The head police officer snapped his fingers, and five of them grabbed me. But since four of them were snickering, I had a feeling they were not as rough as they could have been with a man suspected of piracy.
Larry lunged for me, but I quickly shook my head. I knew that he could throw the lot of them overboard in seconds, but I didn't want to think of the younger ones getting hurt. I also didn't want to think of what would happen if they called in reinforcements, or pulled out pistols. Or began examining the Fortune from stem to stern. Especially since some of the paint from the new name of the ship was beginning to flake off in patches.
I stood up as straight as possible, then walked very slowly down the plank, nodding at Larry with a huge smile. "You'll have to finish my supper for me, mate. Tell the tiny one not to worry. This will all be sorted tomorrow."
As I marched smartly down the dock, I inquired of the officer holding my left arm, "Honestly now, does the Mayor prefer rum or ale? When I invite him back to the ship for a drink after this all blows over, I'll need to know what to serve him."
~ Chapter 17 ~ Flora ~
* After Supper *
I heard men's voices up on deck, but it sounded like the Captain was jovial. Still, my curiosity got the better of me.
The other men didn't say a word as I crept up the stairs, peeking out to see a handful of uniformed men grabbing the Captain. He was behaving as if it was all some sort of joke or ruse.
Larry looked angry enough to smack all of their heads together, but the Captain seemed to stop him with one glance. Before I knew what was happening, the Captain was being marched away. Larry turned to come back downstairs and saw my horrified face.
"What happened?" I could barely whisper.
Larry tried to smile, then sagged, shaking his head. "Sometimes a man's past life catches up with him," he said sadly, leading me back down to the others.
We sat down, and from the looks shot around the table, it seemed like only Larry, O'Doule, and McGee had a clue what was going on.
"We know that in his younger days the Captain was a bit of a squirrelly pirate,” Larry said slowly. "Before he decided to become a respectable trader and shipper, this vessel sailed under another name, and a much different set of rules."
O'Doul
e nodded. “I would have thought that the Mayor of this town would have been long gone by now. But yes, there was an incident here. The Captain didn't show his face around these parts for several years."
"We were sure it would have been safe by now,” McGee said thoughtfully. "Memories fade. Wanted posters fade. Unless maybe that was the only interesting incident that has ever occurred around here?"
O’Doule shrugged. "No matter. We'll have to figure something out."
"The Mayor won't be back until tomorrow afternoon," Larry said. "So at least we have tonight."
Everyone settled in to think hard, but my mind was spinning and bouncing like an apple rolling down a hill. I knew it was probably my fault we were here. I had wondered if the Captain had been making extra trips on my account. By coming here on a regular basis, it must have alerted the authorities.
Perhaps the Mayor himself had come down for a stroll while the Captain was on deck. Or perhaps rumors had spread that the ship had been renamed. I didn't know how these things worked, but there couldn't be many ships of this size that made runs around the area.
"Oh my goodness," I whispered.
"What is it, Miss?" Larry asked softly.
"The man who was in the fabric store."
"The shopkeeper's husband?"
I shook my head. "I assumed that's who he was, but it could've been the Mayor himself, or someone in his family. Remember his very expensive looking suit?"
Larry shrugged. "If his wife runs the shop, he should have the best clothing, I would think."
"When he wanted to shake my hand to thank me for the brisk sales they were doing, he asked my name." I looked up to Larry, blinking hard as my eyes swam with tears. “And he asked the name of the ship I was from."
O'Doule reached across the table to pat my hand. "Lass, any of the dock men could have mentioned what ships were in port."
"But the shopkeeper could have told him we were there often. They could have been expecting us. Is this all my fault?"
I collapsed into my folded arms on the table, sobbing uncontrollably. Although I felt both Larry and Davy’s hands stroking my back, it was little comfort.