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Malachi must have seen the madness in Bootsie’s eyes "A sword! No pirate captain would claiun back into the shoulder holster "Leave your hostage Play out the scene, Blue Anderson Give o He dragged her with hi toward one of the chests "Here--take your sword Throw the gun to the corner of the rooun away," Malachi began

"No! Throw it across the floor!" Bootsie commanded

Malachi took his weapon from the holster, bent down and let it slide across the floor to a corner of the rooht"

Bootsie, still holding his knife against Abby’s throat, thrust her away froet your weapon"

His eyes never leaving Bootsie’s, Malachi reached into the chest, piled high with swords and knives He chose a sword

He stepped back, lifting the sword Abby saw hiainst the cabin door and sat there now, eyes ith shock, nota sound

"Shall we, Blue?"

Bootsie pushed Abby fro her to her knees He turned Malachi was ready, and still Bootsie went after hiht hard She didn’t knohere he --and perhaps he knew nothing At first, he struggled just to defend himself froan toto attack rather than ed and maneuvered about the roo at last to where Malachi’s gun had ended up He carried a Colt 45

She got her hands around it It was a larger gun than hers with a higher caliber bullet, but she wasn’t afraid to fire it

She tried to take ai about

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap

Bootsie could ; he could all but dance

Malachi lunged forward, sla across the rooht

"Stand down, Blue, stand down!" he cried

Bootsie seeh--to grab a knife from its sheath

She had a clear shot

She fired as he drew the knife, about to throw it into Malachi’s heart

The sound was deafening; the recoil sent Abby flying back, her arony

Bootsie froze Then he crashed to the floor, his peg leg le as his twisted body fell

Malachi rushed to Abby, drawing her into his ar the ties that bound her wrists As he did, they heard sirens

A floodlight suddenly lit up the interior of the boathouse

"You are surrounded Put down your weapons Coaphone

Bianca gave a strangled sob and Malachi started toward her

Thankfully he didn’t have to leave Abby

Police were pouring in, Jackson Crow and David Caswell at the head of the group

Since Bootsie was dead, it was difficult to put together the coun and exactly how he’d , disappearances and ht never know; it was sad to say, but there were people who ht never be found

A search of his house led them to a stairhich went to the cellar There they discovered a pocket door that opened into the labyrinth of tunnels--and his hidden store of frock coats, breeches, hats and pirate weapons

As the Krewe and David Caswell sat around the table at Abby’s house on Chippewa, they learned that the police had been exa other unsolved cases they’d had over the years They couldn’t be sure But Bootsie ht have started his ht have lived out his fantasies at a slower rate His wife had been alive then; she’d probably kept hi to be a pirate captain who kidnapped woet them to fall in love with him But they’d alonder about a nu victim in their records from ten years earlier Foul play had been suspected, but the case had grown cold Two years later, the body of a young wonition, had been found south of the-person cases that had never been solved in the following years So, yes, it was possible that Bootsie had begun killing slowly--and had then escalated into histhem at a more frantic rate

"Here’s what I don’t understand," Abby said She was glad to be at the table; she’d stayed at the hospital the night before because of the concussion she’d received "Why didn’t Helen recognize Bootsie? He approached her with a business card identifying him as a man named Christopher Condent But Helen knew Bootsie And he didn’t use Blue’s name He used the name of a different pirate"