Pirate

We retrieved the wreck’s anchor to replace the one we had lost, when almost capsized as we pushed to escape the fire that Appleby’s men had just lit. The tether tying us to Appleby’s boat was released just as the sun set, and I looked behind at the boat burning bright in the sky behind us. The entire vessel was engulfed in flame, and with the masts down it looked like a fire on the water.

We followed Appleby back to the harbor and tossed out the new anchor into the shallow water. Exhausted, we lay on the deck talking about the day when Rory appeared.

“What about the captain? I’ll do him justice right now.”

She had cleaned up and replaced her torn and bloodstained dress with a sailor’s clothes she had found below. The bruises on her face were still visible in the lantern light, and I wondered how badly they had treated her.

“He’ll get justice,” I assured her, although I had no reason to believe Appleby would do anything of the sort, if the captain could buy his way from captivity.

This seemed to appease her and I was glad for it, as I was too tired for a fight. My only thought was how to get in and out of the island without using the harbor. We couldn’t take the chance of being seen by the Navy.

“And, I’ll be looking for another boat home,” she said.

I bit the words back, as I was about to say that she ought to be a bit more patient and chose a better ship this time, but left it unsaid. “Join us for a bit of rum?”

She took the offered cup and stood by the rail, staring at the water. “How is the man you saved?”

We sat together and I told her of Mason and the other man as we sailed back from the reef. It was dark when we reached the anchorage and the men, except for Blue, collapsed on deck. He was anxious to see Lucy and paddled the canoe to the shacks.

We sat in the same place, just about asleep, when he returned.

“Mr. Nick, the man, he died this morning,” Lucy said. “It was too late when I got to him.”

I got up and stood next to her at the rail. There was a lantern burning by itself off to the side of the small village, where I guessed they were burying him.

“I’m going to shore,” I told her. I needed to have some words with Mason and Appleby before we leave tomorrow,” I watched the lantern move back to the shacks, several figures following behind it. “That man Mason knows these waters and would be a good addition to our crew.”

“And what are you going to do once you leave Key West? Is it back to pirating?”

I had been thinking about that and knew there was no future in the trade. “Those days are behind us,” I said, thinking about the silver in the hold and fascinated by Mason’s talk of breathing underwater. “Maybe we’ll try something different.”

41

It took until late the next afternoon to split the cargo and make some necessary repairs to the ship. I made a deal with Appleby, trading him a good portion of the haul for one of his launches. We had enough silver in the bilge and treasure buried on the island that I wasn’t worried about the cost. He had been into the rum and wanted to gamble for it, feeling rich himself after the wreck, but I declined. My expertise in games of risk was only less than my luck. Rhames had offered to play in my place, but the wrecker declined the more experienced man.

Rory was anxious to leave, but slept most of the day in my cabin. She rose around dusk, asked when we would be leaving, and went back to bed. Rhames caught me staring out the entrance to the harbor as the sun set.

“I imagine you have a plan to rescue Red?” he asked.

I watched the incoming tide rush against the hull, waiting for it to change so we could raise anchor. “The captain of the Navy frigate will know our boat if he’s in the harbor. There are two small keys that should conceal us. I saw them when we were coming through the passage from the Gulf. We can anchor there and take the launch to shore. The only one there that knows my face is the harbormaster, and a few coins should keep his mouth shut. We can leave a few men to guard the boat and have a look around. I mean to find Red before they hang him.”

“Poor bastard’s probably shit his pants. That one is all talk, and when they put the screws to him I hope he shuts his trap,” Rhames said.

“I had the same feeling. Better to get to him quickly.”

Rhames woke the crew as soon as the tide changed. The moon was high and waxing near full, the cloud cover opaque, but did little to temper the light. We all knew our duties, and I put Mason at the helm, as he knew the waters better than the rest of us. Rhames and Syd went into the rigging while Swift, Blue, and I hauled on the anchor rode and dragged the chain around the winch. As soon as the men raised the mainsail, we hauled the anchor off the sandy bottom and stowed it. The tide started to move the boat in the direction of the entrance, and under the mainsail we passed through the mouth of the harbor and into open water.