Clupea harengus

Captain Mel looks past Zandra to the crew member. "You didn't let her near the body, did you?" he says and crosses his arms.

"Nope," the crew member says over the breeze cutting across the deck.

Zandra crosses her arms right back at Captain Mel. "I understand your need to keep this area secure, but I've already wrapped this up."

"Oh?" Captain Mel says.

Jade suddenly joins Zandra, having kept out of view.

I thought Jade left. Where did she come from?

"I gotta hear this," Jade says with booze-fried breath.

Just as well. Everyone is going to know about this anyway.

"Can we go somewhere private?" Zandra says to Captain Mel, motioning to enter the door.

Captain Mel remains in place. "No passengers allowed on the bridge."

Then can we not all huddle here in front of the door like fucking vampires waiting to be let in?

Zandra shuffles toward the railing, a good distance away from the body. Captain Mel and Jade follow.

"Well?" Captain Mel says.

Zandra pulls two cigarettes out of their pack. She passes one to Captain Mel. He lights up with her. Jade waves the smoke away from her face with her hand.

"Cherry Peach," Zandra says after the first drag. "She's in her cabin now. I've got a couple presenters making sure she stays put."

"The one with the weird-colored hair? Figures," Captain Mel says.

Jade burps into her hand.

"When do the police get here?" Zandra says.

"Soon. It's complicated," Captain Mel says, hoarse. "They've got police boats, but they're concerned what might happen if they roll up like sea pirates. Maybe send two plain clothes in a fishing boat instead. They want to do this quietly, keep it from getting out of control."

"We do, too," Jade says.

Zandra glimpses Aaron's lifeless body out of the corner of her eye.

How do they plan to get that thing out of here quietly? Or stink-free?

There's movement from the stairs. It's Ivy. She stuffs her nose into the pit of her elbow as she makes her way to Zandra.

"I take it you're discussing our person of interest," Ivy says and frees her nose.

"Cherry Peach," Zandra says.

"A lot of people showed up for her," Ivy says. "How sure are you?"

Zandra rubs her palms together. "Very. The spirits pointed me in the right direction, child. I filled in the rest."

"Let's hear it."

"I'd rather explain everything to the police. Put it all on record once and once only so there can be no confusion coming from you people," Zandra says.

Never show your hand unless you absolutely need to.

Captain Mel squints and grimaces. He says to Ivy, "You good with this?"

"I have to be. It's the only way to keep this event going," Ivy says. "I guess I tell everyone she's sick and refund her demo scheduled for today. Same with Aaron."

That's that. Nice and tidy. Crisis averted.

Zandra finishes her cigarette and flicks the butt into the river. Captain Mel pinches the cherry of his cigarette dark with his thumb and forefinger, then stuffs the butt into his pocket. He pulls out a key.

"I can keep Peaches in her room with this," Captain Mel says.

"What's that?" Ivy says.

"It's the master. Overrides the lock," Captain Mel says.

Zandra notices the key, but she looks at the pocket Captain Mel put the cigarette butt into.

See that crease? There's something else in that pocket.

"What else you have in there?" Zandra says.

Captain Mel looks down at his pocket. "I beg your pardon?"

Zandra clears her throat and says, "Like a gun?"

Captain Mel reaches into his pocket. He takes out a phone. "Not this time. It's policy. No guns allowed on board."

"Liability insurance would've been too expensive because of the alcohol," Ivy says. "It was one or the other. We chose alcohol."

And that's why I choose a knife and sobriety. Murderers with guns don't read insurance policies.

"Yes. Now take me to this Cherry person's room," Captain Mel says.

Zandra leads the way down the stairs, taking her time not to trip on her bad ankle. They cut across the lounge as inconspicuous as possible. Ivy dispatches Jade to work the attendees, now finishing breakfast.

The "vibe," as pDano® would put it, is off in here. The attendees know something is off. Captain Mel walks like he's ready to behead someone.

Maybe he is.

Zandra walks sideways down the treads of the steps to the lower level. She guides Ivy and Captain Mel past a couple turns in the hallway before arriving at Cherry Peach's cabin.

Then again, maybe I'm ready to behead someone, too.

Rev. Cash and pDano® aren't there. Not outside Cherry Peach's cabin. Not down the hallway. Not loitering somewhere else. They're nowhere.

"I thought you said..." Ivy begins saying.

"Yes, I did say that. The rest of our living presenters are supposed to be right here," Zandra says. She hobbles to the cabin door and knocks. "Cherry? It's Zandra."

No reply.

Captain Mel tries next. He knocks and announces, "This is the captain. For security purposes, I'm entering your room."

