Neverland: Appetite for Murder

Chapter 2: Detective...What?

While Delilah was busy admiring the room they were staying in, the boys all stared at her, wondering why she was there. “Who is this, Pan?” one of the Lost Boys asked. His voice was soft but lethal, snapping Delilah’s golden-brown eyes to meet his ocean-blue gaze. For a moment, all she could do was stare. He had a cut across the bridge of his nose, his golden-brown hair complementing his striking eyes. She shook herself out of her imagination when Peter responded, “This is Detective Delilah Darling, the last of the Darling girls who believes in me and in Neverland. She’s going to help us figure out who’s been killing the people here and who nearly killed Cody.”

What happened next was almost comical—like a scene from one of the inappropriate 80s TV shows Delilah had watched as a child. Cody suddenly woke up, screaming, “Detective… What?” Meanwhile, the other Lost Boys started talking over each other as Peter tried to calm them down. From the corner of her eye, Delilah spotted Smee and Hook watching from one of the windows, munching on what looked like popcorn. They were laughing at the chaos. When Hook caught her eye, he put a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet. She nodded lightly, understanding the silent joke.

But what she didn’t quite understand was how Peter Pan and Captain Hook were now friends. Weren’t they sworn enemies once upon a time? Didn’t they hate each other?

“Why do you need a detective, Pan? Aren’t we good enough anymore?” a boy with bright red hair and freckles scattered across his face asked, his tone sharp.

“Kai, it’s not that,” Peter replied, sounding tired. “We need someone who can see the clues we’re missing and help us figure out our next steps. This killer isn’t playing by the rules. We’ve already nearly lost one of our own. We can’t keep pretending we can do this by ourselves.” The boys reluctantly nodded, realizing that Peter was right.

“Now that you know who she is,” Peter continued, his tone lightening up, “let me introduce you properly.” He gestured toward Cody, still lying on the table. “That’s Cody. The redhead here is Kai, and the one with the cut on his nose is Rowan. Got it?”

Delilah didn’t hear what Peter said next. She had noticed something strange on Cody, something everyone else seemed to have missed. She walked closer, narrowly avoiding Rowan’s hands as he tried to stop her. She stood in front of Cody, inspecting the anomaly. Curious, Hook stepped out of his hiding spot and stood next to Peter.

“What’s this?” she murmured, reaching toward Cody’s shirt. Suddenly, Cody’s hand shot up, grabbing her wrist, snapping her out of her detective mode. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice softer as he released her wrist.

Delilah felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. Staring at the floor, she dug the toe of her shoe into the deck. “I… I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I saw this glowing speck on your shirt, and then I noticed something else. I get caught up sometimes… Do you mind if I take a closer look? Captain Hook, sir, do you have any containers? And maybe a pixie on board? I think I found something.”

Hook nodded, instructing Smee to fetch the pixie. Then he gestured for Delilah to follow him. “You don’t need to be so shy around me, Miss Darling. I won’t bite. Walk beside me and ask whatever questions are burning in that head of yours.”

Delilah’s eyes widened. How had he known she had questions? Accepting his challenge, she asked, “How did you and Peter become friends?”

Hook chuckled, amused by her choice of question. “About a hundred years ago, Pan was ambushed while trying to get one of Wendy’s descendants—a Darling girl. He crashed onto the deck of the Jolly Roger, badly hurt. I admit I was tempted to kill him right then, but he was unconscious. There wouldn’t have been any satisfaction in it. So, I had my crew bring him to my quarters and ordered the healer to fix him up. That’s how he knows about my healer. When Pan woke up in my bed, he thought the worst at first. But the pain reminded him of what had happened. After that, we realized fighting each other was pointless.”

His voice was sincere, the tone of a man too tired to fight anymore.

“Do you know which pixie is helping the murderer, Captain?” she asked, cutting to the chase.

Hook’s expression hardened. “No, but I’ve suspected there’s a pixie involved for some time now.” His voice was firm, and she knew he was telling the truth.

“Now, I have a question for you,” Hook said, his eyes narrowing slightly. Delilah nodded for him to continue. “What else did you find on Cody that you haven’t told Pan?”

Delilah stiffened. Her mind raced. She saw Hook’s suspicions about Peter as the killer written plainly across his face. He was wrong, and she knew it. Gathering her composure, she diverted her gaze to Smee instead of Hook.

“How long have you known the killer was a woman, Mr. Smee?” she asked directly, waiting for his response.