He ignored her, intent on his quarry. But the man was gone by the time he reached the next deck. He hurried halfway down the row of shops there and then ran over to the cabin hallways on either side, first one and then the other.
She kept following him. He came back through the center of the deck with such speed that he plowed right into her.
Ms. Cromwell! he snapped, catching her by the shoulders. Get out of my way!
But...
I have to find that man!
She grasped his shirt as he held her shoulders, trying to move her aside.
Wait! You mean you saw him?
Of course I saw him. Will you please move!
I can move, but you wont find him if he doesnt want to be found.
He stopped, brows knitting furiously as he stared down at her.
Are you his accomplice?
His accomplice in what?
Youre hiding him, he accused her.
No!
Then what is it?
She drew in a deep breath, staring up at him, searching his eyes.
Hes...hes notalive, she said.
He knew his jaw must have fallen open.
What? Look, its imperative that I find him. You dont understand whats at stake.
No! You dont, she said softly. I realize it sounds crazy, but
Very crazy. You know him? Get him for me. Now, Jude insisted, determined to be stern. He was astounded that this young and charming woman was apparently involved or under the spell of the man whod been gaping at the church where the last victim was foundand led them to the ship.
I cant!
Her voice had risen with exasperation.
A security guard came hurrying down the stairs from whatever rounds hed been on. He was wearing just a shirt and tie, but Jude knew security when he saw it.
Is there a problem? Alexi, you okay? the man asked, eyeing Jude as if he was the worst pervert in the world.
Im fine, Johnny, absolutely fine! she said, running her hands down Judes chest with a gesture of affection. Johnny, this man is my friend, she told the guard, and added softly, Upper echelon, Celtic American!
Oh? The man seemed skeptical. Jude had been ready to whip out his manufactured credentials, but Alexi was continuing as if shed bought his story about being a Celtic American official. Even if she didnt really believe it...
Im so sorry we disturbed you. We havent seen each other in a while and I got carried away talking about a movie I saw while I was off! she said.
Jude decided hed wait to see what this woman had to say. In any case, she had nowhere to go. But his quarry was definitely gone.
Well, Alexi, keep it down, huh? Most of the ships asleep.
I know, and Im sorry.
And just between us, were on the lookout for men whore acting badly. Bothering women and such.
Oh? That really seemed to surprise Alexi. Was someone...bothered?
He shrugged. Were supposed to be extra-vigilant. So, youre absolutely sure youre okay?
Yes, thank you, Johnny. Johnny the security guard nodded at both of them and went back in the direction from which hed come.
Alexi Cromwell looked at him, her eyes grave and troubled. We cant talk here. You can...you can come to my cabin.
When his day had begunor when the previous day, actually had begunthe last thing hed expected was that hed wind up standing in a deserted hallway on a slumbering ship, a stunning woman in front of him, inviting him to her cabin.
And yet, he knew instantly that it wasnt a sexual overture.
Ms. Cromwell, he warned her. Youd better have an explanation.
She stepped away, assessing him. Right. Youre no Celtic American bigwig. Im assuming youre some kind of law enforcement.
FBI, he told her.
She nodded. FBI. Well, youre also what we call a magic man.
Magic man?
You see the dead. Magic manits an old term in my family. I think it originated with a grandmother who lived on the bayou. Please, just come with me. Ill do my best to explain.
3
Jude McCoy, FBI man, entered Alexis cabin, not saying a word until they were seated in her tiny quarters. Alexi perched on the bed, McCoy sat in the one chair, which faced the dressing table built into the wall.
Dead? McCoy said, turning the chair toward her. You mean our suspect? And yet he was running around the city of New Orleans and now the ship.
His skepticism was blatant. Ms. Cromwell, I saw that man at a murder scene in New Orleans. We chased him to this ship. He snagged a ride with some poor bastard on the street who thought he was about to get killed. Oh, by the way, I believe that poor guys in the hospital with a heart attack. Now the suspects on the ship. I saw him.
Yes, she said. Whether you accept it or not, you see the dead. Trust me.
Youre telling me youre aiding and abetting a dead man we chased from the scene of a horrific crime?
