Sabers, Sails, and Murder

by Nola Robertson

  This wasn’t the first non-living person I’d seen, not that I had a history of finding bodies lying around. I’d been to Jessica’s crime scene at the cemetery, and at the time, seeing blood covering the ground had seemed way worse and made me nauseous.

  Even so, I couldn’t stop staring at Jake Durant as he bobbed along with the incoming waves with my uncle’s saber sticking out of his chest.

  “Ahoy, Lass.” Martin’s cheery greeting and sudden appearance unraveled the composure I’d mustered, along with any thoughts on how to deal with our discovery. If my system received any more shocks, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it through the rest of the day.

  I couldn’t decide what was more startling; having him show up out of nowhere or that he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt with a Cumberpatch Cove logo stamped above the pocket on the left side of his chest.

  If I hadn’t been jumping several inches off the ground and making a noise somewhere between a guttural shriek and a gurgle, I might have thought to ask him how ghosts were able to change their wardrobe.

  “Rylee, are you okay?” Since I hadn’t announced the spirit’s arrival, Jade had no doubt assumed my reaction was linked to finding Jake.

  “Oooh, I’ve seen that look before. I’ll bet Martin’s here, isn’t he?” Shawna grinned and glanced around, more interesting in seeing our ghostly visitor than whether or not my heart was going to continue beating.

  After a few deep breaths that helped slow my pulse, I was able to say yes in a semi-normal voice.

  “Who be these pretty wenches?” Martin scratched his chin. “The one with the silky blonde hair be quite fetchin'.”

  “This is Jade and Shawna.” I pointed at each of them in turn, then pinned him with a glare. “They’re my best friends, and ogling them is off-limits.” If I knew my hand wouldn’t go all the way through his chest, I’d have poked him to show him I was serious.

  Jade didn’t have a problem being vocal if she knew a guy was leering at her, so I was glad my comment only received a raised brow.

  “What ye be lookin’ at?” Martin ignored my threat, then stepped closer to the railing and peered over. “Be that nah the bloke who had words with the owner of this fine galleon nah long ago?”

  “That would be my uncle Max, and yes, it’s the same guy.” I didn’t believe he was the culprit, but I eyed him suspiciously anyway. “You wouldn’t happen to know how he ended up that way, would you?”

  Martin took my question as an insult and crossed his arms. “I be havin' no idea. Though I be wantin' to know who used me saber to run 'im through.”

  Max would be excited to hear his assumption about the blade’s owner had been correct. It was too bad I couldn’t tell him without explaining how I’d found out.

  “So, just to be clear, you’re telling me you’re not responsible for what happened to Jake?”

  “O' course nah. Wha’ kind of pirate do ye take me fer?” Martin’s skin might not be shimmering, but it still had a translucent quality; otherwise, I was certain I’d see a flush on his cheeks.

  I returned his glare. “Since you’re the first real pirate I’ve ever met and, according to everything I’ve read, running someone through happened a lot in your time.”

  Martin scowled. “Well, ye should nah always believe everythin' ye be readin', now should ye?”

  It appeared as if Jade and Shawna were struggling to follow my conversation with Martin. “The saber in question belongs to Martin, but he swears he wasn’t the one to…”

  “Run him through,” Jade finished for me. “Got it.”

  Shawna swept the back of her hand across her forehead. “Well, that’s a relief. I’d have been royally bummed if Martin turned out to be a killer ghost.”

  Martin pursed his lips. “Yer friend does know that I be standin' right here, 'n can hear her, does she nah?”

  “Uh-huh,” I said.

  “I know we came here to talk to Martin, but shouldn’t we do something about Jake first?” Jade asked.

  “Like what, fish him out of the water?” I was prepared to argue vehemently if either of them suggested going anywhere near the body.

  “It’s obvious he’s dead, so I don’t think a little more time in the water is going to hurt him any. I say we leave him where he is and report the murder.” Jade reached into her black leather purse and pulled out her cell phone.

