"Nina, have I gone crazy?" I looked around at the block we encircled for the third time.
"Captain, if you've gone crazy, so have I."
My hackles rose and my fingers twitched against the knife at my belt, but I kept my tone light and conversational. "Are we going to have to go back to the ship and tell the boys we can't find the pub?"
"Aye, captain. I believe we will." Nina said. "And we'll never live this down." She shook her head for effect. In a barely audible whisper she said, “We’re being followed. The man in the doorway to our right is watching us.”
"Shall we go in and meet the new management?" I proposed, opening the door to the leather shop. In a quiet voice I said, “There’s another up there on the left too.”
"Aye, Captain. I think that sounds like a fine plan." Nina pulled open the door and gave a mock bow, gesturing me through it.
The layout of the shop was similar to The Flaming Mug. The bar was now the counter where the shoemaker laid out models available. The walls were a light stucco, and sparsely decorated. The wood of the bar was covered with sections of leather, sewing implements, and leather punches. The shoe-maker stood behind the counter, his face screwed up with concentration as he carefully stitched a sole onto a shoe. I approached him, peering over the counter. "Excuse me. Has this establishments changed hands recently?"
The older man looked at me as if I might be touched in the head. "No. I’ve owned this shop for many years. Finest shoemaker in Palermo – ask anyone!” He said proudly. “Why do you ask?"
"Have you ever heard of a pub in these parts called The Flaming Mug?" I leaned my elbow on the counter and gave my most charming smile.
He pulled the leather punch out of his mouth, where he’d been holding it, thinking. "Doesn't sound familiar. If you two ladies are looking for a decent meal though, there’s a nice little cafe two blocks up. Not terribly original in its naming, Palermo Café, but the food is good.”
"So you've never heard of The Flaming Mug?" Nina re-iterated.
“No. Can’t say as I have. Odd name for a pub though. I wonder if they light their drinks on fire.” His manner was easygoing and open, and I didn’t see any of the telltale signs of lying – shifting eyes, nervous behaviors – he either thought he was telling the truth, or he was a very good liar.
"It was right here, in this very building, just about a month ago,” I pressed.
He shook his head, his shaggy grey hair flipping into his eyes. He brushed it back with his free hand. “I’m afraid not madam. I’ve owned this shop for fifteen years, and my father owned it before me. It’s always been a shoe shop.”
I looked to Nina and back to the shoemaker. “Nina, lock the door.”
He did react to that. “Hey, you can’t do that. This is my business.” Nina ignored him, shooting the bolt closed and leaning against the door jamb, watching the street.
“What’s going on?” he was a small, older man, and fear sprang up in his eyes.
“That is what we would like to know. A month ago, we came here, and this was a pub. Now it’s a shoe shop, and you claim it’s always been a shoe shop. Clearly one of us is lying, and it’s not me.” I took my knife out of my boot, six inches of very functional steel, and set it menacingly on the counter.
The shoemaker gulped. “I swear to you madam, this has always been a shoe shop.”
“And where were you a month ago shoemaker?” Nina asked, from her lookout post by the door.
His eyes flickered over to Nina and then back to me, assessing our attire and attitude.
“Are you,” he gaped, still fearful but with a tinge of something else. “Are you pirates?”
“Where were you a month ago shoemaker?” I repeated.
“Pirates in my shop! Well I never. This is exciting!” He looked back to me, and the knife I was holding, and turned pale. “Ah. Pirates. What was the question again?”
“Where were you a month ago, shoemaker?” I repeated a second time.
“A month ago.” I watched him think, counting back the weeks on his fingers. “Oh! My wife and I went on our yearly trip to Italia to visit her mother. It was a short trip this year, only a week, thank goodness. Her mother is a handful, but we go every year to visit on her birthday.” He beamed at the two of us, almost pleased to answer.
“Imagine – pirates in my shop. This is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened here. I can’t wait to tell my wife.” He was practically giddy. I raised an eyebrow. Not the reaction most people had when confronted with a ‘pirate’.
