Plundered Christmas

by Susan Lyttek

  I followed.

  “No, ma’am,” she said, barely audible. “One space is still missing. Your cup is still gone.”

  I stood on my tiptoes and double-checked. “Could it still be in the dishwasher?”

  “Now, why, Miss Jeanine, would we have put anything in the dishwasher when the power was out? No, if it’s not there, we don’t have it,” Frau Schmidt insisted.

  “I am sorry about that then. I promise to keep a lookout for it.” I would, even if I didn’t promise. It was one of those strange things that still didn’t fit in with the recent events. I had a feeling if I found that cup, details would start putting themselves together.

  She waved away my concern. “There are nineteen mugs that match the one you lost. We don’t have enough people staying here right now to make that a concern. Don’t worry about it.”

  I thanked her and Juliana and promised I’d be back to take Jelly for a decent walk in about two hours.

  “We should be done with his nose by then,” said Frau Schmidt.

  I hoped so. Lunch wouldn’t be too far beyond that time.

  As I started out the door to the great hall, I remembered one more thing. “By the way, which of you made the yummy apple cider last night?”

  “Apple cider?” Mrs. Schmidt looked confused. “No one made apple cider in this kitchen last night.”

  “But how could that be?” I wondered. “Several of us drank a cup before bed. It was hot, had a good amount of cinnamon and cloves… ”

  “I know how to make apple cider, Miss Jeanine. I’m just saying we didn’t.” She seemed to be getting perturbed at the very idea so I backed down.

  “I’m sorry to ask. Maybe someone just made it over the fire and didn’t tell us. I didn’t intend to accuse you of anything. It was good, and I wanted to thank who made it. And since you’re such an amazing cook… ”

  “You assumed it came from me. Understandable.” The rising ire dropped out of her face and it looked soft and motherly again.

  I gave Jelly a quick pet and told him to be a ‘good dog’ for Frau Schmidt, then I went out to catch up with the rest of my family.

  But I had to wonder, if she didn’t make it, and she swore it didn’t come from her kitchen, where did it come from and why?

  ****

  Having an inkling of what my crew would want to do once I got outside, I stopped by the room that held our luggage, pulled out my book and fished through it for my tracing. At first, I couldn’t find it, and I panicked that someone took it, too. But then I held the book by its spine and fluttered the pages to make the map come out. Secure that it was indeed what I drew when I heard the frightening conversation, I gave it another fold so it would fit in my jeans pocket and left the jacket behind. With the warmer weather, I didn’t need it anymore.

  When I came out to the bench area, none of the other three were sitting down. Rather, they were using Justin’s very small ball to play three-way catch. Seeing that, I knew they were all stir-crazy. Half the time, especially if the sun was behind the little ball, you couldn’t even see it.

  “All right everyone. Jelly’s working in the kitchen. Your Papa is sleeping, as is Miss Margo. I thought I saw Frank and Aimee by the pool. The officials are investigating all the details of William’s death. I believe Mary is in with them right now. So what should we Talbotts do?”

  James caught the ball and pocketed it. “I think I know. Did you, by chance, go back to our room?”

  I nodded.

  “Then,” he said, taking my hand. “We are following a map.”

  Justin and Josie jumped up and down enthusiastically, then came over by our sides, Josie next to her dad and Justin next to me.

  “We’re going on a treasure hunt!” Justin shouted before I could get my hand over his mouth.

  “Sweetheart, someone else wants to find the places on the map, too, so I wouldn’t broadcast it.”

  James started walking and essentially pulled us all with him. “It would be better if we were farther away from the house to talk about all this. We don’t know who took the original map from your mom last night while we slept, but we have to assume that he or she wants to find out what the stars mark as well. So far, they’re both letters, or journal entries, by Anne of Banet Island, who’s presumably Anne Bonny.”

  Justin tried to pull away from me. “Someone took Mom’s map? Why didn’t anyone tell us this? This could be important.”

  James let go of my hand briefly to lightly bop Justin on the back of his head. “What do you think we are doing? Talking to the sand?”

  Justin pulled ahead a little and walked backwards so as to look at his father. “No-o-o. I just didn’t know.” Far be it for my boy to apologize unless he has seriously goofed up. This didn’t qualify as serious. “So then how are we going to find anything?”

  Justin was left hanging until James thought we were far enough away from the house and away from the majority of palm trees and shrubs that could hide someone. He wanted to make certain that we were alone. “OK, gang. Let’s find a dry area to sit and look over the copy Mom made for us.”

  We found a fallen palm tree that was relatively dampness free on top and each took a seat.

  Josie sat on one of the branches so she could face the rest of us. “So why did you make a copy, Mom? I mean, you had the map. The original.”

  James answered for me. “Your mom heard some people talking last night. People who sounded like they wanted to take the map from her. So she made a copy and hid it in our luggage. That’s why it took her a while to come out to join us. Right, Neenie?”

  “Mostly.” I told them about what I had asked Frau Schmidt combined with what James had surmised earlier that morning.

  “So someone put something in the apple cider to make us really sleepy?” Josie asked. “I’m glad I didn’t drink all of mine, then.”

