Chapter 6
Tobias and Gareth arrived early at the Rusty Mermaid. Tobias picked a table to the right of the door, allowing them to see anyone entering the room but just out of sight for someone just entering the door. The bartender, recognizing Gareth from last night, brought two mugs over. “You were lucky last night. Should I feel the need for entertainment on a regular basis, I’ll hire a minstrel.”
When Crow arrived, he looked around the room and gave a slight start when he saw Tobias. Ignoring Gareth completely, he sat down at the table and said “John, I should have known they would involve you.”
Tobias shook his head slightly saying, “It’s Tobias. I’m here on a personal matter. Crow, is it? Are you still working?”
“No, I was cashiered out over a slight misunderstanding on a mission. They expected my man alive, I wanted him dead. I was closer. No, I’m freelancing for a special client.”
Both men smiled at that comment. Gareth felt completely lost. He had no idea what they were talking about. He knew when Crow referred to Tobias as John, he was telling Tobias he was working as an agent for the same people Tobias frequently worked for. Knowing the name John meant Crow had worked with Tobias in an official capacity. By having Crow call him Tobias, Tobias was making it clear his role was unofficial.
“He must be one of yours,” Crow said, nodding at Gareth. “Still, my being attacked might serve both of us. I did my best not to kill the man but I cut his leg badly to slow his escape. His wounds will soon give him away.
“Then it’s Tobias these days?”
The question garnered a slight nod from Tobias.
“Tobias,” Crow said saying the name as if trying it out. “That would mean Martin Rolfing is the friend that brought you into this. That’s a shame, he was one of my prime suspects. Still, whoever attacked me had a hand in this. Your apprentice must have done something to get their attention.
“Are you sure enough of your friend Martin for us to work together?”
“I’m sure.”
“Your instincts were always good. Very well, I was brought into this because an official investigation could prove to be embarrassing. We may have a Royal that has elevated piracy to new heights.”
“How do you raise piracy to new heights?” asked Gareth.
“You convince the sea captains it’s cheaper to let the pirate take a portion of their cargo rather than fight. He boards the ship, takes what he considers a fair percentage and leaves. He does the same to the ships he doesn’t have an understanding with but he makes sure the damage is extensive.
“He’s able to be very successful because someone is supplying him with shipping schedules and cargo manifests. I suspected your friend because much of the information seems to come from cargo he’s insuring. Come to think of it, why isn’t Martin with you tonight?”
“He’s meeting with Captain Clark again. He should be along soon. You seem concerned.”
“Despite your assurances, I still don’t trust him completely and I like to know where all the players are.”
“So do I,” said Tobias with a wry smile. “Do you have anyone working with you?”
Shaking his head, Crow responded, “There’s not many that trust me enough to work with me and fewer still that I would trust backing me. You and I both know what happens when people aren’t willing to trust each other. Speaking of trust, I’m still not convinced Martin isn’t in this up to his neck. Do you feel a compelling need to tell him about me?”
The corner of Tobias’ mouth twitched up and he said, “Are you asking me to trust you more than I do Martin? I know you, Crow. I trust Martin. There is a difference but I see no reason to tell him. Tell me about the man that attacked you.”
“Medium height, slightly on the lean side, he was wearing a hooded cape that almost cost him his life. I knew he was no threat to me from the way he attacked me. That’s why I tried to slow him down by cutting his leg. I thought a little blood would make him rethink his plans and cause him to run. I was right but his cape snagged my dagger and I ended up cutting more than his leg. He pulled out of the cape and threw it in my face. It was only a second but he had disappeared.”
“Did you look for the blood trail?”
“Oh golly gee, I completely forgot about that. Gods, Tobias, I’ve been doing this for a while. I tried to follow the trail but it quickly disappeared. It looked like he jumped on a passing wagon but tracking is not my specialty.” came Crow’s angry retort. “I want to know why he attacked your apprentice.”
“Partner,” interrupted Tobias.
“Partner, then. Whoever has been doing this has been very cautious. This is the first time I’ve seen him do anything stupid. Would you mind loaning me your partner for bait? I’ll try to return him without too much damage,” Crow said with a sideways glance at Gareth.
Gareth interrupted Tobias’ response by saying, “If you’re through trying to intimidate me with how tough you are, I’m willing to work with you.”
Crow smiled, got up and said, “Looking forward to it. Time for me to be leaving now though. Don’t want to give people the impression we’re getting all chummy.”
Tobias said, “We need to go looking for Martin. He’s later than he should be. Always a bad sign when people are getting attacked.”
Crow went out the door first. Tobias and Gareth paused a few breaths to give Crow some separation and then they walked out. As they exited the door Gareth heard a whisper from Crow, “Five or so over in the shadows. Up to no good is my guess.” Tobias gave a slight nod of acknowledgement and stepped into the path.