Still no reply.

Captain Mel draws the master key. Zandra takes two steps back, putting herself behind Captain Mel.

"Wait," Ivy says quietly. "Shouldn't we be armed?"

Yes, or you could stand behind the captain. Same difference. Let him take any blows now that Cherry Peach knows that we know.

You don't think I really believe you "lost" the gun, do you, Cherry?

"It's fine. I've been shot before," Captain Mel says as gruff and grim as blood on a bear's face.

Oh, so bullets are like viruses now? You can build an immunity?

Captain Mel works the master key and opens the door to the cabin. No Cherry Peach.

"What a mess," Ivy says upon seeing the condition inside.

Captain Mel rummages through the clutter, as if Cherry Peach could be hiding beneath a small pile of socks or in the bathroom sink. "She was here before?"

Zandra coughs into her sleeve. "Yes. Positive."

I won't mention the conversation I had with her. No need to raise suspicions.

"Is there another way out? A porthole?" Ivy says.

"The door is the only way in or out," Captain Mel says. He gives Zandra a knowing look. "You know what I'm thinking."

That an accusation or a question? Hard to make out. You wear that beard like a mask.

Zandra rubs her palms together and says, "I sensed it the moment we stepped inside the room."

A vague statement deserves a vague response.

"Hostages," Captain Mel says. "This is what the police were worried about."

For the record, yes, I was thinking the same thing.

Ivy kicks the pile of socks. "I can deal with two presenters going down. But four? I can't explain away pDano® and the reverend, too."

Now it's Ivy's turn to give Zandra a knowing look.

"Teach everyone on board psychic entrepreneurship? I'd consider it," Zandra says.

And I'll give a knowing look myself when this is all over to a big pile of cash.

Captain Mel finishes his inspection of the cabin. He closes his eyes and rolls his head back onto his shoulders. After exhaling loudly through his nose, he says, "We've got to lock down the Curd Queen."

Ivy searches for another pile of socks to kick.

"Send everyone back to their cabins. Conduct a search. Find Peaches and the hostages, give the police a head start," Captain Mel says, his voice suddenly hoarse.

"Absolutely not," Ivy says. She grabs a fist full of Zandra's purple gown. "You said you could handle this."

"I did," Zandra says. She waves a hand around at the empty cabin. "And I was right."

"Forget sending everyone back to their rooms. Go find them now," Ivy says, right up in Zandra's face. "You've got all these powers. Use them!"

Captain Mel reaches over and twists Ivy's grip free from the purple gown. "It's too risky."

"I put every dime I had left into this. I could lose everything. That's worth the risk," Ivy says.

Then I vote you go wander around looking for a murdering hostage taker.

"This Peach lady panicked. That's why she took the hostages. I wouldn't put it past her to pop a couple attendees on her way out, too," Captain Mel says.

Ivy turns to Zandra for support, this time pleading instead of grabbing. "Fix this. Please. You need the money. You told me."

I want that money, too. However, Captain Mel's voice keeps becoming hoarser and hoarser as this clusterfuck grows and grows. This is a relatively common response to stress and anxiety, and it's automatic. He's genuinely concerned, not being dramatic for the sake of being dramatic.

Speaking of which, vocal pitch shifts slightly higher when someone lies. You really need to listen for it, but it's just as automatic a response as going hoarse. You can bet I've been listening to for that, too.

"As much I do need the money, it's no good to me dead," Zandra says. "The captain is correct. I foresee great trouble, child, unless we act decisively."

Captain Mel leaves the room, followed by Zandra. Ivy hesitates, but after a moment she joins them in the hallway.

"I'll tell the crew," Captain Mel says.

Guess it's time for me to get to work, too. This isn't that big of a boat. I might start with that bathroom that Chad and Bexley graced.

"Wait," Ivy says. She points. "What's that?"

Zandra follows Ivy's finger to a long scratch mark on the wall outside Cherry Peach's cabin. It leads down the hallway and disappears into a turn.

I can't tell them what that is. Too many questions.

"I have no idea," Zandra says and coughs into her sleeve.

Captain Mel runs a finger along the scratch. "Someone is paying to fix this, that's what it looks like to me."

Will you take payment in cigarettes?

Ivy follows the scratch mark down the hallway. Zandra hangs back until Captain Mel shoots her a puzzled look.

Fuck. Fine, I'll follow it, too.

The scratch mark terminates at Zandra's cabin. To her surprise, the door to the cabin is open. Inside are more surprises: Cherry Peach, Rev. Cash, and pDano®.

And a gun.