It’s A Plunderful Life Read online

  “Do you hear that?” he whispered.

  I closed my eyes and listened. There was the sound of water slapping against the ship’s hull and, farther away, the murmur of voices as other museum patrons moved around the ship, following the signs for the captain’s quarters and the brig and the galley, going belowdecks to check out the crew’s hammocks hanging in their tiny space.

  “Hear what?” I asked.

  “The screams,” he said. “I had forgotten the sound of men dying. Now I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put it out of my head.”

  Well, crap. I had thought he’d be pleased by seeing his ship again, but all I’d done was churn up painful memories. “I’m sorry, Ichabod.” I wished I could offer some comfort, but it wasn’t like I could pat his hand. Instead, I moved closer and leaned my shoulder against what would have been his shoulder had he been corporeal.

  I’d expected him to jolt away since he didn’t like contact, but he seemed to lean closer. He was silent for a long time, just watching the waves forming in the distance. “This is where I was standing when it happened.”

  “When what happened?”

  “When I was grievously wounded.” He looked down, patting his right hip as if reassuring himself that he was indeed whole. “Grapeshot. It tore through me and—” He shook his head. “I had a cabin boy, a young man name Paul Williams. Quick lad, hard-working.”

  A gust of wind blew against my face, rearranging the strands of my hair. Ichabod, of course, didn’t notice. He took a deep breath.

  “He was lost that day. He was trying to assist me, and that was his undoing.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. We stood there in silence for a long time before I pushed away from the railing. “I think we should go.”

  He turned to look down at me, his face so full of grief that it hurt my heart. “No, madame. I am the captain of this ship. It is my duty to ensure that she has been taken care of in my absence.”

  But I wasn’t sure he could handle seeing the rest of the ship. I put up my hands, speaking slowly. “Ichabod, in my time, we do not insist that men ignore the trauma they’ve experienced. They’re allowed to honor their feelings.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Men should attend to their duties, not the feelings that weaken them.”

  “Yeah, see, today we call that toxic masculinity, and we consider it a bad thing.”

  He stared down at me, some of the grief receding. “You talk like a witch.” And then his bloodless lips curved into something of a smile. “It has a certain charm.”

  I guess that was a compliment. “Come on,” I said. “We can come back another time if you like, but for now I think you’ve had enough memories. Want to see the skeletons?”

  “Skeletons?” he said, following along behind me without objection. “Whatever do you mean by that?”

  “The town has skeletons now. Sitting on a bench outside the barber shop.”

  “But…why?”

  “They’re an advertisement.”

  “An advertise—of all the gruesome things…Does this not tell potential patrons to avoid visiting said barber shop lest they end up as corpses themselves?”

  “They’re decorative. You’ll see.”

  Of course, he didn’t. Try as I might, Ichabod could not wrap his mind around the casual use of skeleton decorations. He floated around and around them, studying them closely and peppering me with questions that all boiled down to “WTF?”

  Not that he would ever say anything like that.

  While Ichabod was marveling at our strange ways, I noticed the window of the candy shop. Just what I needed.

  “I’ll be right back,” I told him. “Stay invisible, okay?”

  He nodded, although he was so absorbed in Jack and Jill that I wasn’t sure he heard me.

  Stepping into the candy shop was like walking into another world. Mobiles with fantastical creatures dangled from the ceiling, spinning in the breeze created by half a dozen ceiling fans. The walls were covered in a cheerful cherry-print wallpaper, and the floors were tiled in a gleaming black-and-white checkerboard pattern. The robin’s egg-blue counter featured a long glass case, inside of which were the most mouth-watering confections I’d ever seen. A large bulk food station along one wall dispensed jelly beans in every color imaginable, and glass jars on shelves around the store held hard candies and lollipops and licorice in a variety of flavors.

  Hello, nurse.

  I breathed in deeply, practically getting a sugar rush just from the air inside the shop. This was where I belonged. It felt like the mother ship was calling me home.

