Daisy, who sniffed the base of one of the many wooden pillars that spanned the below deck space, glanced my way and huffed. You reek of booze and desperation.
I glanced at Peter, who’d been called over by another officer, and then barked at Daisy. Oh, you’ve heard of the perfume I use?
She gave me a flat look as I giggled at my own joke, then hiccupped. She flattened her ears and whined. I have no idea what Peter sees in you.
I winked at her—though it may have come out as a blink. Me neither, toots.
“Over here!”
I glanced up. The rookie, Russo, stood far down the space in a pool of orange lantern light. He pointed to a spot on the ground and I followed the swarm of police officers who moved toward him. We all jostled together in the cramped space and formed a tight semicircle around Russo and the police chief, Jack Taylor.
Russo pointed a shaking finger at a spot on the ground. I saw nothing but rough wooden planks, a net, and a few iron-bound barrels. The boards creaked under us as the ship shifted, and footsteps thunked overhead.
“Tell us what you saw, son.” The chief crossed his arms over his broad chest. The man, despite probably being in his seventies, was still handsome and commanding, in a stern, don’t cross him sort of way.
Russo, with blood still caked to his forehead, frowned. “I—I saw the ghost of the pirate captain. I didn’t see who he got; it was dark, and my glasses got all fogged up.”
The fiery lantern that swung from an overhead rafter cast his eyes in pools of shadow, making the whole thing a lot spookier.
One of the officers who’d been hazing him earlier at the bar nudged his buddy and they grinned at each other. I frowned. What was that all about?
Inspector Bon shoved through the semicircle of officers and stumbled into the middle. “What do you mean ‘ghost’?”
Chief Taylor scowled at Bon—a look that would’ve had me soiling myself if it’d been directed at me. It only made me like the man more—for his treatment of Bon, not the whole death stare thing.
“I’ve got this, Bon,” he growled. The “back off” was implied.
Bon gulped, his ears burning bright red, and he ducked his head as he backed up but didn’t quite leave the center of the circle. “Sure, Chief. Sure.”
Taylor swiveled his intense gaze back to the trembling Russo. “Let’s try this again, son, slower. What were you doing down here?”
His gaze flicked to the two buzzcuts who’d been messing with him at the bar, then down to his feet. “I uh—I was just curious… what was down here.”
Chief Taylor frowned and Daisy, who stood between Peter and me, growled.
He’s lying.
I rolled my eyes. Doi. I didn’t need a truth-sniffing dog to tell me that. The kid looked shifty as shell.
“Then what happened?” Chief Taylor prompted.
Russo’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I uh—I saw movement, over here, so I called out. But no one answered.”
Taylor’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t think to get your partner?”
Russo shook his head. “I—I wasn’t sure anything was the matter. So I—I went to check it out, alone. And as I got closer, I saw the ghost captain. He was glowing and had a beard and a hat and a hook for a hand—”
The words tumbled out of his mouth, his breaths becoming quick pants. “I didn’t see who the officer was, but I recognized the uniform. The ghost captain swung at him with his hooked hand and stabbed him in his—neck…” Russo paled and clutched at his own throat.
Daisy wagged her tail and whined. He’s telling the truth.
Peter, who’d also glanced down at her, looked up and our eyes met. Russo was telling the truth? He’d really seen a ghost pirate captain kill another officer? I flashed my eyes at Peter. This was getting weird… and juicy.
“And then, I suppose, the ghost came after you?” Chief Taylor’s eyes darted to the blood caked to Russo’s forehead.
“Huh? Oh.” Russo lightly touched his hairline and winced. “No… I, uh…” He ducked his head and scratched the back of his neck. “I fainted and must’ve hit my head on the floor.”
The buzzcuts snickered, and Taylor shot them a heavy glance that silenced them immediately. He gripped Russo’s shoulder. “I believe you, son. I believe that you think you know what you saw, but if the ghost captain killed an officer right here, where’s the body? Or the blood, for that matter?”
Russo shook his head and turned this way and that, shining his lit wand at the ground. “Maybe… maybe the ghost cleaned it up? And moved the body?” He shook his head. “I don’t know, but I’m telling you it’s what I saw!” He pleaded with the chief to believe him.
Taylor pressed his eyes shut and threw an arm around Russo’s shoulders. “Alright, son, alright. We’ve all had a lot to drink tonight, and maybe the stress of—”
Screams sounded from above, and I tilted my head back to look at the low ceiling. Dim light shone through the cracks, and I spotted pinpoints of light, stars, far above. Footsteps thudded across the deck, and more screams sounded.
Peter and I exchanged wide-eyed looks and tore toward the stairwell that led back up to the deck. Daisy bounded ahead, barking. The rest of the officers clambered behind us.
DEAD IN THE WATER
Feet in polished black shoes and heels thudded across the rough wooden planks of the deck as I emerged from the trap door. I looked around at the chaos, the sea breeze blowing curled tendrils away from my face.
“There!” A mustached man in a tuxedo stood at the railing and pointed at the water down below. Officers rushed to join him, and Peter, Daisy, and I followed suit. I jostled my way through the tightly packed line of
