I’ve just returned from a six-week cruise ship experience in the South Seas. Was it everything I’d dreamed? Of course, in some ways.
Nothing beats going to sleep rocked by the gentle motion of the ocean swell. I didn’t get to see the Southern Cross because it appeared at 4 a.m., as did crossing the equator both ways. Through the trickery of the International Date Line, I got to celebrate December 30th twice.
The best part was that I finished the first draft of my next novel just as the current book, On Behalf of the Family, has been published. I diligently sat myself at the desk in my stateroom every morning and pounded it out. Would I show this version to anyone? Eeeeek.
I learned something of interest to mystery fans by sidling up to the head of ship security and asking questions. I had to overcome his natural suspicion as to why anybody would want to know about issues of internal security control. Fortunately he accepted my bona fides and talked to me, I hope freely.
For purposes of my plot, I wanted to know how law enforcement would pick a passenger off a cruise ship in international waters. First of all, it is unlikely this operation would happen at sea, unless you were writing a thriller. The criminal isn’t going anywhere so they would wait until the ship docked. They might put a watch on him.
He disclosed to me, after a lot of wheedling, that what would happen is that the closest branch of law enforcement (the locals) along with FBI, (depending on the crime) would board the ship. The law enforcement official who had the warrant would accompany them.
The captain would call a safety drill and muster all passengers to report to their lifeboat station and be accounted for. Our criminal would be escorted off the ship if he were to be among the passengers at the lifeboat station.
If the criminal tried to elude being counted, there would be an immediate search of the ship by all hands. I spent several weeks trying to think like a hunted criminal aboard a cruise ship and came up with a list of good hiding places. When I discussed them with the security chief he scoffed, “Those are the first places we’d look.”
Sigh. Still, I’m at the first draft stage. Anything could happen.