Pickups and Pirates (Southern Relics Cozy Mysteries Book 3) Read online

  Pickups and Pirates

  Southern Relics Cozy Mysteries

  Bella Falls

  Evermore Press

  Copyright © 2020 by Bella Falls

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author, except where permitted by law or for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  All Rights Reserved.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Also by Bella Falls

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Hextra Free Stories

  Series Order

  Series Order

  About the Author

  Also by Bella Falls

  Southern Relics Cozy Mysteries

  Flea Market Magic

  Rags To Witches

  Pickup and Pirates

  Vintage Vampire

  A Southern Charms Cozy Mystery Series

  Moonshine & Magic: Book 1

  Lemonade & Love Potions (Southern Charms Cozy Short)

  Fried Chicken & Fangs: Book 2

  Sweet Tea & Spells: Book 3

  Barbecue & Brooms: Book 4

  Collards & Cauldrons: Book 5

  Cornbread & Crossroads: Book 6

  *All audiobooks available are narrated by the wonderful and talented Johanna Parker

  For a FREE exclusive copy of the prequel to the Southern Charms series, Chess Pie & Choices, sign up for my newsletter!

  Share recipes, talk about Southern Charms and all things cozy mysteries, and connect with me by joining my reader group Southern Charms Cozy Companions!

  Prologue

  1720

  Gandry Family Land

  Bellfort, NC

  Dead branches lay stacked in a neat pile around the feet of the woman tied to the stake in the middle of a razed field. The glow from the torches of those watching cast light and shadows across her haggard face. No matter which way she turned her head, she could not hide her despair.

  A tall figure wearing the crisp uniform of the Royal Navy broke the boundaries of the small crowd, and with emboldened steps, approached the makeshift pyre. “Lieutenant Whitney,” he called out. “Remove some of that wood and clear me a path so I may speak to the prisoner.”

  A young man in a similar uniform rushed forward, the flame of his torch lighting the stern face of his superior. “Captain, I do not think it wise to address the accused in such close proximity.”

  The head Naval officer removed his tricorn hat, shoving it into the hands of his inferior and yanking the torch away from him. “Surely, your words do not reflect a belief in the tales of her infamy?”

  “N-n-o, sir,” the young officer stuttered. “But you tasked me to discover all that I could about her when we were in pursuit. With great ease, I could dismiss one incredible story. However, when you hear the accounts uttered from the mouths of every person we have interviewed—”

  “You can spurn it all for the chicanery that it is,” the captain interrupted, turning his eyes to the woman. “Words meant to inspire fear. To keep those she wishes at bay. And now, you bear witness that there can be no truth to the whispers or warnings about her.”

  “That she is indeed a witch, sir?” The lieutenant trained his eyes on the ground, unable to face the disapproval of his captain’s scrutiny.

  A tense moment followed, until the taller man sniffed with an air of dauntless indifference. “If she were, how would we have been able to find and capture her with such ease? This woman wields no special powers except those she practices on the unsuspecting dolts who fall under the spell of love. Or lust.” He cast his attention to the woman who listened and watched him with great care. “For reasons that are my own, I can assure you that I am secure from her wiles.”

  “Of course, Captain.” The young man straightened himself, awaiting his next instructions.

  His commander snorted. “I can hear the doubt trembling in your voice, Whitney. It is to your credit that you worry so for me.” Placing one hand behind his back, he bowed and gestured at the woman bound helplessly before them. “If it would set your mind at ease, I invite you to protect your captain by testing her first. Determine whether she is indeed a witch, as you are determined to label her, or only a misguided soul who has gone far astray from the path of righteousness.”

  The lieutenant’s eyes grew wide with shock. “S-s-sorry, sir?”

  With rueful repulsion, the captain mocked the young man’s stuttering. “Perhaps you should refrain from questioning my tactics until you no longer need to hide behind your mother’s frocks. Now, tell the rest of the men to wait at the edge of the property for this business to be finished. Stand by for further instructions.”

  With a quick salute, the young officer called out orders to the other sailors. Waiting for most of his crew to disappear, the captain smirked and walked directly up to the figure lashed against the stout wooden pole sunk deep into the ground.

  A moment of tense silence stretched between them until he leaned in close enough that his breath blew hot upon her face, speaking in a softer tone meant only for her. “I did warn you that this would be the outcome should you hold steady in your determination to hide the location of your treasure.”

  Pursing her lips, the woman refused to give him any response other than an irate glare.

  The uniformed man reached out his fingers to pull a strand of her dark hair off her face with brazen familiarity, ignoring her automatic flinch away from his touch. “Your stubborn nature, so carefully hidden when we were younger, will spell your doom, Annie.”