  “Martin can move objects, right?” Shawna glanced over the railing, then back at Jade and me, her gaze beaming.

  I held up my hand when Martin groaned. “He can hear you, so ask your questions, and I’ll give you his answers.” I’d taken on the role of intermediary when we’d helped Jessica. Having to repeat everything got a little annoying, and I wasn’t looking forward to it.

  Fortunately, Jade and Shawna had gotten good at deducing what Martin said from hearing my side of the conversation, so I only needed to supply occasional details.

  “Oh, yeah, right.” Shawna turned in Martin’s general direction. “What do you think about going down there and pushing Jake closer to the dock?”

  If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear Martin was related to Shawna. He’d mastered her are-you-serious look perfectly.

  “And why would we want him to do that?” Jade waved her phone in Shawna’s face.

  Shawna placed her hands on her hips. “To take pictures and see if there any clues.”

  Apparently, helping solve Jessica’s murder had somehow convinced my friend she was qualified to be a crime investigator.

  “Tell yer friend they say it ain't a good idea to move the body,” Martin said.

  “Who are they, and how do you know that?” The notion didn’t sound like something anyone from his time would say. The more he talked, the more I listened to how he said things, and the more I wanted to know. A few centuries had passed since his reported death, yet he was familiar with modern terminology.

  Had he been hanging around in this world all that time, or could he access a revolving door to the spirit world?

  “I be havin' the pleasure of watchin' those murder investigation shows on one of them machines ye be callin' a television.”

  If he’d had access to a television, my next thought was whose, and was it possible he’d been haunting someone else? I immediately thought of Max’s comment about Clyde.

  It wouldn’t be long before people started to arrive for the next tour, so questions would have to wait. “You’ll be happy to know Martin also watches crime shows and suggests we leave Jake where he is.” I turned to Jade. “I think you should go ahead and call the police.”

  “You wouldn’t be agreeing with her just to keep that handsome detective of yours from getting upset if we disturb his crime scene, are you?” Shawna smirked.

  Finding Jake’s body was complicated enough without my friend trying to play matchmaker. “One, Logan is not my detective. And two, what crime scene? It’s not like they can cordon off the area around the boat with their special yellow tape, or get much evidence from someone bobbing in the water.”

  Jade swiped the screen, no doubt scrolling through her extensive contact list. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to make the call? Isn’t Logan’s personal number on the card he left for you at the shop when he was investigating Jessica’s death?”

  Not interested in Jade’s matchmaking attempts either, I narrowed my gaze. “No, the only number he gave me was for the station.”

  When I’d first met Logan, he’d been living in Bangor, and an investigation into a string of museum robberies had led him to our town. Shortly after catching Jessica’s killers, he’d told me about his plans to relocate to Cumberpatch. He’d been gone nearly two months before returning to work for his uncle, Roy Dixon, who was also the sheriff.

  Logan thought he’d be arriving sooner, but finalizing his cases hadn’t gone as planned, a fact he’d shared on the phone when he’d called to let me know he was back in town. He’d made a point of teasing me about staying out of trouble while he’d been gone.

 
Now that my friends and I had found a body, I didn’t think Logan was going to be quite so flippant about the situation, and I tried not to cringe when I heard Jade tell whoever had answered the phone that she wanted to report a murder.

  Chapter Three

  When the blare of sirens announcing the arrival of law enforcement reached us, Martin vanished. If he was as familiar with crime shows as he’d stated, then he had to know what the sound meant. Though I wasn’t sure why he’d left. It wasn’t as if the police could arrest him for anything.

  I wondered if he’d been telling me the truth when he said he didn’t have anything to do with Jake’s death. Was he feeling guilty or experiencing a conditioned response? Had the lawbreaking exploits of his past life influenced his decision to go?

  “It sure didn’t take them very long to get here.” Shawna had been pacing the area in front of the ramp ever since Jade made her call.

