MacAllister

“But I think she actually wanted it,” Roderick said.

“What makes you think that?”

“Because she dinnae scream,” Alexander said. “No’ with either one of us.”

“But afterward, she said she was going to report us,” Roderick added.

“And we could nae let that happen,” Alexander said.

“So, we, uh—we . . .” Roderick pointed to the girl’s twisted and bruised body. He didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t have to.

“So, what do you want me to do?” Malcolm asked.

Roderick and Alexander looked at each other before Alexander spoke. “Tell us what to do now,” he said.

Malcolm sighed, then stroked his chin. “We’ve got to get rid of the body,” he said.

“How?” Roderick asked.

“How? We are on a ship in the middle of the ocean,” Malcolm said. “We’ll throw her and her clothes overboard.”

“See, Roderick? I told you that Malcolm would know what to do.”

“Look out in the passageway, make certain there is no one there,” Malcolm said. “There is an opening at the end of the passageway. We can go there to drop her over the side.”

When the coast was clear, the three men took Miriam’s body out of the cabin, then to the end of the corridor where, as Malcolm had pointed out, there was a railing that was open to the sea. They dropped the body overboard, then turned around just as a sailor was walking by.

“Ha!” the sailor said. “Feeding the fishes, are you?”

“What?” Roderick asked, startled by the question.

“That’s what we say when one is seasick and throwing up over the rail. He is feeding the fishes.”

Malcolm laughed. “Yes, that’s a good one,” he said. He put his hand on Roderick’s shoulder. “I’m afraid my friend isn’t that good of a sailor.”

“Nothing to be ashamed of,” the sailor said. “I’ve seen all of my shipmates get seasick at one time or another. Ask the galley for an orange,” he called back as he continued on whatever mission had brought him on deck. “I’ve always found that an orange helps.”

“Thanks,” Roderick replied.

Because Miriam was traveling alone, her absence was not noticed immediately. It was two days before another young lady, who had befriended her, reported her concern over not having seen her. The captain authorized her cabin to be entered, and they found it empty. A thorough search of the ship turned up no sign of her, and the captain, reluctantly, concluded that she must have fallen overboard.

From the New York Sentinel:

New York Debutante Lost at Sea

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY HAD NO WITNESSES

A terrible tragedy occurred on board the RMS Etruria during its voyage from Glasgow to New York. Miss Miriam Phelps, daughter of Edward Phelps, wealthy owner of the New York Bank for International Investment, was lost at sea during the ship’s transit. Miss Phelps was seen by many at dinner in the First-Class dining salon on Wednesday of the week previous, and by two guests who saw her later that night outside her cabin door.

First-Class passengers have their own deck, a large roomy area affording the more affluent the privacy necessary to protect them from unwanted contact with those passengers who transit via steerage. The First-Class deck is complete with shuffleboard and reclining chairs, and often passengers will, if the night is particularly pleasant, visit the First-Class deck to view the stars, or just to watch the luminescence of the water breaking white along the hull of the ship. It is thought that, perhaps to enjoy the deck in complete privacy, or perchance in an attempt to get some fresh air to combat a bout of mal de mar, Miss Phelps decided to visit the deck and, getting too close to the rail with no one to express caution or extend assistance, she fell overboard.

With nobody to hear her plea for help, the ship sailed on, leaving the poor woman floundering helplessly in its wake. Miss Phelps, 21, was a graduate of Smith College and is remembered by her classmates as a woman of talent, beauty, and generosity.

“Ha,” Roderick said after reading the newspaper. “Did you read this in the newspaper? They think she fell overboard.”

“We got away with it,” Alexander said.

“This time,” Malcolm said. “You were lucky. You might not be so lucky next time. So my advice to you is, stay out of trouble.”

“Our father may have appointed you in charge of us while we are looking for MacCallister,” Roderick said. “But he dinnae put you in charge of our personal lives.”

“Nor do I want to be in charge of your personal lives,” Malcolm replied. “But I am in charge of finding Duff MacCallister and dealing with him. And until that is accomplished, anything that might get in the way of our finding him comes under my purview.”

“All right, we’ll go along with what you say until then,” Alexander said. “But after we take care of MacCallister, you are no’ in charge of us anymore.”

“The first thing we need to do is find the Rex Theater,” Malcolm said.

“When we find the theater, let’s get us good seats,” Roderick said. “I like watching plays. Alexander, do you remember the play we went to in Edinburgh?”

“Aye, that was a good play,” Alexander replied.