by Erin Johnson
Okay….
Maple shot me a worried look, her blond brows pulled together. "I may have yelled at him for being immature the other night." She cast a side-eyed glance at Wiley and lowered her voice. "I really need to talk to you. In private."
"Of course." I absentmindedly stoked the fire with the iron poker we'd found.
"Hey! Watch it." Iggy glared at me.
"Sorry, buddy." I cleared my throat and turned back to Maple. "I know of the perfect time for us to talk."
Relief filled her eyes. "You do?"
"Yep. How about while you swim with me to the pirate ship?" I waggled my brows.
Later that afternoon, Maple and I swam side by side through the cool, clear waters of the sea. Iggy had insisted he'd had enough of pirates, and remained back in the mermaid city with the other bakers.
"Remind me why the two of us out here, alone, interrogating pirates is a good idea?" Maple's brows drew together.
I kicked harder as my voice raised an octave. "Well, they won't know that we're there to interrogate them. We're just the head baker and her loyal assistant, learning the pirate king's food preferences for his big day. And maybe we have a few questions pertaining to the murder while we're at it."
Maple rolled her eyes. "I don't know how I let you talk me into these things."
I grinned. "I'm very persuasive."
Every so often we popped our heads out of the water to have a look around. Soon we cleared the underwater valley, and the pirate ship loomed before us.
I cocked my head. "Is it getting taller?"
Maple looked at me like I was crazy. "We have to get all the way up onto the deck of that?"
"No." I shook my head. "Just into one of those rowboats hanging twenty feet above the water. Then we can haul ourselves up."
The winds blew strongly today and battered the boats against the hull.
"Oh." Maple scoffed. "Easy."
"Hey, beats the tension in the kitchen, right?"
Her bottom lip quivered and she looked on the verge of tears. "I'm messing everything up."
I turned to her. "Oh no. What do you mean? You're not messing anything up."
She nodded and dipped her chin, then buried her face in her hands. "Everyone was just coming together and it felt good in the bakery, like we were all gelling, and then—then I go and have to fight with Wiley again and—"
I put my hands on her wet shoulders. Wind whipped a fine mist across the sea and spritzed our faces. "You're doing your best, and you're an amazing head baker—give yourself some credit. And everyone fights with Wiley—no one would accuse you of being the instigator."
She shook her head and sniffled through her bright red nose. "But it was me this time." She pressed a hand to her heaving chest. "I got so angry when I saw him talking to—to Bubbles. How terrible of me—and now she's dead!"
I shook my head. "Maple, you had nothing to do with that. I'd have been upset, too, if a guy I liked was flirting with another girl like that."
She shrugged. "But that's just it. I didn't think I liked him, till that moment. I felt—furious! Like I could fight someone. And then after, I got embarrassed, because everyone knows I like Wool, not Wiley. I can't like Wiley. He's crude, immature, and—and technically, my employee!"
I tipped my head side to side. "All true. And yet—we can't help who we have feelings for." I gave her a sideways smile. "Believe me, I've been there."
"What do you mean?"
I scoffed and pulled my hands from her shoulders to run them through my soaked hair. I kicked my fin back and forth to tread water in the lagoon. "Hank! I mean, could I be in love with anyone more inappropriate?"
Maple's face softened and her eyes turned all dreamy. "You love him?"
I opened my mouth and felt the heat rush to my cheeks. I had never really thought that to myself before, but…. "Yeah, I do." I shook my head. "But I shouldn't. I lost control yesterday— we were practicing magic and he was coaching me to stop holding back my power, to just let go and I—I let go, too much. I kissed him."
"What?" Maple clapped and shrieked, which sent a cloud of pelicans that'd been happily bobbing beside us flapping into the sky. She looked up at them sheepishly. "Oops. But seriously? You kissed him?" She pressed her hands to her heart and blinked her half-lidded eyes at me. "Was it amazing?"
I chuckled, then sighed, then had to blink back tears. "It was amazing, so amazing."
Maple squeezed my hand underwater. "Then what's wrong?"
