Ronan rolled his eyes. “Isn’t there a pirate wreck out there somewhere in Chatham or Nauset?”
“Wellfleet,” Jude said. “The pirate shipWhydahwrecked on a sandbar and broke apart. It’s the only confirmed pirate shipwreck that’s ever been found.”
“Oh, says here there’s a museum too, with gold coins and other artifacts recovered from the wreck site.” Fitz sounded excited over the prospect of seeing the treasure. “It’s located in the best town for a pirate museum.”
“The best town?” Jace asked. “I’ve lived in Massachusetts my whole life and I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Yarrrrmouth.” Fitz said, giggling.
“You aresoridiculous,” Jace said.
“What do ye say, maties? Come to the Cape with me and we’ll search for booty.” Fitz grinned.
“Let’s not put our eye patches before the treasure chest here. We’re talking about the Cape. It’s already June. I have to imagine hotel rooms and Airbnbs have been booked for months. Don’t say anything to the kids. I don’t want to disappoint them if this doesn’t work out.” Ronan hated to be a wet blanket, but they were a party of twelve, it wasn’t easy to find lodging under the best of circumstances. Fitz had booked their Memorial Day Weekend house a few days after Labor Day the year before. Beachfront property went fast, especially when Massachusetts had such a short summer season compared to the Carolinas, and Florida, where it was always summer.
“Come for breakfast tomorrow morning and we’ll map it out, see if we can find a way to make it work,” Jude said, sounding excited.
Fitz had admitted how tired he was and looking at Jude, the same was true for him. The work they did brought justice and closure to so many families who had waited years or even decades for a resolution. Even though the work they did was vital to the community and public trust, it wasn’t the kind of job that left you feeling happy and joyful when it was over.
The older he, Jude, and Fitz got, the more essential it was to keep their mental health in a good place. To be honest, there was no better place in New England to work on his head than on Cape Cod. The last time he and Ten had been down there, Everly wasn’t even a thought.
Now, Ronan would be able to share the magic of that special place with his kids. He crossed his fingers and hoped that Fitzgibbon’s wish of a ghost-free vacation would come true.
2
Tennyson
“Dada!” Ezra shouted, breaking Ten out of a dream where he was getting a little pirate booty of his own.
“DADA!” Ezra pushed open the door to the master bedroom. “You wake up, now or you walk the prank!”
“Walk the prank, huh?” Ten asked, scooping Ezra into his arms. He checked the clock and was surprised to see it was nearly half past eight. “You and Daddy let me sleep late.”
“Daddy, said seep. Cap’n Ezwa says no. Wake up!” Ezra giggled when Ten poked him in the stomach.
“Why are you so anxious for me to get up?” Ever since they’d come back from their trip to Hampton Beach, Ten had been slowly testing Ezra’s gift. He wasn’t nearly as powerful as Everly had been at this age and Ten didn’t want to push his son.
“We go Yarrrrrmouth!” Ezra said, sounding like a pirate.
“We are?” Ten asked. “Did Daddy tell you that?”
Ezra shook his head, sending his dark hair flying. “Me see sip-wreck and Sam.”
Ten wasn’t expecting Ezra’s answer. “You see a shipwreck?” At the party, when Jude mentioned a shipwreck off the coast of Cape Cod, Ezzie had been in the pool. He wasn’t close enough to have heard the adult conversation at the table, not with Everly and Aurora singing while Wolf and Lizzie splashed each other.
Ezra nodded. “Me see Sam.”
“Who’s Sam?” Ten asked. The name didn’t ring any bells for him. He reached out and hugged his son until Ezra decided he’d had enough.
Shrugging, Ezra climbed off the bed. “We go Joooo’s house. Hurry!” The little boy scampered out of the room.
Fifteen minutes later, after a quick shower, Ten was ready to leave the house. When he walked into the living room, the kids were watching an episode ofJake and the Neverland Pirates. “Do we know anyone named Sam?”
Ronan shook his head. “I don’t think so. Why?”
“When Ezra came to wake me up, he mentioned seeing a sip-wreck and Sam. Is he a character on the cartoon the kids are watching?”
“There’s no one with that name on the show. Do you think Ezra had a vision?” Ronan wore a nervous look.
