The Devil's Agent

by Roger Hurn

  ‘Fair enough, man,’ said Inglethorpe. ‘Spit it out. If I deem it to my advantage I’ll spare you your fate, damned if I won’t.’

  Rosa Crabtree hissed but said nothing.

  Parker swallowed. His Adam’s Apple bobbed up and down. It was really pronounced and the thief-taker found himself wondering if that was why the fighter’s voice was so high. Even in his state of heightened tension, Bloodwine marvelled at his mind’s capacity for distraction.

  ‘Bloodwine is your traitor, Mr Inglethorpe. He was the one that set us free. He wanted Payne’s skills as a lighterman, and Nat’s and my brawn to help him steal a boat and escape from Lundy.’

  The MP’s lips pressed themselves into a thin line. ‘And why would he do that I wonder?’

  ‘Because he’s a thief-taker and he wants to see you hang for what you’re doing here.’

  ‘Does he really? Well, that is indeed interesting. But you know a thief-taker has no interest in justice, only in how much money he can make for turning in his prey. So who is Bloodwine going to sell me to? Who so badly craves my downfall as to set a thief-taker on me? Did he vouchsafe this information to you?’ At no time did Inglethorpe look at Bloodwine, instead he stared intently at Parker.

  Parker’s face froze. His whole complexion was waxy. He opened his mouth and breathed through it noisily. ‘No, sir, he didn’t, but I’ve kept my side of the bargain so you’ve got to let me go and not throw me into the sea.’

  Inglethorpe sucked in his cheeks. ‘I won’t,’ he said firmly. ‘You need have no fear of that.’

  Parker’s shoulders slumped with relief. ‘Thank you, sir,’ he mumbled.

  ‘Indeed, indeed. But I’m a God-fearing man and if there’s one character in the Bible I abhor, it’s Judas.’ Inglethorpe stroked his chin and his eyes narrowed as if he were deep in thought. ‘You know, he sold our Lord for thirty pieces of silver and you, my friend, have attempted to sell Mr Bloodwine in the hope of saving your neck. Well, Judas’s conscience would not suffer him to enjoy his reward. As Matthew tells us: “Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.” Inglethorpe raised his eyebrows quizzically. ‘Now I’m sure you remember that, but I’m not sure that a man like you possesses a conscience so I must help you to do the right thing.’ Inglethorpe raised the flintlock pistol he was holding and shot Parker through the heart. ‘There, he said, ‘never let it be said I’m not a man of my word. I spared this man his fate – but just not his life.’

  Chapter Twenty

  Inglethorpe’s ruthlessness had shocked even a man as hardened by life as Bloodwine so he wasn’t surprised to see that Mr Crabtree was stunned into silence. The MP clicked his fingers and ordered his servants to remove the two bodies and take them to the keep ready for disposal and then go to the tunnels and free the guards. They exchanged horrified glances and seemed reluctant to do any such thing, but then Rosa Crabtree suddenly recovered her composure and ordered them to do as they were told. Despite their squeamishness, they were so cowed by her personality and so used to doing her bidding without question that they obeyed and dragged the still-warm corpses from the room.

  Inglethorpe smiled like some benevolent country squire watching his servants take out a particularly messy pile of dirty linen as they struggled with their grisly task, but Bloodwine also noticed that he still had a loaded pistol in his hand and showed no sign of putting it down.

  When the door closed, Inglethorpe turned to Bloodwine and said matter-of-factly, ‘So, was our squeaky friend Judas telling the truth? Are you a hireling intent on my destruction?’

  The thief-taker didn’t try and bluster. Instead he met Inglethorpe’s hostile gaze and said evenly: ‘Far from being intent on your destruction, Mr Inglethorpe, I was as surprised as anyone when the damned lotterels burst in here. I made an attempt to save Mrs Crabtree’s life and wrest control of the situation from them, but they struck me down.’ He raised his eyebrows quizzically. ‘And why would I do that if they were my confederates? It makes no sense.’

  Inglethorpe tilted his head and pursed his lips as he considered this but, before he could deliver his verdict, Rosa Crabtree spoke out.

