Targets Entangled (9 page)

“I’m not going anywhere.” Ferrin couldn’t just leave Tami like this. Someone needed to cover her face with a sheet because she didn’t deserve to be regarded as a circus show. Her body should be handled with dignity. “I’ll stay with her until we pull into port in Panama.”

“That’s just not feasible, Ferrin,” Captain Hensel replied in a gentle tone. She didn’t miss that he called her by her first name, softening the denial of his request to pull into port. He could deny all he wanted, but as Daegan had pointed out earlier, they weren’t in the military anymore. “You’re in shock and—”

“I’m not in shock,” Ferrin argued as they both stepped into the passageway. Catori Starr’s presence stopped her before she could turn around and convince Captain Hensel that she was staying. “Ms. Starr, someone murdered Tami McDaniel. We need to find out who did it, but I’m not leaving my friend like that.”

“It’s Ferrin Hewitt, correct?” Starr asked, surprising Ferrin with the amount of compassion in her tone. She was known for having a take-no-prisoner personality and people immediately following her orders. “Captain Hensel has reported what’s taken place. It’s my understanding that you found Tami McDaniel’s body. Did you happen to see anyone in the corridor?”

“No,” Ferrin said, but then shook her head. Her mind was spinning with a hundred thoughts and she tried to focus on what Starr was asking her. “Wait. Matt. He went to get help, but he had been walking toward me. I didn’t see anyone leaving and I didn’t pass anyone in the compartment on my way here.”

“Okay.” Starr placed a comforting hand on Ferrin’s arm but the gesture didn’t do what she’d intended. “I understand what a shock this must be, but you’re only going to be beneficial to this investigation if you’re able to recall everything you saw upon entering this cabin. That means going with your supervisor and giving him a statement. I promise you that we will treat Tami with the dignity and respect that she deserves.”

Ferrin didn’t know what she could say that would help them catch whoever did this. No one had been around and the only clue she saw was Tami lying dead on the lower rack. Her statement would be short and she’d rather stay here, but it was evident that she wasn’t going to be allowed from the look on Starr’s face. Ferrin leaned against the bulkhead as she took a moment to collect herself.

“Her family—”

“Tami’s next of kin will be notified,” Kane Taylor stated as he stood beside Starr and while Ferrin knew that the team called him Gunny, she wouldn’t take such liberties. “I know this is a terrible shock, but we all need to follow protocol. Please go with Chief Jackson until we contain the scene and then we’ll be by to talk to you.”

Ferrin looked behind him, wishing that Daegan were here as well. It wasn’t as if she would be able to lose herself in his embrace, but his presence would have made her feel better. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that Tami was gone…murdered. She looked back toward the cabin, but Captain Hensel blocked her vision from the sight within. It wasn’t that she wanted to see Tami the way she’d found her, but instead it was hard to know that this would be the last time. It didn’t make sense, but Ferrin’s anger had started to dissipate and grief was settling in.

“Please treat her right.”

Ferrin’s voice faded as Gunny stepped past Captain Hensel and entered the cabin. She didn’t do well with this helpless feeling that settled into her. She was better when she had something to do.

“We’ll take care of her,” Starr promised, although effectively cutting Ferrin off. Starr joined her lead operator and left Ferrin in Chief Jackson’s care. “Captain, I want the whereabouts for every crewmember…”

“Ferrin, let’s get you to the wardroom and get something warm into you.” Chief Jackson rested his large hand on her back and led her away down the corridor. She wanted to snap at him, saying that she wasn’t a child and yet something held her back. She knew that the numbness that had set in was shock and she needed time to work through it. No other words were said until she was seated with a cup of coffee. “You want to walk me through your morning? Maybe something will trigger a memory.”

“She was fine,” Ferrin said softly, shaking her head in disbelief. It was so hard to believe that Tami was really dead. The image of her friend’s face in death wouldn’t leave her, but she refused to cry in front of her superior. She tilted her head back to look up at the overhead, gathering her bearings to get through this. “She came to me for advice earlier and then we’d made plans to get together tomorrow because I’m off tonight.”