Yes. I didnt get much of a chance to talk to him. He led you here on purpose.
A dead man led me here?
He didnt raise his voice. But the sharp look he gave her suggested hed be good in an interrogation room. If shed done something, she thought, shed admit it quickly. He was still, calm, and while his voice had a strange power, he kept it low and intense.
I didnt get to hear the whole story, she said. I gather you came after him.
If hes dead, why is he afraid of me?
I dont really know the answer to that, Alexi replied. I didnt get enough time to talk to him. All I know is that he believes the killers on this ship. Yes, you saw him at the crime scene. He saw you thereand he saw that you were aware of him. He planned on coming on the ship. Look, I see the dead. It doesnt mean I understand them any more than I understand the living.
He leaned toward her. I saw a man at a crime scene. The older guy driving the car saw him. Im pretty sure a girl in a bar saw him, and I know my partner on this ship did, too. So, whatwe all see the dead? Everybody does?
No, but more people do than you probably realize. Alexi lowered her head. There was a reason she didnt admit to seeing ghosts on the ship. Sometimes, others saw them, too, but, like this man, they had no idea they were seeing the dead. She assumed that, in the world at large, there were many people with this ability. Some sensed the dead, like her mom. Perhaps their fear kept them from really seeing. Some just didnt understand what they saw.
But judging by the way this man was looking at her...
It reinforced her decision to keep silent most of the time. I can try to find him or I can hope he comes back to find me, and then maybe you can get your answers, Alexi said.
The fact that Agent Jude McCoy was such an attractive man didnt make the situation any easier. His presence seemed to fill the tiny space of her cabin. She felt she could almost hear the steady beat of his heartand feel the waves of ridicule coming from him.
He rose abruptly. Ms. Cromwell, he said, Please know that Ill be watching you, and that Ill report our conversation to my partner. And when I find this so-called dead man, if youve helped hide him in any way, I will see that criminal charges are pressed against you.
He rose abruptly. Ms. Cromwell, he said, Please know that Ill be watching you, and that Ill report our conversation to my partner. And when I find this so-called dead man, if youve helped hide him in any way, I will see that criminal charges are pressed against you.
She stood, as well, suddenly angry. His height was imposingbut then again, shed stared down David Beach a few times and he was a huge man.
Knock yourself out, Mr. Agent McCoy, or whatever your title may be. Youre chasing a dead man. Period. And therefore, Im not afraid of your ridiculous threats in the least!
Well see, wont we? he asked softly.
He barely had to move to open the door to her cabin, but when he did, he turned back. I hope youre right, actually. I hope this man isnt the killerand that he isnt baiting you. Ive seen one of the Archangels victims. Id hate to see you in that condition.
Sincerity at last. Something in his words, something about his voice, caused a cold flash of dread to sweep through her.
She didnt have to reply, because he was already gone.
She made sure that her cabin door was locked behind him.
She hugged her arms around herself, shivering uncontrollably.
Shed been glad the dead man had finally sat down beside her, and that hed tried to talk to her. She still didnt know his name or exactly who he was or why he was there, but she understood.
Hed wanted to lead the FBI men to the ship.
Because he believed there was a killer on board.
The Archangel.
* * *
It was ridiculously late, but Jude headed down the hallway straight to Jackson Crows cabin.
But he hesitated before knocking on the door. He wondered if what hed read about the paranormal angle to Crows elite unit was truethat agents were hand-selected to work in the special department known as the Krewe.
He was on board with nothing except the few toiletries and articles of clothing hed purchased at one of the ships stores. His phone, however, was the next best thing to his computer, and that was in his pocket.
Rumors abounded. But research into the Krewe didnt give him much other than the knowledge that whatever they did, they were damned good at it. Looking up newspaper reports of the cases theyd solved gave him a little more. Jackson Crow was indeed familiar with New Orleans; hed solved a case in the city that involved the death of a politicians wife in one of the citys haunted houses.
As he went on, he even found more information on the Krewes cases, many speculating that the Krewe of Hunters had an uncanny ability to deal with situations of unusual scope.
