Sooo… What happened?
Well, the story books will tell a different tale depending on who writes it, but here’s the Port Judas events as seen by Billy Bones.
By many ways of thinking, the day after the British attacked was fairly uneventful, save for the absence of the Governor. In hindsight, it is now rather obvious as to who was involved in what turned out to be murder, but from the lens of the port-folk, the unfolding of events were rather perplexing.
As we neared evening, the Howler crew was in the Governor’s office in Falton Tower. Mac Barclay and Captain Bainbridge were reviewing with their crew documents concerning crew employment and their rules of conduct. They welcomed the return of Stretch as Master Gunner. Of interesting note, Angelica, Molly, and Clara were with the Howler crew in this closed door session.
The crew of the Broken Curse were taking care of business, all the while keeping their eyes and ears open for the source of the Black Spot against their captain.
Noticeably absent was the crew of the Shark Hunter. They had fought valiantly against the British, and several were recuperating from serious wounds they had received.
Noteworthy was the arrival at the wharf late in the evening of a ship new to the island, the Poseidon. This ship was larger and more finely fitted than most in these waters. At the helm was Captain Felix, surrounded by a rough band of cutthroats. One in particular was to be watched, for his race is well known for being one that should be watched — he was a Spaniard.
By way of both practice, and celebration for having beaten the Brits, several of the crews participated in a cannon firing contest. The Howler crew seemed to have the upper hand with the return of their Master Gunner, though once the crew of the Poseidon had established their station, they controlled the eight-pounders as a hunter with a long rifle controls a musket ball.
Following the cannon firing contest, a brawl broke out near the wharf for no better reason that the joy of testing steel on steel. Stretch and William Drake took it to the next level when they started brawling on the ground. As with any good clean fight, many on-lookers enjoyed the show. It was a slight breach of etiquette when Drake pulled a knife on Stretch, though after Stretch disarmed him all was forgiven. It ended when Bellamy “accidentally”, at her Captain’s command, took out half the rabble with a blast from her blunderbuss. This too was a slight breach of etiquette.
It was around this time that Billy Bones announced that the four pieces of the treasure map had been located and reassembled. It was agreed (at least as much as crews of different pirate ships ever agree on anything) that all would search for the treasure and split the findings evenly.
The map was written in a tongue unfamiliar to these pats, but fortunately Mac Barclay and Penelope, the traveler/scientist/appraiser, were able together to decipher the text. So, all set off following the clues to what would surely be the last treasure any would have to hunt, for the map indicated one of the items that was hidden was a giant sapphire of great value! Over hill, along the beach, and through the jungle the searchers traveled to the place where X marked the spot — the Ancient Troll Bridge.
Captain Bainbridge surprised everyone when he stumbled upon an unearthed treasure chest. Adding to the surprise was the glow of embers under the bridge. Someone had beaten them to the treasure! The treasure contained a handful of gems and coins, and the embers contained the answer to the question of the whereabouts of the governor. He was dead!
Disappointed by the modest contents of the treasure, which had obviously already been riffled, and puzzled by the apparent murder of the governor, all returned to Port Judas. There, the lamp lighters had been plying their trade providing a welcome return from the night’s journey.
On the wharf all reviewed the facts:
- The murder was not financially motivated, for the chest was left behind. The blue sapphire that was reported to be part of the stash, however, was nowhere to be found.
- The murderer may have chosen to burn the body because they were not strong enough to drag the body to a more hidden location.
The accusations began immediately. Not so much because many cared too much that the Governor had been murdered, but because the act of accusing someone momentarily takes the spotlight off the accuser. Clara was accused because she showed no remorse at the news of the loss of her father. The strain of their relationship after all, was common knowledge. Then there was the suggestion that perhaps Deborah was involved as part of a plot to take authority over the island. Billy Bones was next accused for a motive much the same as Deborah’s. Perhaps Billy and Deborah were even working in concert. Other names were tossed about, but there were too many holes in the evidence to make a strong case against anyone.
While the evidence was weak, one of the pirates provided self-incriminating evidence by their behavior. When William Drake was called forward for questioning, he ran away screaming! This not being the typical response of the innocent, his arrest was ordered and he and his companion where questioned from the comfort and security of Port Falton’s new jail. When he was searched and a giant blue sapphire was found on him, which likely came from the unearthed treasure chest, many thought the case was closed and the murderer was behind bars. The jewel was confiscated by the town, and the souls of the guilty were turned over to the mermaid to do with as she pleased. While she was initially appreciative of the quarry offered by the town, she said she could not accept the gift. As she probed their thoughts prior to extracting the essence of their lives, she knew for certain they were not guilty.
It was around this inopportune time that Admiral Quinn of the Royal British Navy stepped onto the wharf of Port Judas. His arrival had been foretold by his letter. He was here to learn the Governor’s ways for so capably handling the pirate infestation in the surrounding waters.
The town was reluctant to involve the Admiral in the investigation because things in Port Judas never get better when a British official is involved. After a while though, the absence of the Governor could no longer be satisfactorily explained, and the news of his murder had to be shared. The Admiral swore that someone would pay for this crime, and perhaps it would even be the actual murder.
At this time with inclement weather at hand, the town retired to the Kings Cup Tavern where each took it upon themselves to solve the crime, or at least frame the person they least liked. There was much inquiry, with excuses and accusations abounding, and a few oddities that are worth noting.
While going through the course of the evening someone said, “Yes, but we all know that rough seas breed good sailors.” Simultaneously, Mac Barclay and Veronica Hobbs, crewmates on the Howler, said that their mother had that saying on a tattoo. They looked at each other suspiciously for an instant, then knowingly for an extended time. It turned out they had the same mother! It was a tender reunion after all these years.
