The waves of the treacherous British sea smashed against the concrete shore, sheets of water flinging into the sky as they got carried a dozen meters inland by the strong morning wind of Britain.
A group of men wearing dark blue uniforms moved around the base as well as the inside of a massive ship. Some were carrying wooden boxes into the ship, while others were checking the ropes, life jackets, and rescue boats for any issues. Deep inside the ship, engineers checked the fluid levels such as oil, fuel, and coolant for any leaks. And at the very front of the ship, where a bridge dangled between the entrance and the shore, there was a young man that checked the paperwork of the people who came in.
Mayhew, who stood just a few meters away, looked at the process with a thoughtful look.
'I can't help but feel safer when looking at this level of organization.'
Taking a journey through the frozen waters near Poland was something that would make almost any person nervous. But looking at the bulk of the ship as well as its organized crew did make the detective feel a little more confident.
Mayhew took a brief moment to look around the lively shores of the Tilbury port. His gaze shifted at an unnatural pace. It was as if he was looking for somebody.
'One minute left on the clock. Is she really going to be late for the first time.'
A slight grin appeared on his mouth as he thought this. However, soon enough the sight of a young woman immediately made his smile disappear, and a long sigh escaped his lips.
'It's just never going to happen, is it.'
A woman with long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes approached the detective. She wore a white jacket that had several small pockets around the front, and a pair of light brown pants hung tightly to her legs.
Without a single word being shared between the two, the woman moved over and handed Mayhew a variety of different stuff, such as a passport, a paper ticket, and a document.
The detective only took a few seconds to study them before looking back at the young woman.
The woman in question was looking at him with a small question mark written over her face.
"One year allowance to investigate in Poland. Just how exactly did you manage to do that?"
When she spoke, her voice was strict and almost businesslike, though Detective Brown did not seem to mind it.
With a small smile, Mayhew said:
"Public and most importantly political pressure. I contacted a lot of Deven's former coworkers and friends, and they managed to link me up with the governor of Virginia. From there it was just a game of climbing the stairs without slipping. I carefully managed to get the phone numbers of more influential politicians in America. With their help as well as the help of the British government, we pressured the Polish government into giving us a year-long passage to investigate this case. It was a pain in the ass, and it took a few miserable months to accomplish, but I say that it was worth it in the end."
Margret could only chuckle at what she heard, but a question did rise up in her mind.
"The Polish government might be in a sorry state right now, but I doubt that they would allow us to stay inside their territory for an entire year without giving us a few strict restrictions."
The detective let out a small sigh.
"You are indeed right. Well first of all, once we arrive at the city of Pustków, we will not be allowed to leave without giving a notice to the Polish government. We will also not be allowed to bring any heavy equipment with us, and guns are absolutely out of the question. And to add further on, we also have a strict limit to how many pounds we will be able to exchange for Polish złoty. So to sum up, we will not be able to leave the city we are investigating, we will not be able to bring any type of forensic equipment with us, we will also not be able to defend ourselves if a conflict arises, and to add on top, our budget is heavily limited."
Margret could only massage her forehead and sigh at this information.
"Well, we have to work with what we have been given. But not having a gun will definitely make things complicated. At least for me it will, for you it's just like any other investigation."
Margret threw a side eye toward the detective, which made him smile and shake his head in amusement.
Mayhew was famous for being a very successful investigator, but there was something else that he was also known for, and that was the fact that he never carried a gun while investigating.
Most other detectives considered him crazy for going into such dangerous cases without a weapon, and Margret was included in that list as well. Though after seven years of working beside Detective Brown, she eventually learned to tolerate this strange habit, not accept but at least tolerate.
A small frown formed on Margret's face as she looked at the massive ship.
This was immediately noticed by the detective as his observation was obviously quite strong.
"What's wrong?"
She let out a sigh.
"I know a lot of languages, some I learned on my own while most I learned from you. But as far as I remember you never taught me how to speak Polish."
"Don't worry, I can speak Polish pretty well."
Margret took a moment to look at Detective Mayhew, no humor was present in her eyes. She then lightly slapped his shoulder and said:
"I know that you can you prat, the problem is that I cannot. I am just going to be your sidekick the whole investigation like that time we went to solve a case in Turkey."
The detective lightly patted her on the back trying to reassure her with both action and words.
"No, it won't turn out like that I promise. We have a year on our hands, that's plenty for you to learn Polish."
Looking at the smiling detective, Margret's expression softened into a small smile.
"Yes, I guess so."
The detective took a moment to glance at his watch, and a slight frown appeared on his face as he did.
"Well, it's time to go. If we wait any longer we might just get left behind."
