Chapter 1

 “More than meets the eye”

The following morning, the sun remained absent. The grey, cloudy coverings of the sky hadn’t moved an inch. It almost felt as though no time had passed.

Soon enough, a petite coffee colored rabbit girl arrived at the S.S. Iris in full investigator’s attire. She donned a mid-length, tan trench coat, some sturdy, brown lace less boots, and an iconic detective’s hat with a flowery pattern. She was as cute as a button, yet her face told an entirely different tale. She didn’t take any time to stop and admire the view. The cruise ship’s impressive size and extravagant decor were meaningless in her eyes. There was nothing fascinating enough to distract her from the mission at hand. With a steady gaze, the lagomorph hastily made her way towards the steam ship. This detective meant serious business.

Upon entering the terminal, the Captain came out to greet her. He was a particularly well composed gentleman. Penelope watched as he disembarked from the ship. He had a striking appearance. The shark-like being, dressed in a dark blue uniform greatly contrasting his snow-white, wavy hair and light grey fur. He was tall and long with icy blue eyes, sharp claws, and four horns on his head. He extended his arm and gently shook Penelope’s soft small paw.

“Penelope, Correct…?” said the captain.

“Yes sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Replied Penelope with her usual professional attitude.

“Wonderful, You’re right on time. I’ve been awaiting your arrival” the captain said to her in an inviting yet serious tone of voice. It was obvious that he had high expectations for Penelope.

“Punctuality is always my top priority.” She replied. It was true, she always made sure to arrive exactly as scheduled wherever she was needed. Never any sooner nor later. She made sure not to waste any time.

“Very well, let us discuss this inside,” he said as he escorted Penelope to the bridge of the ship. They walked along the gangway into the vessel and passed through the massive lobby decked with large chandeliers hanging from the lifted ceiling. Surprisingly , the ship seemed smaller on the inside than from its exterior. It was a private cruise. While the boat was still an impressive steamship, it was small in comparison to more commercial cruise ships, yet still kept a luxurious appearance. It had vast open spaces and important areas such as a large lobby and banquet style ballroom diner.

Once they arrived, the Captain sat down at his chair in the wheelhouse and turned towards Penelope. The technology was incredibly impressive. Each button and switch performed its own small function. How did anyone manage to learn what it all does? There was so much to take in. The detective was admittedly rather impressed. However, she didn’t let this distract her from the mission at hand.

Near the window sat a manila folder, a couple of sticky notes with various memos or short poems written on them, and a small, framed photograph of a young Captain and his sister. They appeared to be at the beach. The captain wore a smile while his sister was bursting with laughter. The photograph was old and rather faded. Penelope caught the captain staring at the image.

“What was she laughing about?” she asked.

“Well, the truth is, I can’t seem to remember. “I used to recall this day so vividly, I remember we called it the summer of the century. Now, I can’t even tell what my sister was laughing about. First, I lose her, now I have begun to lose her memory...” replied the captain defeatedly.

“Please Sir, don’t feel bad.” replied Penelope. “Perhaps it’s just your mind’s way of coping with everything going on. I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you.” she said, attempting to reassure the captain. It was not uncommon for people to suppress memories of lost loved ones.

“Enough about that.” Said the Captain, turning his focus away from the image.

“As you might already know, I’ve called you here to investigate the murder of my dear sister, Marigold Seashine. It pains me to even speak of it, but, alas, I must...” The captain said while gazing at the window. He looked out towards the horizon where the deep lapis colored sea and grey sky collided. He turned his attention back to Penelope. Slowly, he picked up the manila file folder and handed it to her.

“Here is the file containing the details of the case… it’s important.”

“Yes, of course Sir,” she replied and then paused before following it up with her next statement. “I apologize for your loss… I promise I will do the best I can.”

“Very well. I admire your determined attitude.”

She remained attentive to the captain. It was clear how heavily this event had weighed on him. He was a man of great composure, yet it was easy to see right into his broken soul.

“Well, the first thing I’d like you to do is to meet the suspects and conduct an interview with each one. They should all be located in their cabins on the lower deck. Only Marigold’s Cabin and D3 should be empty,”, He said as he reached towards the pocket on his uniform and pulled out a fancy golden keychain. Each key was engraved with its respective room number in a calligraphic font.

“Here are the keys in case you aren’t able to access a cabin. I instructed the passengers to unlock their doors after hearing a specific knocking pattern but knowing these folks, they can sometimes be difficult…”

He gently handed Penelope the keychain.

“Here is the pattern I came up with since I do believe knocking first is the polite thing to do.”

*double tap* *triple tap* *single tap*

“Thank you, sir, I’ll keep that in mind” replied Penelope, making a mental note of it.

The Captain once again pulled an object out of his pocket. This time, it was a small piece of paper containing the complete layout of The S.S Iris. “Oh, and I almost forgot. Here is a map of the ship. This will make it easier to locate the cabins.” he said as he handed it over to Penelope.

She took a quick look at it and turned her attention back to the captain.

“Once you’ve finished, please return with the keys. I have another important tool that may aid you in this investigation once you’re done with the interviews."

“Yes sir,” replied Penelope. This seemed like a simple task for someone with her experience, yet she proceeded with caution.

“Very well. Best of luck detective, I’m counting on you,” he said as the young lady waved farewell and made her way towards the cabins. She knew there’d be more to this case than meets the eye.