Miss Minnie and the Brass Pluggit (17 page)

Minnie froze, her instincts screaming at her to run, but her brain telling her there was nowhere
to
run. The ocean was in front of her and the man with the gun behind her. What choice did she have?

The knowledge that Pierce would turn the Isle of Wight inside out looking for her helped calm her riotous thoughts. And knowing she had his whatchamacallit in her pocket was enormously comforting. She’d come through this. Somehow or other, she’d come through it in one piece.

“It looks like I’m in a bit of a spot, doesn’t it?” She lifted her chin.

“It does indeed.”

Chapter Eleven

Pierce found himself in a dark but warm room, where someone had lit a fire against the sudden cold snap. A long length of mahogany bar stretched from one end to another, and he stepped up to it, resting his foot on the brass rail as so many had done before him.

“What’ll it be?” The innkeeper strolled up to him.

“I’ll take a pint. Should keep the cold out.”

The man smiled as he pulled the beer. “Aye. Weather turns just like that sometimes.” He slid the tankard to Pierce. “That’ll be ninepence.”

Pierce took out some coins and pushed a shilling across the bar. “I have a few more of these I’d like to send your way if you can send a bit of information mine.”

The man glanced around at the nearly empty room and then leaned on the wood, idly wiping an invisible spot with a cloth. “Information about what, then, lad?”

Pierce sipped his beer and licked the foam from his mouth. “I’m wondering about the Godolphin aerodrome project. Got some work at the Brass Pluggit I’d like done, but I’m not sure if anyone’s around to hire or if they’re all working out that way.”

The innkeeper thought for a moment. “Well, you might try Harry Smithson’s place. Harry was going to work over Godolphin’s, but his wife come down with summat. He had to put those plans on hold as it were.”

“Took a big bite out of the Yarmouth workforce, did they?”

The man nodded. “Aye. They did that. Pays good wages, they do. But, here’s an odd thing I heard…” He leaned closer to Pierce. “They don’t let none of the workers down below. Got caves there, y’know. But they’re off limits. Nobody sees what’s in ’em. One lad told me they’ve got other workers down there.
Furriners
.”

Pierce managed an expression of shock, since the innkeeper was clearly upset at the notion of foreigners in caves. Probably because they hadn’t been in to buy a large number of pints and swell his coffers, but that was neither here nor there.

“Well, that’s strange, isn’t it?”

“’Tis right strange if you ask me.” Well launched now, the man needed little further encouragement. “Why would you need to go put furriners in caves when you got plenty of able-bodied men right above yer?”

“Good question.” Pierce assumed his
I’m-thinking-that-one-over
look.

“You ask me?” He lowered his voice. “They got summat goin’ on that they don’t want nobody to know about.”

“Gosh.”

“I heard summat about those strange things people take in Lunnon. You know.
Drugs
.”

“Oh my. Anyone ever investigate? Call in the authorities or anything?” Pierce drank some more beer and waited.

“Nah.” The innkeeper shook his head. “Can’t rightly say any of this is more’n gossip. But it’s true what they say.”

“What do they say?”

“Where there’s smoke…”

“There’s fire.” Pierce nodded.

“Or at least
somethin
’ burning…” He looked knowing. “I hear tell they smoke somethin’ strange from furrin parts up in Lunnon. Makes a man do terrible things. Women too.” A strangely intrigued expression crossed his face. “Haven’t found out what yet, but I’m workin’ on it.”

“Right.” Pierce finished his beer and pushed a couple more shillings across the bar. “Well I wish you the best of luck with that. Thanks for the beer.”

The shillings disappeared. “You take care now, lad. Storm’ll come in later, I’m thinking.”

“Good to know.” Pierce nodded and left the pub, a few shillings lighter but quite a bit heavier when it came to information.

Most of which confirmed their suppositions. The workers were segregated. The straightforward building above ground was done by locals. All perfectly innocent. The rest of the business, cargo shipments and so on, took place beneath. In the caves.