  ‘Because thieves fall out, James. Bloodwine was trying to save his own skin, not mine. I heard Payne say he didn’t need the thief-taker anymore now he’d gained his freedom. You see that fellow was a brute driven by greed and carnal lusts while Mr Bloodwine here is an altogether more cold-blooded creature. I’ve no doubt he aimed to use the convicts as your Judas claimed. But when he unleashed his dogs, the big dog turned on him. For that wastrel saw more profit and pleasure in ransacking your house and using your whores than in serving Bloodwine’s scheme.’ Her face had the expression of a gorgon delivering a fatal judgement on a hated enemy. ‘So pay no heed to Bloodwine’s cant, James. He means to do you harm.’

  Suddenly, the pistol that Inglethorpe had been holding at his side was now pointing at Bloodwine’s chest and Inglethorpe’s finger was wrapped round the trigger.

  ‘No! It weren’t that way. Bloodwine had no part in it. It were all Payne’s doing.’

  Inglethorpe spun round and trained the gun on Jones. The blacksmith swallowed hard. ‘I’ve killed a man in the past I admit it, but it was in hot blood and I’ve been sentenced for my crime … but I ain’t a wrong ’un like Payne. He was bad to the bone.’

  ‘And why should I believe you?’ Inglethorpe’s voice was chilly.

  ‘Because I ain’t got no reason to lie,’ Jones replied. ‘I seen what you did to Payne and to Parker and I don’t think you’re going to let me live whatever I say ’cos your kin’s blood’s been spilled and I was there when it happened and didn’t prevent it.’ His eyes stared unblinkingly at Inglethorpe. ‘You’re going to send me to meet my maker and I don’t want to stand before him with another innocent man’s blood on my hands. And I’m telling you Bloodwine is innocent.’

  Inglethorpe ran his tongue over his top lip pensively, then he nodded. ‘You make a persuasive argument.’

  ‘No, James, this man’s a murderer and a liar! Don’t believe a word he says! Bloodwine’s as guilty as sin.’

  Inglethorpe sighed and turned to his half-sister. ‘Rosa, you weren’t there, so you can’t know what happened. Bloodwine risked his life to save mine in London and today I saw him do the same thing again to save yours.’ He jabbed his pistol at Jones. ‘This man here has nothing to gain by speaking falsehoods so, until the guards return and give us chapter and verse on how Payne engineered the escape, I’m inclined to give Balthazar the benefit of the doubt.’

  Crabtree rolled her eyes in exasperation and started to argue, but the MP was not to be contradicted. ‘Enough, Rosa,’ he said brusquely. ‘I’ll not have my judgement questioned … even by you.’ He switched his attention back to Jones. ‘Now your conscience is clear you have a choice to make. You can die here or you can make the leap from the battlements into the sea below.’ He smiled ghoulishly. ‘But apparently you’re a righteous man so perhaps the good lord will do for you what he did for Jonah and send a great fish to swallow you up so you can live in its belly for three days and three nights until it vomits you up on dry land.’

  Jones knew Inglethorpe was mocking him, but he shrugged like a man resigned to his fate. ‘I’m a God-fearing man just as you are Mr Inglethorpe, so I’ll take my chances with the sea.’ Then his eyes flicked over to Bloodwine and there was a desperate plea in them, but the thief-taker only scowled at him.

  ‘Right, then we’ll tarry no longer,’ said Inglethorpe as he brandished the flintlock at the blacksmith. ‘Lead on, sir, for time and tide wait for no man and I’ll have this business settled and then take supper.’

  As a reluctant Jones walked leaden-legged towards the door, Bloodwine bent down to retrieve one of the pistols he’d dropped when Parker attacked him. ‘Oh there’s no need for you to be armed, Bloodwine. I’ve got the wretch covered and I don’t think he’ll offer us any resistance.’ Inglethorpe smiled, but it d
idn’t reach his eyes. ‘I trust you, but it’s for Rosa’s peace of mind you understand. I’ll make you a gift of the flintlocks after my lads return from the tunnels and have convinced her of your loyalty.’

