by John Molloy
That night Henry slept fitfully, but he was happy with his transition to merchant seaman.
Next morning while cleaning Sweeney’s cabin, he ventured into a drawer under his bunk. He quickly tossed through clothes, all clean and ironed neatly laid out, he saw nothing untoward. But as he laid his hands to smoothen down the clothes, he felt something hard. He found a book tucked into a woolen jumper. He opened the door to listen for footsteps, but there was only the muffled sound of the throbbing engines. It was a hard covered book, titled, “Theory of Sexuality” by Sigmund Freud. He glanced through the first few pages and noticed passages underlined and remarks written in the margins. Some of the written remarks shocked him; ‘rubbish,’ ‘for fuck sake,’ ‘bollocks’, these were just a few. He also saw drawings of an erect penis with the caption, ‘not likely’. He put the book back and thought he’d bring a piece of paper and pencil next morning and jot down some of the remarks and the specific chapters they referred to.
After work that evening he went along to the crew’s recreation room hoping to get a glimpse of Tukola. He was invited to play a game of cribbage; thankfully he’d got some lessons from James Eagleton. There was a game of darts going on and he was watching the four players. One was dark - Henry presumed he was Indian. Two others were north-east English by the sound of their accents and the other was the color of burnt honey; he was a very handsome man with sleek black hair and perfect white teeth. His eyes were dark amber with the deep intensity of a panther. The card game was demanding his attention but he could glance up and observe the crewman who had grabbed his attention. He reckoned he was about five foot ten and the high cheek bones gave him a slightly oriental look.
The cards were pushed across to him.
”Your deal Henry.”
He shuffled the cards, observing the board to see the state of play when he heard one dart player call out. “Come on Tuko, finish it, double top.”
He looked over to see who they were calling Tuko, yes he thought, he’s Tukola.
The dart players were going in for their nightly supper and one of the able seamen began teasing Tuko about the young Indian girls they were going to meet in Bombay. “They’ll be nice young fresh talent, the way you like them Tuko.”
“Yeah, he said with a lascivious smile on his face. Anything over seventeen is getting old and worn like an old boot. In this part of the world they start on the game at about thirteen.”
“You should know you’re from around these parts, how old were you when you had your first jump?”
Tukola look embarrassed and didn’t answer.
Chapter Nineteen
Having identified Tukola, Henry could now focus on his fourth suspect. Back in the cabin, he lay on his bunk studying his atlas. He was alone in the cabin - Conrad was still sleeping on deck. The cabin was stuffy and hot, the little air coming in the porthole was warm, tropical and moisture laden. He turned on his bunk to get comfortable when something caught his eye; the lower part of the chest of drawers was about six inches high from the deck and could be a nice hiding place. He jumped from his bunk and pulled out the lower drawer and in the half-light he could see something stashed there. He pulled out a bag tied with a bit of lanyard rope; he examined the knot, as he had heard that some sailors used a particular knot so that if it was opened and not tied the same they knew that someone had tampered with their belongings. It was called a thief knot on the old sailing ships. He undid the knot fully knowing he could replicate the original knot. Inside he found a pair of handcuffs, a small whip, some sex vibrators and an assortment of pornographic books and pictures. And even more disturbing, he found a pair of earrings and a lock of blonde hair.
Suddenly a flash of lightning came through the porthole like a blinding torch, then the loud bang of thunder. He stood up and looked out onto the dark ocean when the next flash nearly blinded him, the rain came in torrents. Slightly panicked, he threw the bag and belongings back into the hiding place and pushed the drawer closed before jumping back into his bunk and turning out the bunk light. He’d surely have time to put everything back in order before Conrad would look in there, he thought - if not he was in serious trouble.
The door burst open and Conrad rushed in, mattress in hand. He was breathing hard from the run down from the boat deck.
“Jesus, you awake Henry? Did you hear the thunder and see the lightning, was absolute awesome. It lit up the whole sky and sea?”
“No, I didn’t hear a thing, I was fast asleep.”
Conrad was standing in a pair of shorts and his body was spattered with rain drops, he was examining his mattress. “I was just lucky, it’s not too wet I’ll be able to sleep on it.” He ducked down when another flash of lightning lit up the cabin then the thunder struck it was right overhead and it seemed to shake the whole ship. “Jesus Henry, that was close! I’d say it struck the boat deck just where I was sleeping. I just got out in time or I could be fried now.”
“Yeah, you were lucky to get in out of it so quick.” If you’re my man, he thought to himself, being struck with lightning would be a welcome way out for you.
After some time, the aerial pyrotechnics abated and Henry settled in to a restless sleep.
He was serving the breakfasts next morning and as he walked past the deck apprentices table he was chided abruptly by Oswyn, who handed back his tea cup. “Could you have that cleaned properly; I don’t drink from stained crockery.”
Henry took the cup. “Yes sir, I’ll have it cleaned.” What a shit, he thought, he couldn’t see any stain, only a very light discoloration from years of use. He handed the cup to Gary who held it up and looked at it.