The picture they’d all haphazardly assembled was coming together on a much firmer footing. He really hoped Minnie had been able to plant the little device on one of the women if she’d found them. Because if she had, they would be able to monitor developments much more accurately.

He had a sense it was coming to a head. That the freighter’s engines were preparing for departure and that those empty crates in the cave were waiting for something. Or someone. Several someones.

He was turning it over in his mind as he retraced his steps down the road toward his rendezvous with Minnie. He wondered if she’d managed to plant his device on one of the women. Or even if she’d found the women. She was quite resourceful, so he guessed she’d at least have something in the way of useful information even if she hadn’t located the girls themselves.

He reached the crossroad to find it empty. No Minnie.

Thinking she’d been delayed, he walked down to the quay, only to come up empty-handed once again. No Minnie.

A woman leaned out of a nearby window to vigorously shake a blanket, and Pierce called to her. “Excuse me, ma’am.”

She looked down. “Yes?”

“Did you see a tall lady earlier? Black jacket and a sort of pinkish skirt?”

The woman leaned on the sill and tilted her head to one side with a small frown. Then she blinked at him. “Might that have been about an hour ago or so?”

“Probably yes. She would have been on that boat.” He pointed to Minnie’s carriage, bobbing on the boat as it rose and fell with the chop.

“Oh her. Yes, I did see her. Lovely boat that is. Nicely done…all that shiny brass.”

“Did you see where she went? I was supposed to meet her.”

The woman frowned down at him. “Well, that’s odd, young man.”

“Why odd?”

“Because if she was meetin’ you, why’d she get on a boat with some other women and a couple of men?”

Pierce’s heart stopped dead, only to resume its beat with the force of a thunderstorm.

For God’s sake…
they’d got Minnie.

“Where is she?” Felicia’s fingers twitched nervously against the shoulder of his jacket as both she and Dusk leaned closely over his shoulder.

He was sitting in his laboratory at his console, waiting for his device to activate, praying Minnie still had it and that it would show where she was and that she was in one piece.

The ride home in the whimsy had been agonizingly slow, and several times Pierce wished he could get out and push the damn thing into a faster rate of speed. But he bit down on his panic, knowing that now wasn’t the right time. He needed a clear head and a focused brain to deal with this disaster and he’d have neither if it was filled with visions of Minnie on that freighter shipping out to parts unknown.

Or worse, lying still and cold in the bottom of a rowboat.

No, he would not let that happen, and neither would she if there was any way at all to prevent it.

“Can you see her yet?” Dusk’s breath whiffled past Pierce’s ear.

“Please. Back up a little.” He ground out the words through clenched teeth. “I want to see her as much as you two do. But I also need to breathe.”

“Sorry.” Felicia stepped back—about six inches.

Pierce couldn’t blame her. She was holding herself together as well as any of them, but he could only imagine her frustration. Not only was she terrified for Minnie, but she could only vaguely make out what the men could see clearly.

He put his hand over hers where it still rested on his shoulder. “Any second now…” He waited and then, “There. There she is.”

Two tiny pulsating points of light twinkled greenly on the display in front of them.

“Oh thank God.” Felicia let out a sob.

“This is her?” Dusk pointed. “It’s moving slowly.”

“Yes, that’s her. Or at least that’s the device I gave her. I’m hoping she still has it on her and didn’t manage to put it in one of the other women’s bags. Or at least that they’re all together.”

“She’s on a boat?”

Pierce nodded. “Looks like it, Felicia. The one I planted last night is here, on the edge of the water. Minnie’s is way over here, moving slowly. Perhaps they’re waiting for something.”

“The tender from the freighter?”

“Maybe.” Pierce thought about that. “Or darkness. I don’t know. If they intend to crate the girls, darkness wouldn’t matter. If they plan on transporting them without hiding them, then darkness would be their safest bet.”

The coastline was glowing, as was the freighter. There were no other ships registering on his system, and for the first time Pierce realized he was putting his faith into something that was untested.

What was an experiment had become a vital part of saving lives. His palms started to sweat as he moved the lever to scan the area. What if it failed?

