Recovery came slowly. Though Elizabeth was out of bed and moving around the house within a few days, she could not summon the strength to look ahead. Father’s absence gave her time to heal. It also gave her time to think. Would he return alone? With Mr. Finch out of the picture, she could think of only one reason Father would leave before she’d awoken. He intended to catch Rourke and bring him back to face prosecution.
“How long did Father say he would be gone?” she asked at breakfast on a windy late October morning.
Aunt set down her teacup and looked to Charlie. “He told me it could take weeks. Did he say differently to you?”
Charlie shook his head. “Just not to worry.”
Elizabeth gnawed on her lip. That sounded like Father would not rest until he convinced the Bahamian government to release Rourke and Anabelle into his custody. “Did he say where he went?”
Charlie shook his head.
Aunt must have seen her expression. “Something is worrying you.”
Elizabeth couldn’t express her fears, for Aunt Virginia didn’t approve of Rourke either.
“It’s only natural that you have the jitters,” Aunt continued, “considering what happened, but he is your father. You forgive and move on.”
Elizabeth could not forgive him. Not now. Perhaps not ever.
“Aunt is right,” Charlie said between mouthfuls.
She rose, unable to listen to this anymore. “Excuse me. I am no longer hungry.”
Upstairs, she paced her room. She needed to find out where Father had gone. With Mr. Finch gone, no one remained in Father’s office. He must have sailed or taken a steamer. Perhaps one of the shipping agents would know which ship he had taken and its route. She grabbed a straw hat and hurried back downstairs.
“Where are you going?” Aunt called out from the dining room.
“To the harbor. I need the fresh air.”
Charlie pulled himself to his feet and hobbled from the table into the foyer. “I’d like to show you something first. It’s in my room.”
Though Elizabeth would rather leave, her brother might know more than he was willing to acknowledge in front of Aunt Virginia. She followed him down the hall and into his room.
“Please close the door,” he said as he lowered himself into the chair behind his desk. Books still covered the desktop. Many were open, and his notes covered the pages. He set his crutches to the side.
“You take your studies seriously.”
“The law is a serious pursuit.”
“Is there something in those books that you wanted to show me?”
“No.” He opened a drawer and pulled out a chart. It looked vaguely familiar.
“Our pirate treasure map?” As children they had taken a nautical chart of the area and plotted the most likely hiding places of buried pirate treasure.
“Yes and no.” He motioned to the other chair in the room. “Join me.”
She pulled the chair beside him and sat down.
He spread out the chart. “We are here.” He pointed to Key West. “This is Briland, or Harbour Island.” He pointed far to the right. “I’ve been thinking that they might not have gone there.” He pointed to a much closer island. “Andros would be quicker to reach.”
“Maybe they did at first, but Rourke would go on to Harbour Island. That’s where his mother and brothers and sisters live.” A lump formed in her throat. She traced the route with her fingertip. “It’s a long distance. Do you think Father went after Rourke? If the winds calmed, a steamer might catch the Windsprite before they reached safety.”
“I considered that,” Charlie admitted. “That’s why I suspect Rourke headed for Andros Island. He would have had a short run with the brisk southeast winds.”
“Did any steamers leave port?”
Charlie ducked his head. “Father took a steamer, but he didn’t leave until the night before you awoke. Three days had passed. Rourke could have gotten all the way to Briland in that time.”
Elizabeth breathed out with relief.
“Besides, he’s not back,” he added. “If he had caught up to Rourke, they would be back by now. Rourke and Anabelle must be safe.”
That made sense, but she still had a feeling that they were missing something. One unaccounted thread could unravel everything. She ran through the people involved. Mr. Finch had left for New Orleans. Father could not have reached Rourke in time. That left just one. “Captain Poppinclerk! Where is he?”
Charlie looked surprised. “I’m not sure. Why?”
“Aunt Virginia believes he is the one who took the papers from her trunk. If he left port . . .”
His eyes widened. “You think he would chase Rourke all the way to Harbour Island? Why? What could he hope to gain?”
“I don’t know, but I have a terrible feeling about this.”
“There’s only one thing to do, then.”
She looked up, startled by his certainty. “What could we possibly do?”
“Find Rourke.”