Chapter Three
Everyone ducked as the object came speeding toward them. Kacey jerked the wheel to the right and evaded the ball by inches. It hit the water with such force that it sent a sheet of water over the entire boat, soaking everyone and everything.
Ava cried, "It's a cannon ball!"
They sped over the water heading towards the harbor at high speed. When Kacey looked back, she shouted over the roaring motor,
"Is everybody okay?"
"Yeah!" Ava shouted back. But the girls and their boat were soaked. Small objects and life preservers floated on the surface of the water in the boat. Kacey looked back, but didn't see or hear any more cannons firing. She slowed the boat down as she approached the harbor. She drove the boat slowly to the pier where Mr. Cummings was running toward them, looking worried.
"Are you girls all right?" he cried anxiously.
"Yeah, we're fine," Ava replied, "But pretty wet."
Mr. Cummings said, "When I heard those explosions, I ran outside. I thought your boat had exploded!"
"It almost did!" Kacey replied as she tossed Mr. Cummings the lines to tie up the boat.
"Somebody was shooting cannon balls at us!" Ava explained.
"What?" Mr. Cummings cried.
"Yes! Cannon balls! The size of bowling balls! Who shoots cannon around here?" Kacey demanded.
"It must have come from the island," Mr. Cummings said, "There were no other boats out there just now."
Emma stood up and found her knees shaking.
"I think I'm going to faint!" she cried.
The other two girls helped her out of the boat. Kacey looked at the boat and said, "I can bail the water out if you have a pump."
"Don't worry. I'll have one of the workers do that. I'm just glad you weren't hurt," he said.
"I'm glad the boat wasn't damaged," Kacey smiled, "That would've been hard to explain to Uncle John."
"But it's not your fault," Mr. Cummings said, "You were lucky you didn't capsize!"
"I think the cannon was just intended to scare us away," Ava said.
"Yeah," Kacey agreed, "If whoever was shooting wanted to sink us, they could have easily done it. We were sitting ducks."
"Well, I'm reporting this to the Coast Guard," Mr. Cummings said urgently, "You girls better go get some dry clothes on before you catch pneumonia."
"Sorry about the boat," Kacey said as she handed him the keys.
"Oh, the boat will be fine as soon as the water is pumped out. Don't worry about it."
"Thanks," Kacey said.
The girls were wet and cold and began shivering as they hurried to Kacey's car. Once inside she turned the heat up on high.
"We'll have to go home and change before we go grocery shopping," Kacey said.
"No kidding," Ava remarked, rubbing her hands together.
Emma shook her head, "I just knew something bad was going to happen! We always find some way of getting into trouble! We could've been killed out there!"
"Relax, Emma," Kacey assured her, "Whoever did that was just trying to scare us off, which makes me even more determined to find out why!"
"Maybe we should let the Coast Guard handle it," said Ava.
"Yeah, if somebody's willing to shoot cannon balls at us," Emma reasoned, "They probably wouldn't hesitate to shoot guns at us, either!"
The girls went home and told Aunt Mary about their adventure at Castle Isle. She told them to change clothes while she started a fire in the fireplace. After drying off and changing, they were soon back in the living room where Aunt Mary had hot cocoa waiting on a tray near a warming fire. The girls were grateful as they sipped the cocoa and warmed themselves by the fire.
"We still need to go to the grocery store," Emma reminded them.
"Oh, don't worry about that," Aunt Mary said, "Just drink your cocoa and rest here."
"We'll be fine," Kacey assured her. After the girls finished their hot drinks, they headed out to the grocery store. Emma had a whole list of items she needed for cooking dinner, plus milk and bread for Aunt Mary.
Emma served a hot, steaming dish piled with linguine and Alfredo sauce, topped with shrimp and mushrooms. As the girls ate, they told Aunt Mary more about their experiences at Castle Isle. They asked if there had been any cannons at the castle.
"Oh, yes. Remember, it was a fort at one time, so there are still some cannons there facing out toward the ocean."
"Do you know anything about Garth Simms, Aunt Mary?" asked Kacey.
Aunt Mary took a sip of tea and cleared her throat.
"Well, I am not one to gossip, but I have heard some rumors about him."
