Sabers, Sails, and Murder

by Nola Robertson

  “I do nah believe that shall be necessary. Thar she be.” Martin stopped right in front of me.

  On instinct, I held up a hand as if bracing for impact and received an icy chill when it passed through his shoulder. “Where?” I shook my hand, trying to regain some warmth.

  He tipped his head to the right. “She be headed toward yer witch friend’s tent.”

  The tightness in my chest eased. “It looks like she’s going to see Nadine,” I told Jade as I switched directions.

  “That’s great.” She sounded as nervous as I felt. “What should we do now?”

  “I need to confront her, see if I can get her to admit the saber is Max’s.”

  “Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Jade kept her gaze focused on Hildie.

  “No, but I don’t think the police can do anything without….” The correct word eluded me, and I rubbed my forehead.

  “Proof, probable cause, or something like that.” Jade might not watch as many television crime shows as Shawna and I did, but was good with the terminology.

  “Do me a favor and stay here.” I glanced from Martin to Jade, making sure they knew I meant both of them.

  “What? No.” Concerned, Jade placed her hand on my arm. “I’m not letting you go by yourself.”

  “I’m afraid we’ll spook her if we both show up.” I gave her a reassuring pat, more for myself than for her. “I need you to send a text to Shawna and Bryce. Tell them where we’re at and to bring Roy and Logan.”

  Jade frowned and reluctantly retrieved her phone. “And while I’m doing that, what are you going to do?”

  “Distract her.” I took a deep breath to steady my nerves and started walking.

  If Hildie’s plan was to act natural and avoid suspicion, she was doing a great job. I caught up with her when she got in line behind four people standing by the booth in front of Nadine’s tent. Her costume looked a lot like Shawna’s, but instead of a pistol, she had Martin’s saber tucked into the leather scabbard secured around her waist.

  Grams was selling tickets and noticed me immediately. She knew I’d do anything to keep from having my fortune read, so I waved, hoping it would soften her disbelieving scowl and keep her from asking any questions.

  “Hey, Hildie.” I ignored the uncomfortable knot in my stomach and focused on my task.

  She startled, then quickly turned. “Oh, hello, Rylee.” She appeared tense, but her smile didn’t falter. “Any luck finding that eye patch you were looking for?”

  “No, not yet. It turns out Max is more interested in swords.” I let my gaze drop to the saber, and her entire body tensed.

  “There you are.” Jade appeared on my right, acting as if I hadn’t asked her to wait for me. She probably had no idea Martin and Pete had followed her.

  Being supportive in difficult situations was one of the many reasons she was my best friend. With Hildie being so jumpy, I wished she would have kept her distance. “Rylee was telling me you have some nice sword replicas. I was thinking about getting one for my brother.” Her voice was laced with the same level of sweetness she used with customers at the shop.

  “Oooh, is that one of them?” Jade pretended that she hadn’t seen the saber until now. “Would you mind if I took a look at it?”

  “Yes, I do mind,” Hildie snapped and protectively curled her fingers around the hilt.

  Now that the pleasantries were over, it was time to apply more pressure. “Would that be because it’s really Martin Cumberpatch’s saber and not a fake?” I clenched my fists. “Or because you stole it from my uncle?”

  “How did you…” She took a step backward, then nervously glanced around.

  People had taken notice of our conversation and forming a large circle around us. Instead of bolting and pushing her way through the crowd as I’d expected, Hildie’s dark eyes pinned me with an accusatory glare. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s Max. If he’d sold the saber back to me when I asked him to, then none of this would have happened.”

  “And what about Jake?” I asked. “Is he to blame too?”

  “Yes,” she hissed. “When I inherited the shop from my grandfather, I also ended up with all his debt. Jake offered to be a silent partner and help me out. Things weren’t great, but I was making headway.” Hildie stopped talking to stare at the ground as if she needed a moment to collect her thoughts.

