ELUDING DESTINY
Chapter Fifteen
John Farraway watched silently as
Mr. Hockley finished handcuffing the unconscious man to the pipe. Dawson's head
had dropped to his chest, his blond hair falling in front of his face. John
shifted uncomfortably, glancing over his shoulder into the gloom of the storage
area. All he saw was his own cloud of breath in the freezing storage hold. He
felt trapped and helpless. When he'd gone back inside and found Hockley to tell
him that he knew Jack Dawson, he'd somehow been talked into helping find him.
Hockley was extremely persuasive and not a little irritating, but at least the
weight of the gold watch was now in his jacket pocket.
It had been a stroke of luck, to
Hockley at least, seeing Jack on the boat deck. He'd been staring out to sea,
and when he'd finally decided to come indoors, Hockley had been waiting for
him. John had stood in the shadows, watching the assault. It had not taken
long. They'd carried the body across the deserted boat deck to the stairs
leading down to the forecastle storage area. John had waited out of sight with
the unconscious man while Hockley went up to the man guarding the forecastle
and told him that he was wanted by the purser. The man had reluctantly gone,
figuring he could trust Hockley, who was so obviously a well-mannered
gentleman, and then they'd carried the body inside.
But it had been close to five
minutes, and likely the guard would be returning soon. John kept looking up at
every sound. It was cold and dark in here, and he felt jumpy. He said,
"He'll be back any minute now," and his voice echoed around the
cavernous storage hold.
"Don't you think I know
that?" Hockley snapped. He stepped away from the body and studied Jack.
"That should hold him for now."
John didn't care what Hockley did
anymore. He just wanted to get back to his family. "He isn't going
anywhere," he agreed.
Hockley was still staring at the
unconscious man, a slight smile on his face. "He won't be doing anymore
drawings for awhile, that's certain," he said with satisfaction.
There was a sudden movement as
the gate of the storage compartment they were in creaked open, and John jumped
and whirled around, his heart in his throat.
"It's about time,"
Hockley merely said, glancing up. "Where have you been?"
"I checked the dining room
to make sure the Bukaters were in there," the man said, and John realized
it was the man who'd been with Hockley before.
"And how was my darling Rose
enjoying her dinner?"
The other man had a ghost of a
smile on his face. "She seemed to be a little distracted."
Hockley chuckled. "Good. Let
her enjoy her memories of this filth." He nodded towards Jack. "It'll
be all she has of him."
John felt his disgust for these
two high-class crooks grow as each second passed. He moved involuntarily
towards the gate. "Is it all right if I go now?" he asked.
Hockley's gaze rested on him.
"You've been more than helpful, sir," he said. "I'd like to
extend my thanks. And yes, you may leave."
Farraway didn't hesitate. He
simply nodded, turned, and left the shadows of the storage area, almost
running. He couldn't get out of there fast enough.