De Loungville repeated the question to Calis.
“The center, I think. If we need to, we can double back,” said the Captain.
Erik hoped that was so, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
Roo crouched behind a bale as a strong contingency of armed men moved warily through the darkness. Fog had rolled in, and in the early morning gloom a man could barely see his hand at arm’s length from his face.
Roo and Luis had scouted the docks when one of Roo’s men reported a large company of guards and a wagon heading for the docks. Roo had followed while sending Luis to fetch more men.
Suddenly Roo spun. reacting to the soft sound of movement behind him. As Roo had his sword ready, Duncan held up his hand and whispered, “It’s me!” Roo dropped the point of his sword and turned to look at the wagon as he came up the quay. Duncan knelt next to his cousin. “McCraken’s headed here. I lost him for a moment in the fog, saw someone—you—duck down that alley”—he pointed behind Roo—“and followed. I expect we’ll see Herbert show any moment.”
Roo nodded. “It’s our gold in that wagon, no doubt.”
“Are we going to hit them on the docks?”
Roo counted. “Not unless Luis gets back with our men before they get that boat launched,” he whispered. “All our men are either on the Bitter Sea Queen or at the warehouse, waiting for orders.”
The wagon came to a halt and a voice cut through the darkness. “Down to that longboat.” A single shuttered lantern was uncovered and the wagon and the men around it were now clearly seen, as silhouettes outlined by the faint light.
Men unlatched the tailgate and began unloading several small chests. Suddenly another figure stumbled out of the dark into the small pool of lantern light around the wagon. Swords were drawn, as an alarmed voice said, “It’s me! McCraken!”
A man jumped off the wagon seat and grabbed the lantern as two guards gripped Herbert’s arms. The man with the lantern held it up and stepped foward.
Roo sucked breath hard. It was Tim Jacoby. Then at his shoulder he could see Tim’s brother, Randolph. Tim said, “What are you doing here?”
“Briggs never showed,” said McCraken.
“Fool,” said Tim Jacoby. “You were told to wait until he showed up, no matter how long it took. He’s probably at the warehouse looking for you right now.”
Randolph said, “What happened to your face?”
Herbert raised his hand to his face, then said, “I fell in the dark and hit my lip on a crate.”
“Looks like someone hit you,” said Tim Jacoby.
“No one hit me,” said McCraken, too loud for Tim Jacoby’s liking. “I swear it!”
“Keep your voice down,” Tim ordered. “Did anyone follow you?”
“In this fog?” said McCraken. He took a breath. “You’ve got to take me with you. Briggs was supposed to show up at sundown with my gold. I waited and he never got there. I was promised fifty thousand gold for my part in this. You’ve got to make good on this.”
“Or what?” asked Tim.
Suddenly McCraken was afraid. “I . . .”
Roo noticed that none of the men around the wagon had moved since McCraken’s arrival. The longboat at the bottom of the quay’s steps rocked gently against the stones. “Keep talking,” urged Roo silently, knowing that each passing minute brought Luis and his own men that much closer. Taking them here would be so much easier than a sea battle. He had only until sundown to pay the note, and if he couldn’t take Jacoby’s men on the docks, he would be forced to try a sea chase and taking Tim’s ship before noon.
Whispering to Duncan, he said, “If I need to, I plan to keep them here until Luis comes. Can you circle around behind them?”
“What?” whispered Duncan. “You want just the two of us to try to stop them?”
“Slow them down, that’s all. Get behind them and follow my play.”
Duncan rolled his eyes and whispered, “I hope to the gods you’re not going to get us killed, cousin.” Then he turned and disappeared into the fog.
McCraken said, “If you don’t make good on this, I’ll testify before the Duke’s constable. I’ll claim you and Briggs forced me to falsify the accounts.”
Tim shook his head. “You’re a very stupid man, McCraken. We were supposed to have no contact. That was Briggs’s job.”
“Briggs never showed!” said McCraken, his voice nearly hysterical.