Page 72 of The Moonstone Pirate
“I do not plan to do it, Imogen. It depends entirely on his actions.”
“What if he gets to yours first?”
“Then it is likely I will drown if I am on it. So will my crew, because I do not think he is the sort to show mercy. As I said, this line of work is not for the squeamish.” He sighed. “I intend this to be my last assignment for the Crown. Afterward, I plan to attend to the business of being an earl.”
“Assuming you survive.” Imogen closed her eyes as a shudder rippled through her. “When is he due to return?”
“The Irishman? I would rather not tell you. You’ve done enough poking about as it is.”
“All right, Draco.” She would get the information out of him eventually, or simply go to the harbor master and ask him. Surely the captain’s name and other helpful information would be listed along with the vessel recorded in the harbor master’s registry. “What has this Irishman to do with Driscoll’s murder?”
“Your drawings connected him to several lords who were at my party. The reason it is significant is that the Irishman happens to be smuggling guns into England in furtherance of a rebel plot to harm the royal family.”
“And you have been working on behalf of the Crown to break up that plot?” Her mouth dropped open. “Draco!”
“It is still possible that Driscoll was murdered by a jealous husband, or those toady friends of his who were ogling you at myparty. But I would bet my estate that Driscoll was killed by the wizard with that distinctive ring you recognized, Lord Healey. Or it may have been his partner, Lord Burke. Those two happen to be acting as agents for the rebels who are buying guns from the Irishman.”
Imogen clutched her stomach. “This is getting quite complicated, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and my assignment is to get into their distribution system, find out as much as I can about their plot, and disrupt it. I have very little time to do this. Those rebels are getting anxious and want to put their scheme in place soon.”
“Because the authorities are closing in on them? Do you think they were scared by Driscoll’s murder? How was Driscoll involved?”
“We don’t know yet. All we know—and some of this I learned only this afternoon when talking to the Irishman—is that Driscoll reached out to him in order to start an opium-smuggling operation. But the Irishman assures me he would never go into business with Driscoll. I believe him. His trade is smuggling guns.”
Imogen was listening attentively and trying to connect all the bits of information. “The Irishman was in contact with Healey and Burke. We know Healey handed your footman that note just before Driscoll was killed. Is it possible Healey and Burke got themselves involved in smuggling drugs on Driscoll’s behalf?”
Draco cast her a mirthless smile. “Whether gun smuggling or opium smuggling, it matters little. The point is, I am fairly certain Driscoll, Healey, and Burke were in a disagreement over something, and this got Driscoll killed.”
“And you think Healey or his companion did the deed because I identified his ring, so we now know he is the wizard who approached your footman and had him deliver the note to Driscoll.”
“That’s right. However, I doubt the Irishman was involved in the murder. He appeared genuinely surprised when I told him about it.”
Imogen nodded. “He was not in Moonstone Landing when your masquerade ball took place, or we would have seen his ship in the harbor.”
“When I spoke to him today by the caves I did not mention Healey as a suspect in Driscoll’s murder, but I could see his mind working. He has to be wondering whether Healey and Burke killed him. So, it is pretty clear that the Irishman did not authorize Driscoll’s murder or have any part in whatever dirty dealings these three had.”
“Could the rebels have ordered him killed?”
Draco shook his head. “Yes, perhaps. But my sense is that they did not know of Healey and Burke’s other activities, which is why those two miscreants are now running away. What I think is this: they were taking on side jobs that neither the rebels nor the Irishman knew about, and now this has blown up in their faces and they are terrified of the consequences of their being found out.”
“Oh, I see.” Imogen nibbled her lip as she considered all these connections. “Now your Irishman is worried those two, by not being square with him, have attracted unwanted attention to him. Same for the rebels, who are now worried about this same unwanted attention being cast upon their cause.”
“The news may not have reached the rebel leaders yet. This is why Healey and Burke are running away while they can.”
Imogen nodded. “What I don’t understand is why those two would stupidly kill Driscoll on your property when their benefactors, or whatever you want to call these rebels, were considering using your caves to store their smuggled guns? Were Healey and Burke sending the rebels a message? Issuing theIrishman a challenge? Goodness, there are so many facets to this murder. It is like a Gordian knot that must be carefully untied.”
“Which explains why your stomach was in knots all day,” her uncle remarked. “You were sensing all of it, Imogen.”
Draco was giving her that icy stare again. “Now you understand why I need you to stay out of this. I am trying very hard to keep this murder from destroying months and months of groundwork to lure this Irishman into using my caves.”
Imogen shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “I do understand. And you wanted to keep all of this a secret from me? How you must have hated that I was putting all the pieces together.”
He had crossed his arms and now unfurled them. “No, Imogen. Ihatedthat your meddling put you too close to danger. Ihatedthat you wouldn’t listen to me when I was trying to protect you…and I fear you still won’t listen.”
“Imogen,” her uncle said with marked impatience, “I urged Woodley to tell you the truth in the hope you would fully appreciate the danger and keep out of his way. He must be allowed to handle matters without your interference. Don’t make me regret my decision.”
She felt the pressure both men were putting on her. “Is there any more I ought to know?”
