Play@YSDC

"I'm Moonflower," the young woman replies. She kneels on the ground, the deck of cards spread around her, face down. "OK, let's find your Significator." She flips through the deck. "Yeah, here we go, the Knight of Wands." She places the card face up on the floor. She closes her eyes and picks a card at random. "The Two of Wands. See that guy holding a globe? That means you're searching for something or someone. OK, let's find out what." Once more the closed eyes and the selected card. "Oh, wow, heavy. That's the Queen of Pentacles holding that star thing in her lap, but the card is, like, upside down, dig? That means you're looking for this chick, probably dark-haired, but she's looking for you, too!" She grins at him. "Sounds like you two are going to be, like, making out and stuff."

Carson takes one of the hippie girl's proffered sugar cubes and quietly pockets it for later analysis. "Pacific Ocean Park, huh?" he remarks, secretly taking a photograph of Zara James' painting with his hidden camera.

Duty with the painting discharged, and somewhat unsteady on her feet, Zara flops down on the sofa in the studio. "It gets heavy, for sure," she says, in response to Liz.

Tony is somewhat taken aback by Moonflower's tarot reading.

"Well I am looking for a certain woman at the moment and no doubt she'd like to bump into me, but I've no idea if she's currently a brunette. As for 'making out'... kill each other maybe..."

Liz sits beside Zara. "I imagine so," she says. "I'm sorry you have to go through that, but it does give us a chance to stop that maniac. If that's Pacific Ocean Park in the picture, we need to get there as soon as possible, before he strikes again."

"Killing?" Moonflower shivers. "What a downer. Don't even joke about that. That really bums me out." She places one of the sugar cubes in her mouth and lets it dissolve, eyes closed, humming tunelessly to herself. For a while she simply sits on the floor in full lotus position, swaying back and forth, muttering "Oh, wow," several times.

Suddenly she jumps up, shouts "Let's go for a swim!" and runs out the door of Zara's dwelling, heading for the nearest canal.

Tony regrets his blunt choice of words. He follows Moonflower, hoping to stop her from jumping into the filthy waters of the canal.

"If I'm a Knight of Wands I might as well act like one," he mutters to himself.

Tony is able to catch Moonflower before she hurls herself into the canal. While struggling with the stoned young woman, he catches a glimpse of -- could it be? -- yes, the arm of someone dressed in a wet suit, who had just been about to grab her. Who ever it is sinks back into the murky waters. Just before vanishing from sight, the figure can be seen to be equipped with full scuba gear.

"What the-?"

If Moonflower's struggles will allow it, Tony kneels down by the side of the canal and thrusts his walking stick into the water, handle first, in the hope of snagging the mysterious diver.

"Do you think we can stop him?" Zara asks. Her eyes widen at the commotion of Moonflower's departure, but she is in no condition to join the pursuit.

The cane comes nowhere near the mysterious diver, who disappears into the depths of the canal.

"Oh confound it!" Tony turns to Moonflower and anyone else who might have followed them out of Zara's pad. "I don't suppose you saw where he swam off to?"

He walks along the canalside, inspecting the water for bubbles, rippling water and moving detritus to see if he can at least determine where the diver is headed.

"Melts in your brain," says Liz, rising, "not in your mouth. I think we can stop him, yes. Whoever he is, he's just a man, and man is mortal. So is woman, so we'd better hurry and make sure Moonflower isn't his next victim." She hurries after Tony.

Lew examines the paintings but doesn't take any offered sugar cubes, liquor or tarot readings. He listens with interest to the description of precognition as expressed in the painting.

"Have you painted any other things that subsequently came true?" He inquires. "I dare say that these things are possible but there are also other reasons which might explain why something you painted ends up becoming reality."

"Some," Zara replies. She shows Lew a particular stack of paintings. Most are in a similar style to the one currently drying, with weird or violent imagery, though somewhat abstract. "These are the ones I paint in my sleep. And then something happens, and I know it's why I painted it - it's not always a killing - not always a crime, even. These two were in exhibition - that's how I ended up in that article Liz was talking about. I hope Moonflower's all right.

Moonflower remains in a hallucinatory state, not fully aware of her surroundings.

"Wow, my hand is so big," she mutters, along with other such remarks.

Given the fact that the person in the wet suit was spotted near one end of the canal, the only possible direction it could have gone is west, toward the sea. It does not emerge from the water while the group is gathered around the canal.

"Your hand is perfectly lovely my dear, now let's get you inside yes?"

Tony gently pulls Moonflower away from the canal, steering her back to Zara's place whilst sharing a meaningful look with Dr. North (who I think is the only person who's followed them out.)

"I wonder if the killer and our mysterious frogman are the same person? Odd that he was lying in wait like that hmm? Assuming 'he' isn't a 'she' of course."

"Probably," says Liz, helping to guide Moonflower back to Zara's. "I didn't see the frogman, but I presume the killer is a man from looking at the painting. While he wears a mask, he is quite large, and most women are not. Serial killers, especially those who target women, also tend to be male. Still, I'll keep an open mind. One thing's for sure, the killer will try to find another victim. If we're going to go fishing for him, we'll need the right bait. If I set myself up while the rest of you wait to spring a trap, we might be able to get him. Otherwise, he'll just kill whomever he pleases."

When Liz and Tony return with Moonflower, Zara directs them to bed where Moonflower can sleep it off. After that she returns to the sofa in the studio, looking about ready to sleep it off herself.

Settling down in an armchair, Tony fills everyone who is still awake in on what transpired by the canal side, and how Dr. North has volunteered as bait to catch the mysterious scuba diver.

"As much as I dislike the idea of using the good doctor here as bait, I think it's our best chance to catch this person and find out what the deuce he's up to. If he's the murderer then we all need to be on our guard."

He leans forward conspiratorially.

"I have it on good authority that the last vctim had been bled to death via a multitude of small cuts, and that when her body was found, it had already been embalmed... The person responsible must be very strange indeed... We must plan for all eventualities!"