Read Online By Murder's Bright Light by Paul Doherty - Free Book Online
Authors: Paul Doherty
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stay, the rest of us went ashore.’
‘So, after dark,’ Athelstan said, ‘there was only the mate and two of the watch? Did anyone here approach the ship?’
There was a chorus of denials.
‘But we keep in contact,’ Crawley explained. ‘On every hour, when the candle flame reaches the ring, the password is sent along from ship to ship by speaking trumpet. On the half-hour, a shuttered lantern on each ship sends three quick flashes of light as a sign that all is well.’
‘So.’ Athelstan stretched. ‘Further up the river you have the
Holy Trinity.
The watch on that ship would pass the message to the
God’s Bright Light.
A password on the hour, a lantern flashing every half-hour?’
Crawley nodded.
‘And was this done?’
‘The watch on the
Holy Trinity
did it.’
‘But did the
God’s Bright Light
pass it on to the
Saint Margaret?
’
‘Oh yes,’ Crawley replied. ‘That’s where the mystery comes in. You see, Father, the
Holy Trinity
is my own ship. I let my men go ashore and I myself commanded the night watch.’
‘And the messages were sent from you?’
Crawley nodded. ‘At five o’clock I sent on the password, through a speaking trumpet. At half-past five the lamp winked three times.’
‘And at six?’
‘Ah, there were no more messages. One of the crew returned with a whore. He found the ship deserted and raised the alarm. He forced the whore to help him and rowed, with her screaming and shouting, over to my ship. I and my two men went aboard. It was like a ghost ship. The cabin was tidy, the decks in order, nothing amiss. The lantern on top of the mast was still burning as was the shuttered lantern in its recess outside the cabin door. No mark of violence, nothing missing.’
‘So’ – Athelstan picked up his quill to make a few more notes – ‘let us say this sailor returned fifteen minutes after the last message was sent and fifteen minutes before the password. According to his story and to yours, Sir Jacob, in that time three able-bodied sailors disappeared from this ship?’
‘It would appear so.’
‘And the ship’s boat wasn’t missing?’
‘No!’ Crawley snapped his fingers. ‘You might as well question the man yourself.’
Cabe went out and returned with the monkey-faced fellow who had first greeted them; he told his story in a strange, sing-song accent and it agreed exactly with what Cranston and Athelstan had already been told.
‘As you approached the ship,’ Athelstan asked, ‘did you notice anything untoward?’
‘No, Father.’
‘And once on deck?’
‘Quiet as a grave.’
Athelstan thanked him and the fellow left.
‘Could someone have come aboard by boat?’ Cranston asked. ‘And left again after inflicting some terrible damage?’
‘Impossible,’ Cabe replied. ‘First, the watchers on the other ships would have seen it.’
There was a river mist,’ Cranston pointed out.
‘No.’ Cabe shook his head. ‘Even if you were half-asleep you’d hear the splatter of the oars, the boat bumping alongside. Secondly, any approaching boat would have been hailed. Thirdly, Bracklebury would have fought any boarders. The sound would have carried and the alarm raised. None of this happened. Everything was in order. Even the galley. We haven’t touched it.’
‘There’s one possibility,’ Cranston suggested. ‘Maybe the mate and the two sailors abandoned ship? Swam to the shore and disappeared?’
‘Why should they do that?’ Cabe asked. ‘And if they did, someone on the other ships would surely have seen them.’
Coffrey spoke up. ‘This is the devil’s ship, Sir John. Many of the men think Satan came aboard to claim Roffel’s spirit for his own and took Bracklebury and the others with him!’
Athelstan shivered; even by these cynical, hardened men, Coffrey’s pronouncement was not disputed.
CHAPTER 4
Cranston and Athelstan brought the meeting to an end and the seamen went back to their duties. The admiral took Cranston and
‘So, after dark,’ Athelstan said, ‘there was only the mate and two of the watch? Did anyone here approach the ship?’
There was a chorus of denials.
‘But we keep in contact,’ Crawley explained. ‘On every hour, when the candle flame reaches the ring, the password is sent along from ship to ship by speaking trumpet. On the half-hour, a shuttered lantern on each ship sends three quick flashes of light as a sign that all is well.’
‘So.’ Athelstan stretched. ‘Further up the river you have the
Holy Trinity.
The watch on that ship would pass the message to the
God’s Bright Light.
A password on the hour, a lantern flashing every half-hour?’
Crawley nodded.
‘And was this done?’
‘The watch on the
Holy Trinity
did it.’
‘But did the
God’s Bright Light
pass it on to the
Saint Margaret?
’
‘Oh yes,’ Crawley replied. ‘That’s where the mystery comes in. You see, Father, the
Holy Trinity
is my own ship. I let my men go ashore and I myself commanded the night watch.’
‘And the messages were sent from you?’
Crawley nodded. ‘At five o’clock I sent on the password, through a speaking trumpet. At half-past five the lamp winked three times.’
‘And at six?’
‘Ah, there were no more messages. One of the crew returned with a whore. He found the ship deserted and raised the alarm. He forced the whore to help him and rowed, with her screaming and shouting, over to my ship. I and my two men went aboard. It was like a ghost ship. The cabin was tidy, the decks in order, nothing amiss. The lantern on top of the mast was still burning as was the shuttered lantern in its recess outside the cabin door. No mark of violence, nothing missing.’
‘So’ – Athelstan picked up his quill to make a few more notes – ‘let us say this sailor returned fifteen minutes after the last message was sent and fifteen minutes before the password. According to his story and to yours, Sir Jacob, in that time three able-bodied sailors disappeared from this ship?’
‘It would appear so.’
‘And the ship’s boat wasn’t missing?’
‘No!’ Crawley snapped his fingers. ‘You might as well question the man yourself.’
Cabe went out and returned with the monkey-faced fellow who had first greeted them; he told his story in a strange, sing-song accent and it agreed exactly with what Cranston and Athelstan had already been told.
‘As you approached the ship,’ Athelstan asked, ‘did you notice anything untoward?’
‘No, Father.’
‘And once on deck?’
‘Quiet as a grave.’
Athelstan thanked him and the fellow left.
‘Could someone have come aboard by boat?’ Cranston asked. ‘And left again after inflicting some terrible damage?’
‘Impossible,’ Cabe replied. ‘First, the watchers on the other ships would have seen it.’
There was a river mist,’ Cranston pointed out.
‘No.’ Cabe shook his head. ‘Even if you were half-asleep you’d hear the splatter of the oars, the boat bumping alongside. Secondly, any approaching boat would have been hailed. Thirdly, Bracklebury would have fought any boarders. The sound would have carried and the alarm raised. None of this happened. Everything was in order. Even the galley. We haven’t touched it.’
‘There’s one possibility,’ Cranston suggested. ‘Maybe the mate and the two sailors abandoned ship? Swam to the shore and disappeared?’
‘Why should they do that?’ Cabe asked. ‘And if they did, someone on the other ships would surely have seen them.’
Coffrey spoke up. ‘This is the devil’s ship, Sir John. Many of the men think Satan came aboard to claim Roffel’s spirit for his own and took Bracklebury and the others with him!’
Athelstan shivered; even by these cynical, hardened men, Coffrey’s pronouncement was not disputed.
CHAPTER 4
Cranston and Athelstan brought the meeting to an end and the seamen went back to their duties. The admiral took Cranston and
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