Sabers, Sails, and Murder

by Nola Robertson

  Logan made any outfit look good, but seeing him dressed like a pirate had me speechless and drooling. Brown stubble framed his chin, and he’d turned a black scarf into a cap on his head. The vee of his matching shirt was loosely laced across the middle. Instead of a belt, he had a burgundy sash wrapped around his waist and tied above his left hip. Tight-fitting pants and tall leather boots completed his ensemble.

  “Seems like a conflict of interest for him to be supporting Max since he’s a suspect in his murder investigation,” Shawna said.

  It wasn’t uncommon for Max to grab volunteers to help operate the cannons. He usually ended up turning people away. Roy was a regular participant, but Logan wasn’t. As strict as the detective was about following the rules, I had to agree that it was strange to see him on my uncle’s team. I would be annoyed if I found out it was an undercover tactic to do more investigating.

  Once I was finally able to stop staring, I noticed Roy was also on deck and standing to the right of Max. Whatever they were chatting about brought on an occasional laugh from both men. Lucas, Chloe, and one of her friends were also part of the group. They were each standing next to a cannon.

  I glanced over at the Sea Witch to check out the competition. Surprisingly, Arlene was there giving last-minute instructions to her team, but there wasn’t any sign of Braden. She didn’t look happy to be filling in, and I could almost imagine what she was going to say to him when he finally showed up.

  In the few years Braden had lived here, he’d never missed this event. I thought about the conversation Martin had mentioned. I was still leaning toward Hildie being the killer because the clues pointed in her direction. But what if I was wrong? What if Braden was the one who’d switched out the saber and committed the murder? And if he was responsible, then what was his motive?

  My pondering was brought to a halt by the appearance of a small motorized boat operated by the upcoming battle’s officiating referee, who was delivering Braden to the Sea Witch. Both men were dressed as pirates, but the man accompanying Braden wore a black and white striped vest over his costume.

  After being helped aboard the boat and a short heated exchange of words with Arlene, Braden gave the referee a signal that they were ready to start.

  “It won’t be long now.” Shawna gripped the top bar of the metal guard railing.

  “Max has a pretty solid team. There’s a good chance he could win it this year.” Jade smiled as she moved to stand on the other side of Shawna.

  The object of the competition was to see which team stayed the driest the longest. Being able to hit an opponent while dodging an incoming blast of water required some skill. I’d never been any good at it, but it was fun watching others try.

  Once the referee waved his flag, the water started to flow, and I joined my friends in supporting Max’s crew. I’d gotten so caught up in the moment that I’d forgotten all about Martin’s trip to the police station. When he appeared out of nowhere, my squeal was swallowed by the cheering and booing coming from the surrounding crowd.

  He moved aside, so Pete could stand on his hind legs with his paws planted on the lower bar of the railing. “That looks like a lot of fun. Maybe I should…”

  I glared in his direction. “Don’t even think about it?” I wanted to ask him what he’d discovered but decided to wait for the battle to end.

  It wasn’t long before the referee was blowing his whistle and waving his flag, signaling an end to the competition, and announcing my uncle’s team as the winners. I was impressed to see Logan had made it through the onslaught without getting soaked. Of course, that changed when Max encouraged everyone to join in a congratulatory group hug.

  “He’s back,” I said to Shawna and Jade as soon as the crowd began to disperse.

  “Great, what did he find out?” Shawna turned and leaned with her back against the railing.

  I looked to Martin for an answer.

  “I be thinkin' ye be part witch.” He grinned.

  “A witch, why?” I almost didn’t ask, too afraid he’d discovered another ability I didn’t want.

  “Yer prediction was correct, the saber was nah mine.”

  It was a good thing I was reserved in my reactions and not big on gloating; otherwise, I’d be jumping up and down. Instead of doing a rendition of a happy dance, I turned to Shawna and Jade. “I was right about the switch.”

  “Awesome, so what did he find out about the second part of your request?” Jade’s blue gaze shifted to the area where Martin was standing.

