wore six pistols, a bunch of knives, and a cutlass. He’d work himself into a frenzy before battle to scare the crap out of his opponents.”
“Tricky, too,” Shelton added. “I read that he’d burn hemp rope under his hat to create a smoke cloud. When he attacked, his victims thought he was the real devil. Sailors would surrender at the sight of him. He wrecked shop all around here.”
“Don’t forget the siege,” Hi said. “In 1718, Blackbeard and another pirate named Stede Bonnet attacked so many ships around Charleston Harbor that the city closed down the port. Nobody got in or out for months.”
“Yikes,” I said. “Did Blackbeard kill everyone? Sink the ships?”
“Naw, but he took a lot of prisoners,” Shelton said. “He’d snag the bigwigs and hold them for ransom. Usually freed them unharmed if the bounty was paid.”
“Why is so much known about him?”
“Blackbeard was pardoned for a while,” Hi said. “Used his real name: Edward Teach. But the straight life didn’t take. You know what they say: once a hijacking, murdering, high-seas gangster . . .”
“That’s great,” I said, “but what about Anne Bonny?”
“Bonny?” Shelton’s face scrunched in thought. “She came from Ireland, I think. Rolled with Calico Jack, the pirate who stole Bonnet’s ship, Revenge .”
Hi resumed his TV-host baritone. “Master of both sword and pistol, Anne Bonny was a deadly fighter with a nasty temper. As a teenager, Bonny stabbed her serving maid.” Eyebrow flare. “As a pirate, she once undressed a fencing instructor using only her sword!”
Shelton broke in. “Anne Bonny pummeled any fool who hit on her without permission. She was definitely a badass.”
Inside, I smiled. I liked that.
“But that’s all small potatoes,” Shelton said. “She’s famous, really famous, because . . .” He stopped dead. “Wait.”
I met his gaze levelly. No point in being discrete now.
“No.” Shelton shook his head. “You can’t be serious. That’s your plan?”
“What plan?” Hi asked.
“You have a better idea?” I crossed my arms. Defiant. And a little self-conscious.
“But that’s not even a real plan. It’s a joke.” Shelton’s fingers found his left ear. Tugged. “Why not just chase rainbows looking for lucky charms?”
“What plan?” Hi repeated.
“I’m not claiming it’s a slam dunk,” I said.
“It’s not even a full-court shot,” Shelton said. “Blindfolded. Underhand. With a bowling ball.”
“We have to try something .”
“WHAT. PLAN?” Hi. Exasperated.
Ben walked in and popped the back of Hi’s head. “WHY. ARE. YOU. YELLING?”
“Wonderful.” Hi slid to the floor and rolled to his back. “First ignored, then attacked. I need new friends. And a lawyer.”
“You’ll survive.” Ben dropped into my lounger and crossed sneakered feet. His black T-shirt was stained with grease and oil. “Now answer the question.”
Sighing theatrically, Hi spoke to the ceiling. “Tory came up with one of her special schemes. Shelton thinks it’s insane, big shock there. Neither will tell me what they’re talking about. Then you came in and assaulted me. That’s all I got.”
“Brennan here thinks she’s found a way to solve our fiscal problem.” Shelton laid it on thick. “Easy! All we have to do is find Anne Bonny’s lost pirate treasure.”
Ben snorted.
Hi’s giggles rose from the floor. “Okay, that’s pretty nuts.”
My face burned, but I didn’t back down.
“Why is it so crazy? No one has ever found it, right? We need tons of cash, and we need it now . I’m open to other suggestions.” I cupped a palm to the side of my head. “All ears.”
Ben’s forehead crinkled. “You’re talking about finding buried treasure. You realize how absurd that is, right?”
“I do.”
“No one’s sure the treasure even exists,” Shelton said. “It could be an empty legend.”
Hi sat up. “Hundreds of people have searched. Experts. Geniuses.
“Tricky, too,” Shelton added. “I read that he’d burn hemp rope under his hat to create a smoke cloud. When he attacked, his victims thought he was the real devil. Sailors would surrender at the sight of him. He wrecked shop all around here.”
“Don’t forget the siege,” Hi said. “In 1718, Blackbeard and another pirate named Stede Bonnet attacked so many ships around Charleston Harbor that the city closed down the port. Nobody got in or out for months.”
“Yikes,” I said. “Did Blackbeard kill everyone? Sink the ships?”
“Naw, but he took a lot of prisoners,” Shelton said. “He’d snag the bigwigs and hold them for ransom. Usually freed them unharmed if the bounty was paid.”
“Why is so much known about him?”
“Blackbeard was pardoned for a while,” Hi said. “Used his real name: Edward Teach. But the straight life didn’t take. You know what they say: once a hijacking, murdering, high-seas gangster . . .”
“That’s great,” I said, “but what about Anne Bonny?”
“Bonny?” Shelton’s face scrunched in thought. “She came from Ireland, I think. Rolled with Calico Jack, the pirate who stole Bonnet’s ship, Revenge .”
Hi resumed his TV-host baritone. “Master of both sword and pistol, Anne Bonny was a deadly fighter with a nasty temper. As a teenager, Bonny stabbed her serving maid.” Eyebrow flare. “As a pirate, she once undressed a fencing instructor using only her sword!”
Shelton broke in. “Anne Bonny pummeled any fool who hit on her without permission. She was definitely a badass.”
Inside, I smiled. I liked that.
“But that’s all small potatoes,” Shelton said. “She’s famous, really famous, because . . .” He stopped dead. “Wait.”
I met his gaze levelly. No point in being discrete now.
“No.” Shelton shook his head. “You can’t be serious. That’s your plan?”
“What plan?” Hi asked.
“You have a better idea?” I crossed my arms. Defiant. And a little self-conscious.
“But that’s not even a real plan. It’s a joke.” Shelton’s fingers found his left ear. Tugged. “Why not just chase rainbows looking for lucky charms?”
“What plan?” Hi repeated.
“I’m not claiming it’s a slam dunk,” I said.
“It’s not even a full-court shot,” Shelton said. “Blindfolded. Underhand. With a bowling ball.”
“We have to try something .”
“WHAT. PLAN?” Hi. Exasperated.
Ben walked in and popped the back of Hi’s head. “WHY. ARE. YOU. YELLING?”
“Wonderful.” Hi slid to the floor and rolled to his back. “First ignored, then attacked. I need new friends. And a lawyer.”
“You’ll survive.” Ben dropped into my lounger and crossed sneakered feet. His black T-shirt was stained with grease and oil. “Now answer the question.”
Sighing theatrically, Hi spoke to the ceiling. “Tory came up with one of her special schemes. Shelton thinks it’s insane, big shock there. Neither will tell me what they’re talking about. Then you came in and assaulted me. That’s all I got.”
“Brennan here thinks she’s found a way to solve our fiscal problem.” Shelton laid it on thick. “Easy! All we have to do is find Anne Bonny’s lost pirate treasure.”
Ben snorted.
Hi’s giggles rose from the floor. “Okay, that’s pretty nuts.”
My face burned, but I didn’t back down.
“Why is it so crazy? No one has ever found it, right? We need tons of cash, and we need it now . I’m open to other suggestions.” I cupped a palm to the side of my head. “All ears.”
Ben’s forehead crinkled. “You’re talking about finding buried treasure. You realize how absurd that is, right?”
“I do.”
“No one’s sure the treasure even exists,” Shelton said. “It could be an empty legend.”
Hi sat up. “Hundreds of people have searched. Experts. Geniuses.
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