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Authors: Timothy Frost
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call me as I ordered?”
“I was taken by surprise, sir. It seemed like an emergency, so I thought I should check at once.”
“I would say you were trying to jump ship. I offered you the chance to leave last night. You didn’t take it. You said you were up for it and eager to serve. So why did you decide to leave? Moffie boy ? ”
“It wasn’t like that. I heard one of the girls screaming.”
“The amount of coke they all had on board, I wouldn’t be surprised at anything. Ever heard pigs squeal when they mate?”
“No, sir.”
“It’s a similar experience in every way. So that’s all you heard?”
Toby hesitated. Should he tell about what he had seen—Irina with her head bent back? And what the girl had told him earlier? Scott could be implicated in all that.
The officer continued to point the powerful searchlight at Toby’s face. Toby held his hands up to shield himself.
“Are you ready to get back on board and do your job?” Scott barked.
“Sir, I request to be relieved of my duties and leave the ship,” Toby said in a rush. “I was physically and mentally abused last night, I have had no sleep, and I am unhappy with the situation on the yacht.”
Scott turned the searchlight off with a snap. After-images blinked in front of Toby’s eyes like fireflies. Between them, he saw Scott’s face, bearing an expression of pure contempt. His accent when he spoke was sharpened into a caricature of a South African roughneck.
“Oh, deary me, ‘I am unhappy with the situation on the yacht’,” Scott mocked. “You pompous young puppy. You’ve been enlisted less than twelve hours, you’ve disobeyed simple orders, and because you’ve been humiliated and only had a few hours’ sleep you think you should walk away crying back to Mummy and Daddy. Is that your plan?” He pronounced it as “pleen.” “Because it’s not going to work. I offered you ee-very opportunity last night. Did I not? And you were full of bravado. You’ve turned out to be no more than a squirt of piss in a bucket. But I won’t let you go now. I’ve got to cast off in a couple of hours and I need your pair of hands, soft as they are, and I need a barman and steward. So tough luck, baby boy. It’s time to behave like an adult. Do that and you’ll get your pay and your discharge at the end of this passage.”
“This isn’t Nelson’s Navy,” Toby said indignantly. “I’ll leave now if I please and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
“Oh no?” Scott said. “Try this.” He reached with his free hand, grabbed Toby’s arm, and twisted it violently behind Toby’s back. His face was right in Toby’s in the gloom. “Now do I have your attention? You are coming back on board, whether you like it or not. I won’t break your arm because I need it, but I will take you back on board. Now behave.”
“Any problem here, suh?” The voice came from a security guard who appeared suddenly from outside Toby’s field of vision. He had his own flashlight and flipped it on, bathing Toby and Scott in its beam.
“Nothing, Sandy,” Scott said. “This crew member decided to go walkabout. I am just escorting him back to his duties.”
Toby seized his chance. “Please,” he said. “I want to leave the ship. He’s holding me against my will. And there’s trouble on board.” He felt his arm going numb from Scott’s vice-like grip.
“What sort ’a trouble?” asked the security guard, who sounded troubled himself.
“That’s enough, Robinson. The only trouble is what you’ve caused tonight. Don’t worry, Sandy, I will take care of this, and we’re leaving in a few hours anyway.”
“I believe a young woman has been seriously injured or even killed,” Toby blurted out.
“Bull-sheeet!” Scott exclaimed. “He heard some steek, is all. Noisy sex.”
“This is a serious allegation,” said the security guard. “T’ink ah should inform the police.” He produced a cell phone from his shirt pocket and
“I was taken by surprise, sir. It seemed like an emergency, so I thought I should check at once.”
“I would say you were trying to jump ship. I offered you the chance to leave last night. You didn’t take it. You said you were up for it and eager to serve. So why did you decide to leave? Moffie boy ? ”
“It wasn’t like that. I heard one of the girls screaming.”
“The amount of coke they all had on board, I wouldn’t be surprised at anything. Ever heard pigs squeal when they mate?”
“No, sir.”
“It’s a similar experience in every way. So that’s all you heard?”
Toby hesitated. Should he tell about what he had seen—Irina with her head bent back? And what the girl had told him earlier? Scott could be implicated in all that.
The officer continued to point the powerful searchlight at Toby’s face. Toby held his hands up to shield himself.
“Are you ready to get back on board and do your job?” Scott barked.
“Sir, I request to be relieved of my duties and leave the ship,” Toby said in a rush. “I was physically and mentally abused last night, I have had no sleep, and I am unhappy with the situation on the yacht.”
Scott turned the searchlight off with a snap. After-images blinked in front of Toby’s eyes like fireflies. Between them, he saw Scott’s face, bearing an expression of pure contempt. His accent when he spoke was sharpened into a caricature of a South African roughneck.
“Oh, deary me, ‘I am unhappy with the situation on the yacht’,” Scott mocked. “You pompous young puppy. You’ve been enlisted less than twelve hours, you’ve disobeyed simple orders, and because you’ve been humiliated and only had a few hours’ sleep you think you should walk away crying back to Mummy and Daddy. Is that your plan?” He pronounced it as “pleen.” “Because it’s not going to work. I offered you ee-very opportunity last night. Did I not? And you were full of bravado. You’ve turned out to be no more than a squirt of piss in a bucket. But I won’t let you go now. I’ve got to cast off in a couple of hours and I need your pair of hands, soft as they are, and I need a barman and steward. So tough luck, baby boy. It’s time to behave like an adult. Do that and you’ll get your pay and your discharge at the end of this passage.”
“This isn’t Nelson’s Navy,” Toby said indignantly. “I’ll leave now if I please and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
“Oh no?” Scott said. “Try this.” He reached with his free hand, grabbed Toby’s arm, and twisted it violently behind Toby’s back. His face was right in Toby’s in the gloom. “Now do I have your attention? You are coming back on board, whether you like it or not. I won’t break your arm because I need it, but I will take you back on board. Now behave.”
“Any problem here, suh?” The voice came from a security guard who appeared suddenly from outside Toby’s field of vision. He had his own flashlight and flipped it on, bathing Toby and Scott in its beam.
“Nothing, Sandy,” Scott said. “This crew member decided to go walkabout. I am just escorting him back to his duties.”
Toby seized his chance. “Please,” he said. “I want to leave the ship. He’s holding me against my will. And there’s trouble on board.” He felt his arm going numb from Scott’s vice-like grip.
“What sort ’a trouble?” asked the security guard, who sounded troubled himself.
“That’s enough, Robinson. The only trouble is what you’ve caused tonight. Don’t worry, Sandy, I will take care of this, and we’re leaving in a few hours anyway.”
“I believe a young woman has been seriously injured or even killed,” Toby blurted out.
“Bull-sheeet!” Scott exclaimed. “He heard some steek, is all. Noisy sex.”
“This is a serious allegation,” said the security guard. “T’ink ah should inform the police.” He produced a cell phone from his shirt pocket and
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