Solomon bowed and went forward to offer his hand. “Captain Blake? Thank you for seeing me.”
Blake dropped Solomon’s card in his lap in order to grasp his hand with thin fingers.
“Mr. Grey.” He gestured to the chair on the other side of the fireplace, but Solomon brought it nearer, while avoiding blocking the heat from his host.
“Your daughter tells me you don’t keep well.”
“Master of understatement, is my Elsie. I’m dying, Mr. Grey. Lungs are shot. A tumor, they tell me. Doctor says it’s not the sea air but the smoking is the cause. Something gets you in the end, eh? Elsie said you were asking about theMary Anne?”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“I’m investigating the death of the owner, a Mr. Herbert Chase.”
“Chase is dead?” Blake’s eyes had widened with genuine surprise, if no obvious grief.
“He was murdered earlier this week. Which must seem odd to you, considering he also died seven years ago aboard theMary Anne, according to witnesses.”
“Must have been a different Chase.”
“Not according to my witness. Captain Blake, what took place on that ship?”
The captain gazed past him and slowly shook his head. He sighed. “Nothing good. I left theMary Anneafter that voyage, swearing secrecy to Chase—it was the only way he’d let me out ofmy contract. I kept my bargain. But I suppose it doesn’t count if he’s really dead this time.”
“I suppose it doesn’t.”
Blake leaned forward, peering at him. “I know you, don’t I?”
“It’s possible, though I don’t recall it. I am a ship owner.”
“A ship owner who investigates murder?”
“I have many strings to my bow. So, I believe, did Herbert Chase, and not all of them were legal.”
Blake wheezed out a bitter laugh. “Not remotely. We had a hold full of spices on theMary Anne, enough to make everyone’s fortunes. I genuinely didn’t know it was stolen—from several different merchants, I found out later. I doubt Chase had paid for any of it. He had legitimate partners in the venture, one of whom was known to me. That’s why I sailed for Chase. I don’t know if he ever meant tobuythe spices. At any rate, I didn’t suspect a thing until that night Drayman stole a couple of pocketsful.”
Blake reached for the glass of water beside him and swallowed. He kept hold of the glass.
“What was Chase’s plan?” Solomon asked. “To give his partners an expected share of the profit and keep the rest for himself? Having spent nothing on acquiring his cargo in the first place?”
“Something like that. He was a greedy little… Anyway, Drayman was a lot more savvy than me.”
“Who was Drayman?”
“Just a rough seaman with a nasty temper and a bad reputation. I only took him on because one of my men was ill and useless and I didn’t think he’d last the voyage home.” His eyes fixed on Solomon and began to widen. “That’s who you remind me of! The sailor who was ill! What was his name? Johnston or something…”
“It wasn’t me,” Solomon said, “though I might know who you mean. He does look a bit like me.”
“Only around the face. Perhaps it’s just the—Johnny. That was his name. Decent man, but he had brain fever. He lasted until Marseilles, where we left him at the hospital to die. I should have checked back on him, but I never did. I was too busy trying to break my ties with Chase.”
“Because you had discovered the theft. Through Chase’s fight with this sailor, Drayman?”
Blake nodded. “Chase caught Drayman with his pockets full of saffron and pepper. Like most thieves, Chase hated to be stolen from, and he was furious enough to attack Drayman. I could have told him that was a mistake without at least three other men to watch his back. Drayman disarmed him and beat him unconscious with his own club. He looked dead by the time I got the club off Drayman and we managed to get him locked up. That was when Drayman told me the whole cargo was stolen. I didn’t believe him at first, but Chase actually confirmed it.”
Blake’s lips twisted. “No, he wasn’t dead. He came to when he was carried below. In a hell of a state, though. Broken ribs and shoulder, blood everywhere… He said we shouldn’t hand Drayman over to the law because it would draw attention to the cargo, and the fact that it was stolen. Drayman wasn’t going to keep his mouth shut. I was in a bad position.”
“Because no one would believe you didn’t know,” Solomon guessed.
