38. Birdy

Birdy rushes from The Smuggler’s Inn with Sergeant Carter toward a newly reported body, concerned about evidence loss. Their tense walk along the coastal path reveals banter, unwanted chemistry, and the detail that Maddy is Carter’s sister. They arrive at the secluded Blackwater Bay, accessible only on foot.

They find Diana Harris, a daily sea swimmer and art gallery owner, standing by a female body washed onto the sand. Diana admits she moved the corpse, despite the outgoing tide, claiming she attempted to help. Birdy rolls the woman over: the victim’s blond hair and build suggest Eden Fox, but the face is destroyed beyond recognition, and there is no ID.

Carter, confronted with the sight, vomits nearby while Birdy continues questioning Diana. Diana describes the bay’s isolation except during the annual Day of the Dead procession, explaining the local tradition of burning a boat and recounting the 1878 Serendipity legend of an abandoned ship set for dinner with no crew.

When Birdy presses about other witnesses, Diana hesitates, then indicates she saw “him” there—identifying Carter. The revelation casts immediate suspicion on Carter’s prior presence at the scene and deepens Birdy’s focus on him as a potential link to the victim’s fate.