Ghost Messages Part 10

Once on the other side she looked around. She was in a long narrow anteroom. Dalton had been in a hurry, he might not have covered his tracks well. She inspected the grimy room. The walls were covered in a thick coating of soot, and everywhere, the choking dust filled the air, swirling in black eddies and settling like Spanish lace.

She looked down at the floor and smiled. A pair of large boot prints was clearly visible in the telltale dust. They led into a darkened recess at the rear of the room. Ailish followed the trail to a sea chest, ancient and weathered with a rusty padlock securing the lid. It was exactly the place to hide a plundered pirate treasure.

And now to get into the thing. Feeling the edge of the sea locker, she found what she needed. The seams were held with thin pieces of wire, exactly what the magician ordered. She picked at the frayed edge and pulled a piece of the wire free. Wiggling her magic key in the lock, she repeated the spell that went along with her trick. With a snap, the old lock sprang open.

"Thank you, Manfred the Magnificent!" Hoisting the lid, Ailish peered inside. A lump closed her throat as she looked down into the bottom of the box.

There was her da's orange striped vest tied into a loose bundle. She lifted it out and brought the cloth close to her face, inhaling the familiar scent. He'd be so glad to get it back. It was the last thing her mother had made for him and Ailish knew how much he cherished it.

Unfolding the vest, she whooped in delight. The s.h.i.+ning gold horse winked back at her with its brilliant diamond eyes. "h.e.l.lo again! I've been looking for you," she laughed. "Come on, my beauty, you're going home."

Wrapping the statue back up in the vest, Ailish carefully planned what to do next. A lot depended on timing, and even more on faith.

16.

Deal With a Devil

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With her da's helpful advice ringing in her ears, Ailish made one quick stop before racing to the machinery storage hold. Dalton was there with Paddy and from the tone of his voice, he sounded smug and very pleased with himself. She eased her way silently through the puzzle of boxes strewn about and listened in.

"You need to get out of the sun more, Whelan. You're addled in the brain," he tapped his own huge head. "My property is exactly where it should be and as for youa your time is up. No more waiting for you to come to your senses. With all that's been going on, you'll be lucky to make it back to port once I show the captain and crew that picture. I doubt there's a brig on any s.h.i.+p that could save you after my lads get the mob going. And when you've gone to your reward," he snorted what Ailish took to be the robber's version of a laugh, "I'll make sure that money you have locked in the s.h.i.+p's safe goes to a good home."

She'd heard enough. Taking a deep breath, Ailish stepped out from the shadows.

"I'd think twice about that, Mr. Dalton."

Dalton's face first looked surprised, then furious. "I knew you were up to no good, you little sneak." He took a menacing step toward her. "I should have made sure you were finished the night of the storm."

Paddy stepped between Ailish and Dalton. "Perhaps you'd best hear the lad out." He raised an eyebrow at Ailish. "Is it still lad we be calling you, or would you prefer your proper t.i.tle?"

Dalton hesitated. "What gibberish is this?"

Ailish drew herself up with all the dignity she inherited from her proud parents. "My name is Ailish O'Connor and you stole the golden horse from my father. He offered you hospitality and you repaid his kindness by beating him unconscious in our home and then robbing him. I've come to take my property back."

Dalton's two deputies had been listening and now exchanged a look. Robbing a man who offered you the warmth of his own hearth was the mark of the lowest of men.

Recognition registered in Dalton's eyes as he finally placed her, but confronted with the truth in such a straightforward manner, he tried to bl.u.s.ter his way through. "I don't know what you're going on about," he sputtered, but everyone heard the lie in this.

Ailish could see him trying to figure a way out of this hole. He stared at her with cold, dead eyes. With a shudder, she edged closer to Paddy before going on. "You've led me a merry chase and treated me very poorly, Mr. Dalton, but this morning, in the coal hold, I found my reward right where you'd hidden it." She tipped her head with a hint of c.o.c.kiness. "I want to thank you for taking me straight to it."

