“What’s the right question?”I asked, although I thought I knew where this was headed.
“Not really a question.Only a strong feeling I have.And Simon thinks so too.We spoke of the possibility after we found her.”
“You think the villain is supernatural,” Dinesh said with a glance at me.
“I fear that’s what we’re dealing with, yes,” Domingo stated.
He spoke of such things with remarkable calm.
“You said yourself, there was no way for Pearl to get out of your room.The door was closed and latched.Squid, whom we all trust implicitly, has said that he only left for a privy break for ten minutes.”
“That’s long enough for someone to open the door unseen,” Dinesh said.
Domingo nodded.“I suppose.But do you really think one of the crew did this?Who would have done something so senseless?The men may have human blood on their hands, but they’d never harm an innocent creature.Especially not one that we’ve all gotten to know and love.”
“The men get bored.They crave amusement.Don’t you think it’s possible that one of them, Hanes perhaps, decided to play a cruel prank?”
Hanes was a bit of a jokester and had put other crew members in some humiliating predicaments.But he’d never done anything like this before.And as far as I knew, he was fond of the dog.
There was a knock at the door.We looked at each other.
“Yes?”
Someone cleared their throat.“I need to speak with you, Captain, if I may.”
Hanes.Perhaps ithadbeen a prank.
The captain strode past Domingo and opened the door.
“Come in.”
Hanes, hat in hand, entered the room.I was still holding the dog, and she wagged her tail against my hip.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Captain, White, Domingo.But I needed to clear my name.The crew think I did the deed, but I swear to you.I would never go that far with a prank.I swear I didn’t do it.”
He seemed genuine, and the dog didn’t appear distressed at his appearance.
“Put Pearl down, Rooster.”
I lowered the dog to the floor.
“Call her over, Hanes,” Dinesh ordered.
Hanes, without any hesitation, crouched and extended his hand.
“Come on, girl.Pearl darling…”
Pearl gave a delighted yap and barrelled into Hanes’s welcoming arms.
The captain and I looked at each other with relief, as Hanes stood with the dog clutched in his arms as she tried to lick his face off.
“All right, girl, good girl.Such a bonny wee doggy.”He grinned with relief and gazed at us as Pearl whined and wriggled against him.
Dinesh nodded.“All right, you’ve been vindicated.Put the dog down and resume your duties.”
Hanes nodded.“Thank you, Captain.”
He put Pearl on the floor, and she padded to her blanket, turned around several times, and plunked down with a weary sigh.
