Ghosts ⚔️ Blackbeard's Treasure

Chapter 12.

Next to the First Street warehouse building, the construction crew clear debris and muscle wheelbarrows out of the adjacent condemned building. Dylan and I watch a precarious brick wall topple over in a plume of dust, before moving. A yellow bucket loader moves in and scoops up the debris as if it's a child's set of building blocks. I raise my voice over the metallic clink of machinery and the roar of heavy equipment. "All this demolition could be why Roland's willing to cut a deal on renting this location."

Dylan nods, grinning. "I'm enjoying this more than the Naval Station."

Down the street, I see Jack point to the last standing section of the old structure. I'm relieved he's too busy overseeing the demolition work to talk to us. I'm beginning to wonder if he knew anything about the bell's relationship to the Queen Anne's Revenge. Julia was right. Beneath all that charm, the man's an unnerving enigma.

Inside the converted warehouse, our footsteps echo on the finished wood floor. The thick brick walls create a quiet atmosphere, muffling the outdoor noise. On the first floor, we find the Super's living quarters. Francisco Rodriguez, Building Supervisor, is embossed on a small brown name plate on his polished door. He answers after the third knock. Savory spices waft out of his apartment and into the hallway, making my mouth water. Whatever he's cooking smells delicious.

"I'm Lizzy Summers and this is Dylan Grant. I hope we're not interrupting your lunch, Mr. Rodriguez."

"Please, call me Paco. No worries—this is carne mechada, a slow cooking dish." He smiles. "How may I help you?" The Super is short and solid with vibrant brown eyes and a warm, open personality. I immediately like his friendly vibes. I hold out Eddie's business card. "Mr. Thache told me I could look at one his rental units today."

"Nice to meet both of you." He shakes our hands. "I think you'll find the unit he mentioned is a very nice soft loft. It's half the size of our other apartments, so the utilities aren't too high. Wait a moment, I'll get the keys." The way he replaces his final s with a sigh adds a lovely relaxed cadence to his voice. Our footsteps echo on the wooden flooring as Paco takes us down the industrial building's hallway to the building's massive natural colored stairway. "We have an elevator, but I like the exercise. Plus, I want to show you the view of the harbor. You can see the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum from here. They're right on the water." He points to a yellow tall ship. "You can board that vessel while they reenact the famous event."

He opens the door to the corner loft and I'm enchanted by the sunlight flooding the room. "Look at the high ceiling—I love the natural light."

"Loft windows are usually twice as big as regular apartment windows. These ensure natural light all day." 

Dylan walks upstairs to check out the bedroom. I'm drawn towards the open kitchen layout. He leans over the railing and looks down at us. "That's a lot of space."

"That's the other thing, it's hard to mess up the interior decorating. You have plenty of space to move your furniture around any way you like." Smiling, Paco waits patiently while I explore the modern kitchen. The loft has plenty of built in shelving against the exposed brick walls.

"We don't have any furniture yet." I climb the modern wooden steps, carefully holding the cable railing and join Dylan. Looking down at all the open floor plan is dizzying. I imagine a nice rug and living room set gracing the hard wood floors. Julia could make curtains for the windows.

My boyfriend turns around and grabs my waist. He looks down at me with a mischievous glint in his hazel green eyes. "What do you think, Lizzie?"

"It's perfect." When I inhale, the air is fresh with the scent of new carpentry.

"There's enough room for my band to practice here."

As we both agree on renting the space, I head downstairs and talk with the Super. "Roland mentioned we could do some property maintenance in lieu of a deposit. What would that entail?"

Paco nods. "I'm glad to hear that—I could use the help. There are a few units that need to be cleaned and have some abandoned property removed. I'll show you." One level up he unlocks a furnished apartment with an incredible view of the harbor. "It's a shame the young man who lived here had his accident." He shakes his head. "Such a terrible tragedy. The family's quite wealthy. They didn't want any of his furniture, so you could help yourself to what's left."

Cardboard boxes are stacked in the center of the apartment. I see Goodwill written on the side of the boxes in heavy black marker. I walk over and look at a luxurious club chair. It looks so cozy next to the brick fireplace.

I feel someone staring. Looking up, I'm transfixed by a picture above the mantle. It must be the previous tenant. He's standing in the Naval Ship Yard next to Roy and the black dog." In a flash, I recognize where I've seen him before. He was in my ghost tour two weeks ago. I remember him now. The young man asked if he could hold my bell. This is the drowned ghost I saw in the Pirate Republic's parking lot.