Dalton's face again flared red and this time she truly hoped he would burst.

"A thief and a sneak! Where is it?" he raged, lunging toward her.

Ailish stumbled back. "Did you think I'd bring the statue with me and risk you and your thugs taking it by force? It's somewhere you'll never find it. This s.h.i.+p has a thousand places to hide a poor man's meagre treasure." Again, the sailors' eyes darted a look at each other. "I could leave it at that, but I'm here to offer you a deala" She let her words hang in the air and Dalton s.n.a.t.c.hed at them.

"What kind of deal?" he asked cautiously.

"It's not only me you've been giving troubles, but my friend Paddy here. You've got him standing on the gallows and you're holding the rope!" Despite the anger she felt, she kept her voice calm as she went on. "I want the picture showing Paddy with the leaders of the Fenians and I want your word that you will stop pointing the finger of guilt at him. We both know he's not a Fenian, Mr. Dalton."

The corners of the big man's mouth lifted briefly, like a sail in a weak wind. "Oh, aye, I know it, but that won't matter when the mob gets the scent of blood. Idiots like these are easily led." He jerked his head in the direction of his two companions.

Paddy's curled fists were at the ready. "You are truly despicable and if it were my future alone, I'd take my chances, but this is about my family too. And it isn't a fair fight, is it? You've poisoned the crew against me."

Ailish was afraid the two men would come to blows if she didn't do something quickly. She stepped toward Dalton. "In exchange for the picture and your help smoothing things for Paddy, I will give you my golden horse."

At the mention of the statue, the crew chief's eyes burned with greed. He looked at her slyly. "That filly is worth a fortune. I'd say trading the life of one worthless Irishman for that horse gives me the better deal." He fumbled in his vest and withdrew the incriminating photograph. "And I'll make sure the captain knows Whelan had nothing to do with the sabotage."

"You both heard him agree to the deal," she said, looking from one enforcer to the other. Their heads bobbed agreement.

Ailish reached for the photograph, but Dalton held it back. "Not so fast, O'Connor! Where's my golden horse?" A gob of spittle dribbled down his chin.

"It's topside. Come with me and I'll give it to you."

Waiting while Dalton folded the picture into a small square and put it in his vest pocket, she prayed this would work out the way it had in her dream.

When they reached the deck, Ailish felt as if she was at the head of a parade as they marched down Oxford Street. It must have been a sight a" O'Connor the cabin boy, followed by Rufus Dalton the crew chief, then Paddy Whelan, accused Fenian, and finally, two hulking sailors spoiling for a fight.

When they drew abreast of the telegraph testing caboose, Ailish stopped and looked around as though gauging her audience. "Wait here," she instructed, then ducked behind the blackout curtain.

Seconds later she emerged carrying the priceless horse. As her followers watched, she raised it high above her head so that the sunlight glinted off its golden skin in a dazzling display. The two henchmen were stunned. "This is what your boss stole from my da. He took an honest man's future."

Rufus looked around quickly to see if anyone was watching. "Are you crazy? Hide that away, you fool!"

Ailish turned the statue so that its diamond eyes glittered and the rubies sparked like fire in the sun. She could see the effect this was having on Dalton. He looked like one of the audience who a.s.sisted Manfred the Magnificent with his hypnosis act.

"The picture, give it to Paddy," she instructed Dalton.

He obligingly took the folded paper out of a pocket in his dirty work trousers. "Choke on it, Whelan," he growled as he threw it at Paddy.

With a sigh of regret, Ailish placed the beautiful little horse in Rufus Dalton's huge palm. His thick fingers curled around the delicate figurine as he squeezed it in his meaty fist.

Ailish felt a pang, but it had been worth it. She nodded at the picture. "Tear that thing into a million pieces, Paddy."

Keeping his eyes on Dalton, Paddy ripped the incriminating paper into a shower of confetti, then tossed it into the air off the starboard rail. The wind caught the fragments and sent them spinning and whirling up and away like startled birds.

