Page 168 of The Silent Appeal

1:59 p.m. Nicky-Rose wrote:

The BPS are on the Ramirez case and they’ll want to know WHY she never made it back to the Eclipse.

2:02 p.m. Trina wrote:

Ricardo’s been arrested for some shit he did years ago. Might get bail, might not. But he’s the only one who can move that much cash to London.

2:02 p.m. Nicky-Rose wrote:

You bring it.

2:07 p.m. Trina wrote:

How do I know you haven’t copied the docs and will wait till you’ve got the money before blowing it all open?

2:08 p.m. Nicky-Rose wrote:

That’s classic. Assuming I’d do something because it’s what you’d do.

2:11 p.m. Trina wrote:

Don’t be like this.

2:12 p.m. Nicky-Rose wrote:

You’ll have to trust me. Like I trusted you.

To: Nicky-Rose Dearing

From: Lily Bielik

Date: April 28, 2025

Subject: Tiffany Ramirez

Dear Nicky,

I’m sorry to email you at your personal address. As you know I was in Music from the Movies on Voyager Eclipse last summer, and emailed you when I was upset after Tiffany Ramirez went overboard. Well, I’ve just been visited by Inspector Lascelles from the Bridgetown Police, and now I feel even more upset and confused.

I thought I’d tell you what I told him, because looking back on it now, that job was strange from the very start. There was an atmosphere between the cast and the ship’s crew. The head chef (who everyone called Rooster, even though it wasn’t his name) and a few of his cronies said offensive things to us dancers. But you know what it’s like, you don’t snitch on anyone, we’re all in the same boat. Ha-ha.

Then there was the comedian who was sent home from St. Lucia. I told Inspector Lascelles I had no idea why she was fired, except that morale was really low among the cast by then. I’d spoken with Tiffany because it was her first job after graduating from dance school and she was nervous. I told her I’d been shaky on my first job. We bonded about how weird and scary it is when you first start.

That day in Bridgetown, I was going ashore to see my friend on Tiger of the Seas, which was also in port that day. I didn’t want Tiffany to come because he’s a friend with benefits, if you know what I mean. I felt bad enough when I heard she killed herself, but now they’re saying she never got back on board and if only I’d taken her with me and shown her the sights instead, whatever happened might not have.

I was back in my cabin by 11 p.m. but most of them were still out partying or whatever. I know Tiffany wasn’t back then because no one in our section was. The next day we had to be on ship by 6 a.m., but because Tiffany had been sharing a room with the comedian there was no one to say she hadn’t come back. We didn’t have a show until the evening. It was when she didn’t turn up for that we started looking around. I was one of the first to go into her cabin and I know for a fact her case was in there, her makeup bag, her pajamas. She obviously hadn’t been planning on spending the night ashore. Then they found her passport and saw she signed back aboard at 11:25 p.m. That triggered a ship search. She wasn’t found and they concluded she’d gone over.

Inspector Lascelles said they now think the passport was planted, her signature was forged, and that everyone who was working on the Eclipse will be traced and interviewed, because a crew member with access to the cabins and manifest must know something.

But I’ve worked on ships for two years now, and there must have been more than one person who knew she hadn’t come back.

I’m really scared, Nicky. What happened to her? It was bad enough thinking she killed herself, but this feels even worse somehow, because whoever did it is probably still working on cruise ships, and if so, none of us are safe. Lily

To: Amelia Stibson

From: Isabel Beck

Date: April 28, 2025