My tears trickled down my cheeks and dropped into the salty sea. "It has to be the last time it happens. Even though Shaday is all right with it, I'm not sure I am. And even if he weren't engaged to someone else, I pulled from him, Maple, and nearly knocked him out. I could've really hurt him."
She clicked her tongue and pulled me into a hug. "You're the best friend in the world. You would never intentionally hurt anyone you cared about. I'm sure once you learn to use your powers, you'll be able to stop that from happening—if you decide you want it to happen again." She squeezed me tighter. "In the meantime, just give yourself as much time as you need to decide how you feel. And don't worry about what anyone else thinks—you'll do what's right, I know you will."
I wrapped my hand around her arm and squeezed. I swallowed and relaxed a little. "Thanks." I pulled back to look at her. "That's what I'd say to you too, you know."
She lifted a brow.
"You might like Wiley, you might like Wool. Give yourself time to figure it out. It's okay if you don't know right now. You don't know either of them well enough to make a decision like that."
She looked down at the shadowy image of our fins kicking below us in the water. "I'm worried Wool will be hurt if I like Wiley."
"He might be. But he might not. You don't know how he feels—he may not even be sure. Give yourself a chance to know them both better."
Maple nodded and swallowed. In a smaller voice, she added, "I'm afraid if I date Wiley, no one in the kitchen will take me seriously."
I quirked my lips to the side and thought it over. Gulls cawed and circled overhead. "It would be a tough line to walk, having your boyfriend as your employee, but not impossible. And you give us all plenty of reasons to respect you—you're always the first one in the kitchen each day, you're fair, encouraging, but you know your stuff and hold us all to high standards. If that doesn't earn their respect, screw 'em."
Maple's eyes widened.
"But… I would try to make sure you're sure, before starting anything with him." I shook my head. "You do have to work with him."
Her eyes narrowed. "And he has some issues he needs to work on."
"Ahoy!"
We looked up. A pirate leaned way out over the edge of the ship, wrapped in some rigging. "Ahoy ladies!" He waved. "Fancy you want to come aboard?" His white eyebrows waggled up and down his tanned forehead.
I cupped my hands to my mouth and shouted. "Yes!"
"We'll send a rowboat."
A spark of magic flashed on the side of the ship, and a rowboat lowered to the surface. My shoulders sagged. "Oh thank goodness. I'm so tired. I didn't have it in me to climb up into one."
Maple scoffed. "You said it wasn't so bad."
I grinned. "It was pretty bad."
We hauled ourselves into the boat when it pulled up beside us. It rocked, and we nearly flipped ourselves, but we made it and spelled ourselves back into being humans. I marveled at the ease with which I cast the spell again. Even Maple's eyes grew wide. "Wow. You did it, Imogen!"
I grinned. At least one good thing had come from yesterday… then again, it was the ease of it that sent prickles of cold fear through my stomach. What if I pulled from someone without meaning to—it came so easily now?
The boat magically sped back to the pirate ship and hauled itself up the side to deck level. When a rough, leathery hand reached over the side, I took it gratefully and climbed out of the boat and over the railing.
"Thanks—oh! Fowler!"
The crus
ty old pirate with the bushy white beard grinned back at me. "Why, it's the redhead from the Rusted Wreck! Welcome aboard!"
I smiled my thanks, and another old man helped Maple out behind me.
"What brings ye aboard?" Fowler planted his legs wide and grinned.
"I'm here with my friend Maple—you remember her from the other night? The best royal head baker that there ever was?"
Maple blushed. Fowler looked her up and down. "I do remember, yeh! Where's yer young man?"
Maple turned a deeper pink and looked at her feet. I jumped in to ease her embarrassment. "We're here to speak with your captain—could you show us to him?"
The old pirate squinted at me. "What's this about, then?"
"His—uh—favorite flavor of wedding cake?"
He leaned closer, eyeing us warily, until I could smell the alcohol and lack of showers wafting off him. Then he burst into cackling, wheezing laughter. "Wedding cake? Well, I'll be." He waved at Maple and me. "Come on, lasses, I'll show yous to our bridegroom captain."