  A few other patrons wandered around the store, and, after filling a couple bags with jelly beans, I waited while the older woman behind the counter helped each person in turn. “What can I get for you?” she asked when she got to me.

  I badly wanted one of the intricate-looking candy apples in the display case, but I thought it would be rude to eat something like that in front of Ichabod, even if he wasn’t able to eat. “Could I have a couple of those marzipan toadstools, please?” I said, pointing at the beautifully painted marzipan pieces on a tray beneath the glass.

  “Of course.” She boxed up the candy efficiently, and handed me the pretty blue and white box.

  “You look so familiar,” she said, squinting at me as she rang me up.

  “I’m Cass Lindstrom,” I said. When she shook her head, I added, “My family owns the Enchanted Forest.”

  That did it. She nodded. “Ah. Evelyn’s daughter.”

  “That’s right.”

  By that time, the last of the other customers had wandered out, and we were alone in the store. She leaned closer. “You looking for anything…special?”

  I blinked. “What do you mean?”

  “Your mother likes to buy some of our special candy. She calls it magic.”

  Well, that sounded promising. I studied the woman, her ageless eyes, her thick gray hair twisted and tied back with a powder-blue silk scarf. Perhaps my family wasn’t the only family in town who had magical abilities. Perhaps this woman’s abilities allowed her to create special candy that helped other magic-users.

  She winked at me.

  “I would love some,” I said.

  She smiled and gave me a quick nod. “Now, this is very special candy, okay? Not available for just anyone. And it wouldn’t do to let just anyone know about it.”

  I nodded. “Oh, I get it.”

  “Very good.” She disappeared into the back, returning a few minutes later with a golden package filled with gummy unicorns. As I slid my credit card over to her, I could almost see magic shimmering in the air around the package. These were exactly the pick-me-ups I needed the next time I had to do magic.

  Tossing a blackberry-flavored jelly bean into my mouth, I thanked the woman.

  “No problem,” she said. “I’m Astrid. Come back and see me the next time you need a little magic.”

  Oh, I would.

  Of course, I would also go back just to get regular jelly beans because a girl can’t live on magic alone. And one of those candy apples.

  Ichabod was still fascinated by the skeletons when I left the candy shop, and I caught sight of Viv through the window of her shop. She was standing behind the counter, her head bent over something, a floor lamp nearby casting a warm glow onto her hair. I pulled open the door, the bells jingling overhead.

  “Cass,” Vivian said, looking up with a smile. “What a delightful surprise.”

  “Sorry to just drop in. I was in the neighborhood.”

  She waved one hand, dismissing my apology. “Nonsense. My shop is always open. I mean, not literally, but if there’s ever anything I can do for you, just let me know.” She shifted a stack of yellowed papers on the counter. “How are things at the park? I heard there was a plumbing problem or something?”

  I’d forgotten how gossip travels in a small town. “Things are fine. We had an incident with the pump station and thought we might have to close the park, but it’s fix
ed now.”

  Her brow had grown furrowed as she listened, but now her easy smile returned. “Oh, thank goodness. The Enchanted Forest is what keeps tourists coming into town. If that closed down…” She looked around her. “I’m not sure many of these shops could stay open for long. I know I couldn’t.”

  Well, that didn’t help matters. Now I had the weight of the entire town’s economy on top of my family’s business?

  Perfect.

  I had been on the verge of sharing my concerns about sabotage with Viv, but hearing that made me zip it. I didn’t want to worry her.

  And, really, what did it matter? With magic on our side, it wasn’t like any damage to the park couldn’t be undone.

  “You know, there is something you might be able to help me with,” I said. “Do you have anything about Captain Ichabod Frowd? Books, documents, etc.?”

  “Ichabod Frowd,” she repeated slowly, her mouth pursed in concentration. “Why do I know that name?”

  I chuckled. Looks like I wasn’t the only one who’d forgotten my Gallows Bay history. “He was something of a pirate hunter, I guess. Captured Christopher Durus? Captain of the Wild Rose?”

