Chapter 17

Carolyn knocked before entering Claymore's office and sat down to pay the rent that morning.

Once the cheque was written and handed over to his eager hands, she spoke again.

"Claymore?" she said.

"Hmmm?" he hummed, not looking up as he sorted away the cheque.

"If I asked you to call me Carolyn, what would you say?" she asked.

"Call you…well…why?" he stammered, stunned.

"We're friends aren't we?"

"…Yes, but…"

"And Mrs. Muir sounds so formal and…" she began to explain.

"That's as may be, but no, thank you, Mrs. Muir, I choose life," Claymore replied seriously and turned back to his work.

"What?" she demanded, confused and also amused by his seriousness.

"If I start calling you...your name...what'd you suppose you know who will do to me? Hmmm?" Claymore asked with a raised eyebrow.

He began looking around the room suspiciously as though waiting for the ghost to appear at any moment.

"Now, really, I don't…"

"I'm not blind," he insisted. "And…well…just because he calls you by name doesn't mean I should. If anyone even so much as looks at you sideways, I dread to even think what he'd…" Claymore gave a shudder. "I happen to value my life…"

"Except over money," she interrupted.

"Except over…hey," he frowned. "Well…" he mused. "We're not talking about money. Leave the money out of this. The point is, if I stop calling you Mrs. Muir I won't have a life to value anymore. He'll probably levitate me off a cliff. Or let my car drive into the sea with me still in it. Or…or who knows what. Huh huh, no sir-ee, so thank you, but no thank you, Mrs. Muir."

"Alright, Claymore, but really..."

"Ah, ah, you know I'm right. I mean...he could be here right now," the man glanced around, nervously. "I didn't do it. I swear, you heard me!" he cried and she shook her head, rolling her eyes but with a faint smile on her lips.

"He's not here. He's with Jono and Candy back at the house, he's trying to teach them to make their own sea charts for a school project."

"Right, that's just what he wants you to think," Claymore said, still wary. "That old spook's tricky and I'm not taking any chances."

"Alright. I'm sure you're probably right," she said, kindly. "But really, I thought you were turning over a new leaf? Standing up to him and…"

"I am! I do!" he insisted. "In fact if he were here right now, I'd…"

"You'd do what?!" the captain demanded suddenly appearing in the room.

Claymore jumped about a foot into their air from his chair and scrambled, then fell onto the floor. He stumbled to his feet and wrung his hands in front of him, nervously.

"Err…well, y'see I…well what I meant was…" he stammered.

"Our with it, then! Speak you quivering mass of jelly!"

"Oohhhh right, yes well, I was just saying…" he pointed to Carolyn and then to himself with a shaking hand. "Urgh…that…that…we're not formal enough! Titles and surnames are important! All these young people today using first names and they hardly know each other…hmmm…" the man stammered. "It's rude and unseemly and…"

"Claymore," Carolyn shook her head with a smile.

"You see what I mean!" Claymore exclaimed.

"Are you calling the lady rude and unseemly?" the captain rounded on him and stalked closer.

With the ghost towering over him and glaring, Claymore fell back into his chair.

"NO!" Claymore yelled. "Never…I'd never…would I…M…Mrs. Muir…" he turned to her, his expression begging for help.

"Of course he wouldn't," Carolyn came to his defence. "And he wasn't."

"See! See," Claymore nodded, quickly.

"Blast, madam, do not defend this…"

"But he hasn't done anything wrong," she retorted.

"Mmmm hmmm, mmm hmmmm," Claymore said.

A single silent glare from the Captain was enough to made him shrink down in his chair, so that his chin was almost level with the desk itself.

"I thought you were helping the children with their sea charts, anyway," Carolyn said to the ghost.

"I was. But they happened to ask when you would return so here I am," he replied.

"Alright, well, I'm on my way," she stood up. "If you're sure you won't change your mind, Claymore," she said looking back at the man.

"I…I'm…s…s…sure…perfectly sure…a hundred percent sure…" he stammered and she smiled.

"Okay then," Carolyn sighed and looked over at the captain. "You can relax and stop looking for a fight, I'll be home soon. But I still need to go to the store," she told him.

"I? Looking for a fight?" he repeated her words.

"Yes, that's exactly what you were doing. And terrifying poor Claymore as well. You know, if he has a heart attack because of you, you'll be the one he haunts for all eternity," she mocked.

"Uh-huh…errr…that's right…I mean…gaaaah…" he blanched when the Captain glared at him again. "I wasn't terrified…" the man added, feebly. "A bit startled…maybe…"

"You are perpetually terrified you blubbering bowl of blancmange," Daniel said.

"…Ummmm…" Claymore couldn't at all find it in him to disagree. "You're leaving now…right…I…I have work to do and…"

"Yes, I'm leaving now. And so is the Captain. Aren't you, Daniel?" Carolyn said, pointedly.

"Oh, by the powers," he looked upwards as though cursing the heavens. "Very well," he said before turning to Claymore a final time. "You sir, should be ashamed of yourself, cowering behind a woman's skirts like a coward," the captain said. "And you dare call yourself a Gregg."

"But I'm a live cowardly Gregg," Claymore stressed the word. "And that's more important than being a dead cowardly Gr…ahhhh, I mean not that I'm calling you a dead coward and oh boy…that is…" he clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Oh, by the powers," Captain looked upward again before he vanished.

"Is he really gone?" Claymore asked.

"Looks like," she nodded and he visibly relaxed.

"Well…good…because I was about to do…and say something I'll regret," he insisted.

"I'm sure," Carolyn smiled at him and then picked up her handbag. "Well, I'd better be off. Goodbye Claymore," she said, cheerfully, walking over to the door.

"Uh huh…bye…and don't bring him in here again…he's bad for my blood pressure," he said and she gave an exasperated laugh as she left.