Page 63 of The Admiral's Daughter

River mentioned Hardman this morning as being Benson’s superior officer. He must be the one giving Benson free-range on the unofficial bunk inspections.

“River gave me a list of cabins Benson inspects in the morning. I’ve compiled a list of sailors who are inthem. Can you look them over and mark anyone you know personally?”

“So more than colleagues?” Kit asks.

“Exactly.”

They spend the next ten minutes passing the list around and making marks against fellow sailors. When it arrives back to me, another one of my suspicions is confirmed. The bunk areas Benson is targeting all have at least one queer sailor attached to it. Now, I know it’s not enough to prove what I think is going on, but it’s a start.

“Is there a queer officer on board?”

River looks to the side, searching her memory bank. “Lieutenant Pierce is gay, I think.”

“Oh, he is. He has a husband,” Cheddar confirms.

I make a note of his name. “Thank you, that’s really helpful.”

“You think Benson is a raging homophobe, don’t you?” Kit asks matter-of-factly.

Weighing up my options, I decide to tell them where my line of enquiry is heading. It would be super helpful to have more boots on the ground, so to speak. They have the ears of their crewmates and might be able to get more information out of them than me.

“I can’t say for certain without proof, but yes. When I first heard of Benson doing bunk inspections I was curious. I may not be completely up to speed with all things Navy, but I know enough to spot inconsistencies. Add that to his campaign of terror against you guys, and now I find out other sailors who identify as queer, then yes, I think there is a pattern of homophobia.”

“But his sister is gay,” River speaks up.

“It doesn’t mean he agrees,” Boot says with a shrug.

“Boot is right. We don’t know how he is with his sister. I’m just following the evidence. Even if I’m proved wrong, Benson is still being given power beyond his rank. I’m right in saying the Officer of the Watch is the person who should be doing rounds on an evening, right? That’s what you told me, River.”

She nods.

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s not every night because sometimes shit is happening, but usually that’s how it goes,” Kit says.

“So, for some reason, Benson is being allowed to inspect and punish his fellow crewmates when it isn’t his job. Why?”

They look between them, with questioning eyes.

“From what I’ve gathered so far, no other Warrant Officer is doing what Benson is.”

“We have two other Warrant Officer class 2 aboard. Benson is the only one in the engineering department,” River says.

“Yeah, but we have Warrant Officer Ripley who is a class 1, so why hasn’t he said anything?” Cheddar asks.

“That’s what I intend to find out. There are several people on this ship who should be aware of what’s going on. If they are, I want to know why they haven’t put a stop to it.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” River asks. “I’m not saying it’s right, but I don’t want you getting in the middle of something, Cleo.”

“It’s my job,” I shoot back.

Holding up her hands, she leans away from me, and I instantly feel bad. “I was just asking.”

Laying my hand on her thigh, I give her a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I get a little defensive sometimes.”

“I just want you to be careful,” she replies, leaning into me.

“Oh God, gag!” Cheddar calls. Kit and Boot laugh, and River shoots them all glares. Her face starts to heat, andI can’t help but find it endearing. This is the first time she’s probably shown this side of herself with a woman to her friends.

With one more squeeze of her incredible thigh, I pull my hand away. We need to stay professional, and I don’t want River feeling uncomfortable with the attention she’s getting from her bunkies.