Finally, after about five minutes, his shaking stopped, and he took a step away from the wall and crept towards the farwarehouse where he could hear the sound of voices. All too soon, he reached the same door the sailor had vanished through, and tucking Flossy under his arm, he eased the door open. At the sudden sound of footsteps, the little dog started growling under her breath. Hushing her urgently, Finn tucked her small body inside his vest, freeing up both of his hands. ‘We have to be quiet, Floss,’ he murmured to the top of her head, ‘but you need to be ready to run when I tell you.’
Carefully, he stepped into the gap made by the open door and peered into the gloom. He could just make out the back of the sailor standing at the other end of the room. He was facing another closed door, obviously waiting for something - or someone.
To Finn’s right was a pile of old lobster pots, and as he heard the sudden echoing of footsteps, he quickly crouched behind them and peeped over the top. Seconds later, the door opened, and a man stepped through. To Finn’s surprise, he looked like a toff. He was even wearing a top hat. The boy held his breath, straining to hear the conversation.
After a few seconds of mumbling, the deckhand raised his voice. ‘I’m tellin’ you, Sir, they’re anchorin’ at Solidor Bay outside St. Malo. The Captain told us, plain as day.’
‘Did he say why?’ For some reason, the cultured voice turned Finn cold. Helplessly, his stomach churned.
‘I dunno, yer ludship, I ain’t a Jack Tar by trade as yer know. Taffy’s coverin’ fer me.’ There was a pause, and then the sailor spoke again, this time with more confidence.
‘I know yer ludship wants this bloke in Davy Jones' Locker afore ‘e gets to Montclair, an’ I reckon I’m the man fer the job,’ hedeclared. ‘I’ll slit ‘is throat an’ send ‘im over the side wi out anyone ‘seein’ or ‘earin’ a thing.’
‘You think you can do that?’ The cultured voice sounded bored.
‘No one’ll even know ‘e’s gone,’ came the boastful reply. Finn watched the toff stare down at the smaller man, his face expressionless in the gloom. He said nothing. Just… stared.
‘But if a job’s to be done right, it deserves a bit extra.’ The sailor was babbling now, clearly reciting words he’d told himself over and over again. Finn watched, his heart suddenly in his mouth as the deckhand took a small step backwards.
‘Is Taff onboard?’ the man asked softly.
‘Aye, yer ludship.’
‘And he knows what must be done?’ The sailor nodded.
‘Have you told him your… little plan?’ The sailor swallowed visibly and took another small step backwards. No stranger to violence, Finn gave a small moan and squeezed his eyes shut, instinctively knowing what was about to happen.
‘You’re quite right, sometimes a little extra is exactly what’s required.’ Finn heard a scuffle, then a muffled gasp, and when he opened his eyes, the sailor was sliding slowly towards the floor.
Holding his fist against his mouth in horror, the boy remained still, not daring to move a muscle. Seconds later, the toff gave a grunt and finally let the man drop. In his hand was a narrow, pointed blade. Leisurely bending down, he wiped it clean on the prone sailor’s jacket. Then he slid it into a small sheath and slipped it inside his coat.
At that moment, the early morning sun came out from behind the clouds and shone directly through the window. It was too grimy to give much light, but there was just enough for Finn to notice a scar beginning at the base of the gentleman’s thumb and disappearing up his sleeve. Unfortunately, before he could study it further, the sun disappeared, returning the room to shadow.
After one last look at the corpse lying at his feet, the man turned on his heel and quickly walked back the same way he’d arrived without a second glance.
For several seconds after the door slammed behind him, Finn remained where he was. That the sailor was dead, he had no doubt. The blood was slowly seeping out from a puncture wound in his side, pooling grotesquely on the floor.
Finn was no stranger to death, but the complete lack of concern exhibited by the stranger chilled him in a way he couldn’t even begin to explain. But though he was terrified of moving, the boy knew he would be in far more danger if he stayed where he was. Toffs likeMr Top Hat Mandidn’t do their own dirty work, and he knew that somebody would be along soon to get rid of the body.
Slowly and carefully, he got to his feet, and keeping his eyes on the far door, backed quietly back towards the entrance he’d come through earlier.
As he finally slipped through the door, out into the blessed fresh air, Finn realised what it was about the killing that had made it extra horrifying.Toffs didn’t generally do their own dirty work.
Mr Top Hat Man had killed the sailor himself because he enjoyed it…
Twelve
‘Would you recognise him if you saw him again, lad?’ Raphael’s questioning was compassionate but matter of fact.
The combination worked, and Finn nodded, determinedly wiping away his tears with a grimy hand. ‘Ah niver did see a muir terrible sight,’ he declared with a shudder. ‘That man – he enjoyed the killin’.’
They were seated in the Captain’s cabin underneath the poop deck. The Reverend, Percy, Roan, Gabriel and Tristan were also present as Finn described what he’d seen.
‘Do you think my son’s in danger now?’ Percy questioned the King's agent, his voice tight with worry.
Raphael shook his head. ‘Whoever the killer was, he had no idea he was being observed.’ He looked over at the boy, who was rapidly becoming much more himself. ‘As awful as I know the experience must have been for you, Finn, your bravery has given us more than you can possibly imagine. We now know that there are orweretwo traitors onboard the ship and the one still living goes by the name of Taffy which is a nickname given to men bornin Wales. We also know that there is indeed someone directing things from the shadows.Mr Top Hat Man,as you very usefully called him, has made a grave error. But best of all – he doesn’t realise it.’
The boy visibly swelled with pride and looked round with a wide grin, but before he had the chance to speak, Raphael continued, his voice turning stern.
