Chapter 14
Ore
Ore felt triumphant. Daniel had cracked, if only for a moment, but he’d confirmed many of her suspicions about Chuck. Ore prided herself on being a good judge of character, and she liked being right.
She was still peeved about having to be chaperoned during her interviews but she believed Daniel when he said he was not a spy. Obviously his role was to mildly intimidate her interviewees into knowing they were being listened to, but she took him at his word that what was said would not go any further.
They walked through a series of identical corridors, Daniel weaving through doors and down stairs with the quiet confidence of a person walking through their own home. They ended up outside the mess.
Daniel knocked, and when Vicky answered the door, she looked bemused.
‘You don’t have to do that, this is your boat, Captain.’ Ore glanced over at Daniel. He looked a little sheepish, and Vicky was wearing a wry smile. This was going to be interesting, thought Ore. Vicky didn’t seem the type to be cowed by Daniel’s presence, and from what he had said earlier, she was also discerning.
‘Hi, Vicky! Would you mind if we sat down for a chat? I’d love to ask you a couple of questions.’ She’d slipped into reporter mode.
Vicky turned and gave her a chilling once-over. There was an uncomfortably long pause before she said simply: ‘Sure.’
She walked over to the table and sat down. Ore took a seat opposite and Daniel remained, disconcertingly, standing somewhere behind her.
‘Just a moment.’ Vicky inspected something smudged on the table in front of her, then with a huff she stood to fetch a cloth and wiped down the surface thoroughly. Ore lifted her notepad when it became clear her corner of the table would not be exempt.
‘Right, that’s better. Sorry, where were we?’ Vicky sat back down, and Ore found herself thinking how many type A’s must work on boats. Her life back in New York, and even in London, had been full of creative, liberal arts types. The sorts who would probably enjoy the aesthetic of a ring left on a wooden tabletop by a glass of red wine.
Ore suddenly felt nervous. Vicky was not a woman to shy away from eye contact, and Ore was under-prepared. She’d been imagining how these interviews would go on for days, at times hard to differentiate from a friendly conversation. They would be easy-going and subtly explorative. Now she found herself unable to think of anything to ask.
‘Um, where are you from then, Vicky?’ She picked up her pen, if only to have something to do with her hands.
Vicky looked over Ore’s shoulder, throwing Daniel a look she couldn’t quite decipher but it didn’t seem generous.
‘I’m from LA,’ Vicky said flatly, now crossing her arms.
‘Cool, sorry, um I just …’ The slow warm-up wasn’t working terribly well.Get to the point.
‘Did you want to come back when you have some actual questions?’ Vicky made to stand up and Ore felt her opportunity to gain Vicky’s respect slipping away.
‘No, I’ve got them here.’ Ore’s voice was firm this time, forceful even, and Vicky’s demeanour changed, as though her curiosity was suddenly piqued, and she leant forward slightly.
‘Obviously you know I’m here to write about Chuck, so I guess what I want to know is … What is he like?’
‘To work for? Or as a person?’ Vicky did not seem fazed by the prospect of commenting on either. Ore tried to contain her excitement.
‘Either,’ said Ore, before quickly adding, ‘or both.’
‘As long as you understand your place, by which I mean, the difference between his “guests”, in his case, mostly his investors, and his “staff”, he’s as good to work for as anyone,’ Vicky explained. Hardly a glowing recommendation, thought Ore.
‘And as a person …’ Daniel cleared his throat then, and Vicky’s eyes flashed up once again, to somewhere behind Ore’s head, and then back again.
‘He’s nice I suppose … generous certainly.’ So Daniel’s presence was going to be a hindrance; that was clear.
‘And when you said, “the difference between staff and guests”, what did you mean by that exactly?’ Ore wasn’t giving up.
‘Well, I’ve worked in boating for fifteen years and as much as employers love to say differently, we’re not a family. Someof us are here to serve, and others …’ Vicky paused and held Ore’s gaze, her dark eyes piercing ‘… others are not.’
There was silence and Ore wasn’t sure if Vicky would say more, but she did.
‘Those who confuse those boundaries don’t last very long.’
‘Can you give me an example?’ Ore was poised over her lined pad. She heard movement behind her and then Daniel was standing right by her left shoulder.
