The Smuggler's Daughter

by Kerry Barrett

  ‘That’s not fair, Jed.’

  ‘Jeremy.’

  I scowled at him. ‘I’m going to go,’ I said. My mind was racing. I could get back to the pub through the tunnel, lock the door behind me and move some stuff in the cellar so it was in front of the door. Make it look like Liv wasn’t involved. It wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t entirely ethical but Liv was a tiny cog in a very big wheel; she didn’t deserve to be in trouble for this.

  ‘Go quickly but carefully,’ Jed said. ‘Get back to the pub and go to bed.’

  He was beginning to annoy me now. ‘I’m not stupid,’ I said.

  He looked like he was going to argue about that then changed his mind. ‘Just go.’

  He stood aside to let me out of our tiny hiding place, and I took a few steps on to the beach then froze as I saw someone coming down the path. Jed saw it too. He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back into the gap between the rock and the cliff. We stood there, staring at each other.

  ‘It’s Ewan,’ I breathed as he came into view on the beach.

  ‘He told me 2 a.m.,’ Jed whispered. ‘It’s not even one yet. The bastard.’

  ‘Do you think he’s got wind of who you are?’

  ‘No, I think he wants to avoid sharing the profits.’

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  Jed looked worried. ‘Nothing,’ he said after a moment. ‘Border Force aren’t going to be here for an hour, and my back-up officers won’t be in position yet.’ He groaned. ‘All this work and it’s going to pot because I don’t have back-up.’

  I looked at Ewan who was standing in the middle of the beach, smoking a cigarette and looking out to sea at the ship, which was coming closer. And then I looked at Jed. ‘You’ve got back-up,’ I said.

  Chapter 40

  ‘Oh no,’ Jed said. ‘No.’

  ‘What choice do you have? Either you let me help or all your hard work undercover goes to waste.’

  ‘It’s really irresponsible to do anything when there’s only two of us.’

  I shrugged. ‘There’s only one of him.’

  Jed looked at me. ‘We could arrest him now,’ he said. ‘Keep him up the back of the beach, out of sight, and I’ll go back undercover and meet the people bringing in the goods.’

  ‘What are they bringing in?’

  ‘Drugs.’

  I relaxed a tiny bit. I could deal with drugs. I was just relieved it wasn’t guns, or a load of terrified people.

  ‘Call for back-up now,’ I said. ‘We’ll sort Ewan out and hopefully the back-up will be here by the time the boat gets here.’

  Jed peered out at the sea. ‘They’re coming now. There’s a smaller boat on its way.’

  ‘Then we don’t have time to waste.’

  My heart was thumping but I was loving this. I felt like I’d been re-energised. Switched on, somehow. Everything was in sharper focus. I could hear the sound of the waves and the hum of the boat’s engine on the sea, and Jed’s breathing. I gripped his hand. ‘We can do this, Jed.’

  He nodded. ‘Sure?’

  ‘Sure. Get your back-up team ready.’

  Decision made, he pulled out his phone, crouching down so the light couldn’t be seen by Ewan, who was still looking out to sea, watching the boat come closer.

  I thought about Liv who would be waiting at the pub, nervously waiting for Ewan to appear in the cellar with a load of drugs. Turning away from Jed slightly, I pulled my own phone out and paused for a second. ‘Working late,’ I typed. ‘Won’t be back. Go to bed and lock all the doors.’ I added an emoji of a policewoman and hoped that would be enough to let her know what I meant. I knew I was playing with fire but I also wanted to protect my friend, and though I was fairly sure no one would check our phones, if they did, I wanted to be sure that our messages could be innocent.

  I watched the little dots bouncing around, telling me Liv was replying and then she replied. ‘Off to bed. Be careful.’

  I had no idea if she understood but I’d done what I could.

  Jed nodded at me. ‘On their way, but we need to act now if we’re going to get Ewan sorted before the boat arrives.’

  ‘I’m ready. What do you need me to do?’

  Quickly, Jed outlined his plan, speaking quietly into my ear. Him being so close to me made it difficult to concentrate but I forced myself to pay attention.

  ‘Okay?’

  ‘Okay.’

  I stayed where I was, while Jed crept along the shadows on the back of the beach. I watched him, my heart in my mouth, praying Ewan wouldn’t turn around. Eventually, Jed reached the bottom of the path, crept up a few steps and then jumped down on to the sand. ‘Oi oi,’ he called.

