Ruthless and Deadly

by ML BINELLI

  "Think about this, Vidal, we now have a life for both of us alone. And with a rich fortune that I will share with you. Don't do anything stupid."

  Vidal walked out, closing the door behind him. He did not believe that the archbishop's death had been an accident. She had intended to strike him, to hurt him. Knowing he was sick, she may have hoped to aggravate his condition by telling him perversities. But it got out of hand and she did not mind killing him with her bare hands. If he could, he would run away and get on with his life. But now, if they caught her, they would catch him too. No. He needed to treat her well. If she was well, so was he.

  Criminal

  30. On their way

  They had been at sea for a few days. During the trip to America, Barbara gave Vidal French lessons. She was accustomed to traveling to Paris for shopping and had learned to speak the language as a child from a French maid who her father had hired to look after her in place of her mother.

  The captain of the ship became fond of the couple and sometimes invited them to dine with him in his cabin. When he could, he also helped Vidal practice his French. He was not an expert, but he had learned several languages ​​on account of his profession, which took him to many different countries. He had the ability to switch between languages easily, not mixing in words from other languages and, most importantly, in his thoughts.

  "What is the city like captain Edward? Is it very old?" asked Vidal.

  "No, it was founded by the French in the early 1700s."

  "What kind of people take refuge there, captain? I heard there are even Germans there. Barbara, pass me the wine, please."

  "Yes, it is true, Mr. Vidal, it has many German and Irish immigrants. There are also many free blacks, fleeing from the revolution in Haiti. Have you ever heard of this land madam?"

  "It's the best and most affluent French colony, is it not?"

  "Yes, but for years the blacks have been rebelling against French command. It is said that Napoleon is trying to get rid of the land because it brings a lot of loss in terms of men and he has not been able to export the sugar because of the revolt. Most of the plantations have been burned. He recently resumed administrative control at the cost of many losses. He is now hanging the rebels. I don't know if there will be anyone left to rebuild the sugar industry there."

  "That is terrible, captain! There are slaves in New Orleans, aren't there?”

  "Yes, there are many working in the mills and the sugar plantations. I own a little mill there myself and a few blacks too."

  "Don't tell me, captain!" said Vidal. "Do you make a profit? Who manages it when you are away?"

  "Yes, it is quite profitable. It is managed by a black Haitian, who knows the sugar business well. We became partners two years ago."

  "A free black man owning slaves. How absurd!" stated Barbara.

  "Business is business madam and he is not a free man because, actually, he was never a slave. Besides, there are slaves who own slaves!"

  "What? That is strange!" said Vidal.

  "It is true. The captives who work in the city sometimes have free time and look for extra work. They divide the profit with their owners and have their permission to offer the services. Some even buy more labor to increase their profits. Business ... " laughed the captain.

  "I thought they were more like brothers, protecting each other. This story seems absurd to me!" said Barbara.

  "You two know nothing about this kind of trade, apparently. I'll try to explain. Do you know why slaves come from Africa? Why don’t they come from Asia? Why not from Korea? And why aren't the natives of the colonies used instead?”

  "I never thought about it. Why?" asked Vidal.

  "We did not use the natives because we would have to create a market. Expeditions to hunt them down and imprison them, transport and marketing centers so they can be bought and sold. It is very expensive. It is expensive to bring them from Asia also. But Africa is much closer and they already have a slave trade there. We just need to buy them from their current owners who are other blacks. To us they are all the same, just as we must all look the same to them. But there are several peoples, several ethnic groups that do not mix and that live in war for the resources of the land. One of these resources is labor.”

  "The labor of their own brothers? How tragic!" said Barbara.

  "Brothers, brothers ... there are several ethnicities there, as I said. One dominates the other through wars, the dominated become the slave of the dominant ones. That's why they sell them. To them, they are nothing more than merchandise. But there is one more reason."

  "And what is that?" said Barbara.

