Chapter 10 - Smoke Below Deck
The yacht changed in seconds.
Crew members who had been carrying towels and wine trays were suddenly in emergency vests, moving guests toward the forward muster area.
Claire took command over the radio.
"Seal corridor B. Shut ventilation to the document room. Suppression team respond. Nobody goes below without breathing gear."
Maya grabbed her arm. "The server—"
"Forget the server. People first."
They moved with the guests.
Vivian tried to separate herself from the group.
A deck officer blocked her.
"Ma'am, forward please."
"I need my medication."
"A crew member will retrieve it."
"It's private."
"So is smoke inhalation. Forward."
For the first time that day, Maya almost smiled.
The fire suppression alarm stopped after six minutes. The smell of burned plastic reached the deck anyway.
Claire received the report.
"Small electrical fire," she said. "Contained."
Grant exhaled.
"Accident?"
Claire's face said no.
"A bottle of solvent was found under the server cabinet."
Vivian spoke too quickly. "Maintenance uses solvents."
Claire looked at her. "Not that one."
Maya's eyes narrowed. "What kind?"
"Marine adhesive remover. Highly flammable. Stored in a locked engineering cabinet."
"Who can open it?"
"Crew. And owner-level access."
Grant closed his eyes. "Code seven?"
"We'll check."
Brooke folded her arms around herself. "My phone was in the salon five minutes before the alarm."
Maya looked at Vivian. "Convenient."
Vivian finally lost her polished tone.
"Do you actually think I started a fire on my husband's yacht?"
"I think you poured a drink on me, planted jewelry in my bag, hid my father's trust papers, and tried to trick me into signing away my rights. Arson doesn't feel like a huge leap anymore."
Vivian slapped the table beside her.
"You ungrateful little—"
Claire stepped forward.
"Finish that sentence and you're confined to your cabin."
Vivian glared at her.
A crew tech hurried onto the deck carrying a scorched black box.
"Captain. We recovered part of the backup drive."
Claire took it.
"Can you read it?"
"Maybe. But that's not the weird part."
He held up a small object sealed in an evidence pouch.
Brooke gasped.
It was her missing phone.
Half melted.
May you like
Taped to the back was a folded blue strip of paper.
The same blue paper used for the missing trust amendment.