“You don’t need to tell me who’s complaining, it’s the lad whose father owns the company - a first rate asshole. I’d like to tell him to get his father to buy new crockery.”
He put the cup in the sink and took another from the rack and spat in it a few times, wiped it and handed it to Henry. “If it wasn’t for the fact that I might be seen, I’d wipe it with my cock. That would teach him!”
Henry was astonished to see this at first hand. He’d often heard of catering staff in hotels and restaurants carrying on in such a disgusting manner, but never really believed it. He resolved himself never to get on the wrong side of these lads.
“Here’s his fry up.” Gary Conrad went to the hot press and took out a plate of bacon, sausage, egg and a fried pancake. He then lifted the pancake and spat on it, then returned it to the plate.
“Hope he enjoys his food.”
Henry thought he must go along with this ‘staff versus officers’. Anyway, he hadn’t much sympathy for young Oswyn. He took him his breakfast and ‘clean’ cup and laid them on the table.
“That’s better steward, but don’t you ever let it happen again, understand?”
What a pretentious prick, he thought, as his mind went back to Vera whom he suspected had been convinced that Oswyn was the guilty party - she might well be right.
Later the same morning, Henry went to clean Sweeney’s cabin. He took a small pad of paper and pencil with him. After he tidied up and made his bunk, he opened the drawer and pulled out the Freud book. He was determined to have as much research done on both Sweeney and Conrad as possible by the time the ship reached Bombay. He would concentrate on the other two suspects later in the voyage.
He flicked through the book to places that were marked, he wrote down the three parts the mind was divided into, the ‘id’, the’ ego’, and the ‘super ego’. He noticed that the super ego was underlined. He read that these three worked in harmony in normal people but in others the parts may conflict. The super ego may oppose all sexual behavior thus preventing fulfillment of the id’s sexual drives. If the parts of the mind oppose one another, psychological disturbance can result. He read on about the effect of childhood memories and if these were painful people kept them out of conscious awareness. Freud termed this ‘defense mechanism’ which could affect a person’s ability to lead a productive life causing ne
urosis. Freud also theorized that a person’s sexual impulses began very young and many people make self-discoveries and learn to control their sexual impulses. Freud believed that the normal pattern of sexual development is interrupted in some individuals. These people become fixated at an early age. The book stated that such fixation could contribute to mental illness in adulthood. Henry continued to read through the book and noted that the underlined passages all seemed to point in the same direction - it made for very disturbing reading.
He would hand over his scribbled notes to his contacts in Bombay. They could have the notes professionally analyzed and hopefully come up with some insights into Sweeney’s state of mind.
When he left Sweeney’s cabin, he bumped into Gary Conrad with blanket and book in hand. Gary said he was going up onto the mast house deck for a spot of quiet reading and to top up his tan. Good, thought Henry as he hurried back and walked into his cabin; he’ll be up there for a while and the bag under the drawer was a priority. If it was discovered it could jeopardize his cover.
He opened the drawer and took out the bag. He carefully replaced the contents and after several fumbling attempts, he managed to get the knot just right.
Chapter Twenty
It was almost high noon when they docked in Bombay. Henry was expecting to hear from his contact, but exactly who it would be and when it would happen, he didn’t know.
The ship’s agent was on board and before long Henry heard a shout from the officer’s alleyway, ‘mail up’. He had two letters both with London postmarks. He recognized the one with the small neat handwriting as Vera’s. The crew took their mail and most disappeared into their cabins to read in private. Some ventured out onto deck and sat in the shade reading the flimsy pages of news; the only contact from their loved ones for some weeks. Gary Conrad was in the cabin with three letters on his bunk and not in too much of a hurry to open them. He was changing his cloths to go serve the saloon for lunch and threw the letters under his pillow. “They can wait until later. Probably nothing very interesting in them anyway,” he remarked, as he walked out the cabin with a disgruntled look on his face.
Henry started to open the letter from Vera and then he suddenly remembered that because the ship was in port and there would be additional diners, he would be required to help Gary with the pantry duties. In the saloon he heard Gary ask the senior steward for soup for the ship’s agent, a colonial Brit and his Indian assistant who were at the captain’s table. Henry wondered as he looked around saloon where his contact would come from.
By now the ship was awash with various locals; there were dockers, supply merchants, custom officials and a number of ‘representatives’ from local bars and nightclubs.
Henry was returning to his cabin after lunch when he was approached in the alleyway by a big Indian man. He was in his early thirties, sporting a black beard and thick eyebrows, his turban was spotlessly white but he wore a western style suit. When he spoke his teeth were pearly white and his smile was all-encompassing.
“You are assistant steward on ship?”
“Yes I am.”
“I see, you like to know where good bar in town, nice clean young ladies, good drink, you have plenty nice time. My name is Tutul. You, what your name?”
“I’m Henry.”
“Ah Henry first name, you have second name also?”
“Tyler is my second name.”