Never a crew to sail below the horizon so to speak, the Howler crew was involved in another big scene in the tavern. Earlier in the evening Bellamy confessed to Mac Barclay and Hobbes that she was the cause of the black spot against Lucinda, and asked that any trouble brought about by it be on her shoulders. Mac took the information in stride, but asked to be kept informed next time she decided to go rogue. He missed the warning, because Bellamy soon went full-force rogue.
Mac was talking business with Lucinda as they sought to work out what to do about the Admiral and the murder of the Governor. Bellamy began to intrude on the conversation, making barbs at Lucinda. As her voice grew loader, she said that the Howler crew should not do business with a traitor that had killed her previous captain. Lucinda vehemently denied the allegation. “I did not kill him!” Exploding, Bellamy whipped out her pistol and leveled it at her head. “No, you WATCHED! You watched while they killed him and you left me on that bloody island with nothing but rum and a shot!” Bravely, Marie Saint Vire leapt in front of her Captain to shield her. “Oh, you first, then?” said Bellamy, cocking the hammer of her firearm in preparation to kill them both. Mac, Stretch, and Hobbes leapt to action, grabbing Bellamy and dragging her off before she started, or concluded, something that she couldn’t take back. Bellamy was so riled up that Hobbes had to sedate her with some medical opium, which played a significant role in a later turn of events. Mac Barclay turned back to Lucinda to continue discussing their business arrangement, but he took a different tactic that before. He was much more cautious and respectful, for now he realized he was dealing with PIRATES!
In the course of the evening, Billy Bones was presented a unique opportunity. While helping the owner of the Kings Cup Tavern who had fallen ill, Billy learned that she been given a large blue sapphire by the Governor last evening in exchange for some information. This was most curious, but seemed like a minor detail compared to the fact that when he left her feverish and delirious in bed, he returned to the gathering with a large blue sapphire in his satchel.
Billy was dutifully on his way to present this information to the Admiral, but before he arrived he came to his senses. Who cares if the murder of the Governor is found? Much more important than justice, especially in Port Judas, is taking care of one’s self — and Billy had a giant sapphire! If he showed it to the Admiral, it would merely become “evidence”, which would surely wind up in the Admiral’s bank. Billy’s “bank”, he reasoned, could hold this equally well.
With the winds of fate finally blowing his way, he crafted a plan to secure the other two sapphires, for while one was worth a fortune, the collection of three was worth a King’s ransom. First he approached Bellamy, who had long been rumored to possess a giant sapphire. She was so under the influence of the medical opium that she could barely open her eyes, and when she did they crossed and wandered like they were tracking flax fibers floating on zephyrs. As predictable as bad weather on a red-sky morning, when Billy told Bellamy that he had her sapphire, she immediately reached for the pouch on her side where she kept the prize. Finding it safe, she smiled a wry smile, and passed out. Knowing where the gem was kept, Billy lifted it without a hitch, and now had two giant sapphires.
The third gem would be the hardest to procure, for it was held by the Pirate Queen Angelica, and she never slept — at least not with both eyes closed. She had acquired her gem this evening by taking it from the clerk, who was holding it as evidence against William Drake who had it on him when he was jailed. She said that this was obviously from the treasure chest that was found near the burned body of the Governor, and it belonged to her, for she was the original owner of the map and treasure. This news was a slight surprise, but none dared argue.
Billy quickly learned that the sapphire could be secured with neither love nor money. She would only part with the sapphire in exchange for the return of the ship, The Broken Curse, which she had sold to Lucinda. Billy had been around long enough to know that no amount of wealth was worth raising the ire of the Pirate Queen Angelica, so he set out to secure for her the one thing she wanted more than the sapphire, and thus the negotiations began.
Lucinda would only give up her ship for a bigger ship, such as the one owned by Captain Felix. But, as would be expected, Captain Felix would only give up his ship for a ship with even more cannons. While the negotiations were difficult and the complexities were plenty, the details aren’t worth recording. In the end though, everyone got what they wanted, including Billy Bones who was the proud owner of three giant blue sapphires!
This happy conclusion came together just in time, for the Admiral began to bellow that it was time for the town to turn over the accused so he could take them to hang in London. As tempers flared and accusations, excuses, and alibies were thrown into the chaos, a most unexpected event occurred. With a tongue more sober than had been heard from her in many a high tide, the Pirate Queen took the floor and admitted that she had killed the Governor! She was proud of the fact, and provided the details to prove it. To the distress of all, the Admiral readily accepted her confession and approached her to escort her to his ship.
The laugh she loosed when he grabbed her by the arm will not be soon forgotten. When her laughter died down she went on to explain that she would gladly go with him, for the ride across the bay to his ship would offer a better view of the insignia being ripped off his shoulder. She claimed that if he continued with this childish show of power, she would take from him all that he held dear. The admiral, who was accustomed to hollow threats from those he was about to hang, barely broke stride as he escorted Angelica into the oar boat that would take them to his ship.
The town watched in pity at the pending loss of one so full of life as the Queen. They feared they were witnessing the passing of an entire era – that of the golden age of piracy. Mac Barclay calmly led the Howler crew in paying homage by singing, “Leave Her, Johnny” as the Pirate Queen was led away.
As the Admiral and Queen were rowed into the darkness, the town was gifted with a sight of what Angelica had promised. The night flashed with the brightness of the noon-day sun, as the Admiral’s ship was blown to bits! The bay echoed with the reverberations of the detonation and the cheers of the town.
How did she do it? None knows but all agree, there is no amount of wealth, or power, worth raising the ire of Pirate Queen Angelica.
Billy Bones