“Is it the cruise ship?” Aurora asked.
“No, honey, this is going to be like the kind of boat we were on yesterday.” Fitzgibbon eyed Aurora in the rearview mirror. “I’ve never heard you talk about a cruise ship before.”
“We saw a commercial for a cruise ship with a water slide on it. You slide right out over the water. Me and you could do that together!” Aurora gushed.
Fitzgibbon looked less than enthused about sliding off the edge of a cruise ship.
“They also have a wave pool!” Wolf said. “We can learn how to surf, Daddy!” Wolf stuck his arms out as if he were riding a wave.
“What are you interested in on the cruise ship, Everly?” Ten asked, hoping to God it was something tame like origami.
“The spa!” Everly gushed. “You can get a mani/pedi, a facial, a seaweed wrap and a hot stone massage! Doesn’t that sound relaxing?”
As a matter of fact, it did. Ten could use some pampering. It would be fun going to the spa with his daughter and Aurora.
“There was plenty of seaweed on the beach this morning. You should have told me and I could have wrapped you up like a mummy!” Ronan grinned.
“Ew, Daddy, no.” Everly’s lips puckered as if she were sucking on a lemon. “That seaweed is dirty. They clean the stuff they use on the cruise ship.”
“Yeah, Uncle Ronan. I’m not gonna get wrapped in seaweed and catch crabs!” Aurora shivered in obvious disgust.
Ten snorted. He sunk his face into his hands so he wouldn’t laugh out loud and have to explain to Aurora why catching crabs was so funny. He made a mental note to talk to Ronan about a cruise. It was only Memorial Day Weekend, they had the whole summer ahead of them.
“Okay, we’re here.” Fitzgibbon said, as he parked the van. “I’ll go get the tickets. Why don’t you all get in line for the boat to the prison.”
Ten helped the kids out of their seats and wrangled everyone down to the dock with the help of Ronan and Jude.
“Is that it, Dad?” Everly asked, pointing to the tall and slightly run-down looking building.
“Yeah, that’s it.” Ten turned to get a better look at the old prison. It was at least three stories high, complete with round turrets and a raised bronze roof, with a green patina. He studied Everly looking for signs of distress. “Are you okay? Getting any weird vibes from the place?”
Everly was quiet for a few seconds. “No, weird vibes, but I don’t think we need thefulltour either. I’d rather get lunch and hit the beach.”
“Agreed,” Ten said. “I’ll mention that to your father. If the others want to do the whole tour, that’s fine.”
“What’s fine?” Ronan asked, joining the group.
“If Everly and I don’t want to take the full prison tour.” Ten remembered throwing up on the side of the highway on the way to visit Tank Hutchins. Ronan had been afraid Ten was going to be sick in the car. Thankfully, Ten had made it to the side of the road before it was too late.
“Are you feeling pukey?” Ronan held Ten’s face in his hands, turning it from side to side, checking him out.
“No, I’m okay. Everly too, but better safe than sorry.” He’d packed breath mints and wet wipes just in case. Ten knew how excited Wolf was to see the jail and get shut inside one of the cells. No matter how sick Ten felt, he wouldn’t ruin that experience for Jude and his son.
Ronan nodded. “We’re ready to board the boat.” He led them to the dock where everyone else was waiting. “Ten, Everly, this is our tour guide, Tin Cup.”
“Hi, Mr. Tin!” Everly waved. She climbed into the boat with Ronan’s help. Ten was right behind her.
“Well, aren’t you sweet. I can’t wait to show you around the prison.” Tin waved back. “Let’s get a move on.” He signaled the men on the dock to release the ramp and cast off the bow lines.
The engines revved up and the boat pulled away from the dock. Ten was buffeted by a cold wind. It was a surprise how much colder it was on the water than on land. Or maybe he was chilled to the bone at the idea of walking into the former prison.
“Your little girl tells me you both can see and speak with ghosts,” Tin Cup said, sitting down beside Tennyson.
“That’s right,” Ten said, not quite sure where the conversation was headed. Was he a skeptic or a true believer?
“I’ve seen and heard things in that prison I’ve never been able to explain.”
“What kids of things?” Ten felt his heart speed up. If Tin Cup was able to sense spirits without a gift of his own, that meant they were strong.