They had gone about twenty steps when they saw Martin heading toward them from the left. They paused to let him catch up and a loud voice behind them said, “This is nice, we gots all three of them together. If’en you don’t mind, we have a message for you.”
A short laugh and then, “Actually, makes no difference if’en you do mind, our message is the same. We’ve instructions not to kill you but we can get mighty creative. Know what I mean?” With that the leader slapped his hand with a belaying pin.
Just as he had been taught, Gareth moved a few steps away, drawing his dagger in the process. Without taking his eyes off the leader, Tobias snapped, “I’m warning you Gareth, I’ve had it with your maiming. We need at least one alive. We can’t question a man with his intestines spread out for you to read his fortune. I had to kill your last victim and I’m not doing that again.”
The leader was fairly sure Tobias was bluffing but his men were looking concerned. “There’s no call to turn this into a knife fight. It’s a simple message to lay off. My boss don’t like the heat you might generate. Call off the investigation and he’ll give you special consideration when he collects his taxes on your cargo.”
So much for cover stories, at least the leader was admitting his existence, Gareth thought as he tried to look crazed enough to match the reputation that Tobias was giving him.
Tobias shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he said. Snapping his head towards Gareth, he exclaimed, “Gareth, I told you none of that.”
All heads turned to look at Gareth. That is, all heads except Tobias and Martin. As the messengers turned to look at Gareth, Tobias and Martin rushed them. Nobody wanted anything to do with Gareth and turned to deal with their assailants. The action created a wheeling motion, causing them to turn their backs on Gareth.
Gareth came in from behind, hitting the leader in the head, using the pommel of his dagger to limit damage. The leader went down like a sack of potatoes. He saw Tobias holding two of the attackers off, one holding his hand tightly where Tobias had cut him. In slow motion, he saw Martin was go down as one of the pirates clubbed him in the leg. As Gareth abandoned the leader to help Martin, a flying body knocked one of the men down. There was a blood curdling scream as Jerome sank his fangs into the man’s shoulder. Releasing the man, Jerome moved to stand protectively over Martin. The assailants pulled back to assess their damage when Jerome lowered his bloody muzzle to Martin, took a bite and then looked around as he chewed on something.
At the sight of the devil hound consuming Martin, the assailants made a collective decision to flee.
Barely raising his voice Tobias said, “That enough blood?”
It might have been the wind but Gareth thought he heard “on it.”
As Gareth was trying to make sense of the scene, he saw Martin reach up and grab Jerome in a hug. “I had my doubts about this dog of yours but he convinced me tonight.” Martin said. He patted his pocket and said to Jerome, “You got the last of that sausage but we’ll find the vendor again.”
Not fully convinced, Gareth said, “Sausage? Is that what he was chewing on? Why did you have sausage in your pocket?”
“I had sausage in my pocket because your beast hates the sea as much as you do. When you left with Tobias, I had to take him with me. My servants are terrified of him. Anyway, I had to buy a sausage to coax him onto the ship. Once there, he just sat in the Captain’s cabin and shivered. He was a very unhappy dog.
“I swear he was shunning me on the way back as if I were to blame. He would follow me but he made it clear he no longer trusted me.
Jerome looked at Gareth expectantly. “Come here big boy. You earned your share of crops tonight.”
With the keyword spoken, but still showing indignation, Jerome gave one last sniff at Martin’s pocket and strode over to Gareth.
The walk back to Martin’s was free of additional trouble. It was just as well, all three men were lost in their own thoughts. Jerome stayed close to Gareth but still seemed put out that he had been forced to go on board ship.
Although their cover already seemed blown, dinner took place as if nothing had changed. Jerome enjoyed the meal because he was treated to a couple of sausages while the servants were watching. They discussed the attack and Jerome’s part in it but everyone played their part as if this were very disturbing incident.
Later in the library, without naming his source, Tobias brought Martin up to date.
“I heard a number of merchants speak of customs as another form of taxes. You say he’s royal. He probably feels entitled to collect taxes and piracy was the easiest way. Why is he coming after me though? I’m not in a position to affect his taxes.”
“Maybe you are,” started Gareth. “I’ve been thinking about my first day and you were giving better rates to the people using captains with good records. You even got a few people to switch the ship they were going to use.”
Tobias took another sip of his drink. “Makes sense, the captains dealing with the pirate would have terrible records and you would by diverting business away from them. That forces our pirate captain to work harder for less take.”
Martin looked stunned. “I never looked at it like that. We still have to find out who is giving out my cargo manifests and shipping dates. Of course, even if we do find out, we’re not in a position to put the pirate out of business. I don’t suppose the king owes you enough favors to take action?”
Tobias sighed. “No, the king might send an agent but this captain doesn’t expose himself if he can help it. There might be a way but we’d still need a cargo ship and a captain willing to keep quiet.”