  Ewan jumped and turned around. ‘Christ, Jed,’ he said. ‘You gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here?’

  ‘Could say the same about you,’ Jed said, said, sauntering across the sand with his hands in his pockets. ‘Thought we were meeting at two?’

  ‘Got a message that they were coming earlier,’ Ewan said so smoothly that I wondered if he was telling the truth. If he was lying, he was very good at it. ‘I tried ringing you and Mark but couldn’t get hold of you.’

  ‘Signal’s patchy,’ Jed said. He looked out across the sea. ‘So what’s the plan, then? Is that them?’

  Understanding what Jed was doing, I carefully took my phone out again and turned it to video, recording what was happening. The picture was dark but the moon was bright enough that Jed and Ewan were both recognisable.

  ‘That’s them,’ Ewan said. ‘They’ll be here shortly.’

  ‘And how much have they got?’

  Ewan grinned at Jed, his eyes shining in the darkness. ‘A lot,’ he said. ‘We’re quids in, mate. Once we get it shifted.’

  ‘Through the tunnel,’ Jed said.

  ‘Yes, through the tunnel.’ Ewan was snappy and I hoped Jed would sense his tone. He did. He sat down on one of the rocks and sighed happily. ‘I’m going to buy a new car,’ he said. Ewan laughed. ‘I’ve got a mate who can find you something.’

  ‘I don’t want one of your dodgy mates’ knock-offs,’ Jed said. I was impressed by how well he shifted from being an undercover cop with me, to one of Ewan’s team. His body language, the way he walked, even his voice, were all slightly different. ‘Will there be enough for something really flash?’

  ‘We’ll see you right,’ Ewan said. ‘We’ve got some debts to pay first.’

  ‘Who?’

  I winced. Please don’t say Liv, I thought to myself.

  ‘Des Lincoln mostly,’ Ewan said. ‘We’d have been stuffed after that bloody Watson family legged it if it wasn’t for him.’

  In my hiding place, I was open-mouthed with shock. Des Lincoln was Liv’s regional manager. It seemed everyone was involved.

  Jed stood up and I knew he was about to make a move. I balanced my phone on the rock, so I’d have my hands free to help if I was needed.

  ‘Just going for a wazz,’ Jed said. He walked up towards the back of the beach and then shouted: ‘Shit! Ewan!’

  Ewan turned round. ‘What is it?’

  Jed stayed silent. Ewan called again and when there was no answer, he hurried up the beach. I heard a thud and an exhalation of breath and then Jed called out. ‘Phoebe?’

  I emerged from behind the rock. Jed had Ewan face down on the ground, his hands cuffed behind his back. Ewan was swearing aggressively and trying to stand up, but Jed had his knee in the small of his back so he couldn’t get up.

  ‘He had a gun,’ Jed said. ‘It’s over there somewhere. Can you find it?’

  I hated guns but I did as he asked, scanning the sand for the weapon. I found it and then holding it like it was hot, gave it to Jed. Deftly, he took out the bullets and tucked the gun into his waistband.

  ‘I’m going to meet the boat,’ Jed said. ‘Can you keep an eye on this one and update the back-up?’

  ‘Course,’ I said.

  I eyed Ewan suspiciously. ‘The boat’s nearly here. No sh
outing out to warn anyone.’

  ‘Fuck off.’

  ‘That’s rude,’ I said mildly. ‘Give me your phone then, Jed. And shall I take him into the tunnel? Get him out of the way?’

  ‘Not a bad idea,’ Jed said, throwing me his phone, which I caught – thank goodness. ‘Go on then.’ He grinned at me. ‘It’s Jeremy.’

  I grinned back. This was scary and it felt like the stakes were very high but I was running on adrenaline and I felt brilliant.

  I pulled Ewan to his feet. He struggled a bit but he let me lead him into the tunnel. I guessed he was thinking he could try to make a break for it, through the pub when the time was right. He stumbled on the uneven ground and sat down with a thump.

  ‘Stay there,’ I told him. I left Ewan in the tunnel, hoping that Liv had locked the door to the pub, took Jed’s phone out of my pocket and opened it. There was only one number stored, and one conversation in the messages folder. I tapped it and added my own message.