Margret nodded, her expression turning slightly serious.
The pair walked over to the long bridge that connected the ship to the shore. A young man wearing a dark blue uniform looked at them with a friendly smile on his face.
Mayhew of course returned the smile, while Margret kept her face mostly natural if not a little too serious.
The detective quickly handed over all the required items such as the tickets, passports for both, and other stuff.
Studying their passports, the young man's smile suddenly widened as he looked at their names.
Taking a moment to examine the two figures in front of him, the man spoke in an energetic voice.
"Detective Mayhew Brown and Detective Margret Rose. I am truly blessed to be meeting you."
Margret didn't give much of a reaction other than rolling her eyes. Meanwhile Mayhew waved a hand and chuckled lightly.
"No sir, we are the ones that are blessed to be meeting you. Truly, you remind me of my younger self and that is no low standard to be compared to. I am sure that you will become a fine ship captain in the future, son."
The blond young man couldn't help but chuckle along with Mayhew.
"Thank you for the kind words sir. Your reputation isn't exaggerated after all."
Soon the two detectives made their way up the bridge. They both turned around to look at the British port one last time before entering the ship.
A loud sound echoed throughout the port making birds scramble to fly away and people to cover their ears, it was the ships horn of course. The bridge that once connected the ship to land was removed and the ropes that held the massive alloy vessel were removed as well. Meanwhile the men in blue uniforms screamed with all they could muster:
"Cast off!"
A black veil of smoke began to flow up into the sky and the engines of the ship roared with pure machinery might. The people walking inside the vessel took a moment to balance themselves as a myriad of vibrations were sent through the hallways.
Mayhew and Margret held on to each other as they waited for the shaking to stop. And after a few minutes, the trembling did die down.
"Uhh, I already feel unwell."
A burp escaped Margret's mouth at that moment, which was not a good sign to say the least.
He murmured.
"Let's go find our cabin. You will be able to rest there."
The detective took a long pause to glance at his ticket. To find his room he would need to know the deck and the number first.
'Deck B, cabin 15.'
Mayhew smiled.
"We are already on deck B, I saw the sign at the beginning of the hallway. And as for our room number..."
He looked to the side where a metallic door had a small black sign glued to the top. Written on the sign was the number 25.
"It seems that our cabin is just ahead. Come on Meg, let's get you to a bed."
A groan left her mouth.
"Yea. That's probably a good idea."
The two speed walked their way to their room, slipping a couple of times as the ship began to tremble every now and then from the harsh waves of the sea.
'Room 15. This is the one.'
Detective Mayhew searched the pockets of his coat for the small rusted key that the young man had given him.
'Found it.'
With Margret leaning on his back and gagging, Mayhew quickly inserted the key into the keyhole and opened the door.
The inside of the cabin was just as small as he had thought it would be. On the left side of the room and closest to the door were two small bunk beds that were covered by rough blankets. At the right side of the room closest to the wall there was a small wooden desk, it only had a single shelf and the wood itself was chipped in several places. And a single lightbulb illuminated the cabin.
Mayhew glanced at Margret, a wide grin plastered on his lips.
"Would you like the top bunk or the bottom bunk?"
With a few shaky steps, Margret made her way to the bottom bunk and laid down. She closed her eyes and said in a weak voice:
"Mayhew, I remember that we split two jobs between each other. I would get the tickets and you would get the luggage. So tell me then, where is our luggage?!"
The hazel-eyed detective did not rush to answer her question. He slowly moved over to the wooden desk that lay on the far right corner of the cabin. Once there, Mayhew bent down and from under the hollow space of the desk he pulled out two medium-sized suitcases.
Margret glanced over at him.
"Is placing our bags here ahead of time even allowed?"
"When the captain of the ship is a friend of my friend, then yes it is indeed allowed."
Margret could only crack a weak chuckle as she heard Mayhew's reasoning.
The detective meanwhile quickly took to occupying the old wooden desk. He placed four yellow papers on its wooden surface and began to read something from them.
Margret spoke from her bunk bed, her voice while still direct was much lower and weaker than usual.
"Are those the letters Deven Smith sent to his wife while investigating in Poland?"
He confirmed with a quick nod.
"Get some sleep Meg, you'll need the energy once we arrive in northern Poland."
She opened her mouth to protest but a gag that almost made her vomit quickly made her agree with his advice.
Mayhew meanwhile continued his reading session of the letters, beginning with the earliest.
'25th of october 1983.'
According to the documents Mrs. Smith had given him, Deven had arrived in Poland on October 16th, 1983.
So the first letter the American detective had sent had been very early into his investigation.