  "Tropical diseases. We could even have European slaves, why not? But blacks are more accustomed to the warm climate of the colonies and are more resistant to disease. In fact, most of these types of illnesses come from Africa.”

  "One question, captain, I do not know if you can answer us." said Vidal. "I believe that they trade amongst themselves, but to sell to the Europeans is somewhat strange. Someone must have set up a structure to make it possible. Who was it?"

  "You don't know who?" The captain looks from one to the other with a wry smile.

  "Who?” asked Barbara.

  "The church, of course!"

  "The church? How's that?" Vidal asked doubtfully.

  "The church sent a few religious men, who had committed crimes, to Africa to punish them or to relieve them from punishment. These religious men, if they can be called that, were sent with the mission to catechize the people and introduce Jesus Christ to them."

  "That's what should be done captain, what should be done!" said Barbara in a low voice.

  "Well then, when they encountered these people, mingled with them as holy men and learned about the slave trade, some of them realized they could make a profit. They then became the brokers between the slave masters and the Europeans. Beautiful, is it not?"

  Vidal was speechless. Barbara nodded her head in agreement with the captain. After all, she knew very well how ‘humane’ the men of the church could be, contrary to what they seemed to commoners, who had never fallen into their clutches. To them, they seemed like saints.

  They were both lost in thought. The captain realized from their expressions that they wanted to change the subject.

  "But what do you intend to do over there? Do you have any idea?"

  "We do not know yet. A warehouse for the purchase of sugar. If there are small mills, it might be an interesting idea. Or an inn. Are there any inns there?"

  The Captain thought for a moment while he chewed.

  "Yes, there are two inns in operation, the Union Inn and the Planters Inn. The flow of people coming from Europe and arriving there is great. A chain of immigrants seeking to improve their life somewhere else. There are hostels too, of course. Previously the most influential people were received by the most powerful lords and lodged by them until they acquired a house.

  Are you planning to open a new inn?" asked the captain. "I'm so accustomed to traveling, this type of business has never occurred to me. We, seafarers, get used to the rocking of the ship, and on land we seem to lose our footing. I have a house there, the one I told you but James is the one who uses it the most, the boy I told you about, my partner. The house is spacious, if you want to use it until you find your own home, you are welcome to it."

  "I told Barbara that we'd rent for a while. But we could stay in one of the inns, we do not want to put you out."

  "Rent? No, Mr. Vidal, do not worry about that! I won't charge you anything for staying there until you find a place of your own. You will just have to put up with James. He doesn't spend much time there, sometimes he disappears, even I don't know where he goes to. You will be more comfortable with me than at any of the inns. You will have more freedom. I won’t stay long in the city, just enough to unload and load the ship again. After I leave, the house will be yours. And James'."

  "That's very kind of you, Mr. Edward!" said Barbara. "We will accept your favor, if it i
s not too much to ask."

  "I'll tell him to show you around the city also. But please do me a favor - if you open a business, consider me as a potential partner. What do you think?"

  "Do not worry, Captain! We will consider it!" answered Vidal.

  "Now if you don't mind, I need to see how the ship is doing. Finish your meals. I am more than satisfied!"

  "Thank you, Captain. Have a good evening."

  "We appreciate all these favors, Mr. Edward. You are making our trip very pleasant, contrary to what we were expecting,” said Barbara.

  "Consider me a new friend. Good night."

  The captain got up and walked towards the door.

  "Before you go, captain, I have a question. Can you answer me now before you leave?"

  "Yes, of course madam!" He replied, turning to her.

  "It is a money issue. Is there somewhere I can exchange money in the city?"

  The captain walked back to the table and sat down but this time by Barbara's side.

  "Yes, there are money changers there. Jews, obviously. They accept several currencies, as long as they are gold."

  "Right, what else do they accept?" Barbara laughed.

  "Is the sum you plan to trade very large? What currency is it?"

