have been busy making up while I was getting Karri settled.”
“Finally!” Karri said with an exaggerated eye roll that made Skye giggle and Trent chuckle. He’d get Karri alone later and apologize for his rudeness. She’d tried to help him and he’d brushed her off. “Come on, Tinsley said she’ll show us around town before we meet with her family at Harper’s bar. It used to belong to a pirate!”
“To be fair, most of downtown used to belong to one pirate or another,” Trent pointed out.
“I don’t remember reading about any of that when I studied for my Anne Bonny role,” Skye said as she stood up.
“You probably didn’t. Shadows Landing was a pirate safe haven and not really known to most people because they didn’t want it known. While we do get some money from tourism, we like our little hideaway,” Tinsley told them as they walked out of the house.
Trent pulled out his phone and sent a text to Skeeter, the town’s ghost expert. Skeeter knew the history of Shadows Landing by heart, even more so than Stephen Adkins, the local historian.
“I’ll drive!” Tinsley called out and Skye instantly reached for the car handle.
“Hey, Karri. Why don’t you ride with me?” Trent asked. Now was the perfect time for that apology.
Trent had forgotten some of the historical facts about the town’s founding even though he grew up here. He found himself enjoying Skeeter’s tour of downtown Shadows Landing just as much as Skye and Karri were.
“Reverend Winston!” Skeeter called out as they entered the church. Trent saw the middle-aged clergyman with warm umber skin and his hair in soft coils look up from where he was practicing his sermon.
“Good afternoon. You’ve brought some new faces with you today. Welcome! I’m Floyd Winston, the pastor here at our beautiful church.”
“Thank you,” Skye said, smiling as she looked around. “My name is Skye and this is my best friend, Karri. Skeeter has been kind enough to take us on a tour of your town.”
“Then he brought you to the right place,” Reverend Winston stepped from behind the podium to join them in front of the altar. “I would think that the woman who played Anne Bonny would be particularly interested in the church’s history as Anne donated several of the items herself. It’s such a shame the screenwriters didn’t come here so they’d get their facts right.”
Karri hid a laugh under a cough. That sentiment had been expressed by just about everyone Trent had introduced her to today.
Trent slid his hand into Skye’s as she looked around the church and asked, “Anne Bonny really was here?”
Skeeter and Reverend Winston shared a laugh. “She wasn’t just here. She supplied some of the weapons and signed the decree ceding the church to the town along with Blackbeard, Black Law, Peg Leg Tom, and others. The history of the church is a fascinating one. It was built by the pirates and given to the town with the caveat that they’d be allowed to bring in their booty from the river using secret tunnels under the cemetery and furthermore, that this would always be a sanctuary to all in need, even if they’d broken the law by smuggling.”
Reverent Winston turned toward the altar and picked up a candlestick. There was matching one on the other side of the altar. He turned the candlestick upside down, grabbed the jeweled base, and pulled. A long narrow dagger slid free from inside. “These were donated by Anne Bonny. She believed women should be able to protect themselves. See, when the pirates sailed off to the high seas, the town consisted almost entirely of women and children. The founding pirates didn’t want them to be defenseless, so the women were armed. The church still holds an armory and the women of Shadows Landing are still taught self-defense here.”
“Fascinating,” Karri said, completely engrossed in the story.
Trent felt as if he were hearing this all for the first time, based on Skye’s excitement. She and Karri asked questions as Reverend Winston and Skeeter showed them around the church and told them more stories.
Trent’s cousin Harper was already texting him that everyone was at the bar by the time they finished the tour of the church.
“Thank you for the tour and the fascinating history. I’d forgotten some of it,” Trent said as he shook hands with Reverend Winston.
“Goodness, I’m going to be late for dinner. I look forward to seeing you again on Sunday.”
Trent didn’t let go of Skye’s hand as