  Elliott Barnes, a deputy we’d all known since high school, was one of the first to arrive. “What are you guys doing here?” He scowled, then herded us to the opposite side of the deck and out of the way.

  Shawna placed her hands on her hips and defiantly glared at him. “Uh, her uncle owns the boat.”

  He took his hat off long enough to push his bangs off his forehead. “I mean, this is a murder scene, and you shouldn’t be here.”

  “We,”—I pointed at Jade, Shawna, and myself—“found the body.”

  “Oh, nobody told me that.” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to need you to stay right here.” He pointed at the deck, trying to appear important. “I’m sure someone will be along shortly to talk to you.”

  He rushed off before my friends and I had a chance to ask any questions. I was glad Elliott had moved us to the canopied area where there were several rows of benches. Besides not wanting to add any more images of Jake bobbing in the water to the collection I’d already mentally gathered, I was getting tired of standing and plopped down on the nearest seat.

  Under the circumstances, I thought I was doing a pretty good job of remaining calm. Though wondering whether or not Logan was assigned to the case didn’t help my stress any.

  “Sounds like this is going to take a while.” With an annoyed sigh, Shawna dropped down on my left.

  “This wasn’t exactly the adventure I’d imagined,” Jade said, settling in the middle of the bench on my right.

  Instead of pointing out how I’d objected to coming here in the first place, I watched the two other officers who’d accompanied Elliott cordon off the area on the walkway below with some of their special yellow tape.

  The group of people who’d bought their tickets for the next tour seemed more interested in what the police were doing then having their trip canceled. Max still hadn’t arrived, but I noticed Chloe standing with a guy near the doorway to the tour shop. He had his back to me so I couldn’t see his face, but he was wearing a pirate’s costume and most likely another one of my uncle’s employees.

  “Since we have to wait, we could find out why Martin is here.” Jade shifted her purse, so it was sitting on her lap.

  “We could if he hadn’t already poofed out,” I said.

  “Well, that’s too bad.” Shawna got up on her knees, then propped her elbows on the railing so she could get a better view of what was going on further down the walkway. “Maybe not,” she said over her shoulder. “Especially after you see who is following Roy out of Max’s shop.”

  The hint of mischief in the tone of her voice worried me, and my first thought was that the sheriff had brought Grams with him. The two of them had been friends forever. News traveled fast, and I was afraid she’d already heard about the tragedy. The muscles in my neck strained as I leaned to the side so I could see around Shawna.

  I wasn’t impressed by my friend’s giggle or the way she was grinning after she’d caught me staring at Logan, not my grandmother.

  Jade had gotten up to see who Shawna was talking about. “I agree.” Her smirk was even more annoying than Shawna’s.

  I ignored my friends, doing my best not to show any interest in Logan’s approach, yet unable to keep my gaze from straying in his direction. The last time I’d seen him was at the cemetery, and he’d been wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Today he was dressed professionally in a casual pair of black pants, a button-down shirt, and a tan jacket.

  After slipping underneath the plastic tape, he continued toward the ramp leaving Roy to chat with Elliott and the other two officers.

  As soon as he stepped on the deck, his dark whiskey eyes gravitated toward me. “Rylee, why am I not surprised to see you here?” Logan had a way of making even a scowl look attractive.

  I knew better than to let my interest in the handsome detective distract me. I’d been through the investigation process with him once before. I’d even made the mistake of mentioning Jessica’s name before he’d told me she’d been murdered. In my defense, I blurted out the information because I’d just seen her ghost, not that Logan was aware of my spirit communication ability.

  “Hey, Logan.” I wasn’t good at playing dumb, and the detective had a habit of twisting what I said to make me sound like a suspect, I decided the greeting would have to be sufficient.

  If there was going to be an interrogation, it was interrupted by Max calling my name.

  “Max, you can’t go up there,” Elliott said, stretching out his arms and rocking side to side, trying to keep my uncle from pushing his way up the ramp.