“Do people around here know you leave to visit your mother in law every year on her birthday?” I asked.
“Oh yes. We’ve been doing it for years,” he confirmed. “Usually we’re gone for a month.”
I paused, thinking on this. “Does anyone mind the shop when you’re gone?”
“No. I had a son, and he used to mind it for me, but he died two years ago when sickness came to the city.” He rubbed a hand across his eyes briefly. “Since his death, I’ve not taken an apprentice, and we’ve done well enough over the years that I can close for a week now and again without too much hardship.”
“So, someone could have planned to come in here while you were gone, re-decorated, and then put it back before you returned, with a fair certainty that you would be gone for at least a week.” I mused. “Unconventional, but not impossible.”
“Wait. You think someone turned my shop into a pub while I was gone? No. That couldn’t happen. Things like that don’t happen. That’s something out of a fairy tale.” He looked at Nina and I as if we had sprouted extra heads.
“Do you mind if we take a look around shoemaker?” Nina asked, still looking out the window.
“No, please do. I can’t imagine you’ll find anything unusual though.” He watched with interest as Nina and I moved pictures, shifted bolts of leather and examined the walls. After a few minutes, a realization hit me. “Nina, the diamond. See if it’s still there.”
“Aye you’re right.” Nina rushed to the back corner where our party had been sitting the night we took the job. Bolts of cloth were stacked neatly on shelves where the table had been. “Help me shift this Captain.”
The two of us strained to move the heavy shelf, but finally it slid out a few feet from the wall. Dropping down to her hands and knees she peered at the floorboards. Carefully she slid the tip of her knife underneath a small object embedded in the floorboards. “Here it is, the little beauty.” She held up a small diamond for my inspection. I took it from her.
“Shoemaker – I dropped this diamond the night I was here. Circumstances prevented me from retrieving it. Is this the kind of thing you keep in the floorboards of your shop?” I showed him the small, perfectly cut diamond, and his eyes widened.
“I… I am at a loss. I have never dropped something so valuable. I have never possessed something so valuable. And no customer of mine would be in that area. That my little shop could be so transformed without my knowledge. This…” he looked troubled and faint, reaching for the chair behind him. “This is incredible. The most exciting thing that has ever happened, and also the most troubling. Pirates in my shop! Someone stealing in here and turning it into a pub!” His emotions ran across his face, clear as water. Excitement, fear, incredulity. “I can’t wait to tell my wife!” He wiped his brow with a spare bit of cloth, eyes wide with excitement.
“You cannot tell anyone about this – you know that right? It would put you and your wife in considerable danger if the men who did this thought you knew about it.” I leaned on the counter, staring at him. His face fell immediately.
“But… this is the most exciting thing ever, and I can’t tell anyone?”
“Not if you value your life and the life of your loved ones. Nina, we need to go.” I walked to the door and lifted one corner of the shade carefully, looking out to the street. Franco’s man, still in the doorway, was looking down the street at something.
“We need to go. Now. This was a setup from the
beginning. Shoemaker, do you have a backdoor?”
He waved us through a door behind him. “This lets out onto an alleyway, but there is a door directly across that goes into the bakery – I bet this man you said was outside isn’t watching the bakery! You can escape that way!” Excitement tinged his voice and he almost looked as if he wanted to come with us.
“Thank you, shoemaker, you’ve been very helpful. Keep this diamond as a token for your assistance. Now remember – we were never here.” I handed him the small diamond and slipped into the alleyway with Nina close behind. We dashed across the narrow alley and pushed on the door. Locked. I heard the sound of booted feet, marching in step coming up the main street. Taking a quick glance around the alleyway corner I saw guards wearing the Vatican colors of blue and gold. Merde. Setup indeed. I thought.