“Easy, Pierce.” Dusk’s hand thudded down on his other shoulder. “It’s working fine. We know Minnie will be all right and we’ll get to her before she sets one foot on that damn ship. The other women too.”

Pierce swallowed. “Yes. I’m sure of it. At least I think I’m sure of it.” He shifted in the chair. “Dusk…not only am I going to have to trust this equipment—I’m going to have to use the Black Fish.”

“Oh.” Dusk stared at him, expression as blank on his face as it was on the mask.

“What’s the Black Fish?” Felicia darted looks between the two men, obviously trying to read their voices and frowning.

Dusk turned to her as Pierce took one last look at the console.

“It’s an experimental boat, Felicia. One Pierce has been working on for almost a year. Nobody knows about it and I don’t think he’s even told anyone except me that he’s built it.”

“Now we need it.” Pierce stood as the other two moved aside. “And I pray to God it works.”

The other man nodded, saying nothing. There was nothing to be said.

“Best thing is for you to stay here.” He pulled the chair out and pointed at it, silently asking Dusk to man the console. “Felicia, you’ve got the best ear around. There’s a small telegraph device on the Fish. I’m going to ask you to act as go-between. When Dusk sees something I need to know, you’re going to have to send that information to me.”

“Oh.” She lifted a hand to her throat. “Heavens, Pierce. What if I make a mull of it?”

“You won’t. You don’t need the vision of an eagle for this. You need the ears of a hawk. You have ’em, my dear. We need ’em.” He brushed her cheek with his fingertips encouragingly. “The words will have to be short and simple. Quick information.”

Dusk reached around her and pulled her to his side in a reassuring hug. “She can handle it, Pierce. When will you leave?”

Pierce glanced out of the high window. “Soon, I’m thinking. It’s not dark, but I daren’t wait around in case they decide to move Minnie early. I can see those clouds rolling in—the innkeeper was right about the weather.”

The clouds were solid and low, the kind that told of rain, rain and then—for a bit of variety—more rain. It wouldn’t storm, and might not even raise more than a light chop. But the visibility would be damned awful.

Which was just what Pierce was hoping for.

“It’s going to take me an hour or so to warm up the Fish and her innards. I’ll go down now. When I’m ready, I’ll send you a signal, all right?”

He was taking off his jacket as he spoke, ready to run to his room, quickly change into clothing more appropriate for a maiden voyage in the Black Fish, and also grab a weapon. The Fish was unique. But sometimes an old-fashioned gun did the job just as well as any new invention.

And this was Minnie. Pierce wasn’t about to take any chances whatsoever.

“And here’s the unit.”

Dusk took Felicia’s hand and placed it firmly on the telegraph key. It moved a tiny bit as she touched it. She wasn’t totally blind, of course. This was probably unnecessary. But Dusk knew that this was not the time to risk anything to chance or make any unwarranted assumptions.

“Feel it?”

She nodded, sighing with relief. “Yes. I can feel it. Not unlike the ones I’ve used before. Perhaps a more delicate touch, but if you keep the words simple, Dusk, I think I’ll be able to handle it. Or at least get the point across to Pierce. Even if it’s misspelled.”

He smiled then, and took her in his arms once more. He didn’t seem to be able to keep his hands off her today. Perhaps it was the tension and the uncertainty. Perhaps it was because he’d realized it could have been Felicia missing instead of Minnie.

Whatever it was, he just didn’t feel right unless some part of him was touching some part of her.

They both jumped as Pierce’s boots clattered past the laboratory.

“There he goes.” Dusk led her back to the console. “The Black Fish is in the cave below the Pluggit. So he’ll need some time to make ready to sail.”

Felicia gnawed on her lip as she hugged Dusk’s arm. “I can’t help but worry. Do you think Minnie’s all right?”

He shrugged, knowing she’d sense the movement. “I don’t know. Trying to guess would be futile. So I keep remembering that Miss Minnie is one very resourceful woman who can, I’m sure, handle herself well in an emergency.”

Felicia took a breath and then nodded. “Yes, she is. And smart too. But sometimes she
smarts
herself right into trouble.”