‘Stop, you craven, lily-livered blackguard,’ shouted the Reverend, realising the time for secrecy was well and truly past.
In answer, the sailor turned back to his task with renewed urgency.
By now, they could hear feet pounding down the lower deck ladder behind them, but help had come too late to stop the catastrophe.
Looking up at the little dog’s eager face, Finn pointed down to the desperate deckhand and yelled, ‘Stop him, Floss.’
She needed no further urging. Using the Reverend as a makeshift slide, Flossy was at the bottom of the ladder in seconds. Without hesitation, she made for the traitor’s ankle, causing him to fall back with a cry. As the dog’s teeth closed around his foot, he tried to roll over, brandishing the knife and kicking out in an effort to dislodge her.
But this was Flossy’s speciality. Nimbly she danced round the sailor’s jabbing hands and feet, growling and barking, whilebehind her, the Reverend was yanked unceremoniously back up through the hole.
Seconds later, Roan slid expertly down the ladder, closely followed by Raphael, Tristan and Gabriel. Without hesitation, Roan kicked the knife out of the traitor’s hand and felled him with a single punch before turning to the damaged tiller rope.
‘It won’t last much longer,’ he rasped. ‘You’ll need to give me a hand to hold it together. Finn, go up top and shout for help. Tell them it’s the tiller rope.’
‘For God’s sake, man, what in blazes were you thinking? Sabotaging the tiller ropes would have seen us all in Davy Jones’ Locker – you included.’ Roan stared at the sailor in frustration.
Tied to a chair in the Captain’s cabin, the traitor was terrified but defiant, and his only response was a careless shrug.
‘You must have received a considerable sum to take such a risk,’ Raphael observed calmly. ‘Who paid you?’ Sullen silence was his answer, and Rafe shook his head and smiled.
It was nothing like the smile Henrietta had been favoured with - this was a promise from someone who was well versed in getting information out of unwilling informants. ‘If you don’t help us, the best you can hope for is the rope,’ Raphael continued conversationally. ‘You know that. Did you believe that once we lost control of the ship, you’d be close enough to France to swim ashore? If so, I think you miscalculated. We are still a day out from our destination.’
The sailor glared up at the agent, but sweat was forming on his brow as his defiance began to fracture.
‘Do you think I care what state you are in when I deliver you to the authorities?’ Rafe questioned him. He gestured towards his companions, standing in uncomfortable silence. ‘These men might be honourable, but my job leaves no room for chivalry. Make no mistake, I will dowhatever it takesto extract the information we need.’
‘Can’t be any worse than what the bloody toff’ll do to me if I rat ‘im out,’ Taffy spat in one last show of bravado.
‘Can it not?’ Rafe responded softly.
Seconds later, the man crumbled. ‘Called himself Mr Smith, but I knew that weren’t ‘is name. ‘Ow many bloodySmithsare there with wearing a fancy ring – an’ over a pair o’ gloves.’
‘Did you recognise anything unusual about it?’ Rafe interrupted sharply.
‘Na, I only got a quick glimpse.’ He shrugged. ‘Just noticed he had the ring over the top of ‘is gloves – I mean who does that for Christ’s sake. More like a bloody macaroni than a nob.’
‘Where did you meet him?’
‘Tavern in Plymouth. Asked if wos lookin’ fer work. I told ‘im I wos a Jack Tar, an’ weren’t lookin’ fer a land job.
‘So, ‘e told me to get meself to Torquay to meet wi’ someone calledFuntin. Bloody Frog, jus’ like the two o’ you buggers…’ He gave a snigger, showing a mouthful of rotten teeth. When Raphael simply stared at him impassively, his brief bravado fizzled out. ‘There wos two of us. We wos both told to report to theFortunean’ wait fer orders.’ He slumped back into his chair,the last of his swagger gone. ‘I din’t know about theaccidentthey wanted ‘im to ‘ave,’ he muttered, nodding his head towards Tristan, ‘until I ‘ad a message from ‘is ludship tellin’ me Jim weren’t comin’ back to the ship an’ it were up to me to do the deed.’
‘Did you know Jim was dead?’
Taffy nodded. ‘Aye. Sent me a bit o’ the bastard’s ear wi’ the note.’ He gave a sigh. ‘I’m no bloody murderer to off somebody in cold blood. The tiller ropes wos the best I could do.’
‘So you’d kill everybody onboard rather than just one?’ Roan cut in incredulously.
The sailor shrugged. ‘Din’t seem quite sopersonal.’
For a few moments nobody spoke, then Rafe turned a chair around in front of the captive and sat down, resting his arms on the back.
‘I want you to listen and think on what I say,’ the Frenchman commented levelly. The sailor frowned but nodded.
‘There’s only one way you’ll avoid the rope – and that’s if you cooperate.’
Taffy stared back at him warily, waiting.
