Red Tide² ━ FTWD

CHAPTER 2: Post-Mortem

RED TIDE

chapter two: post-mortem

[ season 2, episode 1; monster ]

DAY 17

Katie and Daniel sat on the upper deck. Katie had tucked herself up on the bench by the railing, while Daniel surveyed with a pair of binoculars. Holly had settled by her feet, tongue lolling as Katie scratched her head lightly. While the lab was cooped up on the ship, she seemed to be enjoying the sea breeze.

When he seemed satisfied no one was near enough to overhear their conversation, Daniel turned to her and asked, "Did you find anything in their files?"

She'd been waiting for this question. "Actually, yes," Katie pulled out one of the pages she'd tucked away in her cardigan pocket — the rest of the files safely tucked away in their cabin, away from the prying eyes of the Clarks and their enigmatic captain. She smoothed it out, then presented it to Daniel, who studied the page. "I can't make out heads or tails what it means."

"It's encrypted," he recognized.

Katie perked up. "Could you break it? You have training in this, right?"

"I was trained to get my information another way," Daniel held out the paper, and she cringed at the memory as she took it back.

"Right," she muttered as she tucked the page away again. She let out a breath of frustration, raking a hand through windblown waves. She had high hopes for Daniel being able to interpret the pages, and doubted there was anyone else onboard — much less anyone she could trust — that could do so.

She sighed. That was a problem for later. "How's Ofelia doing?" Katie asked.

Daniel didn't react visibly, but his voice was terse. "I am not someone she wants to share that with."

Of course. In all the chaos, she'd nearly forgotten about the strain between Ofelia and Daniel — the horror on the woman's face when she saw what her father was truly capable of.

Still, despite everything, Ofelia had followed her father here. Katie believed Ofelia, much like her own child, was loyal, and loved her father.

Katie did her best to console the man. "She might not understand what you did," she said quietly, "but she knows why you did it."

Daniel dodged the topic with his own question. "Your daughters? How are they?"

Katie looked down with a sigh. "Apparently I'm not someone they want to share that with, either," she commiserated, leaning back against the bench and peering over to look at her eldest on the lower deck.