“What have we here?” he asked, setting his bag on the end of the sofa.

“I found her on the beach,” Kellan said.

“The beach? What beach?”

“A little spot I know just up the coast. She was lying in the sand.”

“Naked?”

“No, she was dressed. I took her dress off to try to get her warm. I think she’s a bit better. I had her standing. But she hasn’t really opened her eyes.”

The doctor reached into his bag and pulled out a small vial, then cracked it and held the smelling salts under her nose. She jerked back, then waved her hand in front of her face, moaning softly. “Well, she’s not unconscious. She seems to be under the influence.”

“Of what?” Danny asked.

“Pills. Liquor. Can’t say for certain. Why don’t we start with some nice hot coffee and see if that helps.” He glanced over at Kellan. “You say you found her on the beach?”

Kellan nodded. “She threw up while I was carrying her out to the road.”

“That’s a positive sign.”

“Not for me,” he muttered.

“You don’t suppose she’s a-”

“A drunk?”

“No, a mermaid,” Finnerty said with a chuckle. “She could be a mermaid washed up onshore.”

“Look at her,” Danny said. “She has that look about her.”

Kellan stared at the woman, frowning. “She looks… I don’t know. Pretty. But she has feet. Don’t mermaids have…fins?”

“Naw. Not after they come ashore,” Finnerty said as he slipped on a blood pressure cuff. “The skin is so pale and the hair like spun silk. I’ve seen pictures. This is what they look like. Otherworldly. Was she combing her hair when you first saw her?” He looked up. “That’s how they cast their spells, you know.”

“I don’t believe in mermaids,” Kellan said. “And neither do you two. She was unconscious when I found her.”