Page 8 of Deep Waters

“It looks like you’ll be staying in town then,” Harry said as Cristian sat next to him again. “For a while at least.”

“I’m here for two weeks, anyway. That’s the plan. I’m sure they’ll have taken a statement by then, though I don’t know what I can tell them besides what I saw.”

“None of us can,” Tom said. “If Niko was stabbed—and it bloody well looked like he was—it happened before he went into the water. I reckon he must have gone in off one of the piers or somewhere along North Beach. It’s the only way he could have drifted out that far. They’ll have to focus their investigation in the town.”

“How well did you know him?” Christian asked. “Niko?”

Harry shrugged. “Casually, I guess. I think his family came to Nyemouth about twelve years ago. He must have been about eight at the time. But he’s been working at the club for a couple of years. That’s where I know him from mostly, just from serving behind the bar. He’s a friendly enough lad.” He paused, seeming to realise what he’d said. “Wasa friendly lad. Shit.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Tom said, sounding morose. “Spoke to him behind the bar, even had a few pints together when he was on one of his nights off. Everyone liked him. Well, all the decent folk did, anyway.”

Unusual comment, Christian thought, but before he could pursue it further, Jacob returned with two uniformed police officers.

“They won’t keep you long,” Jacob explained. “They only need the bare facts tonight.”

“We’ll need a more detailed statement in the next day or two,” the female police officer said, “when we know more, but for tonight, just tell us what you experienced on the boat.”

Harry got to his feet. “It’s my vessel. I’m the captain. If you start with me, I can give all the details of our position and timing.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” she said.

Jacob gave them the use of the upstairs office to conduct the interviews.

Christian warmed up while he waited for his turn. His clothes had more of less dried, and he had lost track of the time he’d spent in the kitchen. The small room with three people inside grew stuffy and unbearably hot. He needed fresh air. He motioned to Tom that he was stepping out for a few minutes.

Tom was on the phone to his wife and gave him a thumbs-up without breaking their conversation.

The lifeboat, on its trailer, was back in the station. The crew was busy on board, cleaning down and preparing the boat for its next emergency. Christian edged his way around to the front doors. It was full dark now, and a furious wind howled through the marina, but it had not deterred the hardy crowd of observers outside. News of a potential murder had stirred them into action. He watched as they huddled together against the storm, gossiping and speculating on what had gone down. As a journalist, he’d seen it a hundred times before. Wherever there was trouble, he would find a crowd of spectators. Nyemouth was no different from anywhere else.

He spotted the man in waterproofs from earlier. He had drawn a small crowd of his own. Was this the guy Tom had spoken about earlier? The town gossip?It looks that way. He was in his mid-fifties with a weathered face and the bulbous snout of a heavy drinker.

Christian shuffled away before the man spotted him.

It was almost eight o’clock. He didn’t know how long he’d been here. It must have been hours, though it felt like no time at all since he’d spotted the dark shape in the sea ahead of them.Time enough for a man to die, for the lives of his family to be changed forever.

His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle hand on his arm. He turned and met the welcome gaze of his friend, Dominic Melton. Without words, Dominic opened his arms and Christian stepped in for a hug. He wanted to stay there. In a strange town, on the most surreal and stressful day of his life, Dominic offered a glimmer of comfort and protection.

“How are you doing?” Dominic asked, squeezing him tight.

Christian sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. “Truthfully, I don’t know. Functioning, barely.”

“It must have been a hell of shock,” Dominic said. “For an awful moment, when the call came in fromThe North Star, I thought it was you who had fallen overboard.”

Christian stood back from him. “Wait! You were on the lifeboat.”

He nodded. “At the helm.”

With their waterproof uniforms and headgear, it was difficult to tell one member of the crew from another. It hadn’t occurred to him that his friend might be one of them. Then again, there had been no time to think about much of anything.

“I’m sorry,” Christian said, remembering what Harry had told him about going to sea to save lives, “that it didn’t work out.”

“You have nothing to apologise for, so stop thinking like that. Okay? It’s bullshit.”

He nodded. “I know. I just…keep seeing that boy on the deck.”

As another surge of emotion threatened to take him, Christian fought against it. He had to keep it together. He wasn’t the one who had lost a son or a brother today. For the sake of Niko’s family, he would keep his head straight and tell the police everything he remembered.

“Do you want to stay with us tonight? Arnie and AJ are home. We can order a takeaway. There’s plenty of room. The spare bed is always made up.”

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