“If memory serves me, it took a very powerful medicine man to make his dying tribe into DTDs. How common was this practice amongst the forgotten people?” Mike asked Mia.
“I don’t have that answer. We need to stop and research before moving forward. Safety first,” Mia said.
“I agree,” he said.
“And cut,” Ted said.
“We need to seal this off,” Mia said.
“Why? It wasn’t aggressive,” Mike said.
“I wasn’t thinking of keeping it in as much as others out. Just until we have time afterhours to proceed. The DTD could be a remnant from the French and Indian War. Or just an ATzxe that rose and ended up on an island. You remember what they can and can’t do?”
“They can’t cross water unless it’s on a bridge,” Mike said.
“There are no bridges here.”
“Light affects them,” Ted tossed in.
“The ferries are usually lit. I know the dockyards are,” Mia said. “A thinking DTD could possibly leave here, but not a primitive one. These things feed on fear. We have to treat it calmly.”
“What if there are more?” Ted asked.
“Then we seal the cave and call in the birdmen,” Mia said. “Why did Patrick want us to investigate here?”
“According to island gossip, Rosa de Familiare was arranging to purchase the property over the cave, but the winds of war changed. The Americans eventually retook the fort and kicked her boyfriend out. No one knows what happened to her after that. Some speculated that she went to Montreal and then back to France after things calmed down.”
“Okay, we debunked the wall ghosts of Turtle Cave,” Mike said. “We have that in the can. I suggest that we come back when we are better prepared and look and see what else is buried in that cave,” Mike said. “Now it’s time to get Mikey out of the cave.”
Mia turned her camera off so Ted wouldn’t post any embarrassing shots of Mike, who really wasn’t fond of heights.
“Mason is coming down,” Ted warned. “He’s bringing down a harness.”
Mia waited at the edge and pulled him in to safety.
“Well, girly-girl, what’s got you so spooked down here?”
“Not spooked, just cautious,” Mike said. He slipped into the harness. Mason climbed back up, and Mia stayed in the cave to steady Mike’s rope.
As Mike rose, Mia looked out into the lake. The water was a brilliant blue. Small white caps had formed, heralding the change in wind. Something dark appeared out in the lake. She first thought it was a freighter moving past the island, but it wasn’t that long. “Come on, come on, turn so I can see you…”
“Did you say something to me?” Ted asked.
“There’s a boat out there. Straight out. It appeared out of nowhere.”
“Sending Burt out with a set of binoculars.”
“Shit!” Mia said and flattened herself against the wall. The boat’s flag caught the wind. It was the Devil’s Pride.
“We’re ready for you, pumpkin,” Ted said.
Mia moved away from the wall and looked out. The ship was gone. Could it have been all in her imagination? What would a pirate ship from the GSD be doing in the Great Lakes? She stepped out and started climbing.
~
Cid and Sabine toured Fort Mackinac with Patrick holding a camera. Naturally, he had it trained on Sabine at all times. He would catch hell from Burt who had stressed that both investigators should be given equal film time. Cid really didn’t care but thought it was odd when he was talking and the camera was on Sabine’s face.
“I see a lot of soldiers in both British and American uniforms,” Sabine said. “They are going about their daily business. I find it interesting that the images overlap. They are but echoes of the time that they spent here.”
“Let’s move on to the Officers’ Stone Quarters,” Cid said. “The officer in question, Captain Daniel Robertson, would have been billeted here, but I doubt his mistress would have. Now the problem I see is that we don’t know where she stayed or for how long. We know she was interested in several properties prior to the Americans arrival.”
“I think we will get more concrete information if we can find an active ghost from the time Rosa de Familiare was here,” Patrick said. “I have Fergus and Kevin working on that. In the meanwhile, we have PEEPs stuff to film.”
Mia took a moment to breathe after her climb. Mason took her climbing equipment from her. She looked over at Burt. “Please tell me you saw something.”
“A flash of something large and then nothing,” he said.
Mia squatted down. “I think I’m losing my mind.”
“Did sleeping on the sailboat help?” he asked.
“Some. No, a lot,” she amended. “My senses are on hyperdrive. I walked into the Little Stone Church, and the din of a thousand weddings assaulted my ears. I used to be able to tune all this out. It doesn’t appear to be bothering Sabine. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. You’ve been to Hell and back, the GSD and back, and had major heart surgery. I’m sure your chemistry is all screwed up.”
“Probably. I don’t mean to be such a whiner.”
“It’s okay, Mia. At least you’re being honest with me and telling me in advance you’re having problems. I appreciate that.”
“What if there is no treasure?” Mia asked.