Gesturing in the opposite direction, Nina and I slipped down the alley away from the main thoroughfare. The further we went, the more noxious the air became. Trash and unpleasant things that squished underfoot littered the narrow, darkening streets. I heard a shot behind us and Nina ducked as a bullet hit the stone wall just above her head. Glancing back, I saw Franco’s stooge at the end of the alley.
“Quick, around the corner, Cat and Mouse!” I said. She dashed around me. She would take the lead as the ‘mouse’, encouraging our pursuer to follow her, while I would endeavor to get behind him, and turn the tables. Once around the corner, I looked for open doorways, or something to hide behind. The walls were unbroken by doorways here, so we kept running. Two more turnings and we found an alley that would work for our purposes. I ducked into a shadowed doorway and pulled a sleeping dart off my belt. Nina kept running. Franco’s man turned the corner, just as Nina made it to the next corner. He sprinted past me, and I threw the dart at his back. It hit him between the shoulder blades and I saw him flinch, but he continued running. This alley was long and narrow, with few doorways. I saw the man take aim at Nina’s back - the sleeping dose had not yet taken effect. I slammed into him, knocking him off balance. The shot echoed loudly in the confined, narrow street and his bullet went wide, hitting the stone well above Nina’s head. He pitched sideways into the side of a building as the drug took effect, his pistol waving wildly as he slid down into a heap.
Retrieving my dart, I returned it to the sheath on my belt and rifled through the man’s pockets. I recognized him from the night we made the deal. He was one of Franco’s guards. A front pocket revealed a small coin purse and a pair of dice, but nothing of note. I dragged his inert body over to the same doorway I had hidden in, and propped him up. I would have liked to question him but knew from experience the sleeping dart would take at least half an hour to wear off, and he was too heavy for Nina and me to carry very far.
I don’t like killing. I do it only at great need. I bound his hands behind him with his belt. Taking a pencil made from wax and ground ashes from my vest, I wrote the word SNITCH on his forehead in large, clear letters. It would wash off, but if any of the underworld of Palermo found him first, they would be wary.
Leaving him, Nina and I continued through the back streets of Palermo, until we found our way back to the airfield.
Jacqueline
"Captain, I'm afraid we have another problem." Tyler greeted us with that dire pronouncement as soon as Nina and I returned to the ship, now ensconced in the enormous repair hangar. “While you were gone, the Blue Raven came into port. They seem to have weathered the storm well. I could see very little damage from here.” He pointed out the cruiser, flying flags of blue and yellow bisected by a cross.
A small thrill of joy plucked my heart. Charles had made it through the storm. Nina blistered our ears, cursing unintelligibly, shaking her fist at the apparently undamaged war cruiser. I promised myself I would examine my feelings later, but at the moment Nina was right. This was not good.
"Okay, we need a new plan." I looked around at the repairmen crawling all over the ship. Gesturing towards the common room I quietly filled Tyler in on what Nina and I had found, and the presence of the Swiss Guard already in town. “There is no doubt now that this was a setup. It will be the Swiss Guard waiting for us at the drop tomorrow, not Franco or his buyer. We don’t know who Franco is working for, and the ship needs repairs. She won’t make it to another port in the state she’s in.”
I ran my fingers through my hair. “We have, as I see it, two, maybe three options. Steal a ship and vanish, get rid of the Miter, or wait here another day while the ship is repaired, but run a very high risk of discovery.”
“We can’t fence the Miter on such short notice. It’s too high profile of an item, and it’s too hot right now. I don’t think any of our usual people would take it.” Tyler replied.
I nodded. “You are right on that – but we could send it to someone as a way to get rid of it temporarily until we could arrange for a buyer.”
“There is another option, Captain.” Nina said, frowning. “We’ve already been paid well for this. What if we just… gave it back? This is the Catholic Church. If they know who stole it, they will keep coming after us until they have it.”
