"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
It was about seven o’clock on a Tuesday evening in the summer. The sky was the clearest, deepest shade of blue I think I’d ever seen, and the air was motionless and warm. I’ve just had a look in my dictionary, and the perfect word to describe it is balmy.
So, not exactly the kind of weather or the time of year you’d expect to come across a tale of blood-chilling horror. And yet, that was exactly what I was about to come across.
I was standing outside my garden shed, with a jam jar of red poster paint in one hand and a brush in the other. As readers of my earlier case files will know, I’d been fighting a losing battle with the wooden sign—Saxby Smart: Private Detective—which I kept trying to nail up on the shed door. It kept falling off. I am not good at practical things like that.
It had taken me a surprisingly long time to hit on the simple idea of having a painted sign instead. I guess even brilliant schoolboy detectives like me sometimes miss the obvious, ahem, ahem. Anyway, I’d decided on red lettering against a white rectangle painted directly on the door.
I stood back to admire my handiwork. It said: Saxby Smart: Privat Detective.
“Oh rats,” I muttered to myself. I painted in the missing “e.” It looked a bit squashed, but it was okay.
“Hi Saxby,” came a voice from behind me. I turned to see a boy from my class at school, James Russell, poking his head around the garden gate. He looked as nervous as a kid in his first spelling bee. “I need your help.”
I opened the freshly painted shed door and ushered him into my office. “Sorry, just step around the lawn-mower,” I said. “Watch out for the garden hose, that’s it. You sit in my Thinking Chair, I’ll sit on the desk. Now then, you have a tale to tell me?”
“It’s a tale of blood-chilling horror,” he said shakily.
“Excellent,” I said. “Begin.”
For a moment or two, James cast his eyes around the cluttered interior of the shed. He was known around school as a quiet, serious kid. He had a face that looked like it had been sculpted out of assorted sizes of triangle, and a shock of curly hair that tended to sway as he walked.
“Have you heard of Captain Virgil Blade?” he said.
“Nope,” I said. “But I’d love to borrow his name sometime.”
“He was a pirate in the seventeenth century,” said James. “He commanded a ship that raided merchant vessels all along the French and Spanish coasts. Pirates never lasted long in those waters, because the local navy ships went after them, but Captain Blade outran and outgunned them for ten years. He was the most feared pirate on the seas, and he thought nothing of killing entire crews just to get at a valuable cargo. It’s said he had his own grandmother beheaded, just so she couldn’t give away his location.”
“Nice man,” I muttered.
“When he was caught in 1675,” said James, “he swore to gain vengeance from beyond the grave. As he stood on the gallows at Portsmouth dock, he vowed that his ghost would haunt anyone who ever touched his possessions. A lot of artifacts survive to this day. His coat, a hat he wore, there’s even a bottle that’s supposed to contain some of his blood.”
“Oh yuck!” I said. “For real?”
“It was collected from Blade’s dead body by his cabin boy. There were those who believed he’d come back from the dead one day. Over the centuries, there have been rumors of strange noises and eerie sights every time his possessions were moved.”
“And they’ve been moved recently?” I said quietly. I was starting to get a cold feeling at the back of my neck.
James nodded. “My dad is curator at the local museum, up in town. A whole load of Virgil Blade’s stuff arrived there a couple of weeks ago. And, I swear to you, Saxby, I think his ghost has arrived along with it!”
THE PIRATE’S BLOOD AND OTHER CASE FILES Text copyright © 2011 by Simon Cheshire
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 6.10
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Saxby Smart, private detective, is back. Operating out of his garden shed, Saxby takes on cases brought to him by other pupils at his school, never failing to uncover a web of intrigue and deceit. In the three new stories in this collection, Saxby manages to solve the cases in his usual expert way, making deductions and spotting clues. Are you smart enough to find the answers? The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002257357
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The Pirate's Blood (Saxby Smart: Private Detective) (Saxby Smart - Schoolboy Detective) This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9781853409936
Book Description Condition: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. 0.4. Seller Inventory # 1853409936-2-3
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. All orders are dispatched within one working day from our UK warehouse. We've been selling books online since 2004! We have over 750,000 books in stock. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. Seller Inventory # mon0002474925
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Seller Inventory # CHL1305485
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9781853409936
Book Description Condition: very good. Gut/Very good: Buch bzw. Schutzumschlag mit wenigen Gebrauchsspuren an Einband, Schutzumschlag oder Seiten. / Describes a book or dust jacket that does show some signs of wear on either the binding, dust jacket or pages. Seller Inventory # M01853409936-V
Book Description Condition: Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP18629186
Book Description Condition: Very Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 40110875-20
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Used; Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books. Seller Inventory # mon0001821754