Ailish felt as though a weight had been lifted off her and she knew she had done the right thing. She smiled at Paddy. "Now you won't have to be looking over your shoulder to make sure no one's coming for you."

"Oh, my girl, the price was too steep." Paddy looked stricken.

"A friend is worth more than all the gold in the world." She smiled rea.s.suringly.

Dalton's guttural laugh interrupted her.

"You Irish really are country b.u.mpkins. You can say I stole the horse from you, but my boys here will swear it's mine. And as for the picture, did you think I'd give it over just like that?" He snapped his fat, sausage fingers. "You'll never walk off this s.h.i.+p, Whelan. Fenian traitors get what they deserve and delivering a Fenian who is also a saboteur should be worth a reward or a promotion, maybe both to Captain Anderson."

He reached into the pocket of his vest and withdrew a folded square of paper, then opened it. "See anyone you recognize?"

It was the picture from the newspaper. He had given them a fake! The swine had no intentions of keeping his end of the bargain. The dummy picture was proof that he still planned to turn Paddy over to the mob.

Ailish could trace her Irish ancestry back a hundred generations and at this moment, every one of those ancestors screamed for her to get Rufus Dalton.

"Thank you for making this so easy." Reaching inside her threadbare s.h.i.+rt, she withdrew the s.h.i.+ny whistle she'd found in the Family Saloon and blew on it with all her might. The noise echoed up and down the deck like a banshee's wail.

Heads turned and immediately, a crowd formed around the group. Captain Anderson along with Cyrus Field and Samuel Canning emerged from the telegraph testing caboose.

"What in thunder is going on here, Mr. Dalton?" the captain asked tersely.

Ailish stepped forward. "Mr. Dalton is returning my property to me, Captain. That statue is mine."

Everyone, including Rufus Dalton looked down at the figurine. The little horse glowed in the sun.

"This," he sputtered, holding it up as though surprised to find it in his hand, "awhy, this is mine. The little thief stole it from me and now he's trying to say it was his." Then he seemed to remember something that needed to be shared. "Why he's not even a boy, Captain, this here is a girl masquerading. It seems this one is not only a thief but a liar."

All those around were now listening closely and Ailish could hear mutterings as they stared. The Captain simply appraised her as if trying to see for himself if this was true.

She was in a corner and decided in for a penny, in for a pound. She'd given Dalton one last chance to get out of this unscathed, but he had lit the fuse, now she would fire the cannon.

"That's correct sir. My name is Ailish O'Connor, and I am a girl." She felt her face blush as she smoothed back a chunk of her shorn locks. "But I had no choice in what I've done. Rufus Dalton stole that golden horse from my father and I had to get it from him. Davy said the only way you'd let me stay aboard was if I became a cabin boy, so I did. I tricked Dalton into leading me to the horse then made a bargain with him that if he stopped trying to make everyone believe Paddy was a Fenian, which is a lie, I'd give it back. But Mr. Dalton reneged on our deal and I had no choice but to bring it to your attention."

Captain Anderson harrumphed. "Indeed, I'd say that shrill of yours has everyone's attention, Miss O'Connor."

Ailish saw the loathing in Dalton's eyes, but there was something else waiting behind his hooded lids, a faltering, like the moment after a tree has been sawed through, but before it falls.

"That's all nonsense, Captain," he bl.u.s.tered. "Where would an Irish street urchin get a valuable trinket like this? I bought it from a sailor in Sheerness and am taking it home to my wife in Liverpool. She's expecting our tenth bairn and I wanted to give her something pretty."

Ailish swallowed and crossed her fingers in the faint hope that her brazen plan would succeed. She could see the hesitation in the captain's eyes. He was wavering and she had to stop Dalton's momentum.

"I can prove the statue is mine!" she hastily blurted. "I need only one minute, Captain." Without waiting, she darted into the blacked out telegraph room, leaving a murmur of voices in her wake.

The darkness enveloped her and she stopped to give her eyes a second to adjust. She'd never been one for risks, but she'd taken one now. She'd gambled everything on the power of the mighty transatlantic cable. It was to be a miracle of communication and she prayed it would live up to its expectations.