  Max took another step closer and growled, “Elliott, unless you want to find yourself treading water, you will get out of the way and let me see my niece.”

  Roy had already come on board and was leaning against the railing, supervising his team while they removed Jake’s body from the water. He frowned at the commotion. “It’s okay, Barnes. Let him through.”

  Max stomped across the deck, the boards creaking under his weight. “I was on my way here when I got a call from Chloe telling me the police were all over the Delight, but she didn’t tell me what happened?” His gaze jumped from Jade to Shawna, then back to me. “Are you girls all right?”

  “We’re fine, but Jake’s not?” Jade said.

  “What do you mean, Jake’s not? What did he do now?” Max glanced around as if expecting to find the other man lurking about.

  I placed my hand on his arm, then tipped my head toward the place where Roy was standing. “We found him in the water.”

  “Yep, somebody skewered him right through the chest with Mar…your saber.” Shawna bobbed her head and mimicked a sharp blade piercing her heart.

  “Shawna.” Jade groaned and nudged her shoulder, then looked over at Roy to make sure they hadn’t attracted his attention.

  “What? He asked.” Shawna shrugged. “It’s not like our local law enforcement didn’t already see it for themselves.”

  “Barnes, why don’t you take a statement from these three,” Logan pointed at Jade, Shawna, and Max in turn. “And once you’re done, they can leave.”

  “What about Rylee?” Elliott asked.

  “I’ll take care of talking to her.” Logan wiggled his index finger, motioning me away from the group. I wasn’t sure why he was giving me special attention. His serious detective expression hadn’t changed, and I was afraid he’d give me one of his lectures even though I hadn’t done anything to deserve one. Though there was a good chance I’d earn one in the future if my decision to help Martin had anything to do with Jake’s murder.

  “We’ll meet you back at the car when you’re finished.” Jade grinned, then tugged on Shawna’s sleeve when it looked as if she might add a teasing comment.

  With all the activity on and around the boat, the only other place left to go where we’d have privacy was below deck. Logan followed me down the stairs and into the cramped room Max sometimes used as an office.

  Other than our one phone call, which was cut short, I hadn’t seen or talked to him since he’d moved to Cumberpatch. Answering questions about a murder wasn’t exactly h
ow I’d envisioned spending time alone with him.

  It seemed any personal questions I had weren’t going to happen either, not if I was reading his intense gaze correctly.

  He put some distance between us by crossing his arms and resting his backside on the edge of the desk. “I know I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but after considering your penchant for doing what you want anyway, I’m going to caution you not to get involved.”

  It’s not like I purposely searched for troublesome situations. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like where our conversation was headed, so I leaned against the closest wall and mirrored Logan’s body stance. “And why is that?”

  “Because Max is a possible suspect.”

  I gasped. “You can’t be serious. Why would you think my uncle, an outstanding member of the community, would commit murder?” I could feel the heat burning along my throat and cheeks. I wanted to argue that just because Max told Jake on more than one occasion that he’d end up as fish food if he didn’t stop stealing his customers didn’t mean my uncle had actually carried through on the threat. Hearing how incriminating it sounded in my head was enough to keep me from saying it out loud.

  Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t say I thought he committed the crime only that he is a suspect because you found Jake Durant’s body near his boat.”

  “Yeah, well,” I stammered. “Someone could have pushed Jake into the water anywhere along the pier, and the current could have pulled him in this direction.”

  “That’s one possibility, but it doesn’t explain how your uncle’s saber found its way into the victim’s chest. The display case where he keeps it is secured and shows no visible signs of damage.” Logan held up his hand before I could come to Max’s defense. “And two of your uncle’s employees have already stated that he has the only key.”

  “Yeah, but…” I wanted to tell him the saber found its way out of the case on its own all the time, well maybe with a little assistance from a ghost. At this point, Martin being the owner was speculation since I hadn’t gotten the chance to discuss the topic with him yet.