Martin stared at Tobias. “There’s absolutly no way you could have known,” he said, “but I’m willing to call your bluff. As of today, I own half interest in the Catherine and Captain Clark would be willing to help. Now, what miracle are you going to pull out of your hat?”
With a bemused look on his face, Tobias said, “I think it’s time for another meeting of The Order of Retired Bookkeepers.”
With a slow nod, Martin said “That might work and you certainly have the right to call a meeting. Would they come?”
Tobias’ response to Martin was less than enlightening. “You would, they will.”
Unable to keep quiet any longer, Gareth asked, “Who or what is The Order of Retired Bookkeepers?”
Tobias got a faraway look in his eyes, “Have you ever seen a retired warhorse. All his life the horse was trained for battle and now you ask him to pull a wagon or a plow. He’ll do it but he misses the battle. Give him a chance and he will run to get back in the thick of a battle.
“When I was slightly older than you, I was selected for a very special squadron. The commander had been given full authority in his selection of squad members. He went through the entire army and selected forty men. I don’t know what he was looking for but he did interviews and endurance tests until he was down to fifteen men. We did eight missions that were declared impossible. We only lost three people to causalities. At the end of the eighth mission, we were disbanded. The fear was that we were too good. Having us in one company would give the squadron leader too much power.
“We stayed in touch after we were dispersed and started calling ourselves The Order of Retired Bookkeepers. I’m sorry but you haven’t earned the right to know more.”
Martin broke in, “What Tobias isn’t telling you is that our leader was killed during the seventh mission. Tobias assumed leadership and completed the mission. I don’t know why the Crown trusted our squadron leader so much but that trust was not extended to Tobias and we were told to disperse with a very strong suggestion that we should consider retirement. I think that’s why we call ourselves retired.
“About three years ago, one of our members had a problem and asked for help. Eleven old warhorses showed up to help. We couldn’t help ourselves, the memories and comradery were stronger than any other influences in our life.”
“How soon can they get here?” asked Gareth.
“That’s going to be a problem. Very few of us managed to settle down into a home. I have a vague idea where some of them are living but not good enough to send a message.” Tobias responded. Turning to look at Martin he asked, “How did you manage to find me?”
Martin gave a smile, “I looked at all the places where you had been seen and did a probability density chart to determine the most likely places for you to show up next. Then I sent messengers to all the towns having a probability higher than ten percent.”
Gareth blinked as he tried to digest what Martin had said. “You mean you guessed?”
Martin gave him a sad look. “That’s a very simplistic way of looking at it., but yes.”
“Maybe we could do that here. The first day I was at your office, Robert was late because he was visiting a printer. Could we print some flyers and distribute them throughout the kingdom?” asked Gareth.
“That might work,” Tobias mused. “It gives us good coverage and the public is unlikely to be overly interested in a meeting of The Order of Retired Bookkeepers. We’ll need to put a date on the flyer to encourage a prompt response.”
Martin picked it up saying, “We should tell them something about sharpening their skills in maritime bookkeeping. That will peak their interest as well as give them an idea of what they will be facing. Wasn’t it Ice that got seasick if you got him near a river?”
“No, that was Jones, I think he was stabbed last year by a jealous girlfriend. Remember when we were…..”
The two men became lost in exchanging memories. Gareth listened for a few minutes but he felt awkward listening to what were obviously very personal memories. Finally, he stood up and motioned Jerome to come with him. The dog had been curled up near Martin, who had been tossing him small bits of sausage all night. Jerome got up with a whuff and looked at Martin in hopes of a final piece of sausage. Seeing that nothing was forthcoming, he turned and followed Gareth outside.
Gareth took the time outside to relax from the day and organize his thoughts. While Jerome was examining some nearby bushes, Gareth walked over to the wagon and got two more vials of the hangover cure. Enjoying the open sky, Gareth sat down on the wagon steps. By now Jerome had finished examining the bushes and came over to join Gareth.
Gareth spent some time idly scratching Jerome behind the ear. How was the information getting out? Even if they had a squadron of men, how would they find the pirate captain and how would they capture him? If the man really was a Royal, injuring him or killing him could have tremendous repercussions. He would have to be taken alive.
He was lost in thought when he felt Jerome tense up. Looking up he saw one of the servants approaching with a tray. As the man approached he said, “I’d appreciate it very much young sir, if you would hold your beast. The master and the peddler were having so much fun swapping war stories that he cancelled dinner and had a few trays of meats and cheese served in the library. He asked me to provide you with a similar tray.”
Gareth smiled at the thought of asking the man for a bloody haunch of beef for Jerome but took pity on the man. He made a big show of holding Jerome by the collar and moved away from the wagon.
The man timidly put the tray on the wagon and started to move off. “Wait,” said Gareth, remembering the bottles of hangover remedy. “Take the two bottles by the tray to the gentlemen inside. They’ll understand.”
The meat and cheese made a good meal. Jerome gave full approval to his share and managed to look regretful when the last bit was tossed to him.
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