A man in a dark blue uniform with the golden stars of the company bowed to me from the threshold. His rounded glasses perched on his straight nose. “Miss Fitzwilliam, I’m Detective Norton. I’m terribly sorry for the incident. I promise I will start a thorough investigation and catch the perpetrator as soon as possible.” He flipped through the pages of a notepad. “Would you please tell me what happened?”

I didn’t have much to say. It took me only a couple of minutes to sum up how the huge man had tackled me and kicked me in the stomach before rushing out of Rennie’s cabin. Pain burned my side all over again as I remembered the kick. My breathing sped up.

Norton nodded. “Can you describe the man?”

“It was dark, but I can tell you he was tall, muscular, and broad.”

The detective stopped writing, scowling. “Are you sure, madam?”

“As I said, it was dark. I’m not sure about the colour of the man’s hair or eyes, but I’m pretty sure he was a large, strong man.”

Norton scribbled something in the notepad, shooting me a glare, as if I were a lunatic. He exchanged a glance with the nurse. “Large and strong?” he repeated.

Hadn’t I been clear enough? “Yes,” I said.

He wrote something else. “That’s all for now. Thank you, madam.”