  “Not long after I got the saber from Clyde, I found out it belonged to Martin Cumberpatch. I’d even found a buyer who was willing to give me a lot of money for it.” She sighed. “It would have been enough to pay Jake what I owed him to get out of the partnership and make sure I never had any more financial problems with the shop.”

  Grams appeared on the other side of Jade. She looked fiercer than a mother bear protecting her cubs, and I knew keeping her out of the conversation was moot. “If you knew the blade was valuable, then why sell it to my son in the first place?”

  “I didn’t.” Hildie’s voice got considerably louder. “One of my employees found it in the storeroom and sold it to Max while I was in Portland attending an auction.”

  “If swapping out the blades was going to solve your problems, then why get rid of Jake?” I asked.

  Hildie pursed her lips and snarled, “Somehow, he found out about the blade’s origins and told me if I didn’t pay him what I owed him plus half of what I got from the sale he’d make sure I lost the shop.”

  Martin snickered. “Sounds like the bloke got wha' he deserved then.”

  “Not helping,” I muttered.

  Jade’s sidelong glance went from me to the cell she’d been hiding in the ruffled folds of her short skirt. She took a half step forward, then slid her arm behind her back so I could see the screen.

  She must have changed the phone’s settings to vibrate because I hadn’t heard it ring. Shawna had returned Jade’s text, the message stating that help was on the way in capped and bolded letters. I assumed the skull and crossbones emojis before and after the words had to be Nate’s doing.

  Unless I wanted to tackle Hildie to the ground to stop her from leaving before Roy arrived, I needed to keep her talking. “Was Braden helping you? Is that why you hid the saber on the Sea Witch?”

  “No, he didn’t know anything about my relationship with Jake.” Disdain laced her voice. “Braden despised him as much as I did, only he’d found a way to get out of their partnership without having his finances ruined.”

  If Hildie was right about Braden, it might explain the call Martin had overheard. “Then why hide the blade on Jake’s boat?” I asked.

  “You mean besides wanting to enjoy the irony.” Hildie’s gaze darkened, and she sneered. “Someone carrying a sword that late at night would have been noticed, and I needed to blend in with the tourists.”

  Roy picked that moment to make his way through the wall of people with Elliott, Nate, and Shawna following closely behind him. Knowing my friend, I was certain she’d filled the sheriff in on every detail about what we’d discovered. Everything that didn’t include Martin’s participation and the fact that I could see ghosts.

  Roy motioned for them to stay back with the rest of the crowd as he took a few steps closer to Hildie. “I understand we might have a situation here.” His deep voice and the laid-back way he carried himself usually put people at ease.

  Hildie wasn’t one of those people. She slid the saber from her belt at the same time she spun around to face him.

  “Don’t come any closer.” She gripped the blade with both hands and swiped it back and forth through the air.

  “Hildie, why don’t you put that down so we can talk?” Roy holding up his hands and motioning for her to lower the saber seemed to upset her even more.

  She growled and swung the blade toward anything that moved. People gasped, others murmured, and at least one person shrieked.

  Grams leaned toward me. “It looks like Roy could use some help.”

  I tucked my arm through hers when she started forward. There was no wa
y I was letting my grandmother get close to a crazy woman wielding a blade. “Maybe he’s waiting for Logan.”

  I’d been too busy wrangling Grams to notice that Martin had vanished and reappeared behind Hildie. I knew what was coming next and waved my free hand, then shouted, “No, wait,” before I could stop myself.

  Not that it mattered or stopped Martin from wrenching the saber out of Hildie’s hands. The frosty zap of warm skin touching a spirit, something I’d experienced a few times, along with losing control of her weapon, had Hildie screaming hysterically.

  Martin wasted no time in walking toward me and placing the sword on the ground near my feet. To me, his actions appeared normal, but to the rest of the onlookers, it probably looked like the blade had levitated all by itself.

  “You be welcome,” he said before I could utter a single scolding word. After tugging on the brim of his hat, he placed his hand on Pete’s head, then did what he did best—disappear.