He buried his face in his hands for a moment as he stood outside Jacksons door.
Great.
He was on a ship chasing a killer, and he was working with a man who believed they could question a ghost.
Did Crow think they were chasing a dead man? It was all too crazy.
Jude had to assume Crow saw the dead, and he based that on the Krewes reputation as much as anything.
It was time to confront Jackson Crow with what hed learned.
Jude tapped at his door. In the silent hallway, the sound reverberated loudly. Or it seemed to.
The door opened immediately. Youve got something? Jackson asked.
A ghost, Jude told him.
Come in. Once again, Jude found himself sitting on a chair in front of a tiny dressing table built into the cabin wall. Crow settled on the narrow bunk.
You talked to a ghost? His voice was calm, reserved, and Jude couldnt tell if he was being mocked.
I didnt, he said. But the piano bar hostess claims that the man she was talking tothe man we followed on the shipis dead. And yes, that she was talking to him.
Crow took that in. Once more, his expression revealed nothing.
The man escaped you again? Crow asked.
Jude leaned forward. I saw him, clear as day, sitting at the piano bench with her. I saw himclear as dayjump up and run. I couldnt stop him. Ms. Cromwell stopped me instead and then insisted I come to her cabin so she could tell me that hes a dead man.
What information did she say she got from him?
Not much. Apparently, my arrival interrupted him. She said he wanted us to follow him onto this shipbecause he believes the killers on board.
What do you think of this young woman? Jackson asked him.
What do I think of her? I dont know. Shes either delusionalor this guys as real as you and me, and shes helping him in some way. And if she is, well, then, God help her, Jude said.
But she seems sane to you?
I have to admit, Ive been through plenty of behavioral classes, and yet I cant come up with a reliable definition of sane. She seems to be sincere. So yeah, maybe shes just delusional. Maybe this guy has her fooled, but she might also come from some crazy family that believes in all kinds of weirdness. He watched Jackson for a moment. But what the hell. Ive read a few strange things about your unit, too.
He thought Jackson gave him the hint of a smile.
I havent apprehended a murdering ghost yet, he assured Jude. But then again, we dont discount anything on heaven or earth or anything in between.
But...ghosts? Jude asked.
Jackson shrugged. Lets see if we can find this man. Tomorrow is a day at sea. We have the ships security forces and we have ourselves. By tomorrow morning Ill have a full manifest of anyone on board who could possibly have committed the murders. We believeevery profiler out there believesthat this is the work of one killer and we assume that hes male. That said, Ill have reports by tomorrow that should tell us who could and couldnt have been in the cities where the other murders took place. Of course, he added with a dry smile, it would be nice if Ms. Cromwells ghost happens to know who the killer might be.
Her damn ghost just might be our killer, Jude muttered.
Since the killer struck in several cities and were going to learn who, on the Destiny, was in those cities at the relevant times, well be able to concentrate on those particular people. He looked at Jude, studying him. Good call on the ship. Makes perfect sense. Ships contract crew and entertainment for specified periods of time. Crew and entertainers might work on other ships, too. A great way to get around port citiesand kill. Jude rose; Jackson hadnt given him any kind of satisfactory answer regarding Alexi Cromwell.
Stay close to Ms. Cromwell, Jackson told him. She might be our key.
Key to insanity! Jude thought. But there was no point in saying anything else.
Hed been dismissed.
Good night, Jackson, he said as he stepped into the deserted hallway.
The ship was quiet for the night, although somewhere, members of the crew were still working.
He prayed that a killer wasnt doing so, as well.
* * *
At least weve narrowed down the possible number of needles in a haystack, Jackson said. He sipped from a steaming mug of coffee. Jude had met him at the café on the Promenade Deck. There were a number of tables, spread out a fair distance apart. It was a great area for people-watching, while carrying on a conversation without being overheard.
That morning they were attired in outfits acquired on board. Jude was in navy blue board shorts and a short-sleeved flower-patterned cotton shirt; Jackson wore khakis and a T-shirt with an image of Janice Joplin on the front. Jude figured they looked like the tourists they were pretending to beor perhaps bigwigs disguised as tourists...