“I see Henry Tyler, take this, all you need know.”
He handed Henry an envelope just as Gary Conrad came into the alleyway. The Indian man walked up to him and began to engage him in conversation giving him a card of the bar he should visit for some ‘nice fresh young girls and good time’. Henry stood watching him holding Conrad in talk, almost blocking his passage in the alleyway. It became obvious to Henry that he was buying time for him so he could conceal the envelope.
Henry found a quiet corner of the ship, opened the envelope and pulled out a small slip of paper with a typed telephone number and a note that read, ‘ask for Wolff’. The word, ‘destroy’ was written underneath. He memorized the five digit number, tore the message into tiny pieces and threw the fragments into the sea.
Conrad was reading when he came into the cabin. ”What did you think of that Indian tout, did you get a card from him?”
“No, he mustn’t have thought me a likely customer.”
“The Blue Orchid is his recommended watering hole and sex shop. The card is there.”
Henry picked up the little blue card with the poor quality print and on the reverse a map showing the way to the bar. “We could try it, might be ok.”
Conrad didn’t answer him, he was reading a letter and had his face turned to the bulkhead.
Henry jumped into his bunk and took out Vera’s letter. The warning came midway down the first page:
Oswyn’s father, Lord Welland will arrive in Bombay and he will take his son to their tea plantation about one hundred miles away. They have nothing good afoot and by Oswyn being away there can be no suspicion on him for any foul deed committed during the ship’s stay. Be warned Henry, and have no doubt your life is, and will be in danger.
He felt a cold shiver run up his spine. He would have to be very careful, a murder in this state wouldn’t cause a ripple in a local police station - even that of a foreign crewman. She warned of hired men from the plantation who for a paltry sum would unquestionably do their master’s bidding, even resorting to murder. They can then disappear on the sub-continent and prove impossible to track down:
You must remember that Oswyn is an only child and heir to the family estates and fortune, so anything preventing this will be resisted and the full use of their power and money will be used to protect him and his future title. Believe me on this one, I know.
I long for your return and a repeat of our trysts to unashamedly quench the flames of passion the thoughts of which still moisten my eroticism.
Write soon Henry and don’t forget to destroy this letter.
Love,
Vera.
He felt a stirring in his loins as he remembered the wonderful evenings with her and her wantonly graceful appetite that could devour a legion.
He put this into his pocket and opened Vincent’s letter. Inside was another envelope addressed to Vincent’s home. This he knew was from Denis.
Henry, I hate to be the one to have to tell you this terrible news. I know that wherever you are you are doing your best to find the killer of our little girl, and now Katherine has left us to join Shirley. The past four weeks were a living nightmare. The doctor wanted to have her committed to a mental institution but I took time off work and stayed at home with her. She was a totally different person. She spoke of Shirley and how happy she was. She said she spoke to her every day. I would find her rambling round the house at all hours of night. She would often go into the garden at three or four in the morning and sit in her night cloths talking and praying to herself and Shirley.
The end came when one night I realized she was not in bed and I ran to the garden, but she wasn’t there. I thought she must have gone out on the street. It was three thirty in the morning. I searched for an hour and then I went to the police. I got home at five thirty and when I went to the bathroom the door was locked. I had to break down the door and there was our beautiful Katherine, drowned in the bath. This is so hard for you Henry, as you cannot grieve with your family. Please write and let me know you are all right. I believe Katherine and Shirley will look after us from their place in heaven. All my thoughts are with you at this sad time.
Denis.
Henry closed his eyes and tried to focus his thoughts. The black birds of despair were hovering around in circles above him. He tried to change them to doves but to no avail, they persisted in their dark and ominous cloud. The four men passed across his vision like a film screen; his hatred for them was palpable. He felt like jumping down and grabbing Conrad by the throat and making him confess. He remembered the senior tutor at the police training college empha
sizing their behavior at times like this. Then his professionalism clicked in. One silly act he thought could blow the whole operation. There’s too much involved and a support team working so diligently to protect and assist him. He saw Oswyn’s handsome face, his superior attitude like a blood horse refined and honed by generations of carefully chosen breeding. He was Vera’s choice, but he had to remember she had her own agenda. Then he saw the pale freckled face of Sweeney with his shifty eye movements and the flicking back of his red hair from across his forehead, his suspicious glances especially at strangers. This timid fear gave Henry the feeling it could be turned to hatred and violence if a situation arose to suit. He saw the dark smoldering eyes of Tukola, a formidable man who seemed to possess an agility that could be lethal if the need arose to unleash it. A man he could fear.
He closed his eyes; he was slipping in and out of sleep, pondering the tragic news and feeling the grip of despair as the magnitude of sorrow was weighing on him. He was lost in time when he was brought back to reality.
”Come on, we’re on duty.”
He pushed the letters into his pocket and followed Conrad to the pantry to serve dinner. He noticed Oswyn was missing from the apprentices table and as he served them their first course, he asked an apprentice, “Will mister Oswyn be in for dinner?”