“What did she need advice on?” Chief asked, having poured himself a cup of coffee and taken a seat across from her.

Ferrin hadn’t really thought about the ramifications regarding Tami’s involvement with Chuck until this moment. She placed her finger and thumb to her eyelids and pressed, wishing she didn’t have to reveal such intimate details about her friend. She knew she’d have to, but it still felt as if she were betraying Tami’s confidence.

“Chief, Tami was seeing Chuck Farrell…intimately,” Ferrin revealed, lowering her hand and meeting his gaze. He didn’t appear surprised by the announcement and she guessed that he’d already known, although his frown suggested he wasn’t pleased. As well he shouldn’t be. It was against the guidelines and yet here she was considering doing the same thing. She put that aside for a moment, knowing what the assumption would be. “I can’t picture him doing this. He works with us. He’s a part of our team.”

“No one is saying that Chuck is responsible for Tami’s death,” Chief Jackson said, but his words did nothing to reassure Ferrin of that. In fact, the muscle ticking alongside his jaw told her something else. She was starting to doubt it herself. Who else would have done such a thing? “Was something happening between the two of them that she needed to speak with you about it?”

“She thought she might be in love with him,” Ferrin reluctantly admitted while mentally apologizing to her friend. She wrapped her fingers around the warm mug hoping it would erase this coldness that seemed to be seeping inside of her. “We need to get a hold of Chuck and—”

“That’s for Starr or Captain Hensel to handle.” Chief Jackson rose and walked over to a desk, picking up a tablet and pen. He set it in front of her before taking his seat. “Write down everything the two of you discussed from the time this ship pulled out of port, even the insignificant things. Something surprisingly innocent and meaningless to you might well be an important part of why someone would want to hurt her.”

Ferrin understood that, and she didn’t resent Chief Jackson for spelling things out. He was just doing what he was ordered to do. She glanced down at the paper with mixed reservations. The last thing she wanted to do was write down her and Tami’s private conversations and she felt slightly guilty for being relieved that Daegan had never come up in their discussions. For the next twenty minutes she detailed everything she could remember. Exhaustion was settling in and yet there was no way she’d be able to close her eyes without seeing Tami’s lifeless eyes staring back at her.

“She was still warm,” Ferrin whispered, looking up to find that Chief Jackson was studying her. “She hadn’t been gone long, which means—”

“Which means that had you gone to see her any earlier, you might have ended up the same way.” Chief Jackson reached over and placed his warm hand on her fingers. His deep chocolate eyes met hers and she found she couldn’t witness the grief inside of them without facing it herself. She wasn’t ready to let go. “Do you remember seeing anything suspicious when you entered the cabin?”

“The hatch was ajar when I got there.” Ferrin tried to think what else might have seemed out of place, but the only thing she could recall was Tami lying on the bunk. “I’m sorry, but I just didn’t notice anything else.”

“It’s okay. You’ve already given enough information that we have a starting point.” Chief Jackson looked pointedly at the clock before his gentle brown eyes met hers. “You’re running on lack of sleep, Ferrin. Once Starr and Captain Hensel arrive, I want you to try and get some rest. You’re off shift tonight. Try to get some shuteye even if you need to get some sleeping pills from the doctor.”

Starr happened to arrive sooner rather than later as she and Gunny walked into the room, their somber attitudes not making Ferrin feel any better. The captain wasn’t with them, but that was understandable with everything that had happened. She sat up a little straighter and brushed away a couple of loose strands that had come out of her hairband. It was impossible for Starr to have questioned everyone on this ship and Ferrin wanted answers.

“Are we pulling into Panama?” Ferrin asked, searching both of their faces for anything that might give her an indication. “Tami’s family needs to be notified as well as the FBI since we’re a U.S. flagged ship in international waters.”