The others looked at her expectantly, so she continued.
"I have heard that he practices the occult...dark magic. And he has a group of people they call..." she searched for the word, "a coven. They meet at the castle to do their black magic."
"Really!" Ava declared, looking intrigued.
"So there must be people in town who know something about him," Kacey concluded.
"Uh-huh," Aunt Mary nodded, "Some of the witches in the witch shops know him. There are several here in Marbleton, and many more in Salem."
Ava looked at Kacey, "Well, we could always talk to a few witches to find out more about him."
"Good idea," Kacey agreed.
"It sounds too creepy to me," Emma said, making a face. She took another helping of linguine.
Aunt Mary suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, I just remembered! I have some things I want to give you girls," she said. Getting up on her walker, she went to a tall cabinet with glass doors on top and opened one of the bottom drawers.
"When I heard you were coming, I put these things aside for you girls."
They helped her carry several packages wrapped in tissue paper to the table. Aunt Mary sat down and picked up a small one.
"This is for you, Kacey. I hope you like it."
"Oh, Aunt Mary," Kacey protested, "You don't need to give us anything! We came to help you, that's all!"
"I know, dear," Aunt Mary nodded, "But I've been clearing out a lot of things. I've enjoyed having these things a long time, and now it's time for someone else to enjoy them. I'm getting older, and someday I'll have to probably sell this house and go to a nursing home. I've already made arrangements for most of the books in the library to go to the Harvard University Library, but if there are any you would like to have, please take them with you."
Kacey accepted the small package from Aunt Mary and said 'thank you' before she opened it up. "Oh, I love this!" Kacey declared. The others gave a longing, "Ohh!"
Kacey held up a beautiful gold cross, intricately worked and studded with small rubies, about one and a half inches tall. It hung from a long gold chain.
"I know how important your faith is to you," Aunt Mary said, "And I wanted you to have this. It is not only an antique, but it is solid 24 carat gold. It's quite valuable."
"Oh, Aunt Mary, are you sure you want to part with this? It's really special," Kacey said.
"Oh, I haven't worn it in years and years. It'll look lovely on you," she replied.
Kacey had fastened the necklace on and touched it lovingly.
"Thank you, Aunt Mary. Every time I wear this I will think of you!" she smiled and kissed her aunt's cheek.
Aunt Mary picked up a larger package and gave it to Emma.
"When I heard that you like to cook, I thought you might enjoy having this."
Emma thanked her and opened her package. Inside was a black iron, round instrument with a closed pan at one end and long iron handles.
"What is it?" she asked.
"This," Aunt Mary said, opening the round pan by separating the handles, "Is an old-fashioned hot sandwich maker! I used to love it when my mother made sandwiches in this! You butter two slices of bread and put one on each of the round pans, then you fill it with whatever you like. My favorite was chicken with gravy and dres
sing. Then, you close the pans together and slide this clip down over the handles to keep it tightly shut. And then," she said, getting up and holding the pans out by the handles, "You hold it over the fire for a few minutes on each side. When you open the pans again, you get a nice, hot sandwich with a crispy outside and a warm, delicious filling inside."
"Oh, that sounds great!" Emma cried, "I can't wait to try it out!"
"This sandwich maker is an antique. It's over one hundred years old. It used to be my grandmother's," Aunt Mary said.
"Thank you! I love it!" Emma cried, and gave Aunt Mary a hug.
"And now, something for you, dear," Aunt Mary said, handing a package to Ava.
Ava thanked her and opened the tissue paper package.
Inside was an intricately carved silver necklace. It had all kinds of animals twisted together in a unique design.
"It's called an amulet," Aunt Mary said, "And I think it came from England, or Scotland. It was given to me when I was a little girl, but my mother wouldn't let me wear it because she thought it might bring bad luck. But I wore it when I was older and never had bad luck. In fact, I later learned that its purpose is to ward off evil. It's very old, and I think it's beautiful."
"Oh, it is! Thank you!" Ava said enthusiastically. She asked Emma to fasten the necklace around her neck.
"I hope you will all look over the library and find some books that interest you," Aunt Mary reminded them.
"Thanks, Aunt Mary. Let's wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen, and then we'll look at your library."