  He understood her request without me having to translate. “I went to the shop 'n searched everywhere, but me blade was nah thar, either.”

  “Well, that’s too bad.” It’s not like I expected Hildie, if she was the killer, to be bold enough to display the blade in plain sight, but I was hoping she might still have it in her possession.

  “I take it he didn’t have any luck?” Shawna asked.

  “No,” I groaned, then as an afterthought, asked, “You didn’t happen to see Hildie while you were searching, did you?”

  “No, the place was closed, 'n thar be no one inside,” Martin said.

  I answered the inquiring raise of Jade’s brow with a shake of my head.

  “If the wench’s whereabouts are important, Pete and I might be able to find her fer ye.”

  The dog was sitting on the ground next to Martin. He cocked his head to the side, lifting a floppy ear as if he understood what Martin had said.

  “Can Pete really track things?” I thought about the day at my apartment when he was sniffing along the sofa. I hadn’t given it much thought before but was curious to know if a ghost’s senses actually worked after their deaths.

  Martin cupped his hand next to his mouth and spoke softly. “No, his sniffer does nah work. Nah that it 'twas much better when he was alive. I jus' let 'im believe he be a great tracker, so I do nah hurt his feelin's.”

  I didn’t think Martin would appreciate hearing that his thoughtfulness towards the animal was adorable, so I kept the thought to myself. “If that’s true, then how do you plan to find Hildie?” As far as I knew, I was the only person in the area that sent out signals that attracted spirits.

  “I thought ye might be havin' another one of yer brilliant ideas.” I might have believed Martin was mocking me if he hadn’t sounded so sincere.

  “Finding her isn’t going to do us any good if she doesn’t have the saber with her,” I said.

  “Surely with all the publicity surrounding Jake’s death, she wouldn’t have sold it already,” Jade said.

  “I’ll bet she found a good place to hide it.” Shawna picked up a quarter-sized rock and tossed it in the water, then watched it sink out of sight. “That’s what I’d do.”

  Jade tugged on Shawna’s sleeve when she reached for another rock. “There are days when I worry about you.”

  “What?” Shawna shrugged. “It’s not like I would actually murder anyone. I was trying to get into the mind of the killer like the profilers on my detective shows.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose, sorting through what Shawna had said. “You know she might be onto something.”

  “You really think so?” Shawna gave Jade one of her I-told-you-so looks.

  “Not the part about getting into someone’s head, because that’s too scary to think about. The part about finding a place to hide the saber definitely has some potential.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Shawna, Jade, and I had been standing around waiting for the spoofers a lot longer than anticipated. Martin and Pete had disappeared shortly after Shawna mentioned her notion about a hiding place. I was about to suggest she give Nate a call when a melodic tune rang from inside her jacket pocket.

  Shawna pulled out her cell and tapped the screen. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She narrowed her dark eyes at her phone as if she’d like to reach inside and throttle whoever she’d received a text from.

  “Is something wrong?” Jade asked.

  “Nate
said they got waylaid by a paranormal sighting, and that’s why they’re running late.”

  Shawna’s phone jingled again, and this time she smiled. “Aww, he sent an apology and attached some cute happy faces and heart emojis, so I suppose I shouldn’t stay mad at him.” She held up the phone so we could see.

  Jade rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, because getting emojis from a guy after he’s made you wait for a long time makes all the difference.”

  Glancing past my friends, I’d noticed that Max had docked his boat. As soon as the ramp settled into place, Roy and Logan were the first to leave. Logan held his phone to his ear as they rushed off toward the main festival area, no doubt in a hurry to handle some kind of emergency.

  Shortly afterward, Max sent the rest of his team on their way. He’d no doubt stayed behind to shut down the cannons and clean up before he left.

  I wasn’t in the mood to run interference for the argument brewing between my friends, so I opted for having a chat with my uncle instead. I placed my hand on Jade’s arm. “Can you guys give me a minute? I need to talk to Max for a minute.”

  I was pretty sure they wouldn’t care, so I didn’t bother waiting for an answer before hurrying toward the boat.

