‘We should get everyone DNA tested,’ Nico snaps, clicking his fingers. ‘Everyone. Whoever killed Rick has to have been someone on board. All the crew should be tested. Then if the police find anything, we’ll be ready. Prepared. Heracles will pay for the tests – I will authorize it personally. We need to be seen to be doing something. Then if the press do find out, we can argue that we’re already doing everything possible to help find out who did this.’

‘I’d rather play down the whole “murderer on board” thing,’ Leo says. ‘At the moment none of the crew seems unduly worried by it, which is good news for both of us from an operational point of view. It would be a nightmare if they started to feel unsafe and wanting to leave part-way through the lay-up.’

‘Forcing them to have tests isn’t going to play out well,’ I interject. ‘I’m sure a lot of them won’t want to be tested, and I’m not sure about the ethics of—’

‘I don’t give a fuck about the ethics of testing!’ Nico rages, slamming his hand down on the table, making the glasses and bottle rattle. Leo and I both visibly jump. ‘A man has been killed here on one of my ships. I need to know who did it and ideally, why. What if the same person who did this killed that young dancer?’

‘It’s extremely unlikely that Lola was killed by someone else,’ Leo says, ‘there’s no evidence whatsoever to suggest that. It will have been a suicide. I would bet my last dollar on it.’

‘Given her medical history, it does seem the most likely scenario,’ I agree.

Nico ignores us both.

‘What if they go on to murder someone else because we are sitting on our arses doing nothing about it?’ he rages. ‘Anyone who doesn’t want to be tested is welcome to resign, though I will ensure that the police will be informed, both here and in their home country. And you can make sure they know that, please. I’m not having two unexplained deaths on my ship, and potentially risking more, not on my watch. We could have a serial killer on our hands for all we know. Bookings are already down – I can’t have any more bad press.’

‘I’m sure your doctor here …’ Nico continues, looking at me for the first time.

‘Stuart,’ I prompt.

‘Yes, Stuart, you can get things in motion. OK?’

‘Yep. I’ll get right on it,’ I say. ‘Though there will be the logistical issue of getting the tests to us, and then back to a lab – it’s not something that can be done on board, obviously, and—’