Act V (37 page)

Cordelia was talking again. “This is
our last stop. If you’ll look around to your left, you’ll see we’ve
come full circle. The meeting point is just at the end of this
street so that should give you a perspective of how to locate your
cars.” She motioned to a large old three story house to her right.
It was somewhat in disrepair but I thought it had a lot of
character. I’d probably passed it a thousand times and never really
looked at it. “This house is said to be haunted by the ghost of the
infamous pirate, Colette Renoute. While not as well-known as Anne
Bonney and Mary Read, Colette Renoute, better known as La Mere
Renoute, was one of the few women pirates to make a name for
herself. She was born in France to poor parents who died of Yellow
Fever while she was only a young girl in her teens. She had the
choice of marrying one of the older members of a wealthy French
family or joining a convent when her parents died. Colette was just
too adventurous to settle for a loveless marriage or the confines
of a convent. She went to sea instead and is hailed as a truly
courageous woman who could hold her own with any man. It’s said
that she gathered enough elicit loot to give up the pirating life
and open up her own business here in Savannah. Some say she began a
dress shop. More likely the business was a bit more risqué and
involved something that is still illegal everywhere in the US
except Nevada.” She gave a wry smile to the group and went on.
“Either way, she added to the local economy by employing several
women. She came to a tragic end before she was even thirty-five
years old. She was murdered in her home here but no-one was ever
able to find out who killed her or why. We only know that she died
when her neck was broken. It’s up for debate as to whether she was
killed by a wronged lover, or perhaps for a stash of treasure
that’s still hidden there. This is house is a private residence
today.” She glanced toward Aaron. “But previous owners have
reported seeing Colette in full pirate gear, walking down the
stairs and sometimes they say she sings sea chanteys. At other
times, she’s not so happy. When that happens she throws things.”
She stared for a second at the front door, then let her eyes go
very wide, covered her head and yelled, “Duck! Just kidding.” That
got the reaction she was going for, a sudden flinch and then a
laugh from the group. “Well, we’re back where we began and our tour
is over. I hope you’ve enjoyed our tour and on behalf of Savannah
Smiles, Aaron and myself, I’d like to wish you a good night and
sweet dreams.”

Coming soon to
ebooks