I gripped the rope railing nailed to a wall and followed Fowler up a few steps to a higher deck. He rapped on a rounded door and then hobbled back. A chair scraped, heavy footsteps, and then the door flung open.
The shirtless captain blinked his beautiful light green eyes out at our sunlit faces. "What?"
I stepped forward. "Hello. Imogen Banks, staff baker for Miss Maple White here." I gestured at Maple. She reached forward to shake his hand. Instead, he took it and held it, and brought it to his full lips for a gentle kiss.
"What can I do for you ladies?"
I turned my back to him and gave Maple an "oh my God, he kissed you" look. I composed myself and turned back around. "Here to ask you a few wedding-related questions?" I gave him my most dazzling smile.
His face clouded and he slumped in the doorway. He took a swig from the nearly empty bottle of rum in his hand. "Well. No need now. Wedding's off." He turned to go, pulling the door closed behind him.
I shot Maple a look. What should we do?
She shrugged.
I stuck my foot out and let the heavy wooden door slam against it. Ow! Good Time Chuck turned and shot me a furious look. I tried to play it off. "You know, we've got to do our jobs. And let's be honest, who thinks this wedding-off thing is gonna stick, uh?" I lifted a hand and turned to Maple, Fowler, and then back to Captain Chuck. "No one? See. This is just a tiff, normal prewedding jitters."
Chuck looked down, the tattoos on his cheeks highlighting his beautiful face. He looked back up. "You really think I can get her back?"
I scoffed. "Oh yeah. She's really into you." I thought back to our talk on the rocks. "She mentioned she likes all the treasure you bring her?"
He nodded. "Treasure. Right. I should give her a gift."
I shrugged. "Couldn't hurt."
He licked his dry lips and nodded. "I've got to go see her."
I held up a finger. "Just a couple questions first?" He rolled a hand to say continue. "So—" I glanced at Maple. "Chocolate or vanilla?"
He frowned.
"For the cake itself?"
Maple conjured a pad of paper and hovering quill. She smiled.
"Uh—vanilla? I guess."
I nodded as the quill took notes. The ship rolled with a wave and something loud clunked from below deck. The captain started forward, as if to check on it, but I stepped in his path. "Just a couple more. Fruit filling or no?"
He shook his head. "Don't care, love."
Ah, a pirate called me love! I repressed the giggly girl inside me. "And buttercream or cream cheese frosting?"
"Cheese?"
I nodded. "Perfect. Well, that's all the shop talk." I leaned against the doorframe beside him, all casual. "Pretty crazy, this thing with Bubbles, huh?"
His thick brows narrowed. "I suppose."
I clicked my tongue. "Must've been quite a shock to find her body on your ship, too right?"
"Of course." He leaned to the side to move past me, but I stuck my arm out, blocking his way. "But you'd spent the night with her the night before? So maybe not so shocking?"
He scoffed. "Is that what this is about?" He shook his head and shouldered past me. Maple jumped out of the way.
"Did she threaten to tell Queen Winnie?"
He whirled on me, his green eyes furious. "I had nothing to do with her death."
"But she spent the night in your cabin—you were the last person to see her alive." I crossed my arms.
He glared at me. Maple's eyes darted back and forth between us. Well, between me and his bare chest. "We was just having a chat, love. And I'm obviously not the last to see her alive. Her killer was." With that he clomped off, shouting orders to his crew on the deck below.
I rolled my eyes. "That went well."
Maple stood beside me. "Could've been worse."
"True. He could've made us walk the plank." I sighed. "I guess we can go, now."
Maple and I stumbled left and right as the ship swayed on the choppy waves. I definitely did not have my sea legs. We were nearing the rowboat when I stopped and grabbed Maple's shoulder to bring her to a halt. Behind the captain's back, a group of four pirates stood close together, talking. Three had their heads down, but one kept glancing toward the captain as if he were keeping a look out. Suspicious…. I watched them for a minute as the mast creaked and footsteps thudded across the deck. Finally, the little group broke up, and I started when I recognized one of them.
I patted Maple's shoulder. "That's Geoffrey Clarke."
"Who?" she mouthed over her shoulder.