  She looked so concerned; I had to say something. “I don’t think it was anything dangerous, because we’re all up and moving around. Even Justin is OK, and he had two cups full of it. Just whoever did it wanted to make sure we slept so soundly that I wouldn’t notice the map being taken and none of you would wake up and see the person doing it.”

  I passed around the copy so everyone could take a good look at it. “Now we know that Charlie and Margo’s husband Mark found the star’s letter in the water when they were boys. Margo helped us to find the one in the cellar just a couple of days ago. That leaves the one in the marsh, the one in the graveyard and the one southeast of the house, with no markers by it. I think that last one would be the hardest to find.”

  “So why don’t we try that one?” Josie exclaimed. “Whoever is looking for the marked spots hoping for treasure isn’t going to try for something difficult right off the bat. If I were them and looking for an easy target, I’d go to the graveyard.”

  James kept a hold of the map when it reached him. “The square is where the original house sat, right?”

  I agreed. I reminded them that Margo had said the cellar had been a part of the original house which had burned down during the war of 1812. The cellar now sat behind the existing manor which faced northeast towards the wading beach.

  James pulled out a pencil. “Can I sketch in where the manor sits now so we can use that as a starting point?”

  We all agreed. When he had finished, and we had to agree he was close to the proportions, the rear of the manor covered part of the early house. It also covered part of the curved line near the top. We hadn’t figured out what that was yet. If it had been a stream, like Josie surmised, I hadn’t seen any sign of it during our walks around the island.

  Josie looked over her Dad’s work. “You draw almost as well as Megan.” Megan was Josie’s best friend at home. Since Ann began to homeschool Megan, she’d made sure her daughter had art lessons and the girl had exhibited a real knack for drawing.

  “Well, thank you.” Her dad half bowed since he was sitting and couldn’t do the full courtly thing.

  “But I was wo
ndering…” Josie looked at the map again. “Did anyone notice that the words are where the current dock is? And that’s where Miss Margo went from the compass, not any of these other places.”

  I had amazingly smart children. They had to get it from their dad because they were always reminding me of these things. “You’re right. We’ll have to check that out, too, but maybe after the Coast Guard official is done looking the area over.”

  They were ruling what happened to Miss Margo as attempted manslaughter. What was happening on this beautiful island that was worth killing for?

  “All right.” James was accustomed to leading his men, so he prepared to get our troops in order. “Let’s head over to the back side of manor and get our bearings.”

  Quietly and carefully, we walked over the downed branches and through the scrub bushes and straw-like grass patches to the back of the manor. We made sure to stay out of sight of the kitchen windows. One, we didn’t want anyone in the house to notice what we were doing. But two, and probably more important, we didn’t want Jelly to sense our presence and think he could accompany us on our adventure. Later, we’d call upon our loyal dog’s skills. But right now, he was helping Frau Schmidt. It was always wise to stay on the good side of a cook!

  Using James’s additional pencil drawing as our starting point, we tried to line ourselves up with the other points on the map. “If we start at the southeastern-most part of the house, that should set us up fairly well to find the star’s location.” Standing there, I realized we were probably the closest I had been to William’s still form since he was brought in the house. As we were getting lined up, I heard the familiar buzz of a helicopter’s rotors.

  James quickly led us to a clump of trees and brush, where we waited.

  The side of the chopper said, Coast Guard, Forensics Division.

  “They must be done evaluating William’s body on this end. They will send him to the nearest stateside point to run the remaining checks and analysis on him,” James said.

  It landed in the front courtyard, the wide open spot not too far from the benches. From our position, we couldn’t see how many people had arrived. We waited for about ten minutes. It still sat there, gently spinning the rotors.

  “It may take them a while, especially if they brought a coroner with them,” James said. “If we stay aligned with the east wing and head towards the fifth star, no one should notice us.” He beckoned us forward. “Even so, let’s keep the talking to a minimum, OK?”

  All three of us nodded, following his lead.

  Based on the map and the manor that he drew in, if we headed due south from the corner where the main body of the house joined the east wing, we should almost stumble upon the star’s location. That is, providing we walked straight and the terrain hadn’t changed in the last three hundred years. We walked slowly, staring at our feet. The beach grass grew thicker.

  As warm as it was, I had been tempted to exchange my jeans for shorts. Walking through this stiff, rough foliage, I was grateful that I hadn’t.

  As we walked, James looked at his watch. He had said that depending on our pace, it would be between five and ten minutes away from the house. At five, he held up his hand.

  We stopped moving and scoured the ground immediately in front of us. It all looked the same to me. Low-growing shrubs, a couple of small palm trees and beach grass everywhere.

  “Anyone see anything unusual?” he asked softly. One by one, he watched us shake our heads, no. “OK, from now on, we keep our eyes on the ground and move slowly. Look at each step for something, anything different than the rest of the topography.”

  Step by step, we moved forward, always analyzing the ground beneath us. We kept hold of each other’s hands so that we could control the pace and the view.

  About a dozen steps out from the five minute point, Josie tugged us back. She was on the farthest west end of our line. “That has to be it,” she whispered, pointing in front of her and slightly to the right.

