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Sean hesitated "I think I feel nowthe body was so here that we’re not seeing--buteren’t meant to discover I don’t know Not much makes sense yet But yes With what and e have--hell, yes, we have to one, Vanessa continued to study the schedule, adding in notes and suggestions She liked reviewing his work, and going over all the notes he hadin the scenes that would go with the narrative

She rose at one point, realizing that they’d had coffee but not breakfast Noas nearly lunchtiry

She heard the sound of the air-conditioner kicking on as she walked to the kitchen Itwar rays of rebounding sunlight into the rooain

He was there again

Someone by theSoain the weakness of her legs buckling

At first, her mind raced in a somewhat rational direction

Carlos It was Carlos Roca She had seen hiht, and he was guilty of murder, and now he had come for her

But it wasn’t Carlos

It was the pirate--the dandy pirate

The tall, striking felloith the sweeping hat and brocade coat The one she had seen yesterday, and then briefly again just this o away He wasn’t real He was her s

But she blinked, and this ti at her with equal consternation He juasped

"Ohtheh a ca, talking pirate ghost

In her room

She let out a weak scream

He let out a weak screaasped

"Good God, no!" the apparition replied in horror

Replied It was talking to her, the ies talked to her now, even when she ake

She fell back against the door, her hand flying to her throat

"You’re not there," she gasped out

"My God! You can see me!" he cried "You can really seenow And he see in and out, and she wasn’t sure what she saw, or what she heard

"Who are you?" she dehost--but I’ain!"

She didn’t

Sothe kind of woainst the wall and sank to the floor, entering a sorld of darkness and silence

12

As he headed back to his house, Sean tried not to dwell on the stolen corpse He called different suppliers,was set for the He had a few calls tosupplies to filroceries

David called to let his were co Vanessa, but she didn’t pick up

She was at his house--locked in

But he found hi He didn’t knohy the theft of the body disturbed hiht--it had probably been some kind of a prank Or, God knew, maybe an eccentric collector had decided that he just had to have a hteen hundreds

Still, as he neared his house, he was al time Lia up his paperwork and transferring his workload to other detectives throughout the day in preparation for taking his vacation tie had been good He’d always had a clear eye and a steady aiuns weren’t in his workaday world, he hadn’t carried one in a long ti to a close, but there would be parties, lectures and "pirate" entertainain, pirates and their consorts would be roa the streets At the moment, it was one of thelike a Key West sunset The bright sunlight gave way to a gentle, pale yellow, and the brilliant blue of the sky overhead becaray Then the sun started down, and it see around was shot full with a palette of unbelievable colors, froentle rose It wasto watch the sun set over the water, but to Sean, the colors were still visible, and the colors hat created the beauty

The brighter shades were just giving way to violet, silver and gray when he reached his house Once there, he bounded up the walk and fitted his key into the lock, calling Vanessa’s naain

Vanessa was there She walked to the foyer fro-room area