“I hear you, but what if he had something to do with this?”
“I doubt it,” he said. “I’ve known Chucky for fifty-odd years. He’s no murderer.”
“Who knew about him coming down to the freezers?”
Winslow shook his head. “I didn’t even know,” he said. “I didn’t know anything was up until he told me what happened.”
“So what are the chances that somebody was checking up on the bodies, and Chucky disturbed him?”
“No, he was at the freezers on the other side,” he said, “but I hear what you’re saying. You think he might have interrupted somebody doing something else?”
“We’re looking for answers,” Axel said. “If you’ve got ideas, we could really use them.”
“If I had any, I would,” Winslow said. “I just want off this rig and will never come back. This has been a piece of shit trip right from the beginning.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, the women,” he said. “Not just one but three of them. Now we’ll be turned into an all-male rig because they can’t trust the guys with women around.”
“Was an investigation ever done?”
“Sure, but it got washed under the carpet, like everything else does around here. That was the problem with Lionel too. Like I said, I didn’t have a problem with his sexuality, but some of the other guys did in a big way.”
“No surprise there,” Troy said. “What about the explosion two days ago?”
“I have no idea,” Winslow said.
“Any other stuff? Anything else going on?”
“Just the usual bullying. This life is rough,” he said. “You know Chucky and I have lived it for a long time, but we’ve both been talking though, thinking this is our last trip. We want to retire. We’ve got houses close to each other, so we can pick up a six-pack of cold beer and sit out by the barbecue and cook some steaks. We’re done with this rig living. We’re done with this whole attitude.”
“Did you have anything to do with those three women?”
He shook his head. “Not us,” he said. “We both had wives. We’ve buried them both unfortunately. One died in a car accident and the other from cancer,” he said, “but we’ve got daughters. We’d never treat anybody like that. But the guys, the younger guys, really don’t give a shit. As far as they’re concerned, women don’t belong here, and, if they’re here, it’s because they want one thing. It was a bad deal, not just the first time but the third time too. Nothing ever got better.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Troy said. “That makes for a shitty atmosphere.”
“It sure does,” he said. “We wanted to get out then, but we had contracts. They’re up in another ten days. At this point in time, it’ll be all we can do to make it to the end.”
“At this point in time,” Axel said, “it may well take all you’ve got to make it to the end. There’s a damn good chance that somebody didn’t expect Chucky to survive being frozen.”
Winslow stared at him in horror and then bolted.
“Too much?” Axel asked, his hands on his hips as he stared at the empty doorway.
“It doesn’t matter if it was or not,” Troy said. “It had to be said. He needs to keep an eye out for him and his buddy.”
Chapter 7
Berkley looked up, relief crossing her face when she saw Troy, Winslow, and Axel all walking toward her in the dining area. As soon as Troy and Axel sat down beside her, she watched Winslow at the coffeepot, pour himself a cup, and walk back out again. “At least you found him,” she said, in a low voice.
Troy nodded, leaning over slightly. “But we still didn’t see Daniel.”
“Did you look for him though?”
“Not seriously, no,” he said. “Have you seen him?”
She shook her head. “No, I haven’t. But he could be in his room. He could be anywhere, really.”
“Exactly. Winslow knew two of our dead had died from the explosion but didn’t know about the extra bodies,” he said. “He was shocked and angry. Now he’s wondering what the hell happened.”
“Interesting,” she murmured.
With him leaning even closer, he whispered in a lower voice yet again. “But he did mention the rapes and said that the atmosphere on board sucked and that he and Chucky were leaving. They have ten days left on their contract, and they will go home, put the steaks on the barbie, and chill some beer. They’re done with this lifestyle. This trip was the final straw.”
“Interesting,” she murmured again.
Just something was so intimate about having him beside her. And what an idiot she was for even thinking that. It’s not that she felt she was in any personal danger now, particularly not with Mason and his crew here, but Troy was different. She knew so many in Mason’s group, but something about this guy sparked a connection somehow that she didn’t have with Axel or the others.
He slowly rotated the mug of coffee on the table with his hands. Long lean muscled fingers, capable hands, a man who exuded power. That’s what put off the others. Something was just so self-confident about these men. It wasn’t so much even a can-do attitude, as having already done it. And knowing they could do it again.
She leaned over slightly, so that their shoulders touched. “So, you don’t think Winslow had anything to do with it?”
Troy shook his head. “No, I don’t.”
Just then Idiot got up from a nearby table, walked toward them, and said, “Didn’t take you long to jump him.” He sneered at Berkley.
She raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know what in the hell you’re talking about,” she said, “but it seems to me that we’re just sitting here, having coffee.”
“Yeah, but you won’t be sleeping alone tonight. You could have had all kinds of opportunities for all the time you’ve been here,” he said. “And you turned us all down. This guy walks in, and you’re just like a slut, lying down and spreading your legs.”
Very slowly, almost in slow motion, Troy stood, towering over Idiot. She reached out to grab his hand. He looked down at her, and she could see the tic from the muscle of his jaw twitching. She shook her head. “He’s not worth it.”
He didn’t shake her hand off his arm but turned to look at Idiot. Immediately silence took over the rest of the dining area.
Idiot sneered. “Big guy, you think you’re something?” he said. “You think I haven’t gone rounds with a bunch of these guys here?”
“I don’t care if you have or not,” Troy said, his voice low and hard. “But nobody talks to a woman like that when I’m around.”
He sneered again. “Or what?”
Troy’s hand shot out lightning fast, grabbing Idiot around the neck. Troy squeezed.
Idiot struggled to get away, gasping and choking. Troy just kept squeezing, with a single hand.
She could see the bicep bulging on the arm that was squeezing, growing incredibly huge. “Stop,” she said, reaching out. “Don’t let him get you in this mood.”