Max nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. We need to figure out who summoned them.”
“Is it possible that we weren’t a direct target?” Kade asked. “Could whoever have planned this sent the zombies to attack random people rather than us?”
“It’s possible,” Max replied.
“What sort of creature can control zombies?” Luke asked. “If some monster has the power to raise bodies that have been dead for hundreds of years, what other sorts of magic are we up against?”
“That is indeed a good question,” Max agreed.
“I’m still confused,” Kade admitted, shifting on his seat. “How could these bodies — the ones that were just bones for example — be intact after all these years? Shouldn’t they have disintegrated?”
“In theory,” Max answered. “The thing is, a lot of these ships became tombs of a sort when they went down. Interior chambers could’ve contained air pockets, and that’s where survivors would’ve congregated ... until they could no longer hold on.
“They wouldn’t have had the means to radio in their locations and hope for the Coast Guard to race to their rescue,” he continued. “They simply would’ve disappeared and passed into lore. Still, it’s human nature to want to survive and figure a way out.”
“And you’re saying these water pockets would’ve preserved the bodies,” Kade mused.
“Essentially,” Max agreed. “They would’ve decomposed, but not disintegrated.”
“That is ... all kinds of creepy.” Kade shook his head as he slid his arm around my back. “I don’t even know what to think about that.”
I patted his knee and pursed my lips, considering. “The zombies aren’t our real problem. We need to figure out what’s controlling them.”
“And how do we do that?” Luke challenged. “I very much doubt whatever evil creature we’re dealing with is going to show up on the beach and announce his or her presence.”
“No,” I agreed. “Whoever it is has to be regrouping after last night. I would expect another attack at some point.”
“I agree,” Max said. “We must be ready when it comes. Until then ... we have to go about our normal routine. The show must go on, after all.”
“Well, great,” Kade intoned darkly. “Now, on top of everything else, we have water zombies to worry about. Who doesn’t like the sound of that?”
I recognized the sarcasm as a defense mechanism and didn’t comment on it. “Breakfast first. Then we’ll get to it. Everybody knows what they’re supposed to do.”
And because that was true, I could focus on the obvious problem. How were we supposed to deal with this new wrinkle? It wasn’t good, no matter how you looked at it.
KADE AND I TOOK A WALK ON THE BEACH after breakfast. He was coiled and ready for action, and I figured he needed to vent ... or at least inhale the sea air he loved so much.
“It’s going to be okay,” I reassured him as I scuffed my sandals against the sand. I didn’t know what I was looking for — maybe nothing — but my eyes were keen as I searched all the same. “Don’t get all worked up.”
The look he shot me was withering. “I’m not worked up. I’m ... thinking.”
I held up my hands in mock surrender. “It was just a statement.”
“I’m perfectly fine,” he reiterated.
“Awesome.” I turned my attention to two women on the beach. They were a good thirty yards away, coffee cups clutched in their hands and their heads bent together as they laughed and enjoyed the quiet morning.
“Where did they come from?” Kade asked, craning his neck. He was suddenly alert. “Maybe—” He didn’t finish his statement. He didn’t have to.
“They’re probably simply enjoying a walk on the beach,” I offered. “You know, just like us.”
He slid me a sidelong look. “Yes, because we often run into completely innocent people after an attack.”
Even if I did think he was being a bit of a pill, he had a point. “Let’s not panic,” I prodded. “Just ... act normal.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
I pasted a friendly smile on my face as the women approached, reaching out with my mind to see if I could pick up on any nefarious plans in their surface thoughts. Not everything I managed to find was pleasant, but they were hardly criminal masterminds.
“Hello.” The blonde pulled up short as she regarded us, her eyes bouncing between our faces. “It’s a lovely morning, isn’t it?”
The question was innocent enough, and yet there seemed to be something — perhaps curiosity — lurking behind her eyes. “It is,” I agreed, studying her. “Do you live around here?”
She shook her head. “We’re here for a writing retreat. I wish I could afford to live on a beach like this, but I think that’s a few books off.”
“You’re an author?”
“I am.” She nodded and extended her hand. “Lily Harper Hart. I write mysteries with a touch of the paranormal and a whole lot of snark. You know, witches and vampires and stuff.”
“That’s cool.” I meant it. “I’m Poet Parker. This is Kade Denton.” I inclined my head toward my silent companion. “We’re with Mystic Caravan Circus.”
Lily’s eyes lit with excitement. “That’s so cool. I’ve considered writing a book about a paranormal circus, but then I got nervous the more I thought about it. I wouldn’t want to step on anybody’s toes.”
Kade shifted. “How would writing a book about a circus be stepping on anybody’s toes?”
“You’d be surprised,” the brunette next to Lily muttered, her expression unreadable.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Lily’s smile never faltered and yet I sensed we made her nervous. She seemed leery, as though frightened that she and her friend stumbled onto somebody’s private property. “This is Sarah Hilton,” she volunteered. “She writes urban fantasy and scares people with talk of pimento cheese.”
“Pimento cheese?”
For the first time since crossing paths, the brunette brightened. “Have you ever had it?”
“I’m not sure,” I replied. “Is it like blocks of cheese?”
Sarah shook her head. Her long hair was pulled back in a loose bun and she wore a T-shirt featuring a cat riding a llama. There were no words, but the image was disturbing. “Trust me. If you’d ever had pimento cheese, you’d remember.”
“You spread it on crackers,” Lily volunteered. “I’m from Michigan, and it’s not easy to come by there. Whenever I go on one of these retreats, Sarah makes me eat my weight in it.”
Sarah glowered at her friend. “I don’t make you do anything. Pimento cheese is a reward. You want to eat the cheese. Admit it.”
“Sure.” Lily bobbed her head in agreement, although she looked more blasé than excited. “We saw a bunch of trucks coming in yesterday, back that way.” She pointed to the stretch of beach behind us. “Is that where you guys are setting up shop?”