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Captain Wodensen entered the closed door of the Royale Casino. Fortunately, his casino manager had sent the passengers who’d been in the casino to the bar next door with the promise of free drinks while staff worked on an equipment breakdown. The casino staff had thrown a green, velvet cloth over the body. His staff assured him most people didn’t know what had happened.
Wodensen and First Mate Hensen stared dumbly at the body. One of the ship’s blackjack dealers lay on the floor. His throat was slashed from ear to ear. Bright red blood covered the victim’s freshly-pressed white shirt and tuxedo jacket. His eyes were opened wide in death, shocked at what had happened to him. The captain and casino staff were appalled at the sight of the body.
Captain Wodensen controlled his emotions and asked in a calm voice, “What happened here?”
The casino manager nodded for a second blackjack dealer to respond. The man, about forty years of age, spoke in an accented voice, “It was so fast. It happened so fast I can hardly remember. Dietrich was dealing blackjack to a customer who appeared quite drunk. The passenger had lost heavily and accused Dietrich of cheating, and before anyone knew it, he pulled a knife and slit his throat.”
“Then what?” the captain asked in a low voice. “Where’d the man go?”
The blackjack dealer looked uneasy, “I... I don’t know. It was so fast. It all happened so fast. I leaned down to help Dietrich and when I looked up, he was gone. I reached under the gaming table and covered Dietrich with the blackjack table cover.”
Captain Wodensen turned as his head of security touched him on the shoulder. “Sir, we’ve identified the murderer, but we haven’t located him. We have him on camera from the cashier. He’s not in his stateroom. My security team has been briefed and we’re searching the ship for him.”
“How quickly can you find him?” the captain asked in an angry voice, a deep scowl on his face. The reality of a murder aboard ship infuriated him. There was going to be hell to pay. Lawsuits, a crazed passenger group, and whatever else found its way to torture him.
The security chief looked at the floor and then back into the eyes of Captain Wodensen. “We hope to find him quickly, sir, but this is a very large vessel.”
Anger shot through the captain. “I know how damned big the ship is,” Wodensen snapped. “Just find him.” He turned to the first mate and said, “Make sure this mess is cleaned up. Re-open the casino as soon as you can. The least said about this the better,” he instructed. He looked at the casino staff that had surrounded the game table. “Keep quiet about this. The cruise line doesn’t need to pay out millions in lawsuits. If I hear of any gossip among the crew, you’ll be punished,” the captain said in an irate voice as he left the Royale Casino.
The casino staff stood transfixed as they stared at the body on the floor and the bright red blood on their friend’s crisply starched shirt. Dark blood pooled on the floor under the table. A young woman gasped at the sight and held onto the table for stability.
Captain Wodensen looked around at the crewmembers and asked, “Is that understood?” He watched as each casino dealer, barmaid, and casher nodded his or her head and then he turned abruptly and left the area.