  Roy’s shocked reaction to what had happened didn’t last long. He’d grown up in Cumberpatch, and in his line of work, had probably seen more unexplainable things than I cared to think about.

  Within minutes, he had Hildie handcuffed and turned over to Elliott. Shortly after that, more police officers arrived, the crowd was dispersed, and things seemed to go back to normal. Or at least as normal as they were going to get until someone started screeching like a banshee and shouted, “I told you she was a witch.” I knew before I spun around that the shrill female voice belonged to Trudy. She was clutching Lavender’s arm and frantically jabbing a finger in my direction, trying to get the attention of anyone who would listen.

  Grams and Jade had turned with me, but it was my grandmother who came to my defense first. “I suggest you stop telling everybody my granddaughter is a witch; otherwise, you might find yourself transformed into a frog.” She snickered when Lavender paled, grabbed her cousin by the arm, and practically dragged her from the area.

  “Nice one.” Shawna strolled over and did a high-five with Grams. “I especially liked the frog part.”

  “Unbelievable.” I threw my hands in the air. “Now, everyone in town is going to think I can cast spells.” I glared at Shawna. “And what is it with you and frogs?” I hadn’t expected an answer, but I knew the smirk was coming.

  Jade draped her arm around my shoulder. “Look on the bright side.”

  I was having a hard time imagining anything sparkly, enlightening, or positive to come out of the current situation. “Which is?”

  “Your secret about seeing ghosts is still safe.”

  ***

  With nothing more to see, things settled down rather quickly. The few remaining onlookers lost interest and returned to enjoying the festivities. Bryce and Myra had arrived shortly after Hildie was being helped into the back of a police cruiser.

  I’d already explained to Nate why Trudy thought I was a witch. I wasn’t in the mood for another lengthy conversation, so Jade pulled them off to the side to fill them in on what they’d missed. Grams had returned to help Nadine, but not before calling Max. Even though he couldn’t see her, the details she’d given him included dramatic arm movements.

  Troy showed up armed with a camera he’d been using to take pictures of the festival. My friends and I had refused to give him any comments, so he’d cornered Nate for an interview. Nate had been talking non-stop for the last few minutes, excited his information would be quoted in tomorrow’s headline article.

  “I’ll bet Max will be glad to get this back.” Shawna walked toward me after picking up the saber Martin left on the ground before he’d disappeared. Though I wasn’t usually a spiteful person, I’d been pondering the ways I could get even with the ghost for causing so much chaos to worry about retrieving it. The only thing making me feel better was knowing he’d helped my friends and I find Hildie.

  After what happened the last time I’d touched the blade, I refused to take it when she held it out to me. “Maybe you should check with Roy and see if he needs it for evidence or something.”

  “That’s a good idea.” She hurried off to where Roy was standing and talking to Elliott.

  Now that I was by myself, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and enjoyed my solitude.

  “Rylee.” As always, my stomach fluttered at the sound of Logan’s deep voice.

  “Yes.” I opened my eyes, then braced for a lecture as I turned to face him. He stood a couple of feet away from me, his intense gaze filled with concern rather than irritation. At a distance, he’d looked great in his pirate outfit, but up close, he was even more handsome.

  “Roy called and said you had a run-in with Jake’s killer. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine and totally unscathed.” I smiled. “Thanks for asking.”

  “I would’ve been here sooner, but I got held up by Edith and Joyce Haverston.”

  I wondered if they’d shared one of their obscure predictions with him. “Do I want to know why?”

  He shook his head. “No, but I’m curious about something.”

  “Which is?”

  “How did you know Hildie had the saber?” Logan asked.

  “Would you believe me if I told you I had some ghostly help?” I wanted to gauge his reaction and tried for honesty first.

  “I rely on facts and things I can actually see to do my job, so I’d have to say probably not.” He tweaked the fabric below the knot on my cap. “Although, since moving here, I’ve seen a few things I can’t explain.”

