Chapter 7

Scully went back down into the mess room and discreetly whispered the information into Captain Cardinal's ear. Jake's eyes narrowed and he shot out of his seat.

"Jake, what's wrong? Who's on board?" Becky asked nervously.

"I'll come get you later, Red-Eyed Beck; stay here for now. Nora, you may come."

Becky scowled as she watched Jake and his first and second mates go above deck.

Over and over again, Jake was reciting in his head, "I am the captain; this is my ship. He might have been my elder before, but now I am above him because he is trespassing on my property." He marched right up to Laramie Goose and said, "It's a little rude to be barging onto a man's ship while he is eating dinner, don't you think?"

"So it is you, you insolent little waif! I always knew you would grow up and become such a brute," Mr. Goose disdainfully said.

"Oy, nobody will be talkin' about the cap'n like that while on his ship!" Nora yelled fervently.

"That's enough, Nora," Captain Cardinal coolly said. "Scully, keep watch over his men. Nora, please help me escort Mr. Goose into my office."

"What have you done with my daughter? I bet that you have her rotting in some horrid cell below deck, or you have her-"

"Please, take a seat," Jake requested as he sat in his chair behind his oak desk.

"I would rather not," Mr. Goose slapped his hands on the desk and leaned forward. "I want to know what you have done with my daughter."

Captain Cardinal stood up as tall as he could. His eyes only came to Mr. Goose's nose when he was leaning over the desk. "Goose, I am the captain of this ship, and you are an unwarranted guest on my ship. You will do as I say and take a seat!"

Scornfully, Mr. Goose sat down.

Everyone in the mess room started when they heard Jake yell; it wasn't too often that they heard him get that angry with someone who wasn't a part of the crew.

"That's it!" Becky threw her napkin down on the table. "I don't care if he told me to stay here; I am going up there and seeing who's on board!" She ran up on deck to investigate.

"Becky is perfectly safe; she's down in the mess room eating dinner with the rest of my crew. She technically wasn't even kidnapped for a whole day. Once she found out I was the one who kidnapped her, she wanted to be on my ship," Jake explained once he sat back in his chair.

"Oh, yes, of course you would claim that Rebecca would—"

"She calls herself Becky," Jake interrupted. "If you love her so much, you could at least call her by the name she likes being called. And I am still explaining my side of the story. Anyways, for the past six and a half months, Becky has been on my ship. She just recently joined…my…crew." Jake's gaze fell upon the window behind Mr. Goose's head. Becky had been in the window waving her arms and pointing to her father. "I think there is just one more thing I should tell you before you see Becky. She and I are married. We've been married for about six months now."

"No, I won't believe that! You are just in a delusion!" Mr. Goose protested.

"Nora, go ahead and let Becky in. He isn't going to listen to me."

Becky ran in as soon as Nora unlocked and opened the door. "Daddy, what are you doing here?"

"My dear child!" Mr. Goose hugged his daughter. "Are you okay? I am so glad I finally have you back!"

"I am perfectly fine. I have been fine ever since Jake got me out of marrying Nelson. He isn't here, is he?"

"N-no, he is not. He had nothing to do with my coming here. I knew he was lying when he claimed that you were dead. Now, Rebecca, please, what is going on? He is claiming that you two are married. And why did Nelson say you were killed?"

"We are married, Daddy. And I am a sworn-in pirate on this ship; around here they call me Red-Eyed Beck. We made Nelson tell you and Mother that story because I thought it would be better than your being disappointed at what I've become."

"Why would you ever assume that we would rather think you were dead? We love you dearly, Becky, which is why I came to find you and bring you home."

"But, Daddy, you don't understand! I'm married; Jake and I have started a life together. I am going to have his baby. I can't go back home now."

"You-you're…I cannot believe all of this! What is your mother going to say when she finds out? How could you want to become a pirate? They kill innocent people and—"

"Jake's crew isn't like that! Jake has a rule that killing is the last line of defense, not the first. And you can tell Mother that I am safe and happy with my new life…and that I'm sorry for making everyone think that I was dead. I can write to you as often as I can, and maybe sometime after our son is born we'll come for a visit. But please, just tell Mother that I am alive. Don't tell the whole city; that could be too dangerous for Jake and me if too many people know."

"Are you truly happy, my dear?"

"Honestly and truly," Becky said confidently.

"Alright, I will let you be in the life you have chosen for yourself." Mr. Goose hugged Becky and kissed her forehead. "Just know that we love you. Jake, I swear that if I hear that you have done anything to hurt my daughter—"

"I will take good care of her, don't worry. One more thing you need to know before you leave: I ran away not because I stole that money, but because I was afraid to be caught for something I didn't do."

Mr. Goose questioned, "Then how do you think that money ended up in your things?"

Becky chimed in before Jake could respond, "Nelson is the one who stole it! He admitted that when he found us. He was a coward and hid it in Jake's stuff so that he would get in trouble instead. Jake was really turning his life around, but then Nelson ruined it all."

"Jake, I-I don't know what to say," Mr. Goose began, "I hope you can forgive me for assuming you stole it."

"It's in the past now, and because of it, I am doing something I enjoy."

"Well, I really do hope that you two live happily together and take care of yourselves and that baby. We won't bother you anymore unless you want to see us."

"Thank you, Daddy." Becky gave him a hug. "I love you and Mother, please tell her that."

"I will," Mr. Goose promised. "Goodbye, my dear." He walked out of Jake's office and saw his men were still surrounded by Jake's crew. "Men, we will be leaving now."

"Jake, did we do the right thing?" Becky inquired as she watched the Bonny Bounty sail away.

"Well, I think we did. I mean, yeah, it was kinda harsh to tell your parents you were dead, but it all worked out now, didn't it?"

"I guess it did," she sniffed while wiping away a tear. "You go ahead and finish dinner. I'm not hungry anymore. I'll just be in our room."

"Alright," Jake gave her a kiss. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I will be in a couple hours, I think."

During all of the commotion on deck, Juan Lorenzo took advantage of this opportunity to sneak off to deliver his notes. In one of the rowboats, Juan went out into open water where la Serpiente del Dolor, or the Serpent of Pain, was holding anchor. He delivered his notes quickly and arrived back at the Scarlett Ruby before Captain Cardinal was done talking with Mr. Goose.