Page 31 of Terminal Voyage

Everyone stared at me, and whispers of gossip drifted about.

It was uncomfortable.

"You probably just had a bad dream," Declan said. "Don't worry about it.”

"I know what I heard," I said.

"What did you hear?"

"I heard somebody scream for help."

Declan smiled. "You wouldn't be the first person to get out to sea, drink a little too much, and start hearing things. It happens to the best of us.”

"But I sat at the bar, right there," I said, pointing, "and talked to Kate.”

"Who is Kate?" Vanessa asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out.”

Declan chuckled. "There's nobody on this boat named Kate."

"That’s what your captain and first officer said."

"If that's what they said, then that's the case." Declan smiled, amused by it all. "Look, nobody gets on or off this boat that the crew doesn't know about.”

"My wife had a nightmare," Luciano said as he stepped to the table with Sophia. They took a seat next to me, and I grew even more uncomfortable. Luciano flashed a disarming smile. “Teagan did the right thing. She heard what sounded like a murder. She acted upon it. I think that takes guts. Lord knows my wife has scared the shit out of me at times with some of her dreams." Luciano smiled and kissed her cheek.

Sophia didn't look amused.

The staff served lunch, and we chowed down on burgers and fries. I felt a little better after lunch, but still unsettled. Maybe somebody had spiked my drink with a hallucinogen. I knew one thing—I was definitely swearing off alcohol, at least for a few days.

So much for my relaxing vacation.

After lunch, Vanessa pulled me aside and hissed, “What the hell were you thinking? You caused a major scene. You pulled Luciano out of bed in the middle of the night and accused him of murder.”

“I know what I heard.”

“Look, this is a major deal for Declan. You can’t screw that up.”

“So Luciano gets a pass?”

“No. He doesn’t get a pass. He doesn’t need one because no one was murdered.”

“Somebody screamed.”

“Sophia had a nightmare. She admitted it.”

“What about Kate?”

She scoffed. “From what I heard, you were pretty far gone last night.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“I’m not running around accusing people of murder.”

I frowned.

“I know you’ve been through a lot lately,” Vanessa said, softening. “That kind of thing messes with people’s heads. Don’t feel bad about it. You just went a little off the deep end. It’s okay. We all go a little crazy sometimes.”