Twice Bitten, Once Shy: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective #5

Chapter 26

WTF

Aaron unfolds his athletic frame from the inside of the case. Cylinders of oxygen, empty water bottles, and energy bar wrappers spill out onto the floor. He stretches and yawns, and then jerks his neck to the side with a sickening crack.

After the shock wears off, and the Curd Queen imperceptibly lists a degree to its port side, Aaron puts on his championship smile and slaps Captain Mel on the back.

"We did our best, Mel. Plan A is fucked, but there's still hope for Plan B," Aaron says. He kicks the now-unlocked case toward an encroaching Jade. Jade stumbles backward and trips.

Cherry Peach stuffs the Bobcat in Aaron's face. Aaron, leverages his long reach, slaps the gun away. Captain Mel picks the Bobcat up. Everyone except Zandra starts inching away. Zandra lowers the lawnmower knife so it's at her side, out of Aaron's reach.

"So, who is on the upper level?" Zandra says, stoic.

Aaron laughs and says, "The better question is this: what so-called spirits were you channeling just now, you fraud?"

Zandra glances over to Rev. Cash. He seems more disgusted with Aaron than her at the moment.

"Demons," Zandra says.

"Tell them I say hi," Aaron says.

"It's not rare for a demon to impersonate someone else. They must've come through to me because they're attached to Captain Mel. He'll see what I mean soon enough," Zandra says.

Because I also have a Plan B.

Captain Mel aims the Bobcat at Zandra.

"You're as full of it as you were back at Gene's bonfire," Aaron says and forces another laugh.

Zandra's bad ankle alerts her to a shift beneath her feet. Her balance is off, and she grips the bar to steady herself.

"So you do remember," Zandra says. "Makes me wonder why you're being so cavalier. You've seen what can happen when the spirits are on my side."

"They're not, though. You fucked this up harder than you even realize," Aaron says. "You should've just gone along with it. Be a good girl and stay in your room. That way only you and that poor bastard upstairs would've gotten fucked. But, no, you had to be difficult, try to take control of the situation, and now look what you did. No one on this boat can survive now. We have to kill everyone instead of just one person, or two if we count you, Zandra."

Nothing is worth that kind of risk unless it's extremely valuable. What's inside those other audio cases?

"Drugs," Zandra says.

"Of course it's drugs," Aaron says.

Cherry Peach makes a move for the exit. Captain Mel points the Bobcat at her and shakes his head. She freezes. The sconces that line the lounge flicker.

"And that's why you're dead, is it? You got into some trouble with the wrong people," Zandra says, trying to thread it all together.

I'm sensing a theme to Aaron's judgement, or lack thereof.

"I knew they were coming to kill me no matter where I went, so I did what any reasonable person would do. I loaded up all my product into audio equipment, signed up for a floating seminar on side hustles, and cut the captain in on the bag I'd make if he could help me die," Aaron says. He walks behind the bar and motions for Zandra to make him a drink.

Fine. My psychic powers tell me he'd be fine drinking grape juice, whether he wants to or not.

Zandra shuffles behind the bar. She dusts a patch of the bar with her sleeve before filling a glass with grape juice.