  Barbara opened her little purse, pulled out a diamond and showed the captain.

  "Do you think we can change it?"

  "With your permission," the captain took the stone from Barbara's hand and brought it up to the light." He scratched his chin. "Excellent quality. It could buy my mill if I am not mistaken!"

  "Are you looking to sell it captain? And do you know diamonds?" asked Vidal.

  "I've worked on Portuguese ships that were trading with South Africa. There is a small gem market there and I learned a bit about it. You can certainly exchange these stones over there for the American or French coin or we could open a business together backed by my mill."

  "Do you want to sell us the mill, captain Edward? asked Barbara.

  "Not sell, but we could become partners. I need some more investment to fund a sugar cane plantation, which would increase profits. I buy the production from several suppliers, but if there was a part that was mine, or ours, the profit would increase substantially.”

  Barbara and Vidal looked at each other. Vidal spoke first.

  "Interesting captain. Give us time to digest this information and we'll talk again. Can we do that?"

  "Of course. Talk, think. We still have five days at sea. When you have your answer, let me know. Of course, this is completely unrelated to my proposal that you stay at my house, no matter what answer you give me." The captain got up and kissed Barbara's hand while she remained seated. Vidal stood up and both men shook hands as if sealing an agreement.

  "Thank you again, captain. We are indebted to you," Vidal said.

  "There are no debts between friends. Sleep well!" and he left.

  Vidal poured himself more wine, took a sip and sighed. He turned to Barbara.

  "What do you think? Can we trust him?"

  "I don't know but if he allows us to stay at the mill while he is away, we can verify if his story about easy profit is as he claims it to be. Besides, one stone will not make any difference to us. Anyway, we can look for the moneychangers if we need them. I thought the proposal was good. And you?"

  "I thought so as well. We will be able to establish ourselves but let's think carefully about it, as he himself said. We have a few days.”

  31. New Orleans

  "Barbara, wake up. The captain is calling us! Looks like we're arriving!"

  Barbara opened her eyes and turned in bed towards Vidal. She began to stretch herself like a cat. Vidal sat on the bed and kissed her on the lips.

  "Let me sleep a little bit more. It's still very early!"

  "Come! Get dressed! Let's see the city. We are almost docking!"

  "I can't go out like this!"

  "Put something on. Let's go to the deck!"

  Barbara got up. She walked over to the table, poured water from the jar into a basin and washed her face. Vidal handed her a towel.

  "Come, come... hurry!"

  "Calm down, the world won't come to an end any time soon. If God has taken all this time to make it, the port can wait a few more minutes!

  "Minutes, not hours! So hurry up!" said Vidal. "I'm going to the captain. We'll be waiting for you at the prow."

  "Where's the prow, Vidal? I always mix up the prow and the stern. Is it the front or the back of the ship?"

  "The front, Barbara, the front! I already told you that! Come on, hurry up."

  Vidal rushed off and while Barbara undressed. After a while, a long while in fact, she appeared fresh-faced before the two men.

  "Look ma'am. I introduce you to New Orleans, your new home!"

  She squeezed by both and leaned against the ship's rail. She looked down and saw the water being sliced by the keel of the sailboat. Up ahead, she saw the harbor. She had never seen so much movement, even in Lisbon.

  Both men approached and stood by her side.

  "So many ships, captain! The city seems very crowded!" said Barbara. "What are those buildings to the right and the left? They seem formidable."

  "And they are, my lady. To the right is the Fort of Saint Charles and to the left is the Fort of Santa Joana. There are three more forts at the back of the city. They are all united by walls, for protection."

  Vidal seemed uncomfortable with the captain's remark. "Are there many attacks to justify all this security?"

  "Not anymore. But the French fought hard against the natives of this land and the walls served as protection against us, the English," he smiled, "and against the Spaniards as well. Now, with all the agreements that have been signed the city can grow. Today it dominates the river trade. You see, next to the Fort of St. Charles is the city's hospital and next to it lies the soldiers' quarters. In the middle is the central square and in the background the church. On the left side of the square is the steward's building. Across the square are Her Majesty's warehouses. It's a beautiful view, is it not?"

