Page 91 of Heir of Uncertain Magic

“Finally?” MissTaylor repeated.

Taking a breath, Hulda said, “Finallymy augury gives me something I can use! I saw them, Beth. Just now.” She wondered if one of the men had handled the paper, or if their names and information written on it was enough. “I saw the confrontation. Or, what I believe is the beginning of it.”

Beth brightened. “You did? Did it go well?”

Hulda shook her head. “I don’t know. But I did see Mr.Walker’sclock.” Or rather, Myra’s clock. It was a black-and-white piece that hung on the wall to the left of the desk, and from the angle Hulda had come in, she could just make out its hands.

“Two seventeen.” She scanned the schedule and put down her finger where Mr.Walker’s and Mr.Baillie’s tasks aligned at that time. “Friday, not Monday.”

“Tomorrow.” Hulda sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll have to let Merritt know as soon as possible.”

Beth looked around. “WhereisMr.Fernsby?”

“Getting help, or so we hope.” She pocketed the schedule and stood, brushing off her skirt. “If you’re up for the task, I need you to send a telegram for me.”

MissTaylor rose. “Of course.”

“To Judge Maddock at Johnson Hall.” She pressed her palms into her middle to still the butterflies there. “He’ll need to meet us there.”

One advantage of being an unimportant bachelor with “no distinguishing features” who lives on an island in the middle of nowhere is that not many people know what you look like, and few people are likely to recognize you even if given a description. At least, that’s what Merritt was banking on when he approached the young sailor on the dock in the light of day, having just watched the man interact with a colleague. The man looked to be in his early twenties and knelt by a pylon, wrapping rope around his hand and elbow.

Merritt pushed his hat up, hoping to show more of his face. Face equaled friendly. “Hello there.”

The sailor started, looked up, and smiled. “Hi! You lost?”

“Not really.” Merritt crouched down and pasted on a smile. “I have a proposition for you, if you’re in town for a bit.”

“Until Saturday,” he said, looking curious but not suspicious, which meant Merritt had picked the right man.

“It’s going to sound strange.”

The sailor laughed. “Once you’ve been on those waters”—he tilted his head toward the ocean—“nothing seems strange anymore.”

Merritt nodded. “It’s just, I’ve noticed you’re a rather chipper fellow.”

The sailor paused winding the rope. “Well, I try to be. Life’s better sweet than sour, my mother would say.”

“That’s a good attitude to have. Would you say you’re chipper even under stressful circumstances?”

The man studied Merritt’s face. Which was not what Merritt wanted, in case any officers of the law came around asking questions, but with luck, this would be resolved before that happened. “I’d like to think so.”

“Great. I have a meeting this week—I can get you the exact time by the end of the day—that I’d like you to be present for. All you have to do is stay chipper.”

Now suspicion drew the man’s eyebrows together. “What sort of meeting?”

Merritt shifted, his legs cramping from his crouch. “One where you don’t need to do anything but stand by and stay as happy as you possibly can. You don’t even have to pay attention. Half an hour, tops. I’ll pay eight dollars.” He reached into his pocket. “Half now, half after.”

The sailor put his elbow on the pylon and leaned onto it. “Just stick around and be happy? And this place is in town?”

“Indeed. I know it sounds strange, but I need to prove a point to a ... coworker of sorts.”

He rolled his lips together. “Nothing illegal?”

Merritt drew his finger over his chest. “Cross my heart.”

The man took his money. “All right. I’ll be at the pub tonight.” He gestured to a building down the way. “Let me know the time.”

Merritt tipped his hat. “Many thanks, my good fellow. Many thanks.”

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