Page 47 of Terminal Voyage

"Food for thought, Zach. Food for thought.”

It was my way of sayingnot a chance in hell, but I found the phrase seemed to satisfy most people.

Once aboard the Vesper, I went back to my stateroom to take a shower and wash off the saltwater. It was almost time for lunch, and I was more than ready for a bite to eat.

I peeled out of my clothes, ran the water, and steamed up the bathroom. I slipped into the stall and let the hot water wash away all my stress. At least for the moment.

My relaxing cruise had been anything but.

I’d been on hundreds of dives and never had anything like that happen. Then again, I always used my own gear and knew what condition it was in. Still, in the back of my mind, I kept thinking that maybe somebody was trying to get rid of me.

I took a long, Hollywood shower.

Refreshed, I stepped out, grabbed a towel, and dried off. My heart leaped into my throat when I looked at the mirror.

Someone had written in steam, "Be careful."

23

Another chill ran down my spine.

There had to be a logical explanation.

That’s what I kept telling myself. No one could have gotten into the en suite while I was showering. I would have noticed them.

Wouldn’t I?

I mean, I was off in my own world with my eyes closed at times.

Maybe the previous occupant had written on the mirror, and the oily residue from their fingerprints remained. If that were the case, I’d have noticed it before.

Wouldn’t I?

Maybe a stew was trying to leave me a message and had written it during turn up after we left this morning. Maybe certain crew members knew something I didn’t.

Look, there are a lot of things about this world that I can’t explain. But I know there is something more than meets the eye. I’ve felt it. I’ve seen glimpses of the future that came to pass. Intuition? Coincidence? Something else? Who knows? But Kate’s spirit writing messages to me in the mirror was not something I wanted to wrap my head around.

She was a figment of my imagination.

Wasn’t she?

With my heart still pounding, I got dressed and looked around the stateroom once again to make sure nobody was hiding in the walk-in closet or anywhere else. Then I peered into the hallway. It was empty.

I closed the door, went back into the en suite, and looked at the mirror again. By that time, the steam had dissipated, and the message was gone.

I called Vanessa.

She answered after a few rings. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Can you come down here? I need to show you something."

"What?" she asked in a skeptical voice.

"Just come down here.”

"Okay. I'm on my way."

She ended the call and was at my door a few moments later. I let her in, gave another glance down the hallway, then closed the hatch and latched the deadbolt.