  “Ah, yes.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Why are you looking for information on him?”

  I don’t like lying to people, but I certainly couldn’t tell Viv that my mom and I were trying to help Ichabod’s ghost pass over to the other side and uncovering any unfinished business might help. I shrugged. “My mom thought focusing on some local history might be a fun project for Kurt.”

  She nodded. “Right. Got it. Well, I’m not sure off the top of my head what I might have in the shop, but there are definitely things I could look through. Let me just—” The shop’s bells jingled, and an elderly couple came through the door, their eyes moving around the shop’s interior. Viv shot me an apologetic smile. “Give me just a minute.”

  “Sure thing.” I watched Vivian approach the new customers, her voice warm as she asked about their interests. I couldn’t hear what the older woman said in response, but she held her hands up, miming a certain size and shape as she spoke.

  Leaning against the counter, I glanced down at the papers Viv had been sorting through. I couldn’t remember, but I was pretty sure they’d come from the box I’d dropped off a few days earlier. I glanced around, looking for that weird alphabet board that Viv had been so interested in but didn’t see it anywhere. I wondered if she’d had a chance to ask her friend about it. I hoped it was something particularly unique and would bring in a decent price.

  Judging from how quiet the shop had been the times I’d been there, Viv could probably use any extra income she could get.

  It looked like she was going to be a while, and I didn’t want to leave Ichabod waiting for too long, so I waved at Viv and gestured to the door to let her know I was leaving. She seemed torn, but I held my hand up in the shape of a phone to let her know I’d call her later.

  Outside, Ichabod was sitting between the two skeletons on the bench, watching me walk out of Yesterday’s Treasures. It looked like the beginning of a very bad joke: A ghost and two skeletons were sitting outside a barber shop…

  “You ready?” I asked him.

  “Women of your day talk a great deal,” he said, getting up and drifting over.

  “I suppose you had all the women in your life trained never to speak,” I said, heading for home.

  He considered that. “I did not have many women in my life,” he said finally.

  “Shocking.”

  “But certainly women did not delay their menfolk with idle gossip. At least not well-behaved women.”

  “I know this is going to surprise you, but ‘well-behaved’ has never been a quality I’ve strived for.”

  Ichabod grumbled under his breath the entire way home, and I spent the walk wishing I’d gone ahead and gotten that candy apple.

  17

  Toni wasn’t happy with me.

  I mean, she wasn’t normally happy with me, but this morning she seemed particularly perturbed.

  And I hadn’t even melted any dishes.

  “Your stuff’s all over the bathroom,” she complained as she washed plates in the sink.

  I didn’t think I had that much “stuff,” but given that my sister’s entire skincare routine seemed to be a bar of Dove soap and a tube of Chapstick, I wasn’t surprised she thought differently. I wanted to tell her that a good SPF would make all the difference, but discretion is the better part of valor.

  Also, she was washing a pretty heavy pan and I didn’t want that flying in my direction.

  “You could just ask me to move it,” I said. “No need for dramatics.”

  Judging from the look Toni shot me, I’d been right to exercise restraint. “I assumed it was common courtesy, but I guess not all of us have that. No wonder—”

  I was happy to put up with whatever Grumpy had to dish out, but I drew the line at cracks about my divorce and I was pretty sure that’s where we were headed. “Fine. Let me go clean up right now.”

  As expected, that didn’t help much. Toni turned her attention back to the pan in her hands, scrubbing harder than necessary.

  I was heading for the stairs when there was a knock at the door. Peering out the sidelight, I was pleased to see Vivian standing there, a canvas tote bag printed with lemons clutched in one hand.

  “Hey,” I said, pulling open the door. “What a pleasant surprise.”

  “I found a couple things about Ichabod Frowd and wanted to drop them off for your stepdad.” She handed me the bag.

  “Well, he’ll be thrilled to get them, thank you.” I took the bag, peering inside. There were two slim volumes, and a sheaf of paper rubber-banded together. “You sure are efficient. Is there anything you can’t find?”