  “Congratulations.” I stepped onto the deck, then walked over to Max and gave him a light hug making sure I avoided coming into contact with his wet clothes.

  “Not to sound smug, but the win would’ve been more satisfying if Jake had been around to see it.”

  “Believe me, I won’t hold it against you. Besides,”— I poked his wet sleeve and giggled—“your team earned it.”

  “That we did.” He snagged an empty plastic water bottle off the nearby bench, then gave me a studious look. “What are you doing here instead of enjoying the festival with your friends?”

  My uncle was as perceptive as my grandmother and believed in getting straight to the point. A quality I appreciated most of the time unless I was trying to stay out of trouble. Luckily, this wasn’t one of those times.

  “I thought you were still a suspect in Jake’s murder, so I was surprised to see Detective Prescott on your team.” Max wasn’t as bad as Grams when it came to matchmaking. He only dabbled now and then. Addressing Logan by his first name would have been a mistake, one my uncle wouldn’t have missed.

  “Didn’t I tell you?” He stopped what he was doing and grinned.

  “Tell me what?”

  “I had an alibi for the time of the murder, and once Logan confirmed it, I was in the clear.”

  “Alibi?” I’d been so focused on finding the killer that I hadn’t realized Max might have been doing something that involved witnesses during the time Jake met his demise.

  “Yes, I was at the Shivering Timbers Saloon.”

  “Of course you were.” I wanted to smack myself in the head for not remembering that hanging out and listening to the bands on Friday nights was his favorite pastime.

  He gave me a stern look. “So if you and Grams are playing sleuth, you need to stop.”

  “It’s a little late for…” I was proud of myself for not making any embarrassing noises when Martin and Pete appeared behind my uncle. “Lass, I found it.” He waved his hands excitedly.

  “Late for what?” Max’s curt tone and frown drew my attention.

  I wanted to hear what Martin had to say, but couldn’t have the conversation in front of my uncle. I also hoped my missed chance to ask Max if Hildie mentioned whether or not she’d had a buyer for the saber wasn’t going to be wasted. “I meant it’s getting late, and my friends are waiting.” I leaned to the side and flicked my wrist in Shawna and Jade’s direction. “I should really get going.” I spun and hurried across the deck before he could stop me.

  “Rylee,” he called after me, but I kept going.

  “Talk to you later and congrats again,” I shouted over my shoulder as I descended the ramp. Martin was great at taking a hint and followed after me.

  Even though my friends weren’t far away, I couldn’t risk the handful of people I rushed past overhearing a one-sided conversation. I retrieved my phone and placed it against my ear. “Okay, let’s have it. What did you find?”

  “Me saber. It be on the Sea Witch all this time.”

  “Are you saying it was Braden all along, that I was wrong about it being Hildie?” Disappointed, I slumped my shoulders and slowed my pace.

  “No, ye were right about the wench. She waited 'til the crew departed, then sneaked below deck to retrieve it,” he said.

  Even though I couldn’t grasp why Hildie would choose Jake’s boat, she couldn’t have picked a more perfect hiding place. “Do you know where she is now?” I was back to hurrying again, anxious to share the news with Shawna and Jade.

  “The last I saw, she be minglin' 'n chattin' with people nigh the food booths.” He whistled for Pete when the dog meandered off to do some more sniffing.

  “That’s…” I stopped what I was about to say because I’d reached my friends at the same time Nate, Bryce, and Myra strolled up to join them.

  Other than a few different accessories, the spoofer’s pirate costumes were similar, and I wondered if they’d gone shopping together. It was the first time I’d seen the semblance of a smile on Myra’s face. She wasn’t bestowing me with her usual glare, so I decided not to ask or tease them about their wardrobe selection.

  “What was the supernatural emergency?” Jade propped her hands on her hips and glared at Bryce. When it came to waiting, her tolerance level was a lot lower than Shawna’s. My news about the saber and Hildie was important, but it could wait until after Jade finished dealing with her brother.