  Bloodwine pressed his lips together and nodded. ‘I understand, Mr Inglethorpe. ’Tis a pity Mrs Crabtree and I have got off on the wrong foot, but I intend to remedy that just as soon as I can.’ He bowed slightly to the woman, but she looked at him with hate-filled eyes. In that instant it struck the thief-taker like a sharp slap in the face that only his death would satisfy her that he was no danger to her precious half-brother. He was also equally certain that it would give her pleasure if his death was to be by her hand. He didn’t blame her, but if you want to deny the cow that satisfaction, Balthazar, he thought, then you had better find inspiration from somewhere without further ado or she’ll have her heart’s desire before the hour is past.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The storm clouds above the keep were sullen but, although the wind still pulled on clothes and hair like an unseen hand, the torrential rain had mutated into a thin chill drizzle. It was a small mercy, but not one that brought Bloodwine or the others huddled up on the walkway by the crenellated wall of the keep much comfort. Though Inglethorpe still held his pistol steady and Mrs Crabtree looked as impervious to the inclement weather as the statue of some implacable goddess of vengeance. The MP barked out an order and his two armed servants, Adams and Chalker, manhandled the bloody corpses of the lighterman and the bare-knuckle fighter over the battlements and they plunged down four hundred feet into the wild waters below.

  Inglethorpe, his face devoid of expression, looked over the wall as they fell. ‘May God have mercy on their souls,’ he said. ‘And may the fish enjoy their unlooked-for supper.’

  He turned back and eyed Jones contemptuously. The condemned man stood with his back to the wall, his meaty hands clasped before him and his chin resting on his chest. Water dribbled down his cheeks, but whether it was rain or tears Bloodwine couldn’t tell. All he was certain of was that the blacksmith was relying on him to return the favour he’d given the thief-taker and save his life. He cudgelled his brains for a solution, but could think of nothing. Then he heard fragments of voices carried on the wind. It was the returning guards. Bloodwine squeezed his eyes tight shut and silently cursed his luck. Already they were at the gates of the Castle and he had only minutes to act before he was exposed as a liar. He knew that once Inglethorpe knew the truth he would show him no mercy and neither would Mrs Crabtree. He had no idea what he was going to say, but he had to say something so he opened his mouth and trusted that his instinct for survival would supply the right words.

  ‘Mr Inglethorpe, you had no choice but to shoot down Payne and Parker like the murderous curs they were – and good riddance to them – but it seems to me that to execute Jones here is a waste. The man is innocent of any crime committed on this island and what’s more he has the strength of an ox and is just as docile … except of course when he sees another man attempting to tup his wife!’ The thief-taker chuckled, but Inglethorpe’s lips didn’t so much as twitch so Bloodwine carried on. ‘You told me once that if someone does you a kindness then you’re forever in their debt, well if you spare this man’s life I guarantee he’ll feel the same about you and you’ll have a lifetime of loyal service from him. He’s a skilled blacksmith and useful for far more than just labouring on your wall.’

  Inglethorpe raised his eyebrows. ‘Is he now?’

  ‘Indeed he is and he’s repented of his sins and doesn’t it say in the bible that if we confess our sins, it is right and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’

  ‘It does,’ agreed Inglethorpe. ‘John: chapter 1 verse 9 to be precise and, although you’ve misquoted it to serve your purpose, I commend your knowledge of the bible, thief-taker. That sits well with me.’

  Bloodwine was astounded that he had remembered the words at all. He’d had the bible drummed into him when, as a boy, he’d attended Reverend Davenant’s School for poor children in Whitechapel, but he’d never had a use for it since. It almost made him a believer … but not quite. Neither he nor Jones was saved yet.

  Inglethorpe rubbed his cheeks with his hands. Most men believe what they want to hear and disregard all evidence to the contrary and in this the MP was no different to the common herd. He wanted to believe that his faith in the thief-taker was justified and that Bloodwine’s word could be trusted so, after a moment’s deliberation he said, ‘I’faith, Bloodwine, you possess a silver tongue in your head, damned if you don’t. Not for the first time this day you’ve persuaded me, sir. I’ll let the fellow live. Now let’s get inside and out of this foul weather and partake of some supper.’

  Adams and Chalker stepped forward and grasped Jones by his arms. ‘Hand him over to the guards to take back to the cells in the tunnel,’ commanded Inglethorpe. ‘I can hear them coming up the stairs.’