  ‘Immediate back-up urgently required,’ I typed.

  ‘Standing by,’ the reply came.

  I took a few steps backwards and looked up at the clifftop. I couldn’t see anything. I supposed I had to trust they were in the right place.

  Down by the sea, the boat was in the cove and approaching Jed where he stood right by the edge of the waves. The engine cut out, and the boat coasted quietly into shore. Jed waded out to help pull it up and out of the way. I stayed in the shadows by the entrance to the tunnel, hoping Ewan wouldn’t shout out. Carefully I glanced round the rocky doorway but he was nowhere to be seen. As I’d suspected, he’d made a run for it. I snorted. He wouldn’t get far if Liv had locked the cellar door. And if she hadn’t … I pulled out the phone again and added: ‘Please cover The Moon Girl pub. Suspect in handcuffs and exit blocked but stand by.’

  The boat was on the sand now. There were three men inside, all dressed like Jed, in dark clothes. I could hear them talking softly but not what they were saying. They began unloading packages from the boat and I took a breath. This was it. ‘Go,’ I typed on the phone with trembling fingers.

  There was a second when I thought the message hadn’t gone through, and we’d be there all alone with the gang, and then suddenly the cove was flooded with light, and figures ran from behind me towards the boat. I’d not even seen them coming down the path, but they must have been creeping towards the cove the whole time. There were shouts and without very much trouble at all, the three men were all restrained. Still blinking in the bright lights – which now I realised were coming from police cars up above – I went into the cave and found Ewan sitting a little way up the tunnel looking furious.

  ‘She locked the fucking door,’ he told me.

  ‘Is that right?’

  He kicked out at me and I swerved. ‘Watch it.’ I pulled him on to his feet again and yanked him out of the tunnel and across the sand, and handed him over to one of the back-up team. Jed was standing a little way away. He looked absolutely exhausted and my heart went out to him. It couldn’t have been easy, living a double life for months.

  ‘Well done,’ I said, handing him his phone. ‘You did it.’

  ‘It was nearly a disaster.’

  ‘Nearly, but it wasn’t.’

  ‘Thanks to you,’ he said. He turned to me and gave me a tired smile. ‘If you hadn’t been here, I’d have had to give up and go home.’

  ‘Rubbish,’ I said, pleased with the praise.

  Out at sea, a speed boat bounced across the waves and Jed rolled his eyes. ‘Border force,’ he said. ‘Late as ever.’

  He looked into my eyes, and I felt my legs go weak. Though it might just have been tiredness. ‘Listen,’ he began. ‘I’ve got stuff to do here and you should probably go and introduce yourself to my team. The DCI is up the top – her name’s …’

  ‘Richardson,’ I said, as everything fell into place. ‘She’s DCI Richardson.’

  Jed raised an eyebrow. ‘How did you know that?’

  ‘I got a colleague to look you up,’ I admitted. ‘But it flagged up the search and DCI Richardson called her.’

  ‘Oops,’ said Jed chuckling. ‘Did you look up Ewan as well?’

  ‘Fake name,’ I said. ‘And the Watson family? Are they in witness protection?’

  ‘They are. Today’s arrests are the final piece of the jigsaw.’

  I looked up at the clifftop, where I could see figures moving about.

  ‘I should go.’

  ‘Let’s catch up tomorrow, shall we?’ Jed reached out and put his hand on the top of my arm.

  I put my hand on top of his and smiled at him. ‘You did really well,’ I said.

  Jed – Jeremy – leaned towards me and kissed me on the cheek, lingering slightly longer than was necessary.

  ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ I said.

  Chapter 41

  Emily

  1799

  We stayed in our little shed for another night, though we didn’t get much sleep. Instead we made plans for our escape to Plymouth. Arthur was adamant we had to go the next day and I understood why. We knew Mr Trewin and Mr Kirrin were part of Morgan’s smuggling operation, but we didn’t know who else was involved. If George Winston, the magistrate, was on Morgan’s side he could be free by nightfall. Even if Morgan swung for his crimes, we’d still be in danger.

  I felt cold at the thought of going to America, suddenly. We may have got Morgan arrested but travelling halfway across the world seemed a very frightening idea.

