Ghosts ⚔️ Blackbeard's Treasure

Chapter 17.

The window Julia's working on overlooks the harbor. Sunlight bathes her face as she finishes screwing metal curtain brackets into the brick wall with a cordless drill. After I complained about the multiple drafts in the loft, my grandmother bought leftover boat cover fabric from the the navy surplus store to make the apartment custom curtains. She beams with happiness—her angelic aura radiant. "Pass me the curtains, Lizzie." I heft the floor-to-ceiling white Ibis curtains up and hand them to her. She carefully rests the pewter rod in the brackets' curved necks.

I sweep the heavy canvas drapes closed and sigh with pleasure at the luxurious wall of privacy from the outside world.  The off white fabric immediately softens the brick wall and makes the high ceilinged room feel warmer. "They're lovely."

"This polyester and cotton fabric also repels dirt." She runs her hand over the recessed lighting, built into the window well. I love the apartment's natural spectrum lights. You'll never be in the dark and what a gorgeous view." She admires the waterfront for a minute, before climbing down the step ladder. When she reaches the bottom, I give her an enthusiastic hug. "That's the best home warming gift I could ever have received. Thank you." After all our hard work, the apartment is decorated with modern artwork and clean, minimalistic furniture. A few thick, colorful rugs break up the room. 

"Don't forget about this." She walks over to the front door and lifts her coat off of a large wicker basket she's strategically hidden by the front door. I also brought you some self-care essentials." She carries the woven basket by it's handle into the kitchen. When I see what's inside, I smile with pleasure. Her gift basket is filled to the brim with gourmet food, chocolate, baked goods, candles, fragrant bath salts and fresh fruit.

"This is fabulous." I lift out a heavy chocolate bomb.

She grins and pulls out a glazed fruit torte. "I stopped by Anna's bake shop. Let's make a cup of tea and treat ourselves to a slice of goodness."

I'm surprised to see the bottle of ghost rum she won at Pirate's Republic, nestled in the basket's corner. "Why did you include your rum?"

"I thought you'd like it for your house warming party. We can make those Rum Rummers we had at the bar." The aroma of a vegan lasagna, baking in the oven, fills the apartment. There's a huge salad in the refrigerator to balance out the pasta. "Thanks for helping me. Half the fun of moving here has been spending time sewing and cooking with you."

She sips her tea. "I enjoyed it too." Her face grows serene. "You were right, Lizzie. Living alone with Jerry has helped our relationship." When she smiles, her face is much smoother than two weeks ago. "We're planning a trip to Hawaii next month."

"That's wonderful—I knew you and Jerry couldn't stay apart."

The kettle whistles as I place two slices of torte onto dessert plates. Julia pours the tea and we sit down at the butcher block table Jerry brought over earlier. Now that he and Julia are officially moving in together, they're sending us all the extra furniture they won't be needing. I set down my cup. "I wanted to ask you about the nautical bells you gave me. The ones I found in your steamer trunk."

"Yes?" Julia takes a sip of her Earl Gray tea. "What about them?"

"I brought them to McGuillacuddy's Marine Salvage Company to have them evaluated. They're actually quite valuable. Did you know that they're the original ship bell's from The Queen Anne's Revenge."

"Really?" Julia raises her penciled brows.

I nod. "That was Blackbeard's ship."

"I'm not surprised to hear they're related to a Golden Age Privateer."

"You aren't? She slices her piece of dessert with her fork and nods. "The vendor stall I bought them from was run by an old Gitane man. He bragged that his great-great uncle got the bells from a French pirate's hoard that was being auctioned off. I didn't believe him—I thought he was weaving a tale to impress me and jack up the price." She shrugs. "I just wanted them for my theater work."

"I can't keep them if they're valuable."

"Of course you can. They're yours, Lizzie. As well as all my other theatre items. You're a budding actress." I should tell her these antique bells might lead us to Black Beard's treasure.

I hear scuffing noises in the front hallway and our apartment door opens. My pleasure plummets when Dylan and Paco carry the dead tenant's brown club chair into the apartment and deposit it onto the living room floor.

Dylan grins. "Look what I brought you, Lizzie. I knew you wanted this chair. I could tell by the way your were ogling it upstairs the other day. I got the coffee table, too." Paco smiles at me unaware of my alarm. He and Dylan have been bonding over music since they discovered they both play the guitar.

"Uh, that's nice." I cautiously circle the chair as if it's alive and might have sharp teeth. I have to admit, the leather seat does look nice sitting next to the gargantuan Elephant Ear plant Jerry's gifted us. The loft is nowhere near filled. The chair turns the vacant space into a cozy corner. I bite the inside of my cheek as Julia wipes it down with leather cleaner and drapes a colorful throw over the side. I look at Dylan and my grandmother. It's a consensus. The thing has moved in and is here to stay.

Paco does a slow circle, looking up at the colorful artwork on the walls and the new curtains. "The loft looks incredible. The sofa's red and blue colors, with the off white curtains, remind me of old fashioned French Foreign Legion uniforms."

Julia's pleased with his compliment. "The French knew how to dress while waging war. I told Lizzie the curtains would help with drafts." She looks at her watch. "That reminds me, I'd better get back. I'm making Jerry a special dinner."

My boyfriend comes over and stands next to me. "You and Julia did a great job, Lizzie. Everything looks fantastic. And whatever's cooking in the oven smells delicious. Paco's going to give me a ride to pick up the Jeep. The broken window's been replaced." The dimple in his right cheek appears as he smiles. "Will you be alright by yourself here for two hours?"

I nod. My sugar high is crashing and I suddenly feel exhausted. "Of course. I'll have dinner waiting when you get back." I kiss him before they leave.

Twilight falls and lights twinkle on the waterfront walkway. In the shipping lane, I hear the soothing whoosh of large vessels traversing the harbor. The harbor is a busy maritime highway without all the air pollution. I pull a few fat candles out of the gift basket, along with the expensive bath bomb. Time to chill, is written on the side of the package. Smiling in anticipation, I head upstairs to take a much desired bath. Thanks to Julia, we have a luxurious new bed set. I sigh with pleasure at the thought of spending the night in Dylan's arms.

I light the candles and turn out the upstairs lights, enjoying the view of the lighted ships passing in the night in the harbor. This apartment is perfect. There's no ghosts here. It's been a week. After the bath is full, I throw in the Frankincense and lower myself into the steaming water. After a minute, the tightness in my back muscles melt, and I moan with pleasure. I sink down up to my neck, resting the back of my head against the porcelain tub's edge. Forty-five minutes later, my eyes pop open.

"Ping!"

A draft blows out all the candles.