  We all huddled around what she had found. It was a rock.

  Now if it had been just another pebble or the boulders that made up a lot of the island’s surface, I don’t think any of us would have accepted Josie’s judgment. But this stone was flat, level with the ground. It was obscured from view by some of the brush. Had we not been looking for it, we would have walked right by.

  And engraved, right on top, were the letters HLEF—the same as on the map.

  Justin took my multi-tool from me, and his dad brought out his, and our two guys dug away at the edge of the stone. Hundreds of years ago, it probably lifted easily. But now, soil and sand had blown in and around it, locking it in place with the surrounding earth.

  Josie and I helplessly watched the guys chisel away the dirt. But from our vertical vantage point, we noticed before they did when it was loosening up.

  “Try… “ I began.

  But Josie had already crouched down next to Justin and was pointing to the clear corner. “Lift here.”

  They angled both of their screwdriver parts of the tools underneath and lifted.

  It came up easily, like a door in the earth.

  And underneath, to no one’s surprise, was a small box with the initials A.B. in gold filigree.

  “This must have been her jewelry box,” I sighed.

  I hadn’t remembered to bring any gloves with, nor had anyone else, so using the nail file, the guys slowly opened the lid. Inside was a pair of gold earrings and another scroll.

  Using the end of my shirt as gloves to keep from touching it, I pulled it out and unrolled it. The words, once again, took me back in time.

  The year of our Lord, 1721, March

  Little Margaret came into the world nearly a month ago. Though her dark hair comes from her natural father, James has taken her to heart. It was at his suggestion that we named her after my mother.

  Would Jack have enjoyed the sight of his daughter? Or would we have deposited her with a nurse and sailed away? I am glad I have not left this one behind. I adore her more each day.

  Since the child still suckles, I have not yet joined James in our venture. I will soon, though. He has already gathered a small and silent group. They achieved their first success a little over a month ago. Like the sharks that gather in the northwestern cove, he struck quickly and left no evidence of his attack.

  We will do quite well, I think.

  Any bounty that is too noticeable, too identifiable, we will send to Father, and he will discreetly find buyers for the item who do not object to questionable origins. Thus, he will know we continue in the trade, and we will both profit.

  We have changed our name to match the island. Even so, I will stay out of sight, free of name or identity for as long as possible. Some reputations are difficult to leave behind. With mine, it has become more than I ever was. To hear the tales, I could shoot the eye out of a sparrow and would rather stab a person than befriend them. And the rumors they repeat about Mary and me? They make even this former pirate blush with shame. Day by day and year by year, the stories grow. Did you know that I used my witchery to blind the guards of my jail cell and then flew away into the night? Neither did I. Even people I worked with on the ships spread these lies and sell their tales for a bottle of rum or a piece of eight.

  Nevertheless, they do not know me. They fail to comprehend who Anne really is or what I like or how I cried for days when my mother, the only angel who knew how to give me boundaries, passed from this earth. Now, in the effort to live and live long and well, I attempt to teach her lessons to my soul. When I manage to do that, I will pass those same lessons on to little Margaret.

  A life well lived in love is the truest treasure. James’s forgiveness and mercy as well as my little one’s unconditional trust, teach me these things day by day.

  I have been spared for another chance at life. I shall not waste it.

  This, I certify, is my third missive to honor the promise to my father.

  Anne Banet

  I scanned
it over after I read it out loud. No matter what this woman had done in her youth, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Most of those she had called her friends had died from living the rough and dangerous life of a pirate. She had watched her closest friend die in jail. She had watched her lover, the father of little Margaret, hang on the gallows. Now, she had only her husband, when at home, and her baby for company. Though it was silly, and she was long since dead, I prayed that she would find a true friend again and real peace. I wished I could go back in time, give her a hug, and tell her the world at large had forgiven her.

  Josie woke me from my reverie. “Should we check the dock next? Or should we go back and get Jelly?”

  While I pondered my answer to the question, the roar of the helicopter grew again, and it lifted up. I could see a gurney carried beneath it. Poor William.

  “Let’s take the letter, box and earrings back to Miss Margo, first,” said James. He looked down at his watch. “Maybe then we should have lunch, and then plan on taking Jelly out with us for the remaining hunts?”

  I agreed. It was afternoon. And likely, unless checking the refrigerator contents had smelled him out, he’d be a big help down at the docks to see what he noticed.

  We put the scroll back in the little box and shut it. Since my T-shirt was fairly big on me, I used the ends of it to pick up the box and carry it back to the house. As we were coming from the back side, we decided to enter through the kitchen rather than going around the front of the house.

  I was not prepared for what greeted me when we opened the door.

  Frau Schmidt was banging cupboards shut and crying hysterically. When she saw me, she stopped. “Oh, Mrs. Talbott! I am so glad to see you! I have been calling and calling. Ich fragt Charlie, wo ist Jeanine? He did not know and I did not know what to do.”

  I went over to her to calm her, passing the box to Josie.

  “Frau Schmidt! What is troubling you?” I followed where she was looking. My slobbering pooch was no longer in the kitchen.