Chapter 2: Playing with Fire (Part XI)
1225 Words
But then she continued her statement with a smile, “But do not fret, I’m still rooting for you John.”
“I’m actually not concerned about that…”, though deep inside, I do feel relieved for some reason…
“By the way… Did you contact someone to help us?”
“Yes, I did… His name is Captain Spencer. He should be arriving shortly.”
“What kind of boat is he using?”
“A private fishing vessel that has access to the western waters. According to my sources, he does have a bad habit of drinking. I sure hope he is sober for this trip, or it isn’t going to be worth the money I placed.”
Just by hearing those words, I could tell that she organized everything in detail. I never would’ve wanted to underestimate the financial capabilities of a smart noble.
A few moments later, a boat came at the port carrying several wooden containers full of tuna. To describe the boat, it seems fairly new based on the pain and the quality of the shed posts. The crew in charge are also wearing fishing protective gears on top of a blue jumpsuit as their uniform.
The captain lowered the anchor and a few men from the nearby port house came down and placed a solid reinforced wooden platform, attaching it firmly by tying it on the port’s foundations. Slowly, the men picked up their loot and stacked their containers on top of each other. It wasn’t long before the captain of the ship stepped out, puffing a smoke pipe while radiating a smile of satisfaction from his voyage.
I could tell from his gestures and the way he carried himself as he gave the orders to his men. He’s a gentleman alright, a long-sleeved turtle neck with the boat’s brand stitched on the left side pocket. The man also wears a clean navy blue winter jacket, to pair jeans and brown leather boots. His beard is well tailored, and the quality of the smoke from his pipe tells me that t is herbal in nature.
Cecil approached the man as I too, came along to talk to him. The eyes of the captain glared at us as if we were some sort of specimens. He pulled the pipe out of his mouth and came close to me, looking at my posture and my face before turning his eyes at Cecil. He received a flick on his forehead when he purposefully stared at her breasts for a few seconds. The man fixed his composure before speaking.
“Ahh, mah bad… Didn’ knah tis ci’y still ‘as a fine couple ov love birds.” From the tone and delivery, I could tell that his accent is Cockney.
Cecil jumped to the topic at hand while crossing her arms, “Can you take us to La Havre port? Mr…”
The Captain continued the statement, “Me name’s Spencer T. ‘iggins. I Jack Jones a large number ov boa’s sailin ‘he U.S. wa’ers. If I’s abou’ ya reserva’ion, righ’t nah ‘he weaver is jolly, so i’ wouv be a cushy glide iv we go’er immedia’ly.”
Considering how much of a rush things are, Cecil and I both agreed to leave. As soon as the cargo was cleared, additional seats were placed inside the small cabin of the boat. Surprisingly, she appears to carry a luggage bag as if she is going on a field trip. I on the other hand, only have a small duffle bag filled with clothes enough for one changing. I have my knife on my pockets and a few cigars on standby. I believe the only task that we have to do is to identify whether or not Eleanor is at Alcatraz or not.
But wait, since Alcatraz is on the other side of the U.S., it might be possible that she is also halfway traveling. This means her actual location might be indefinite. I turned to Cecil and asked.
“Are we going to rent a plane as soon as we arrive? La Havre is in France correct?”
She smiled with confidence, “Of course! As I’ve said before, I have everything planned. I also tried to call the Alcatraz facility but it seems that their real hotline is shrouded in mystery. I can only talk to the personnel if and only if it was business-related.”
The amount of effort and money she burned is quite admirable. Without even thinking, “Thank you, Cecil… I won’t be able to go this far without your help…”
Her eyes widened due to surprise. It’s like she’s looking at a different person. I can’t blame her to be honest, since we’ve only met for a few days under complicated conditions.
“Oh my…” her words are rather comical by nature. Then she continued, “For the record, I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing this for myself. You just happen to be one of the gears that I need to understand the reason for her leave.”
Suddenly her aura shifted into something menacing. She gave me a sharp look, “But if I find out that you are one of the reasons why she did this, God bless your soul for what I’m about to do John…”
My heart began to tremble, not because of fear, but due to the fact that those words may be true and I have to be responsible to a certain degree. The past between me and Eleanor’s father is just within our own little worlds. If she was somehow dragged into it… I don’t think I could forgive myself for being so immature with the way I treated her.
My consciousness was dragged back into reality when the captain told us that the boat is ready to have passengers. There were also a few people with us, regular assistants of Higgins for long expeditions and voyages. It appears that he also brought some booze and some food since the amount of money Cecil provided was a large sum, both for transportation and necessities.
We got on the boat and strapped ourselves, as Higgins raised the anchor. Slowly but surely, the course of the boat has been set, and the engines fired away.
The exchange that we had earlier left us in a rather awkward spot, considering how close we are with our seats and all. Cecil is busy looking at the surroundings; while I, after seeing what she’s doing, stared at the boat ceiling, closing my fatigued eyes. She didn’t tell me how long the travel would be, but I have to say, this should last for half a day. I just hope that this would be a straightforward and interesting day to travel. We still have a long way ahead of us.
(End of Chapter)
- Writer
