

If we were going to try and pull this off then every little detail had to be thought of.

Pat hesitated.

'You're right of course,' he said wearily. 'But I think you are looking too deep into this. We are not expecting anyone to come on board and we really don't have the time or resources to worry about these sort of things.'

The line went ominously quiet and then.

'Look. Curtis my boy. May I be frank with you?'

I steadied myself for a possible rebuke.

'Yes of course.'

'Have you heard of the phrase 'House of Cards'?'

I said that I had.

'Well then,' said Pat. 'I don't need to tell you how fragile this whole business is do I? One mistake and the whole company could be at jeopardy.'

I then listened to a contradiction on how strong the company was, how it would overcome all obstacles and how hugely important our new venture was, not only to the company but also to Takiyoma Industries, our Japanese investor. 

'Time is of the essence Curtis my boy and everything must be in place before she is officially named. If you desperately want the plans altered  then go ahead and talk to Richard but we really must concentrate on her looks from the outside. Do I make myself clear?'

He sounded tired. I was new to the company but I guess for someone like Patrick this must have been similar to watching someone ride a bulldozer through the front door of your house.

'You're right of course and I'm sorry,' I said. 'I have no desire to put you or anyone else under any more strain than you are all under at the moment. Leave it with me and rest assured I will make sure we will be ready when the time comes.'

I said my goodbyes and remained on the bridge in a reflective mood. I saw Mr Yip walking along the quayside carrying a couple of plastic bags. He held them up to me.

'Fish and Chips,' he called out.

It made me laugh. It was a lovely gesture. He must have walked miles trying to find something that I might like and in that split second I suddenly saw what I had to do.

Someone, somewhere had bought this ship and that person or persons had brought me to it and it was time I found out why.

I walked over to the chart table and opened the drawer underneath pulling out the ship's logbook. I scanned the most recent pages looking for anything out of the ordinary. I took a scrap piece of paper and started to make notes.