“I’m aware of what needs to happen, Ferrin,” Starr replied in a soft voice and Ferrin figured it was to take the sting out of her words. It wasn’t that she was trying to tell them what to do, but this was in her nature. Taking control of a situation was what got her through the emotional tribulations at times like these. “Were you able to recall anything else that might help us in tracking down the perpetrator?”

Ferrin exchanged glances with Chief Jackson and she reached forward for the pad of paper that she’d been writing on at the slight nod of his head. She didn’t draw the conversation out and launched into what she knew, hoping against hope that Chuck wasn’t the one responsible for Tami’s death. Once she’d covered everything sufficiently, she sat back against her chair and didn’t bother to touch the new cup of coffee that Chief Jackson had placed in front of her.

“It’ll be nightfall by the time we pull into Panamanian territorial waters,” Starr informed everyone, taking the pad of information and positioning it underneath her arm. “In the meantime someone will be stationed in front of the cabin to ensure no one contaminates the scene until Lieutenant Irvine begins his investigation and the body is photographed. The ship doctor has already recorded the time of death and initiated her own inquiry. I’ve already notified the FBI, along with the U.S. Consulate in Cardenas. We’ll meet with an Agent Joel and she’ll join our assigned security officer in the investigation.”

“And then?” Ferrin asked, wondering if they would be docked until they caught the guilty person. “We won’t continue on until we have answers, right?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Starr responded, her answer vague but direct. That didn’t sit well with Ferrin, but it was apparent by Starr’s demeanor that was the way it would go down. “For now, you’re relieved of duty. Try and get some rest. I’ll send someone for you an hour before we pull into port.”

“Relieved of duty?” Ferrin didn’t like where this was going and her initial thought was that they assumed she had something to do with Tami’s death. A shot of adrenaline went through her as her heart rate accelerated and perspiration coated her palms. “Why?”

“For a number of reasons,” Starr responded without pretense. She continued by stating the cold hard facts. “You’ve had a shock to your system by finding your friend dead, Ferrin. You’re running on lack of sleep and you need some time to grieve and get yourself together, not to mention that the FBI will want a formal statement from you. This isn’t a debate. It’s an order.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ferrin automatically responded, suddenly feeling the weight of her exhaustion. Her emotions were still jumbled and she wasn’t sure what she felt, but her eyes burned and her chest tightened as if someone had laid bricks on it. She needed time to herself and pushed away the fact that they might still think of her as a suspect. Wasn’t that how televisions show were written? Either the husband or friend seemed to be the prime suspect, but yet this was real life. She didn’t want to think about that. “If it’s all right with you, I think I’d like to return to my cabin.”

Ferrin used her palms to push herself up from the chair, ignoring the slight vertigo that overcame her. She wouldn’t show weakness to anyone in this room and she damn well wouldn’t appear guilty when she hadn’t done anything wrong. While she wanted to ask more questions, like when would Tami’s family be notified, she thought maybe now it would be best to wait until the federal authorities got involved. She didn’t like the way Gunny was looking at her and while she’d done nothing wrong, she couldn’t help but think they did. They hadn’t blatantly accused her and while Starr had gone out of her way to explain why she was being relieved of her duties… the air had subtly changed and vulnerability had set in. She needed time to collect herself before she figured out what to do next.

‡

D
aegan and the
rest of the team finally finished conducting a health and comfort inspection of all the crew’s cabins on the ship. They then notified everyone of the new security procedures that Starr had issued until the perpetrator could be found. All department heads had been accounted for, along with all remaining personnel and each supervisor having spoken with the investigating officer. Daegan had found out early on that Ferrin was the one to discover Tami McDaniel’s body, but he couldn’t go to her without first ensuring that no one else on board
The Promised Land
was hurt or missing. They’d expected to deal with a lot on this mission, but not something of this nature. He wasn’t sure how Ferrin would react to his presence but he was about to find out. He stood outside her cabin and knocked against the metal. She swung open the hatch as if she was waiting for someone and he was surprised when her grey eyes darkened at the sight of him.