  “Apparently a faithful husband,” she snarked. But there was something different about her. I studied her carefully. She was practically glowing, her eyes brighter than they had been, her lips curved into a broad smile.

  If I had to guess, I’d say she’d found herself at least a candidate for faithful husband.

  But she obviously didn’t want to share more with me, so I let it go. “Tell me about it,” I said. “Want to come in and grab a cup of coffee?” There was a banging sound from the kitchen. “Toni’s in a bit of a snit this morning, but she won’t bite. Not you, at least.”

  “I heard that,” Toni shouted from the kitchen.

  “I meant you to,” I called back.

  Vivian’s smile widened. “Watching the two of you together almost makes me wish I had a sister.”

  “You can have mine,” Toni called.

  “I’d love that.” Viv adjusted the flowy floral scarf tied around her neck. “I really wish I could stay for coffee, but I have—”

  The radio on the entryway table squawked, and Wilder’s voice came over the waves, taut and clipped. “We’ve got an emergency in the gift shop. Calling 911.”

  My heart jumped, and the water in the kitchen abruptly shut off, followed a moment later by Toni bounding into the room. Her eyes met mine. “Where’s Evelyn?” she asked, her voice quavering.

  That same icy fear pricked me. I hadn’t seen my mother since she finished breakfast. Had she gone down to the gift shop and…

  The cut brake lines. The mangled water main.

  I couldn’t believe we’d been so stupid. We shouldn’t have let anyone move around the park alone, not until we figured out exactly what was going on and who was trying to sabotage us.

  Before the fear could turn my knees to jelly, the back door banged open, and the sound of clipped, high-heeled steps made my shoulders sag in relief. “Girls, we’ve got to go,” my mother said as she appeared at the end of the hallway. Her face looked a decade older than it had at breakfast. Seeing Viv, she nodded quickly.

  Viv took a step toward the door. “I should probably—”

  “Yes, this isn’t the best time,” my mother said. “Toni, Cass, we need to get down there. Let’s take one
of the carts. It’ll be faster.”

  I gave Viv a quick hug and promised her I’d let her know what was going on when I knew more. Then Mom, Toni, and I were in one of the golf carts, Toni at the wheel, steering us expertly down the path toward the castle.

  Wilder was waiting by the drawbridge when we zipped into the parking lot. “There you are, Mrs. H. It’s Diana.”

  Toni took a sharp breath. I reached out to pat her arm, but she was already sliding out of the cart and running for the entrance, Mom right behind her. My hand brushed the seat instead.

  I walked toward the castle slowly, a deep sense of dread growing with every step I took. I did not want to go into that building. I wanted to turn around and go home, crawl back into bed and start this day all over again. I wanted to get as far away from whatever was going on in the gift shop as possible.

  But running away was not a luxury available to me. I forced myself over the drawbridge, keeping my eyes fixed on the door in front of me as the slinky silhouettes of catfish deep in the water seemed suddenly ominous.

  The air conditioning inside the castle was normally a welcome relief from the unrelenting sun in the parking lot, but today the blast of frigid air on my skin made me shiver uncontrollably. The lobby’s carnival scents felt monstrously wrong given the circumstances, and no one had thought to turn off the calliope music, so, beneath the palpable sense of panic in the room, it shrilled cheerfully on.

  Spots flickered in my vision as my eyes adjusted to the interior lighting, and then I took in the pandemonium before me. Everyone seemed to be moving, and talking, and crying.

  Everyone except one person.

  Diana lay on the floor of the gift shop, her eyes closed, her skin very pale. I thought for a moment that she was dead, but then I saw the faintest rise of her chest under her uniform shirt. There was a coat folded up beneath her head, and someone had draped a blanket over her. Toni knelt beside her, her face bleak as she watched Mom check Diana’s pulse.

  On the counter was a fruit basket, the cellophane hanging open. Mr. Mancuso sobbed nearby. “I told her not to eat it,” he said, pulling a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket and blowing his nose into it. “I told her it was nothing good.”