AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As soon as they were inside the first building they saw a bundle of sacking and an old blanket in the corner. It stirred vaguely, enough to show that there was a live person sleeping underneath, and not a corpse.
Monk was profoundly glad not to be alone. One man could not watch in all directions in case he was crept up on. He and Hooper ignored the rats. No one wasted bullets killing them. There were thousands of them, and the shots would be a warning to anyone here.
A hundred feet farther in they found the man they were looking for. Hooper knew him by sight. They were deep inside the warren of passages and interconnected rooms. He actually had a wood-burning stove going and the air was warm. It made the smell worse, more acrid in the throat and lungs.
Torrance was a lean man with a large mouth and a thick black beard and mustache, which made his head look disproportionately huge. He looked up as they came in. There was neither fear nor curiosity in his eyes. Monk had not expected there to be. Jacob’s Island had eyes everywhere. Torrance would have been aware of them as soon as they set foot on the bridge.
Monk had a bag with half a dozen fresh ham sandwiches he had bought from a peddler on the quay. “Food,” he said, holding the bag so Torrance could see it. Neither of them made any comment. He sat down cross-legged on the floor. Hooper remained standing, looking casual, but with his weight so balanced he could have struck out in an instant, or moved at the sound of a breath.
Torrance said nothing, waiting for Monk to speak.
“I want a little bit of information,” Monk began quietly. “Old stuff. The gunrunners we caught about three months ago. Big battle. I’m sure you remember it….”
“Everybody remembers it,” Torrance replied guardedly. “Sent ’em all down. Won’t see the water, nor the sky again, for years. Hard, that, for a man o’ the sea.”
“Right,” Monk agreed. “Unless they escape, of course. But that’s not likely. Won’t be getting them out for questioning, or evidence.”
Torrance gave a gap-toothed grin. “Not doing too well, Mr. McNab, is ’e? That’s two ’e’s lost in the last ten days, like. ’E in’t no
friend o’ yours. Everybody knows that.”
Monk drew in breath to ask Torrance if he knew why, then stopped himself. It was an admission of ignorance that would give Torrance a leverage he would certainly use.
“I know,” he agreed instead. “Who told you in the first place?” He made a guess. “Was it Mad Lammond?” He mentioned a river pirate well known along the waterfront.
Torrance looked slightly taken aback, then he recovered quickly, a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. “No it weren’t. Wouldn’t go nowhere near Mad Lammond, even if yer paid me!”
“Then who was it that told you?” Monk resisted the temptation to put the name in his mouth.
“Were McNab’s own man. Big feller wi’ a beard. Good as mine.” He gave the huge, gap-toothed grin again.
Monk had the uneasy feeling that somewhere in this he was being distracted, duped, but he could not see how. “Name?”
“Never asked ’im,” Torrance replied. “?’Ow about one o’ them sandwiches, then?”
Monk passed him one and he ate it, cramming it into his mouth in two bites, and then had trouble swallowing it.
“Name?” Monk repeated.
“Feller wot got drowned,” Torrance replied, looking slightly sideways at Monk and holding his hand out for another sandwich. “Reckon you knows all about that. Did us a favor, you did, so I’ll let you off light. All them sandwiches’ll be enough. Won’t ask fer nothing else, not this time, like.”
Monk looked at Hooper.
A bubble of gas came up through a stretch of mud, and burst, releasing a foul stench.
Hooper remained where he was, staring around in all directions, then back at Torrance.
Torrance groaned. “That in’t nice, Mr. ’Ooper. Yer think I’ve got someone as’ll jump yer? There in’t nobody ’ere, ceptin’ me. Leastways, not on this part o’ the island.”
“We’ve been here long enough,” Monk said quietly. He passed the rest of the sandwiches over to Torrance, who snatched them from him.
Hooper took a step toward Torrance, and he shrank back.
“Why?” he said softly. “What was in it for McNab to give the pirates that tip-off, eh?”
Torrance blinked.
Monk glanced around them, then at Torrance. He, too, took a step closer. Was it as simple as money?