"Joe, did it work?" she asked into the silence.

"As well as if the great man were sitting in this room," her operator friend replied with a laugh.

He gave her a note and she thanked all the saints for their help as she stepped back outside.

Ailish brandished the piece of paper as though she were Joan of Arc and it her victorious sword. "I have a telegram dated today, August 2, 1865, received here on the Great Eastern from Sir Peter Fitzgerald, the Knight of Kerry, in Ireland testifying that he saw the bill of sale for that statue and that my father, Michael O'Connor, is the rightful owner." Her voice was clear and carried across the crowded deck as she pa.s.sed the paper to the captain, trying to hide the trembling in her fingers. She blessed her da for bragging to Uncle Peter and showing him the proof that they owned the magnificent horse.

Captain Anderson read the telegram and gave it to Cyrus Field.

He read it, and then smiled wryly at Ailish. "Nicely played, young lady. I may have something to add to your victory." With a bow, he left the gathered group, his Inverness cape swaying jauntily, and then he disappeared into the cable tank.

"Mr. Dalton, please return Miss O'Connor's property to her!" The weighty authority in the captain's voice could not be denied.

As though he were surrendering his first born child, Rufus Dalton reluctantly returned the precious statue to Ailish. "You may have won this one O'Connor, but Whelan's forfeit."

And with that, he turned his venomous gaze on Paddy and addressed the crowd. "As a good Englishman, I feel there's something Captain Anderson should know. I have proof that Paddy Whelan is a Fenian traitor!" Triumphantly, he drew out the infamous picture. "Here is a photograph in the London Ill.u.s.trated News of him consorting with the Fenian leaders!"

Paddy spoke up in his own defence. "Captain Anderson, that is not true. I was at that meeting to hear what they had to say and that is all. I'm not a Fenian. You've got to believe me."

The captain took the picture and examined it.

At that moment, Dalton's two thugs glanced at each other and nodded then one stepped forward.

"We want to say something, Cap'n. We heard Mr. Dalton say he knew Paddy, I mean, Mr. Whelan, was no Fenian. He was blackmailing him, sir. Planning on inciting a riot, he was, so Paddy would be killed and he could steal the poor fellow's money."

Thug Number Two then added his piece. "And we can vouch for O'Connor's owning that horse too. We should have said something earlier, but we only recently realized what kind of a crew chief and what kind of a man Dalton really is." With a last scornful look at their former boss, the two sailors retreated into the crowd.

Captain Anderson's steely gaze was riveted on Rufus Dalton, and his disgust at the dirty tactics used was there for all to see. Slowly, he held up the picture for the crowd.

"Gentlemen, as it happens, I was at this same meeting! If you look in the background, you can see me standing with a group of colleagues, including Sir Geoffrey Thornton, a distinguished Member of Parliament and Clyde Swinton-Jones, Earl of Hardwicks.h.i.+re. This picture means nothing."

Ailish blinked in amazement then looked at Paddy who shook his head ruefully.

"All I had to do was stand up to this bully and trust in the truth! Captain, I want you to know that O'Connor here," he corrected himself, "I mean Miss O'Connor, is a hardworking, honest member of the crew. She is blameless in all this, sir, and was only trying to do what was right by her father and by me. She is a loyal friend."

"At ease, Mr. Whelan. I think there is enough evidence to a.s.sure Mr. Dalton a lengthy stay in the brig. I will compile a list of charges, and then when I'm through with him, I shall turn him over to the civilian authorities." He looked meaningfully at Dalton. "We shall give Mr. O'Connor the opportunity to press charges."

Ailish felt like singing. She had her wonderful horse and Paddy was safe. They were both going to have a bright and wonderful future. Not a bad day's work, she congratulated herself and all before ten o'clock in the morning!

Suddenly, a sound that chilled the bone echoed across the quiet deck.

It was the mournful dirge of the alarm gong!

17.