  The way the old nickname rolled off his tongue sparked a resistance inside of the captive, and she lifted her chin in defiance. “You lost the right to speak to me with any degree of intimacy long ago, Roger. I see your ambitions have served you well. Why are you not at home, enjoying what modicum of power your family name and money has purchased you?” She spit in his face, her eyes blazing with hatred.

  Instead of backing away in disgust, the captain paused and tilted his head in examination of her visage. Drawing out a handkerchief, he wiped off her spittle. “I told you of old, I never lose what belongs to me.”

  “And yet, you lost me all that time ago the moment your desires to increase your position in society outweighed your affections for me,” she proclaimed. “Why did you not live your life and leave me to mine?”

  Captain Roger Phillip Moreton stepped ever closer to her, his size dwarfing her confined body. “Because you belonged with me,” he grunted through clenched teeth. “We could have done great things together. Instead, you chose a life of deceit and crime.”

  Ann smiled for the first time. “No, I chose freedom.”

  “You believed in that lie, and yet, here are the consequences.” Roger tugged on the snug ropes binding her. “Your actions hav
e landed you here. You were never free of me, and your very life remains tied to my whims, whichever direction they may blow.”

  “Oh, Roger,” Ann sighed with a tinge of pity. “You never could truly see beyond the end of your own nose.”

  He thrust the torch closer to her face, relishing her resolve crumbling under her attempted squirms away from its heat. “Tell me where you have hidden your treasure, Annie. Reveal its location and I will show you what real power I offer by granting you life.”

  Her eyes met his. “You would release me and let me go where I wish?”

  Hope and greed swam in the captain’s gaze. “You would not die by fire nor at the end of a rope. But a life of imprisonment for a known pirate surely seems better than the inevitable consequences were I to refuse to intervene on your behalf.” He licked his lips. “And with the wealth you have accumulated and the use of special talents I know you to possess, perhaps I could arrange for you to live out your sentence in private.”

  Ann understood his meaning with all too much clarity. “Your definition of freedom has always clashed with mine, Roger. After all this time, you have failed to learn anything of import.” She raised her chin. “Do what you must.”

  The captain drew in a sharp intake of breath, unable to fathom her refusal. “You would end your life instead of accepting my proposal?”

  An air of tranquil resolve rested in her eyes. A strong wind blew from the direction of the ocean not too far away and enveloped the two of them. Turning her face to relish in its salty kiss, she closed her eyes. “I will be free until I am no more.”

  Roger gripped her cheeks in his fingers, squeezing her flesh and forcing her to face him until her eyes welled in pain. “You will regret your refusal of me yet again. I will make you pay for all of eternity. Any utterance of your name will be met with contempt and dismissal, of that I will make sure.”

  With frustrated loathing, he released her, pivoting and taking careful steps to distance himself. He barked out orders for those standing around to place the dead branches to rest by the woman’s feet again. “Let us proceed with haste,” he announced.

  A squat toad of a man with a slight limp shuffled forward from the crowd encircling the scene. He leaned on a short cane for support, its bejeweled head sparkling. “I take it you were not as persuasive as you had hoped, Captain Moreton, and we are no closer to learning the whereabouts of our prize.”

  “It makes no difference,” Roger dismissed.

  “It does when I have been promised a significant cut of what she took with her from Nassau.” The homunculus tapped a dirty fingernail on the uniform of the officer to further his point.

  The captain knocked the offending hand away and passed his torch back to his lieutenant. Clearing his throat, he unrolled a scroll and used the light from the flames to read the contents. “Ann Bonneville, also known as ‘Bonny’ Ann Bonnet and recorded as the partner to the now deceased notorious ‘Gentleman’ Jack Rackham, you are charged with the following crimes against the Crown. Willfully attacking and plundering ships under the King’s protection. The theft of countless goods. The murder of innocent lives in your reckless pursuit of riches.”

  The exhausted woman lifted her head in defiance, her eyes burning with contempt. “We never set out to take a single life. And those that were lost were usually far from innocent.”

  “You have no right to speak, wench.” The indignant toad leaned to the side to see past the captain’s body. “Beyond the many accounts that reached my ears on my estate in the Bahamas of the bloody wake that trailed behind you and Rackham, you cannot deny the wounds you inflicted on my men.”

  For the first time, Ann’s lips curled up. “As I stated, far from innocent.”

  “The impudence.” The spittle that hung from the plump man’s mouth in his rage glistened in the blaze of the torches.

  The officer placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Master Vane, I suggest you allow me to continue in order to achieve the optimum outcome.”

  A determined sausage of a finger pointed at the woman tied to the stake. “But she cannot be allowed to disparage the good works the King himself charged me to achieve. If not for my efforts, many of the wares traded on the islands and intended for the Empire would not have made it to their destined ports.”

