Page 4 of Wild Sentinel

I hadn’t noticed a wedding ring on Jonathan’s finger. "When you say affair, are you saying Jonathan was married?”

"They are both married," Hunter replied.

I shared another curious glance with Jack, then asked, "Are either of their spouses aboard tonight?"

4

"He’s right there," Hunter said, pointing to the man standing next to Melissa. "He might be getting a little suspicious. I know if my wife looked like that, I would never let her leave the house."

"Who has access to the dressing room and the firearm?" I asked.

He gave me the same list of suspects that Benjamin had. In a whisper, he asked, “You think Melissa’s husband swapped the bullets?”

I shrugged. “Like you said, he was getting suspicious.”

A grim look tugged his face as he considered it.

I gave him a card and told him I would be in touch.

"What's going to happen to Ben?”

"He'll be taken down to the station, interrogated once again, and processed. It's up to the state’s attorney, but he could be charged with manslaughter or negligent homicide.”

Hunter frowned. "So I'm definitely going to have to find two replacements for tomorrow night’s show?”

We both gave him a look.

"Yes, you'll need to recast two actors," I said in a slow, deliberate voice. The necessity to recast was obvious. I'm sure the owner of the boat wanted the show to go on. The killing might even bring more publicity and guests to the show. It certainly would be the talk of the town. Paris Delaney and her crew had already arrived and had made their way to the aft deck. Her cameraman soaked up the footage, and she interviewed passengers.

JD and I weaved through the dining area to find Melissa. She and several of the other actors watched the chaos as Brenda and her crew transferred Jonathan's remains to a gurney. Zipped in a body bag, they wheeled him through the dining compartment.

I flashed my badge to Melissa and made introductions.

She looked flustered. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but she tried to hold it all together.

"We need to ask you a few questions,” I said.

She swallowed and nodded, her eyes round like she'd guzzled a pot of coffee. Sweat slicked her skin. With all the commotion and people in the compartment, it was a little stuffy.

Her husband was about 6’1” with medium-length light-brown hair, a square jaw, and deep blue eyes. Melissa gave him a concerned look.

He said, “I’d like to be present for any questioning.”

“What, are you her attorney?“ I asked, half joking.

“No. I’m her husband.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll have questions for you, too.”

Melissa gave him a reassuring look. “It will be okay.”

We escorted her out of the main dining area into a passageway.

"Were you on stage at the time of the incident?" I asked.

Melissa nodded.

"Can you tell me what happened?"