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Soon after, Marty went up to do his new song, the crowd, a mix of locals and tourists, ild and he invited everyone down for Fantasy Fest Someone asked him about Fantasy Fest and Marty explained that it was kind of like Mardi Gras-a king and queen were elected-and kind of like Halloween, and kind of like the biggest, wildest party anyone could think of Costumes, parties and special events all around the city There was a parade with dressed up pets-and undressed people in body paint It was fabulous, a feast and pure fantasy for the heart and the iination

He was proud of himself for his explanation The next person asked about Pirates in Paradise, and Marty looked troubled After thinking he said that it was kind of like Fantasy Fest but not-there were pirate parties, pirate encaering and grog drinking, but people elcome to wear costumes They could see a mock trial of Anne Bonny, they could learn so h, avast and ahoy all day if they liked

When the crowd finally began to thin around 3:00 aether from Jekyll and Hyde, despite Clarinda’s objections Her friend had a lovely, strong voice but didn’t believe it; she would only go up late at night and when it was fairly quiet, and only with Katie

The bar didn’t close up until 4:00 a folks time to finish up and pay their bar tabs After she had secured her equipht-she only had to see that the karaoke coood microphones were locked away-she was ready to head home and to sleep Clarinda stopped her at the door "Hey, Jonas is co around"

Katie shook her head "I’rew up here, reangs down here now, you know," Clarinda said firht home I’ll take Simonton, I won’t walk on Duval I’ll be fine"

Clarinda re swayed Her uncle was up in St Augustine, and Jon Merrillo wasstopped by anyone On Saturday, she would officially take ownership of the Beckett faends museum, and she was tense and wanted to be anywhere but at work "You watch yourself with those drunks!" she warned

"Oh, honey, if there’s one thing I learned while you were away at school, it’s how to handle drunks Oh, wait! We both kne to e that before you left Go I’ll be fine And Jonas will be here soon"

Waving and clutching her carryall, Katie left the bar

At 3:00 am, Duval Street was far from closed down She wondered with a quirk of huovernor of territorial Florida-would have thought of the street na forgotten

Key West was filled with history that shouldn’t be forgotten The name itself was a bastardization of Cayo Hueso, Island of Bones, and calish-speaking British who had claimed the state from the Spaniards The name fit because it was the most western of the Islands of the Martyrs, which hat the chain of Florida "keys" had been known as to the Spanish Actually, the Islands of the Dry Tortugas were farther west, but the naiven, and it had stuck Street names caues and their families Simonton had purchased Key West from a Spaniard named Salas when Florida had becoift-or back payovernor who had ruled before the Aovernor The island had seen British rule as well, and often, no matter who ruled, it wasn’t ruled hout history, and now

"You do love this place," Bartholoed "It’s home If you’re used to the beautiful fall colors in Massachusetts, that’s home Down here, it’s the water, and the craziness Yes, I do love it"

She stopped walking and stared across Si

"What?" Bartholo Not even the beauty in white who frets so night after night"

"Lights"

"Lights? They’re everywhere, and trust me, I can remember when they weren’t," Bartholohts on in the entry at the old Beckett museum My museum"

"You don’t officially own it until Saturday, or so you said"

"Right, I have ato con the final papers, but…"

There shouldn’t have been anyone in the ht alht have lived forever His health had been excellent But his life had existed around a true love affair When Leandra, his wife of sixty-plus years had passed away, he had never quite recovered He hadn’t taken a pistol to his head or an overdose of prescription medication, he had simply lost his love for life Liam Beckett, a friend of Katie’s since she had coraduated high school before she had started-had been the assumed executor of the estate, and he’d planned to tear theit The place hadn’t been open in years; Katie had loved it as a child, and she had long drea David Beckett, Liam’s cousin and coexecutor of the estate, hadn’t actually corresponded about thein Africa, Asia, Australia or somewhere far away for the past few years, and Liam was convinced that David wouldn’t care one way or another what happened to the place It was unlikely he would remain in the Keys if he actually returned at all Since David had left, alo, he had never wanted to coreat love of his life at the tiled She was left there, in the faro de Hoyos

He’d been under suspicion He’d had an alibi-his grandparents That alibi had randparents say? But he hadn’t run; he had waited through the beginning of the investigation, he had stayed in town until the case had gone cold and then he had left, never to return