AK left the engine room and headed back to the ship's office, his mind spinning with thoughts about the slip he had found—coordinates, a time, and a single word: Transfer.
As he entered the office, the chief cook arrived with the food AK had asked for.
"Thank you," AK said, accepting the tray.
Before the cook could leave, AK asked casually, "Hey, about the rice bags you and the steward are arranging—are you going to latch them with rope or not?"
The cook replied, "Yes sir, after we finish stacking everything, we'll latch them properly."
AK nodded. "Arrange the bags in two rows, it'll be more stable. And don't forget to latch them afterward."
"Yes sir, we'll do that."
"Alright, thanks for the food. You may leave now."
The cook gave a respectful nod and exited.
AK sat at the table, picking at his food while his thoughts drifted. The slip he had taken from Mugilan's foot still weighed heavily in his pocket. His instincts told him something dangerous was brewing—a secret cargo transfer right under his nose.
But he wasn't just an investigator—he was also the Chief Officer, and managing two high-pressure jobs at once was starting to get to him. He took a deep breath, trying to ground himself.
Suddenly— "Excuse me, sir."
AK looked up. "Yes, come in. No formalities, Gaurav."
It was Second Officer Gaurav, who stopped mid-step, surprised.
"How do you know my name, sir?"
AK paused for a split second but recovered smoothly. "The previous Chief Officer told me about you—said you were very well-mannered."
Gaurav smiled slightly, the shock fading. "Ohh, alright. That's nice to hear."
He stepped in. "So, how's the job going? Happy with the ship?"
AK replied calmly, "Till now, everything is fine. Let's see if any problems arise later."
"Don't worry, sir, everything will be fine," Gaurav reassured, then asked, "Sir, has the 4th Engineer been here?"
"Yes," AK said, pointing to the table. "He kept the pad for you there."
"Oh, thank God. At least today he's on time," Gaurav muttered, picking up the pad and flipping through it.
Then his brows furrowed. "Hmm… something's missing."
He looked back up. "Do you know where the 4th Engineer is now?"
"Engine room, I think. Why, what happened?"
"Some logs are missing," Gaurav said. "I'll go talk to him."
And with that, he left the ship office.
But AK didn't relax.
If the Second Officer just wanted to ask about a missing log, he could have called the 4th Engineer. Why go down to the engine room personally?
Something about this didn't sit right.
The web was tightening. More than one person was involved, and AK knew—the deeper he dug, the darker it would get.