“It’s not murder if she’s still alive.” Daniel ripped the towel from the belt loop on his pants and stuffed it in his mouth, then looked chagrinned and used it to dab at the sweat on his forehead.

DeAnna grabbed his shirt. “What do you know?”

“Nothing! How could I know anything? They cut off our email.”

DeAnna pounced on that, too. “They cut off our email? The official word is it’s a malfunction. What do you know?”

“All right. Quiet down.” Daniel glanced around. “I talked to my wife...who had talked to Elladora Varela.”

“She’s alive?”

“Shh!” He pulled DeAnna into a corner under the stairs. “She survived long enough to get to shore. She says Penderghast tried to kill her—”

“Come on!”

“You said it. If she found the treasure, he may have wanted to claim credit.”

DeAnna thought hard. “Yes. Possible. Yeah.”

“Apparently, she’s freaked out about him finding her now. I told Bev to tell her the reports about his health are sketchy, but I saw him that night, and I’m stunned he’s survived this long. If he really is still alive. I told her to tell Elladora to keep an eye out for Zsóke.”

“For her sake, I hope you’re right.” DeAnna started to walk away.

This time, he caught her arm. “You tell no one! As you said, shoving someone over the edge is attempted murder—and it’s already happened once.”

On Friday evening, for the second time, Elle spoke to Daniel’s wife Bev, and when she got off the phone, Adam sat waiting for her report.

“According to Daniel, who saw Penderghast leave the ship, Penderghast is a dead man. He says if Penderghast is still alive, which he doubts, he’s sedated, has had surgery and transfusions and is in ICU. He also believes that if Penderghast is dead, the foundation would keep his death quiet for as long as possible.”

“As we surmised. It’s been almost two weeks, so the possibility that he managed to arrange to silence you lessens with every day.”

“Yes, but...”

“But?”

“Bev also said Daniel warned me about Sookie.”

“Who’s that?”

“The waitress in True Blood?”

Adam couldn’t have looked more blank.

“It’s pop culture, Adam.” Elle sighed. “Honestly, I’m racking my brains, but I have no idea. Whoever Sookie is, she came on the ship the day after Stephen Penderghast’s accident, and she was looking for something that went overboard.”

“If she’s looking for you, she’s apparently been unsuccessful.”

Elle smiled toothily. “I know.”

Adam felt the release of tension. “Considering the time that’s passed and the lack of action—”

“After that one shot was fired but hit you—”