Mentally, I rebelled at the thought of giving back something so valuable, even with the monies we’d already collected. Chastising myself for being greedy, I examined Nina’s suggestion from all angles and felt the blood drain from my face as a horrifying though occurred to me. If the Holy Father knew my familial connections the entire crew was in danger, whether we returned the Miter or not. Unbeknownst to my crew, if our theft became public knowledge my uncle, the King of France, would have no qualms about killing me and every one of them. The King and I had an agreement – I stayed low profile and occasionally performed jobs for the crown, and he tolerated my alternative lifestyle. If I became an embarrassment or a liability, our agreement would be at an end. I worked hard to maintain my cover and keep my true lineage hidden; some secrets had to be kept. Taking a deep breath I said, “Let’s keep that as the very last option. Tyler, what other ships are there in port?” I asked.
“Not many, Captain. The Vatican cruiser, a junk that limped in worse off than we are, and a couple of slow-moving freight transport airships.”
I chuckled softly with the irony. “So we either steal the Vatican ship, get rid of the Miter, or both. Even if we send the Miter away, this was a setup, and they probably have Franco stashed away somewhere willing to testify that we took the job. Merde. What does Franco have to gain in all of this?” That was a question to ponder later. “I doubt they’re going to allow us the luxury of finishing the repairs on The Indiana before they come for us. We might have until tomorrow.”
A frown creased Nina’s forehead. “Captain. I have been running through a list of our contacts in Europe – there’s no one here we can send the Miter to without significant risk. Not that I can think of. The Vatican has too much influence and too many people fear the wrath of the church.
I nodded. “Tyler, let’s figure out how to steal that ship.” Tyler laughed, thinking I was joking and Nina looked at me incredulously. I stared back at them. “Gather the crew. Tell them the plan. Nina, I think you’re right, but see if anyone has any other contacts that they can propose that might be closer, but still safe.”
Tyler choked. “You’re serious.”
“Unless you have a better idea,” I replied.
Movement caught my eye as David strode across the deck. Merde. I had forgotten him in the excitement. “I need to have a conversation with David.”
Mindful of the workmen still clearing rigging and making repairs I caught up with David and said in a light, teasing tone, “Mon chéri I needs must show you something in my cabin.”
“Now?” he replied, gesturing at all of the repair work going on around us.
“Oui!” I said enthusiastically, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards my quarters. He laughed and followed, ignoring the crude comments that followed us. Closing the door I turned to him, and without preamble said “Mon chéri, we have been set up. Nina and Tyler a
re gathering the crew to work out our escape. I will join them shortly. I need you to choose.” I took his hands in mine. Looking into his eyes I said, “You can get off the ship and find your way back to Paris with plausible deniability, and not be drawn further into this mess. If we get caught, no one will mention your name. I should not have brought you along when the job wasn’t done, it was selfish of me and has put you in danger.”
“And the second choice?” His deep voice made my heart contract with aching.
“We’re going to steal a ship and make our escape. High possibility of being caught. Very little chance of pardon if you’re caught with us.” I kissed him then, thinking it might be the last time for a long while. “I love you. I cannot make the choice for you, and I will not push you one way or the other in this. I must go and work out the details with the crew. If you decide to stay, come help us plan. If you decide to go, I will see you again. You must decide before midnight.”
Charles
Charles stood on deck holding the missive from the Vatican, re-reading it for the hundredth time.
We are not interested in the buyer at this time. Do whatever it takes to retrieve the Miter and capture those who took it. Your lack of results thus far has been highly disappointing.
He understood the value of the Miter and the desire to have it returned to its proper place, but this lack of concern over the buyer seemed shortsighted, and the reprimand stung his pride. Charles reminded himself that he was new to his position and needed this mission to be successful but found that he had crumpled the paper in his fist angrily anyway. He found he was searching for The Indiana, hoping it – or more specifically her captain, had made it in to port safely, regardless of what was to come. The airfield at Palermo was nearly empty, with only a few slow-moving cargo vessels immediately apparent.
The First Sin Page 16