  ‘Yes!’ Mrs Crabtree couldn’t contain herself. ‘And now we will learn the truth about Mr Bloodwine, your silver-tongued thief-taker, James. But I fear that all his powers of persuasion will not be enough to save him from your wrath when we do.’ She smiled at Bloodwine and the malevolence it contained made his blood run cold.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Bloodwine surreptitiously moved closer to Inglethorpe. He knew he’d have a split second to act when the guard arrived and dropped his bombshell about the thief-taker’s treachery. His plan was to hit the MP hard and fast, grab his pistol and hold him hostage. He was hoping that with a pistol pressed up against his temple, Inglethorpe would have no choice but to allow Bloodwine, Becca, the children and Jones a safe passage off the island. ‘It’s a bloody desperate plan, Balthy,’ he told himself, ‘but it’ll have to do until a better one suggests itself.’

  There was the sound of heavy boots pounding up the stone stairs and it was growing louder by the second. Then a breathless man, who Bloodwine recognised as one of the guards he had tricked earlier, burst out of the tower and onto the walkway. He skidded to a halt and pointed at the thief-taker. ‘That’s the bastard who let the convicts out,’ he gasped.

  Bloodwine didn’t hesitate. He slammed his right fist into the side of Inglethorpe’s jaw and grabbed at the pistol with his left hand. The MP’s head jerked back violently and he fell sideways. Bloodwine’s clumsy attempt to snatch the gun only succeeded in sending it spinning away to the ground. It skittered across the stone floor to Mrs Crabtree’s feet. Unlike Inglethorpe’s men, who seemed stunned by the speed of events, she reacted swiftly and scooped the pistol up and pointed it at Bloodwine. The weapon looked like it belonged in her hand. She cocked it and smiled. It was the kind of smile that could empty a man’s bowels.

  ‘He’s broken my head, Rosa.’ Inglethorpe was sitting on the hard stone floor rubbing his jaw. He sounded tearful and lost.

  ‘Oh hush now, Jamie,’ she cooed. ‘Your Rosa’s here and she’ll make the bogeyman go away like she always did when you were a little boy and had nightmares.’ Then her voiced suddenly became harsh. ‘Only this bogeyman is real, James, and you should have listened to me when I tried to warn you about him. But it doesn’t matter now. I’ll make him go away for good.’

  She stared at Bloodwine with bleak, hostile eyes. ‘You’ve no idea how much I’m going to enjoy this,’ she said. Then her mouth shut like a steel trap and her finger tightened on the trigger.

  ‘No!’ Jones bellowed like an enraged bull. Crabtree couldn’t stop herself from glancing at him, but he was already in the act of shrugging off his two captors like a captive bear throws off the dogs that bait it. He was immensely powerful and the adrenaline coursing through his veins made him feel invulnerable. He hurled himself at Crabtree who forgot all about Bloodwine and fired at the blacksmith as he charged. She couldn’t miss. The ball hit the artery in his neck, but his momentum carried him on. She was a large woman, but the blacksmith outweighed her by several stones and he crashed into her, sending
them both flying back against the crenellated wall.

  Perhaps it was the loss of all the blood that was pumping out like a fountain from the jagged wound that caused his delirium, but the blacksmith seemed to forget where he was and who he had wrapped up in his massive arms for, in his death throes he shouted: ‘Oh Lucy, why did you betray me with that man? You know I loved you. Why wasn’t that enough for you, wife? Well, I’ve done for him my darling and now we’ll always be together.’

  Then with the last of his strength he heaved her up on top of the battlements and, as entwined as two lovers, they toppled over and vanished from view. Crabtree’s scream was loud and long but then was suddenly silenced.

  For a second there was only the sound of the wind and the sea, but then a howl of despair ripped through the air. Inglethorpe flung himself at the battlements and stared down like a man looking into the abyss. His whole body shook as he raged incoherently and wept and beat his fists on the stone walls. His men watched him in dismay and Bloodwine seized his chance. He made to run for the arch, but his sudden movement alerted the guard who aimed his pistol at him. ‘You tricked me once,’ he snarled, ‘but it ain’t happening twice. I got a score to settle with you.’ He nodded his head at Inglethorpe. ‘But that ain’t nothing compared to what the master’s going to do to you when he comes back into his right mind.’