Free Harrowing Hats by Joyce and Jim Lavene Page A

don’t you think? Hey, look! There are the mermaids!”

Nine

    T he mermaids were in their newly constructed, concrete lagoon. They reminded me of the mermaids in the old Peter Pan movie. The concrete wasn’t so noticeable, since it was formed into rocks and shapes around the clear, blue water. It was pretty impressive.
    They probably had the best job in the Village, at least during the summer, since they went in and out of the water all day. I wasn’t sure if that attraction could hold up to colder breezes in December.
    But for now, they basked on the rocks and put flowers in their hair while visitors snapped pictures. They wore shiny bikini tops and had long green and blue fish tails that were probably uncomfortable. I watched them flick their tails a few times for effect, singing pretty little songs that were supposed to lure visitors the way sailors had believed, once upon a time, that mermaids could lure them to their deaths.
    The lagoon was carved from a piece of Mirror Lake, where the pirate ship used to dock. It was dammed up from the rest of the water—little, sparkling waterfalls surrounding it.
    It was a placid little area of make-believe—like the rest of the Village—until lightning struck too close for comfort, sending all five mermaids screeching into the water. Obviously not the brightest of creatures.
    “We’d better hurry,” I urged Bart. He was too big to run but he could kind of throw himself headlong in the direction he wanted to go. “Looks like a bad one rolling in for the night.”
    “And I’m like a human lightning rod with my sword. At least all you have is a hat.”
    “A hat that will be ruined if it gets wet!” I started running toward the castle. Bart lumbered behind me.
    The rain started falling with hard, angry drops as we sprinted (at least I sprinted) past the Hanging Tree and the Lady of the Lake Tavern. Thunder shook the ground as the pirates on the Queen’s Revenge scurried to take in her sails.
    That got me thinking about Crystal, the pirate queen, wondering if she was back yet. I was going to have to figure out some way to urge Chase into the Templar Knights’ encampment in case she needed help. Maybe Bart would go, too, in case Chase needed him. They could also ask around to see if any of the knights had given Eloise the jewelry Cesar was so jealous of. My money was still on Eloise as the killer, but I’ve been known to be wrong.
    I’d definitely have to go out with them since I needed to see what was going on in the encampment, too. It was intriguing—so many women lured into the forest. I wasn’t worried about the knights’ effect on me since I figured I was immune. There couldn’t be a knight out there who could match Chase Manhattan.
    Breathing hard, Bart and I made it into the castle without too much damage to ourselves or the packages we carried. Master at Arms Gus Fletcher greeted us from his usual spot in the entryway. He was a former professional wrestler (still only half the size of Bart) who liked to pinch ladies’ butts as they walked past him. I was careful to maneuver through the doorway keeping Bart between me and Gus.
    “Hey, Lady Jessie.” Gus grinned and nodded to me. “Where’s your fella? If you’re looking for someone to keep you company on this rainy day, you know where to find me.”
    Bart stopped walking and looked down at Gus like he was a small child. “It’s not very nice to flirt with other people’s ladies. You should be careful that some man doesn’t punch you in the nose.”
    Gus laughed a little, but he also backed away from Bart. That made me laugh. Not many people wanted to argue with a giant.
    We headed into the castle through the keep, which contained the Great Hall where the King’s Feast is held every Sunday evening. The hall was big enough to seat a few hundred visitors above the jousting arena where most of the entertainment took place. I say most of the entertainment because so much went on with the Royal Court at