*
They were.
“I thought she was joking before,” Sean laughed to the others gathered around sitting the room. “But she did it; she undid her top two buttons and worked those sailors over good.”
“It took a little more than that,” Jane replied with a laugh of her own.
Jane had taken on her task to find Bufford’s boat with determined zeal, desperate to prove her worth to the others. On the way to the docks she convinced Sean that he’d have to hang back in case any members of the Grey Pack were on the ship and recognized him. He tentatively agreed as they reached the port. Having grown up in Rooks Bay, she was used to sailors and the bustle of dock life. However she was shocked by the magnitude of people, ships, and activity that she encountered when they arrived. The hustle and bustle of one of the busiest ports in Europe was a stark contrast to the sleepy fishing village she was used to.
But the moment only lasted a few seconds before Jane regained her composure and focused on her mission. Seeing a cart laden with apples pull away from one of the ships towards the market, she had Sean buy a dozen of the bright red fruit. He returned with a quizzical look that she merely answered with a wink and smile.
After thirty minutes of searching they found all the ships from the list, still docked and out in the open. Before Sean could suggest their next move, Jane had thrown her coat at him, unfastened the top two buttons of her thin cotton blouse, placed the small basket of apples on her pronounced hip, and strolled over to a group of sailors by the first ship.
She knew a spattering of French from working at the Manor, but this proved to be of little issue. Sailors are really citizens of the world and the crews of most ships reflected this fact. So it didn’t take long to find some more than willing to speak to her in English.
“So what did you find out?” Pierce asked hopefully after listening to their story.
“The Courted Anne,” she replied simply, handing the list back.
“Well done!” clapped MacDuff with pride.
“You found that out with cleavage?” Liam uttered in mock disbelief, receiving an apple in the gut in reply. Smiling, he wiped it off and took a loud bite.
“I even turned a profit on the apples,” Jane beamed.
“Those sailors sure were hungry,” Sean recalled with a smile of his own.
“How do you know it’s the Anne Bufford’s hired?” Pierce challenged, turning the session back to serious matters.
“Well the crew found out their captain will be replaced, probably by the first mate.”
“Go on.”
“Yesterday an American showed up, trying to get his cargo on board last minute. But the ship was full and the captain refused, despite the rantings from this gentleman.”
“Presumably Colonel Bufford,” Pierce allowed.
“However today they discovered that their captain was killed last night and the first mate might be taking over. They’re simply waiting for the owner’s approval.”
“The captain’s a known gambler,” Sean interjected, explaining the part he discovered at a local bar. “He was accused of cheating in a card game and was killed in a duel.”
“Let me guess, the other man was identified as an American. Seems like the Colonel finally got a pistol with a straight barrel. Anything else?”
“The crew was upset because they were supposed to leave today, but now they have to wait until tonight with talk of replacing some of the cargo,” Jane continued confidently.
“Well that settles it. Anyone think this isn’t the ship we’re looking for?” Pierce posed the question to everyone in the room. “Neither do I. Good work you two.”
“So what’s next, we wait for them to load the boat and then sink it?” Liam asked, looking hopefully between Pierce and MacDuff.
“I don’t think it’s that simple lad,” MacDuff pointed out.
“I agree,” Pierce concurred immediately. “There are too many unknowns involved; what if the entire shipment isn’t on the boat, what if he’s using multiple boats, what if it’s a red herring? For us to succeed two things need to happen; Bufford needs to be apprehended and the weapons need to be destroyed.”
“That’s true; we can’t take the chance that one of his men completes the mission. We also can’t allow those modern weapons to simply float away and hope nobody makes use of them.”
“So we carry on as before,” Pierce continued, grateful for MacDuff’s support and glad they were thinking along the same lines. “Jane and I attend the ball and watch Bufford. Sean and MacDuff watch the boat and see if those crates get delivered.”
“What about me? Want me to play the dark stranger who crashes the party?” Liam offered hopefully.
“Not this time. I’ve got something special for you,” Pierced laughed in response.
“Somehow your laugh is not inspiring confidence.”
“We need a boat,” Pierce instructed simply, to Liam’s immediate confusion.
“Why do we need a boat?” asked Jane, equally confused.
“Who here knows how to sail a ship the size of the Courted Anne?” MacDuff posed to those in the room, receiving only negative replies. “Let’s say all the crates are loaded on the one boat and we’re lucky enough to arrive before they sail. Let’s also assume that we’re able to overtake both Bufford’s men and his new crew. How many are they?”
“Twenty give or take,” Sean answered, slowly realizing the difficulties.
“So we defeat the twenty without taking any casualties,” MacDuff continued seriously. “I’d wager that it will be noisy, so we’ll probably have gendarmes and soldiers at the ship before we can take care of the entire crew. The only escape route available to us at that point is the Courted Anne. Which none of us can sail.”
“Why go to all that violent trouble?” Jane demanded, feeling as though she had an easier solution. “Why don’t we wait until the ship is loaded and simply blow a hole in the hull? I imagine you gentleman are proficient with all sorts of explosives.”
“I’m very proficient in all kinds of things,” Liam winked knowingly. “But it won’t matter in this case. If we sink the ship in the harbour, it will have to be salvaged and raised, thereby leading to the discovery of the weapons. Sorry Duffy if you wanted to answer that one.”
“I’m just glad you’ve finally caught up with us.”
“So that’s the goal,” Pierce announced firmly. “The Courted Anne needs to have all the weapons on board and needs to be sunk outside of the harbour in deep water. The salt water will destroy the weapons before any divers could ever make use of them. Plus Bufford and his men need to be dealt with, either on the ship or before. So you’re the experts, how do we accomplish this?”
The question hung in the air as the Brown Pack tackled the question posed by their leader. It was the kind of tactical exercise that energized these men, eager to solve any challenge. Their breadth of experience meant that they had encountered similar situations before and already had ideas that only required minor alterations.
“Did you pack the crossbow?” Liam asked Sean first, receiving a quick nod. “I’ll find us a row boat or small skiff. We then modify one of the crossbow bolts and attached a long length of rope to it. We wait for the Anne in a narrow part of the harbour, shooting the bolt into the side as it passes. They unknowingly tow us out into the sea.”
“That’s good, but we’ll only have one shot or they’re gone.”
“The sailors we talked to said they’d be sailing as soon as their cargo is finalized,” Sean added positively. “That means at night, so we should be able to get close enough to take the shot without being seen. That also means we’ll have a better than average chance at subduing the crew. We silently climb onto the ship from the stern and silently dispatch those on deck. Once they clear the port and they’ve fully dropped sails, few of the crew will remain on duty. The remainder will be below decks.”
“Then it’s the simple matter of dispatching Bufford and his men, verify
ing all the weapons are on board, scuttling the ship and escaping on our little boat.”
“Nothing sounds simple about any of those things,” Jane offered doubtfully.
A Malevolent Manner (Patrick Pierce #1) Page 91
