I made the mistake of getting cornered by Antonio when he was drunk the other night and it was a struggle to get away. I’m not sure he should be here at all. I think he’s on the verge of a breakdown.

He said we will probably never find out what happened to Lola and even if we think we do, it probably won’t be true. He says there will be a cover-up because that’s what they do on cruise ships – they don’t want people to hear about the bad things that happen. He says he’s staying on board so that he can keep an eye on the investigation because Lola doesn’t have anyone else to do it for her.

We may not have known each other long, but it was pretty obvious Lola wasn’t the most stable of people. Initially, when it became clear she was missing, I thought she’d turn up. Playing some kind of prank, or winding up Antonio or Jamie. Then, when it became clear that she wasn’t going to, I thought she must have had some kind of episode and decided to take her own life. She’d been pretty upset when I’d seen her earlier.

But now I’m starting to wonder if Antonio had something to do with her disappearance after all. Especially after what she told me on New Year’s Eve.

Is he protesting too much with the cover-up stuff? Trying to put the blame on someone other than himself?

Then again, as Rick said, on the rare occasion that someone does go overboard, it almost always turns out to be a drunken accident or suicide. Not murder. And certainly not on a luxurious ship like this one moored up in the Caribbean.

Unthinkable.

6

14 January 2022, 13:00

The Caribbean

Transcript of police interview

Superintendent Bailey: Interview with Safety Officer Bill Harding, 14 January 2022, 1300 hours. I understand that since our last meeting you have been through the security tapes, as requested?

Bill: Yep.

Superintendent Bailey: Did you find anything which might indicate what happened to the lady in question on 31 December?

Bill: As you know, there’s a lot of footage and a lot of cameras, so I’ve put together the most relevant bits for you. Unfortunately some cameras weren’t working when she went missing. The system is old and is being upgraded during this lay-up.

Superintendent Bailey: I see. That is unfortunate. Do you have any suspicion that any of the cameras might have been tampered with?

Bill: It’s difficult to know for sure, but there is no specific evidence of that, no.

Superintendent Bailey: Perhaps you can tell me what you did find which might be pertinent.