“I guess,” Axel nodded. As they headed to the bottom level to search the other half, he whispered, “We’ll need the cameras off.”
As they stepped forward, one of the regular guys stepped out of a hallway and glared at them. “What are you two doing down here?”
“Any reason we can’t be here?” Troy asked.
“It’s off-limits.”
“We’re repair crew too,” Axel said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I don’t give a shit who you are,” the guy said.
The name embroidered on his shirt pocket read Phil. This was the one pressuring Berkley. The one she called Idiot. “So, what is it that you’re hiding?” Troy asked cautiously.
“I ain’t hiding nothing,” he said, as he turned and spat on the ground, “but you’re not fucking coming in here.”
“Actually we are,” Troy said. “So, it’s the easy way or the hard way. You choose.”
At that, Phil’s eyes lit with a hot fire. Just a stage short of madness. But it was better than the dead look that Berkley had described so well.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said a man behind Phil.
Daniel stood there, leaning against the wall, coffee in his hand.
“Finished your cinnamon bun, huh?” Troy asked.
Daniel sent him a sour look.
But Phil spun to look at Daniel and said, “What the hell? Did you eat a cinnamon bun? I was up there, and Denny wouldn’t let me have one.”
“I got it before he took them away,” Daniel said.
Swearing fluently, Phil stared at Daniel and then disappeared.
“Interesting character,” Troy said.
“You get used to him after a while but don’t rile him. Something’s wrong with him on the inside.”
“Yeah? What was your first inkling?” Axel asked. At that, Troy cracked a bit of a smile.
“He might not seem like much,” Daniel said, “but he does his job.”
“Does he though?” Troy asked.
“Yeah, he does,” Daniel said, “and nobody is supposed to be down here.”
“Why is that?” Axel said.
“It’s off-limits. When there’s no crew, we keep this area closed.”
“And yet you’re here, and Phil’s here,” Axel said, once again in that same mild tone.
“Maybe,” Daniel said, “but that doesn’t mean it’s not the way it’s done. If you want to get along, follow the rules,” he said, “and don’t start by being one of those guys who says, Rules are for fools.”
“It’s not like we’re causing any trouble,” Axel said. “Just getting the lay of the land. Seeing the damage, so repairs can be done.”
“Maybe so,” Daniel said, straightening up, “but go find the lay of some other land to look at.”
“Will do,” Troy said, turning around to leave. “It’ll be interesting to see if the company guys want to come look at this place.” He heard the strangled sound coming from Daniel’s throat and pivoted toward him. “Unless you’re hiding something too,” he said, in a smooth tone.
Daniel narrowed his gaze at him. “You look like you’re nothing but fat-ass trouble,” he said, his face turning a florid red.
“Can’t say I’ve ever liked being told what I can and cannot do,” Troy said. “So I suggest you get out of my face.”
With that, Daniel went for Troy. One second before it had gone completely quiet, and, in the next, Daniel’s hands reached for Troy’s throat. Except Troy no longer stood there. He had stepped to the side and tripped Daniel and he went down.
As soon as he hit the ground, Daniel let out a weird sound.
Axel picked him up and, as if he were a little kid, dusted him off and said, “Looks like you tripped there, bud.”
Daniel stumbled back several feet and glared at the two men with hate in his eyes; then he turned and disappeared.
“Interesting,” Axel said. “You know how to make friends, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” Troy said, with a smile. “I’m really good at that.” At another odd sound, he turned to see Berkley standing there. “You do get around,” he said.
“You mean, you do,” she said. “I’ve never seen Daniel move so fast.”
“Well, he and Phil both told us that we couldn’t come into this area,” Axel said. “Do you know why?”
“It’s always been an off-limits area,” she said. “I’ve never been allowed in there either.”
“I suggest we take a look then,” Troy said. When he turned, they immediately headed into the area they supposedly weren’t allowed access to.
“Life raft, life preservers, emergency vehicles, emergency kits,” Berkley noted. “So why would nobody be allowed in here?”
“Maybe to avoid anybody tampering,” Axel suggested.
Berkley shot him a hard look. “Then you’d think that one of the first things they would be doing is checking down here.”
“Not Phil. Maybe that’s what Daniel was doing,” Troy said. “Just because he seems and comes off like he’s guilty and an asshole, like Phil is, doesn’t mean Daniel is one. Maybe he was looking to see if his brother was still alive out there.”
“It’s possible,” she said. “Let’s check the inventory.” She brought up a tablet in her hand. She clicked away for a minute. “According to the database there should be four of those emergency submersible life rafts. The ones that can handle the ocean conditions here. Are there?”
It didn’t take Axel but five minutes to confirm that.
“Life jackets?”
“How many crew on board normally?”
“All staff and crew, 180 at a time,” she said.
“So, at least two hundred life jackets, you’d think.” Axel walked up and down, checking. “I’d say that they’re all here. Who knows what their stocking level is, but at least 180 are here.”
“Also some extra oxygen tanks for the medical facilities.” She walked forward and opened a door. “Right, this is where the medical clinic is.” She frowned. “I wonder why Daniel doesn’t want anybody in here.”
Troy stepped inside and looked around. His heart slammed against his chest. “Probably because two body bags are in here on the floor. And they are full.”
Axel stepped in to confirm and said, “Body bags. So they’re probably from the accident itself.” He looked at her. “Why has nobody come to collect them?”
She looked at them in surprise. “I had no idea they were even here.”
“Does the company not know?” Axel asked. “I understood no fatalities were declared, but four remain missing.”
“Looks like two missing and two fatalities. Or potentially not even two missing,” Troy said, nodding toward the very large cooler in front of them. “If that’s a temporary morgue, I suggest we check it out.”
Axel was already there. “It’s got a lock,” he said.
“I’ll take care of that in two seconds,” Troy said, and he had it open almost that fast. From behind him, he heard Berkley sucking in her breath. He looked at her, smiled, and said, “It’s all right. Standard skills in this line of work.”