If not, then she, too, would eventually find herself buried deep in The Chaos along with Sister Blanche, never to see the light of day again.
CHAPTER NINE
The Saucy Pigsy Tavern
The wharf along the Thames (also known as the docks)
“It’s about timeyou came,” Kress said. “Where have you been?”
Maxton had come around the corner of an alley, heading onto the main thoroughfare along the river’s edge, when a hand shot out from the shadows and grabbed him around the collar. His dirk was unsheathed faster than the blink of an eye and Kress very narrowly missed being shanked. When Maxton saw who it was, he rolled his eyes and sheathed his blade.
“You idiot,” he growled. “You know better than to do that.”
Kress cast him a long look, a smile playing on his lips. “We’ve been waiting for you,” he said. “Sherry is down here, you know.”
“I know.”
“He told us about the man he’s been trailing and we found him.”
“Where?”
Kress threw his thumb in the direction of the tavern behind him. “In there,” he said. “Sherry is scouting the exterior of the place to see if there are any escape routes.”
“And Achilles?”
“He’s already inside.”
That caused Maxton to roll his eyes again. “Are you mad? Achilles, alone, in a tavern?”
Kress put up a hand. “Easy,” he admonished. “He simply secured a table and some drink. We have a plan.”
“Whatkindof a plan?”
About that time, Alexander appeared down the alley that skirted the east side of the tavern. Kress lifted a hand to the man, who noticed both Kress and Maxton, and began making his way towards them swiftly.
Around them, there was the usual hustle and bustle of the docks, with dozens of cogs lined up on the shore. Men were hanging from the riggings, offloading supplies and materials, as those on the shore busied themselves around the ships like bees in a hive. There was quite a bit going on, and Maxton glanced at the activity as he waited for Alexander. He also noticed a very strong, very foul smell of fish and sewage, one of the more unpleasant things about being down at the river’s edge.
“Nice of you to join us, Max,” Alexander said as he came near. “I’d nearly given up on you.”
Maxton turned his attention to the man. “My business at St. Blitha took me longer than I thought,” he said, quickly changing the subject because he didn’t much want to elaborate on what had kept him several hours, including a stop at The King’s Gout to make arrangements with the tavern keeper about Andressa. “What’s this I hear about a plan?”
Alexander nodded. “I found Douglas,” he said, successfully diverted from the subject of St. Blitha. “He’s inside this tavern and was fairly drunk when I found him. He’s still in there and I have sent Achilles in to watch him to ensure he doesn’t slip away.”
“What is the plan to capture him?”
Alexander crooked a finger, pulling both Maxton and Kress out of the main street where people were bustling about. He didn’t want to be heard with what he was about to say.
“I have been thinking about our conversation earlier, Max, when I mentioned that Douglas might be our papal assassin,” he muttered as they stood beneath the shadows of the tavern’s upper floor. “I have told Kress and Achilles my theory, too, but now I want to discuss this with you. If I go in there and capture him, there is a great chance that he will never confess to anything and we will never know if he is the assassin you are seeking. I have a feeling the man is a wealth of information, and he’s quite drunk now. As we know, drink loosens the tongue, so it might be worth trying to press him for information. I am fairly certain he knows me on sight, but he does not know you or Kress or Achilles. Mayhap, if you go in there and drink with him…”
Maxton caught on right away. “Then mayhap we can find out about him and any papal directives.”
“Exactly.”
Maxton nodded, glancing at Kress as he did so. “I am willing to give it a try if it will help in finding our assassin,” he said. “I still have not recovered from my drinking binge last night, but I suppose I’ll have to push that aside and forge ahead for king and country.”
Alexander grinned. “I’ll wait out here and watch the doors in case he tries to flee,” he said. “There is this front door and then a kitchen door into a yard behind the tavern. I can watch them both while you’re inside.”
“And if the man confesses?”