  Ann scoffed. “And how many of those same goods ended up in your own possession, Nicholas Vane? How is it not an act of piracy when you confiscate a portion to keep for your own use or to sell and pocket the coin?”

  “My acts are sanctioned by the Crown, therefore I am no pirate.” The unsavory individual waved his cane at her and aimed his next words. “Unlike yourself and your dead partner. Did you know that he begged for his life on his knees like a soft woman rather than a fierce jackanape?”

  Instead of falling to pieces as Vane had hoped, Ann’s derisive cackle stirred the air. “If there were any justice, you would be tied right next to me. I am sure more wood can be gathered.”

  “How dare you!” With an indignant squeal, the proclaimed privateer gripped the jeweled end of his cane and yanked it free to reveal a thin blade. “I shall cut out your lying tongue to ensure you may utter no more foul words.”

  The sound of horse hooves thundered on the ground, approaching with great haste. The animal and its rider did not slow even as they aimed at the gathered assembly. Both barreled at full tilt, forcing those in attendance to scramble away. At the last second, the man in his disheveled state of panic pulled on the reins, and his horse reared up on its hind legs with a piercing whinny.

  “Stop!” the newcomer shouted from atop the horse. “I demand that these insane proceedings cease this instant.”

  While the smaller man limped out of the way, the captain stood firmly in place. He waited for the rider to dismount before addressing him. “Your protests are too late, Mister Jewell.”

  “Daniel, what are you doing?” Ann cried out, panic filling her voice for the first time.

  The distraught man’s eyes flashed to hers. “What I should have done all along. Bringing an end to all of this.” He turned to face those who had reformed the circle around the center. “Hear me! What is taking place here is the actual criminal act. Ann has been privy to no formal trial. No opportunity to defend herself or be represented by the laws that govern all of us.”

  “It has already been decided that, for her crimes, the normal protections of man no longer apply,” stated a thin man with spectacles perched on top of his long nose.

  Daniel cast an apologetic glance at Ann struggling against her bondage to continue fighting for her. “Thomas Gandry, I know you and I have not always seen eye to eye on how those like us should live now that we are settled here on land that the King has granted us. But I never believed that you and the rest of the fools you have gathered together would stoop so low as to support someone who hired a well-known hunter for his own purposes.”

  “I have no knowledge of what you are claiming,” protested the man whose land they all stood on.

  “Shall I reveal the traitor of your own kind to you?” Daniel shouted into the air, “St. John Hopkins, I name you. Step out of the shadows and face those whom you claim to be your equals.”

  A dark figure wearing a black cloak and a decorated mask that hid his full countenance stepped into the light of the torches. “How is it that you have discovered my identity?” he asked, removing the cloth façade from his face.

  “How can you turn your back on your own kind and sell your soul?” Daniel countered. “Your use of your own powers to hunt witches should send you straight to Hell.”

  The unapologetic villain grinned. “Ah, but the road there shall be paved in gold and other comforts my generous benefactors offer me.”

  “Excuse me, Captain,” Lieutenant Whitney interrupted. “But did that gentleman claim that this one is a witch hunter? Does this mean that there truly are witches? And that this woman may be one as I reported to you?”

  Roger rolled his eyes. “Well, this is an unfo
rtunate turn of events.” He drew his sword from its scabbard and skewered the unsuspecting lieutenant. “Such a waste of a decent subordinate.” He wiped the blade clean on the lieutenant’s uniform, shoving the young man’s crumpled body away from him with his boot.

  The sudden act of violence stirred the observers out of their silence. Thomas Gandry looked down his nose at the Naval officer. “Surely there is no need for this kind of bloodshed.”

  “And yet, you are willing to be culpable in the burning of one of our kind without allowing her to tell her own story,” Daniel pointed out.

  “Let it be,” interjected Ann from behind all of them. “I have accepted this outcome and implore for you to do the same.”

  The cloaked man spoke up. “We are delaying the inevitable. Let us get on with her execution.”

  Nicholas Vane raised an eyebrow. “You and I will receive no payment unless the treasure is found. Are you sure we have no need for her?”

  “It is my stock and trade, tracking things down that are desired,” St. John Hopkins stated, turning to face the woman at the stake. “I have proven that there was no place she could hide from my skills.”

  “If that was the case, then why the need to find her?” Vane asked. “Why not just go for the riches she so clearly took with her when she ran from Nassau?”

  Captain Moreton spoke up. “Because he performed the duties for which I paid him.”

  “Because of your personal feelings for Ann,” Daniel accused. Sensing an opening to his advantage, he reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out an object, holding it high in the air. “Before you make a hasty decision, I wish to bargain with you. A way for you to find that which you desire.”