  His admission was progress and gave me hope that someday he’d be open to hearing about my paranormal ability. Until then, I planned to avoid the topic and scrambled for a reason he’d believe, one based on truth no matter how slim.

  Josh picked that moment to interrupt. “Rylee, there you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.” He’d solved my explanation problem but had created a new one.

  He must have gone home to change after his encounter with Martin because he’d exchanged a tan pair of pants made from a stretchy material for the striped ones I’d seen him wearing earlier.

  “Come on.” He ignored Logan as if he wasn’t standing right in front of me, then took my hand. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll miss registration for the couple’s costume contest.”

  “What?” I yanked my hand free. “I’m not doing any contest with you or anyone else.”

  “But you’re my girlfriend and you…”

  It was painful to see a grown man pout. I’d already had a rough day and surpassed my limit for being understanding. If Josh’s interruption wasn’t ruining my time with Logan, I might have been more sympathetic. I held up my hand when he reached for my wrist again. “Josh, you’re a nice guy, and I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’m not your girlfriend, nor will I ever be.”

  He shook his head, unwilling to listen. “I know you don’t mean that.” He was a foot shorter than Logan and should have been intimidated, yet he tried to wedge himself between us. “I guess it’s okay if you don’t want to do the contest. We can do something else.”

  Logan had been watching our interaction, his expression a combination of curiosity and amusement. He must’ve noticed me clenching my fists and decided to intervene. “I believe the lady said she wasn’t interested. Maybe you should back away and leave her alone.”

  Josh blinked and glared at Logan. “Look, whoever you are, she happens to be my girlfriend, so you need to mind your own business.” He puffed out his chest and gripped the hilt of the fake sword tucked inside his belt.

  With Logan dressed as a pirate, Josh had no idea he was a police detective. He also must not have known he was Roy’s nephew. If he had, he would have taken off running, and they wouldn’t be having this conversation. “Josh, this is Logan and he…”

  “Rylee, is it true?” Logan cut me off, his dark eyes glinting with mischief. “Are ye this bloke’s girlfriend?”

  Bloke? It wasn’t uncommon for the locals to get into role-playing during the festival, but I hadn’t expect
ed it from Logan. Deciding to go along, I feigned a heavy sigh. “No, he be mistaken.”

  Logan took a few steps back and drew his sword. “Then I 'ave no choice but to defend yer honor.” He challenged Josh by swiping his blade near his chest.

  Josh’s eyes gleamed. “Then prepare fer defeat.” He tugged on his own sword, the blade catching on his belt, the movement less graceful then Logan’s had been.

  “Guys, you really don’t need to do this.” When Logan drew his sword, I’d assumed he wanted to warn Josh off, not provoke him into a duel. I had to admit I was shocked, if not a little flattered, by the old-fashioned display.

  They glared at me as if I’d insulted them. “Okay, then.” I held up my hands and backed away just as the clank of metal filled the air. The swords they used were made from stainless steel, not the harmless plastic versions sold in the children’s section of my family’s shop. I doubted the imitations were capable of ending anyone’s life, but they’d sting if they connected with flesh.

  They exchanged verbal barbs as they parried back and forth. It was like watching a swashbuckler movie; the only thing missing was having the battle take place on a real pirate ship.

  People strolling nearby got out of the way to give Josh and Logan room, then stayed to watch what they presumed was part of the festivities. It didn’t take long for the crowd to grow. Even Roy, Elliott, and the spoofers gathered to cheer and give Logan their support.

  Josh wasn’t a novice when it came to wielding a sword. Mattie told me more than once how he liked to spend a lot of time in the swordplay area when he visited. What surprised me the most was how adept and graceful Logan handled his blade.

  “Geez, we leave you alone for a few minutes and look what happens,” Shawna said as she and Jade walked up beside me.

  They’d been sharing a bag of cotton candy, the evidence on their matching blue tongues.

  “Yep, she’s a regular trouble magnet.” Jade held the half-empty bag out to me.