Medusa

She nodded slowly, biting her lip. And then suddenly she began to cry. I tried to say I would do what I could. ‘I’ve no desire to ruin his career, but if they bring it up I’m not going to pretend I’m a fool and didn’t know.’ And I added, ‘A lot will depend on the sort of man Captain Wheatcroft turns out to be, how understanding he is of the emotional needs of naval officers, particularly somebody like Gareth.’ But she wasn’t listening. She had turned away, shaking her head, and with her hand to her mouth she ran to the bedroom and shut the door.

The Board of Enquiry had taken over the Captain’s day cabin, the three members seated at a folding table that had been brought up from the wardroom, their blue uniforms with the gold bands on cuffs and shoulder straps solidly impressive. I was shown to a chair set facing them and after the preliminaries the Chairman went out of his way to put me at my ease by saying, ‘This is not in any sense a court, Mr Steele, but you will understand, I am sure, that an expensive and valuable Navy ship has been set aground and we have to enquire into the circumstances of that grounding. For instance, was it an accidental grounding or was it deliberate? If the latter, then what were the reasons for the decision to set the ship aground?’

He was leaning a little forward, a long, fine-boned face with sharply pointed nose and high-domed forehead largely devoid of hair. ‘I want you to understand — whatever your personal feelings — that the purpose of this Board is to resolve those two questions and report our findings. You will appreciate, of course, that the circumstances were very unusual — almost, I might say, unprecedented. And the odd thing is that you, a civilian, were on board, and to some extent involved, at several of the most crucial moments.’

Captain Wheatcroft had considerable charm, his manner friendly and altogether disarming, except that, as the questions developed, his voice, which was what I would call very establishment Navy, became more aloof and inquisitorial. He had me describe the frigate’s movements from the time she raised her anchor to the time she grounded, and here I was able to avoid any reference to the glimpse I had had of an altercation between Gareth and his First Lieutenant. ‘So you’re suggesting the ship was out of control?’

‘It looked like it,’ I replied.

‘Because he went stern-first through the narrows?’ He didn’t wait for me to agree, but added, ‘He’d no reason to go through the narrows. He had far more sea room to the east of Bloody Island.’ And then he said, ‘I think I should tell you the evidence we have already heard makes it clear there was nothing wrong with the engines. That was a put-up job to justify the Captain’s refusal to move his ship when he had been ordered to leave by the port authorities, and indeed by the self-styled president of the new regime himself. You know about that, I think?’ And when I nodded, he smiled as though he had established a point he had been trying to make. ‘You realise, of course, what follows from that?’

I nodded.

‘So can I have a direct answer from you on the first question we are having to resolve — in your opinion was the grounding of the frigate Medusa deliberate? Yes or no, please.’

‘Yes,’ I said.

‘Good. Now to the second question, Mr Steele, and this I think you may find some difficulty in answering. What in your opinion was the overriding reason for Lieutenant Commander Lloyd Jones’s action in deliberately grounding his ship? And let me say here we already know that you were on board and here in this very cabin when a man named Evans arrived from Cala Llonga and was brought up to see him.’ He glanced hurriedly through his notes. The three of you were together here, with nobody else present, for approximately ten minutes, perhaps a little longer. Now, would you kindly tell us exactly what was said? Evans was holding your wife hostage, correct?’

‘Yes.’

‘Any particular reason why they should have seized your wife rather than somebody else’s wife?’

I told him that perhaps it was because Lloyd Jones had personally met her. She wasn’t a stranger to him. And I added, ‘The circumstances were somewhat unusual and I was sure Evans would have heard about it.’ I knew I was treading on thin ice here, and to avoid saying too much, I told him exactly what had happened the night of the barbecue.

‘And you think, if Evans knew about that, it would be sufficient to make him single her out from all the wives in Mahon?’ And he went straight on, ‘You know, of course, that Evans is Lieutenant Commander Lloyd Jones’s half-brother. Moreover, Evans had saved his life. That would surely be enough without bringing a woman into it?’

I didn’t answer that. The man had been too well briefed, by Wade probably. He smiled and leaned back in his chair. ‘Well go on, Mr Steele. You were going to tell us what exactly took place in this cabin when the Captain, you and Evans were closeted here together for over ten minutes.’