“Sea monster, giant squid, Moby Dick’s second cousin twice removed, I don’t care what it is,” an old-timer named Mike said glumly. “It’s either eating the fish or scaring them away, and we’re all going to go broke and starve to death if someone doesn’t find the damn thing and kill it.”
“Exactly,” Clyde said. “So with no fish to catch, I figured, why not rent out my boat and my services for the day to people with more money than sense. Right? So we picked up this bunch at noon and spent hours hanging around the waters where this creature has supposedly been seen. Or where boats have disappeared, or whatever.”
“Weren’t you afraid your boat would be next?” Bethany asked.
Clyde shrugged. “My family has to eat. I mostly figured it was a fool’s errand, but even if it wasn’t, and there is some giant creature out there, I’m not going to sit at home while my kids go hungry.”
There were lots of nods around the room. Bethany’s heart ached for these men, who worked so hard in conditions that were already difficult enough without having to contend with a kraken. She bit her lip and glanced at Alexei. He narrowed his eyes and nodded, a silent promise that he would deal with it. His friend Beka had left a couple of days ago for the place they called the Otherworld to try and find some answers. Alexei said time worked differently there, so there was no telling exactly when she’d be back.
This all just got weirder and weirder.
“So what happened?” one of the guys asked. “Did you see the monster?”
“No,” Clyde said. “Not a glimpse. The folks who hired me kept insisting on going a little further, but I finally told them we had to head back when it was starting to get dark. Then, out of nowhere, this other ship appears.”
“What kind of ship?” Mike asked.
“We couldn’t tell,” Clyde said. “It was freaking spooky, I’m not kidding you. One minute, there was nothing there, and then there was this strange fog, and all you could make out was the vague outline of some kind of ship. We couldn’t even tell how big it was. But it was flying a big black skull and crossbones flag, and this huge guy suddenly steps to the end of the prow, almost on top of us. Luckily, we weren’t going very fast, since the picture people were still hoping to see something.”
“Did anyone get a photo of this Blackbeard guy?” Bethany asked.
Clyde shook his head. “Most of them didn’t even think to try, we were all so startled, but the couple who did just got a blur that looked much bigger than this guy - who was pretty damned big - that seemed like it was surrounded by smoke.”
“So how did you know he was a ghost?” Bethany asked again.
“Because Nicky the genius here tried to shoot him with a spear gun, and it went right through him.” Clyde glared at the man sitting next to him, who turned red and took another drink of his whiskey. “He coulda gotten us all killed. But this Blackbeard guy just laughed.”
Alexei raised an eyebrow. “He laughed?”
“Damn straight,” Clyde said with a scowl. “Like we were amusing little runts trying to take out a giant with a flyswatter. Which wasn’t much off, probably, but still. Then he turned around, picked up the spear, and threw it back at us so hard, it is still stuck in the side of my damned boat.”
“So he was real enough to pick up a spear and throw it,” Alexei mused. “Interesting.”
Bethany narrowed her eyes at him. She could tell he was thinking something, but she couldn’t tell what. She’d wager a year’s earnings that whatever it was, it was going to cause trouble, though.
“What happened next?” Someone else asked.
“You mean after he skewered my boat like it was an olive in a martini? He told me he was going to let us all live so we could bring back a message to anyone else who might be foolish enough to venture into his waters. His words, not mine.”
Duh, Bethany thought. No fisherman she knew talked that way.
Clyde went on. “He said I should tell everyone I knew that Blackbeard’s ghost had come back to claim his rightful treasure, and that anyone who got in his way would be sent to their rest on the bottom of the ocean, where their bones would turn into sand and their flesh be eaten by the creatures of the sea.” He shuddered.
“Flowery sort of guy, wasn’t he?” Alexei said. “That’s quite a turn of phrase.”
“You should have heard him,” Clyde said. “I swear, it’s like every word was etched into my memory with acid.” He swallowed the rest of his whiskey and stood up, followed by his two men, who did the same. “Well, I delivered his message. Hopefully that will satisfy the freaky bastard and I’ll never see him again.”
“So you’re not going to take monster hunters out in your boat tomorrow?” Bethany said, genuinely curious.
“Oh hell yeah I am,” Clyde said with a lopsided grin. “I’m not turning down good money. I’ll just take them in the other direction from where the thing actually might be. I’m guessing one piece of ocean will look pretty much as another the same to anyone not from around here.” He grimaced. “I wish I’d thought of that this morning.”
After Clyde and his crewmen left, everyone returned to what they were doing before things got interesting, leaving Bethany alone at the bar with Alexei.
“Fascinating story,” Alexei said. “Do you think he was telling the truth?” He stroked his beard, which looked both neater and softer now that he’d cut it.
She’d always liked her men clean shaven before she met him. Of course, she’d never liked men who were huge and muscular, either. Mostly, she just liked Alexei. Damn it.
Bethany laughed, looking down at the glasses she was washing so she’d stop staring at Alexei. “You mean, do I think he actually met Blackbeard’s ghost? Of course not. Do I think something strange came out of an unexpected fog and frightened him? Yeah, that I believe.”
“What do you suppose it was, then?”
“I have no idea,” Bethany said. “Somebody playing a practical joke? Another fisherman who had the same idea he did and was trying to scare off the competition?” She stared at him. “Why? You don’t seriously think it was a ghost, do you?”
Alexei looked thoughtful. “I’ve met a ghost or two in my time. Never met one who could throw a spear hard enough to imbed it in the side of a wooden boat, though. I think I might wander down to the docks and take a look at Clyde’s boat, just for the heck of it.”
“And if there really is a spear sticking out of his boat? What then?” Bethany was almost afraid to ask.
“Then I might decide to take your father’s boat out to see if I can meet this Blackbeard fellow.” He tugged on his own beard and grinned at her. “Maybe if I can find him, we can compare facial hair.”
“That sounds like a terrible idea,” Bethany said, glaring at him.
“Okay,” Alexei said with a shrug. “We can compare tattoos instead. Whatever makes you happy.”
Bethany bit her tongue so she wouldn’t tell him what would make her happy. That would be an even worse idea than trying to chase down a bloodthirsty pirate ghost.