  “On our way over here, we ran into Josh. He told us how his drink was magically ripped from his hand, then spilled down the front of his clothes.” Bryce didn’t seem intimidated by his sister in the least. Nate, on the other hand, had taken a step closer to Shawna and away from the siblings.

  “He wanted us to investigate because he was convinced he was being haunted or someone was using witchcraft on him,” Myra said.

  I glared at Martin. “I’m pretty sure it was neither.”

  “I figured it was Martin since I heard he hasn’t left yet.” Bryce tucked his hands in his pockets and smiled. “I also heard that Pete is a dog. Is it true?”

  “Yes to both, but we have bigger problems than worrying about Josh.” I hated to involve the spoofers, but Martin’s news couldn’t wait. By now, the area in and around the festival would be packed. If I wanted to find Hildie before she escaped with the saber, I was going to need all the help I could get.

  “Such as?” Jade’s eager tone signaled that her rant was over.

  “Finding Hildie.” I took the next few minutes to share my speculations with the spoofers, then I relayed what Martin told me about her and his saber.

  “When I heard about what happened to Jake, I never would have considered that angle,” Bryce said.

  “Me neither. I was leaning toward the spouse being the killer theory myself,” Nate added with a smile aimed specifically at Shawna.

  I couldn’t tell if he really believed Arlene was responsible or if Nate was schmoozing to stay on my friend’s good side.

  “Personally, I think it was ingenious to hide the saber in a place that no one would think to look for it,” Shawna stated with a proud smirk. “I wish I’d thought of it.”

  “Geez, really?” Jade sneered at Shawna.

  I’d bet anything Shawna wasn’t finished, that Jade and I would have to endure some future gloating. “Anyway, instead of standing around, we need to do something.”

  “Rylee’s right.” Bryce glanced around the group, then back at me. “How do you want to handle this?” Everyone was looking at me expectantly as if they’d taken a vote, and I’d been appointed their leader.

  I pondered what he’d asked. “I think we should break up into groups of two so we can cover more ground. If you see her, call me. We don’t know what she’s capable of, so keep your distance.” Hildie had alre
ady taken one life, and I was determined to make sure she didn’t take another if she felt threatened. “Once I confirm that she has Martin saber, we’ll contact Logan and Roy and let them take care of her.”

  “That works for me. I’ll go with Nate and Jade can go with you.” Shawna took Nate’s hand and dragged him toward the arcade area.

  Bryce followed their departure with a sullen gaze, then turned to Myra. “I guess that leaves you and me.”

  “Come on.” Myra gave him a consoling pat on the arm, then urged him in the opposite direction.

  “I think we should start near the food court. It was the last place Martin said he saw Hildie,” I said.

  Jade fell in step beside me. “Funny how you left that detail out when you are telling everyone else to be careful.”

  “I didn’t say anything because we’ve got a secret weapon.”

  “Oh yeah, and what would that be?” Jade asked.

  I smirked and winked at Martin. “A mischievous ghost.”

  Chapter Twenty

  After twenty fruitless minutes of searching for Hildie, I typed the word anything into a text on my phone and sent it to Shawna and Bryce. A few seconds later, I received a no from Bryce and a not yet from Shawna.

  Martin had stayed with us but refrained from being his chatty self. I couldn’t tell if the tension radiating from him was because he was anxious to fulfill his promise to me or an urgency to reach the spirit realm now that he’d reunited with Pete. Even the dog, who usually ran around smelling everything, seemed to be in a somber mood and paced alongside Martin.

  Jade's mood wasn’t much better. “What if we’re too late and Hildie’s already left?”

  I’d been thinking the same thing. With Max removed as a suspect, I could have easily walked away and let the police handle the situation. Maybe even send them an anonymous tip suggesting they take a closer look at the murder weapon.

  Unfortunately, this was no longer about solving a crime. Hildie had stolen from my family, taken a life, then staged the murder to implicate my uncle. “Hopefully, we're not.” I forced my lips into a halfhearted smile. “I guess we can always regroup and come up with an alternative plan.”