"The pirate that Bubbles snuck off with at the club. Let's talk to him."
Maple shot me a horrified look, but I dashed forward and blocked Geoffrey's way. "Hey there, I'm Imogen."
I held out my hand to shake his. He merely glanced at it, then gave me a bored look. "And…?" Even the curl of his gray mustache seemed disdainful of me.
I straightened my shoulders. "I saw you at the club the other night—we, uh, we danced together."
He looked me up and down. "Liar."
Erp. My stomach shriveled up. "Oh, my mistake, must've been another bald pirate with a horrible attitude then."
He sneered. "What do you want, Imogen?"
"I saw you go off with Bubbles, the mermaid who was murdered. What do you think happened to her?"
He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He brushed by me, knocking my shoulder. I rubbed it and glared after him. He turned. "I'd stop nosing around if I were you." He stomped off.
"What a jerk!" Maple raised a brow at me. "Did I use the term right?"
I grinned and threw an arm around her shoulders as we made our way back to the enchanted rowboat. "Yeah, friend, you did. He's a massive jerk."
We'd climbed in and were about to cast the spell to be lowered down when Fowler appeared at the railing. "Any luck with your questions?"
I shrugged. "Not much."
His eyes darted right and left. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Mos' pirates ain't fans a talkin' on record, but yeh loosen some lips with libations and you may learn more than—"
Geoffrey appeared at Fowler's side and clapped a hand on his shoulder. His fingers dug in. "What were you all chatting about?" He looked each of us in the eye.
"Uh, Fowler was just pointing us the right way back to the mermaid city." I nodded at Fowler. "Thanks."
Geoffrey winked and squeezed Fowler against his side. "He's always such a help, isn't he."
He swept his hand through the air, and Maple and I screamed as our rowboat plummeted several stories down to the rough sea below. Geoffrey stopped our descent at the last possible moment. After my stomach returned to its normal place below my chest, I glanced up to see Geoffrey smirking at us. Jerk was right.
15
In Memorium
Late that night, Maple, Sam, Wiley, K'ree, Iggy, and I piled into an enchanted rowboat and allowed ourselves to be towed once more to
the Cove for a night of loud music, flashing lights, and paying the deepest of respects to Bubbles.
I found the last questionable, but Queen Winnie had insisted we cancel the state dinner we were supposed to cater and instead hold a night in memory of Bubbles at her favorite place in the world—a pirate nightclub in a cave.
As I bumped along in the rowboat through the choppy waves, my thoughts drifted to yesterday, when Bubbles's body had been found in the net.
Queen Winnie had seemed pretty pissed about her friend sneaking off with her fiancé—so why was she throwing a party in honor of Bubbles? Maybe it was as simple as "hos before bros," as the messenger had been instructed to tell us when he came by to invite us—more like order us—to go.
I yawned. I dearly wanted to curl up on the padded floor of our room and snuggle under some pillows for a long night's sleep with Annie and Yann. Iggy had complained about going, claiming even fire couldn't burn clean some of the diseases circulating in the club. But in the end he'd come, claiming their drama was like a hot air balloon crash and he couldn't look away.
I, too, felt a pull to be there. After all, Bon thought Maple and I had something to do with this, and Bubbles had used us to make drug desserts—not cool! I wanted some answers.
Sam, too, looked eager for the club. He'd combed his hair flat to his head, and wrung his hands as he sat taller in his seat to catch sight of the shadowy island coming into view on the horizon. Did this have anything to do with the electric eel he'd been dancing with the other night?
Maple sat, arms crossed, staring straight ahead, while Wiley shot her imploring looks. K'ree sat between them, her dark eyes wide and her shoulders hunched up at the tension thick in the air between Maple and Wiley.
We reached the island and our boat passed through the center archway into the stone tunnel beyond. We avoided all the correct beams of moonlight, with the aid of our magical boat, and docked inside. We marched quietly along the maze of gangways through one dripping cave to the next until we reached the bouncers. The one that'd taken the brandy balls stood guard.
"Hey." He raised his brows and I moved closer, Iggy under my arm. "Tell me what you know about those brandy balls we gave you the other night."