  "Yes, indeed, it is a beautiful city, seen from afar," agreed Barbara. "The top of the church steeples seem black from here!"

  "And they are, the color of charcoal. I'd say they look like witches' hats all three of them, but don't say I said that to anyone, I may be taken for a heretic," laughed the captain.

  "You can count on our discretion, captain," Vidal said, laughing too.

  The ship slowly approached the harbor and the sails were lowered. The ship slowed down and Barbara noticed a change in its route. They were no longer sailing in a straight line, but gently curving to the right.

  "The city seems to have a part that is higher. Is it really that way or are my eyes deceiving me, captain? asked Vidal.

  "This place has been used before, it was an indigenous village. It is indeed an elevation to protect it from the floods of the Mississippi River.

  "Is the nationality of this vessel a problem, captain?” asked Barbara.

  "No, we have for some time now been able to use the port for trade agreements between our crowns. And it also offers an outlet to the Gulf of Mexico. It is a perfect place to set up a market and distribution center.

  "If you'll excuse me, I need to mind the ship until we dock. If you wish you can go up to the bridge."

  "Thank you, captain. We were anxious to see our new home. From what we are seeing, it will be pleasant to live here." stated Barbara.

  Sometime after the anchor was dropped, the captain returned to the company of the couple.

  "I have already given orders to take your luggage to my house. You will stay in my room. It has been furnished only with the best. I prepared it for my wife, but she has no intention of leaving England right now. In my opinion, the future is here!"

  "I didn't know you were married, captain!" Do you have children?"

  "Yes, a girl. She doesn't leave her mother's side even for a moment. God knows how difficult it is for me to st
ay away from her. Wives are wives, but children are a case apart. Unfortunately, we could not have others, so I only have eyes for this girl, who is really not a girl anymore. Every time I have to say goodbye to her it seems like a part of my flesh is torn away. If only both would come here, I would leave the sea. The sea is another wife, a very jealous one. I would gladly leave her to have more time with my girl." The captain's eyes fill with tears. He backed away from the couple.

  Barbara finds the way the captain is referring to his daughter odd. He seemed to be talking about a lover. Could this be another abuser of children? Nothing in the world was strange to her anymore after everything she had been through. Maybe he was just a loving, lonely father, very different from the disgusting pig who raised her. But that pig had already been roasted! He probably continued to roast in hell, which is where he was now.

  "Come on, let's disembark. James is certainly waiting for us at the pier. I promised to bring him some bottles of port wine. Here we get only distilled drinks. Wine is expensive and God knows how he likes his Pallister! But he will have to settle for this last shipment. It looks like old Pallister was burned alive, did you hear about it?"

  Barbara shivered. Vidal lowered his eyes to the deck. The captain did not know her maiden name because now she carried Vidal's surname. But she recovered quickly.

  "Was he one of those who were persecuted by the church recently?"

  "He was arrested and condemned by the inquisition, the poor soul. Didn't you see the pyres in Lisbon?"

  "Yes, we did," Vidal hurried to answer, "but we did not know he was among the masons, who were condemned, isn't that right?"

  "Yes, for this futile reason. Holy ignorance, Portugal is going from bad to worse. Great figures of Lisbon's society have been sentenced to the gallows, poor devils. But only two burned, the Grand Master of the lodge and the winemaker. Are you familiar with his wine? It was excellent quality. Mr. Pallister's presence in Lisbon, however, is shrouded in mystery. Some say he was there for a macabre ritual. They are now looking for his daughter. She disappeared some time before he went to Lisbon. Maybe she's dead, who knows. Others say she married and left Portugal, but no one knows how the girl's story ended. Did you not know them? They were from Braga."