  Arthur saw my face. ‘Have you changed your mind? We could stay in Plymouth …’

  ‘No.’ I was definite about that.

  ‘London then?’

  I thought of the people and the smells and shook my head. ‘Space and sky,’ I said carefully.

  ‘Then America it is.’

  I nodded. It was strange, I thought, because my whole life I had never imagined myself anywhere else but Kirrinporth, and now I couldn’t imagine staying here a day longer.

  Arthur frowned. ‘There is one thing we should do before we leave, though.’

  I raised an eyebrow in query.

  He leaned over and kissed me and then stood up, full of purpose, and peered outside the little cabin. ‘It’s getting light,’ he said. ‘Come, let’s go before anyone wakes.’

  We rode together on his horse, back along the path to the village. I kept asking where we were going and he kept saying I would see when we got there. And then we were outside the church. I turned round and looked at him, questioningly.

  ‘You’ll see.’

  He slid down and held his hand out for me to do the same, then he tied up the horse and together we walked into the church.

  ‘Wait here,’ he said.

  I sat patiently in a pew, next to the Diggory family memorial, and wondered what he was up to. He’d said his goodbyes to his father, as far as I knew. What more was there to say? I felt a brief moment of resentment that Arthur had a proper farewell while my poor mother was left thinking I was dead. Morgan had stolen my father from her, and now her daughter as well. It didn’t seem fair.

  ‘Emily?’ Arthur appeared at the side of the church, his father behind him looking bleary-eyed but cheerful. ‘Will you marry me?’

  I stood up and then sat down again as my legs went weak.

  ‘I thought it didn’t seem proper to ask you to travel across an ocean with me without us being officially man and wife,’ Arthur said. ‘My father said he shall marry us right now, if you’re willing.’

  He came round the pews and stood at the end of my row, then he reached out and took my hands in his. ‘So will you? Marry me?’

  I stood up properly now and threw myself into his arms, nodding vigorously. Of course I would marry him.

  Reverend Pascoe looked over at us. ‘Emily, you will need to speak to say the vows.’ He frowned. ‘Will you manage?’

  I swallowed. ‘I …’ I began. My throat tightened and then, as I looked at Arthur, it relaxed again. ‘I will try,’ I sa
id.

  Arthur grasped my hand tightly. ‘Then let’s be wed.’

  Reverend Pascoe glanced round at the empty church. ‘This is not strictly legal,’ he said in a low voice. ‘We have not read the banns, and we have no witnesses.’

  ‘And the bride is dead,’ Arthur said, straight-faced. I giggled. I cared not one bit for legality and I thought God wouldn’t either. I just wanted to know that Arthur was mine and I was his.

  Reverend Pascoe nodded. ‘Given the circumstances, I believe we can do away with the rules.’

  ‘Thank you,’ I whispered.

  There was no posy of flowers, no hymn singing, but Reverend Pascoe read solemnly from his Book of Common Prayer and simply missed out the bits asking anyone to speak up if they knew of a reason why we shouldn’t wed.

  He turned to Arthur first. ‘Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife?’ he asked.

  Without hesitation, Arthur nodded. ‘I will.’

  ‘And now, Emily,’ Reverend Pascoe said. ‘Wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband?’

  I took a deep breath, feeling all my muscles clench. And then, thankfully, I spoke. ‘I will.’

  Arthur beamed at me.

  To my astonishment, I didn’t even stumble over the rest of our vows. I said them clearly and with genuine feeling. When Reverend Pascoe said we were man and wife, Arthur and I held each other close and my face ached from smiling so broadly. I felt like a weight had lifted from my chest and that I could breathe properly for the first time since my father had been killed.

  Reverend Pascoe kissed me gently on the cheek. ‘You are a brave woman, Emily Moon,’ he said. ‘I’m proud to call you my daughter.’

  ‘Emily Pascoe now,’ Arthur said.

  I smiled at him. ‘I think I’ll always be Emily Moon inside.’

  Hand in hand we went to the door of the church.

  ‘We need to be swift,’ Arthur said. ‘It’s early still, but people will be waking soon. We need to get on the road to Plymouth and away before anyone sees us.’

  Reverend Pascoe slapped Arthur on the back and then, to my surprise, pulled him into a hug. ‘God speed, my son,’ he said. ‘Write to me from America.’