A/N : Sorry that it took me an age to post this latest chapter ---

'So,' said Ida, struggling with the knots in the rope that still bound Vera's hands, 'what we need is a plan…'

'A plan,' Vera replied, 'that somehow enables us to free ourselves from these chains, get off this boat and…Ida! We might not even be in London any more…'

Ida just gulped. That thought had occurred to her, also. She looked around their prison once more. The ceiling was low, and the wall curved inwards at the base, suggesting they were somewhere in the bowels of the vessel. The room was dimly illuminated by light that filtered in through a narrow slit like window just beneath the ceiling.

'It's daytime,' she said, 'and I'm hungry and thirsty but not desperately so, so we can't have been here that long… How far could we have travelled in a night?'

'Not that far, surely…'

'Alright,' said Ida suddenly, pulling one of the knots apart, 'how about this… We lie down as though we're still unconscious. This worries them when they come to check on us. Then when they come close, we grab them round the throats and…'

'You say 'them', but we could only manage two at best….And I don't know about you, but I've never actually grabbed a man by the throat and I'm not entirely sure that…'

'OK, OK, I take your point. Right. What about if one of us pretended to be desperately ill? So that they might unchain one of us at least?'

'That is assuming that they care whether we live or die…'

'Cheerful, aren't you?'

'Do you blame me?'

'Actually…' Ida bit her tongue again.

'Maybe,' she said slowly, 'you should tell me a bit more about what's actually going on. Do you know who they are? The people who've kidnapped us?'

'Don't you?'

Ida sighed exasperatedly.

'The Annie Sue gang, I suppose. But did you know they were after you? Why did you run away from the vicarage last night?!'

Vera shut her eyes momentarily as though to steady herself, then replied

'No, I didn't know they were after me. Not until I saw that carriage on the road last night.'

'You recognised it?'

'Yes, and I knew that nothing…nothing involving them is ever a coincidence…'

'So…why…?'

'Why did I leave? Didn't you hear what Dr Watson said?'

Ida thought for a second, then

'That a surgeon had attacked your husband!'

'Exactly. And in that moment I knew who, and I knew that I couldn't let him get away with it…'

'…but why not just tell us? We would have helped you…'

'…and explain that I've been masquerading as a medical student? I don't think so. Besides, I… Well, I'm not really interested in having MacKenzie arrested…'

'Mr MacKenzie! That's who you think attacked Ernest?'

'Well…yes…'

'Why?'

'Nothing…concrete… But he's been very suspicious of me recently, following me around…'

'…that's hardly enough to accuse him of attempted murder!' exclaimed Ida, 'besides, forgive me, but you have been acting suspiciously…'

'He was furious when the body went missing. That organ-reversal thing, that's a career making discovery…'

Above the general creaking of the boat and the lapping of water against the side, Ida suddenly became aware of footsteps approaching. She grabbed the rag and stuffed it back in Vera's mouth, then sprang back and sat against the wall, putting in her own gag with a grimace…

A key rattled in the door, accompanied by copious swearing at the stiffness of the lock. Eventually it swung open, revealing three men. The central figure, still holding the key, Ida recognised as her quarry of the previous afternoon – Treese.

'Good day, Mrs Hobbs,' said the man on the left, the tallest of the trio, whose face was elongated by his longish hair being scraped back into some sort of ponytail, 'such a shame that you missed your husband's wake…'

'…we're gonna miss Ernie,' cut in Joe Treese, 'aren't we, Micky?'

'That's right,' agreed the third man, a stocky fellow wearing a beret, 'nothing as to your grief, of course, madam,'

Vera stared at the three of them with undisguised hatred

'Oh, where are our manners lads?' exclaimed Treese, 'she can't answer us like this…'

The one whom Treese had addressed as Micky stepped forward and yanked the rag out of Vera's mouth

'Why?' she hissed, furiously, 'have you kidnapped us?'

'Oh yes,' grinned the tall man, ' 'us' – well, Vera… do you mind if I call you Vera? Your little friend is just along for the ride. Wrong place, wrong time and all that…'

'To be honest,' said Micky, leaning forward to speak in an exaggerated whisper, 'Joe whacked her on the head thinking she was you! Well…it was dark…'

'Oi, Micky, I heard that,'

'Would you mind not leaning so close,' said Vera in acid tones, 'the smell is beginning to make me feel nauseous…'

Micky hit her, hard, across the face. Unable to move her hands, Vera fell heavily to lie sprawled on the planked floor. Ida spat out her gag in fury,

'Do that again and I'll…'

'…yes?'

'You won't get away with this…' she continued, lamely,

'Really?'

'Treese!' came a shout from somewhere above them, 'Joe?, where are you?'

An uneasy look flashed across Treese's face,

'Here, sir,' he called, without taking his eyes off Ida

Heavy footsteps thumped outside, as though someone were laboriously descending a ladder. A few seconds later, a heavily overweight man appeared behind the three thugs, his face red with fury,

'What,' he hissed, breathlessly, 'is this?'

'Er…' began Micky, 'it's Mrs Hobbs…'

'…Joe thought…' interjected the tall man,

'…I can speak for myself,' interrupted Treese, hotly, 'There's something fishy going on, sir, and she's in it up to her neck. We opened Ernie's coffin, and…'

'You opened Ernie's coffin?'

'After you left the funeral, sir...We thought we'd get his medallion back, you know? It's gold after all, and it's no use to him now… But his body! His stomach had been cut open, and…'

'Enough!' The fat man held up a hand to silence Treese, 'We don't have time to hear your idiot ramblings. I recognise Mrs Hobbs, who's the other one?'

'Dunno, sir,'

The newcomer raised his eyes to heaven briefly, then took a deep breath as though to calm himself.

'Are you aware,' he continued, in icy tones, 'that Scotland Yard raided three of our boats this morning?'

'What?!'

'They were looking for two young women.'

'Sir, no one saw us, we checked!'

'Save your explanations for later, Micky. It's only thanks to their general incompetence that they didn't find any of our latest shipment. But this cargo will be obvious even to them…'

'We'll hide them…'

'…No. You'll get rid of them…'

'But sir, Ernie! We've got to get her to explain, we need to know what…'

'Ernie,' spat their leader, 'is an irrelevance. Your little performance has drawn the police force to us and I swear, Treese, you are going to pay…'

'…We'll get rid of them, sir, right away…'

'…How?'

'…over the side?'

'…in broad daylight? In the dockyard?'

'….er…. Kill them here…?'

'…Leaving a nice fresh bloodstain for the constables?'

'…You do realise,' interjected Ida, with the reckless abandon of one in a truly desperate situation, 'that we can hear you?'

With a speed incongruous with his bulk, the newcomer traversed the room and crouched down in front of her, fixing his beady eyes on hers,

'Listen all you want, girl, if you think it will do you any good.'

Ida forced herself to try and stay calm. If she could perhaps delay them for a while, then maybe, just maybe, the police would arrive…

'You could let me go at least,' she said, 'I shouldn't be here at all…'

The fat man grinned, then spoke softly -

'You'll never make an actress, Miss, I can see through you like a plate glass window.'

Suddenly raised voices became audible from outside,

'No! Sir, you can't come aboard this ship…'

The beady eyes widened for a split second, then the man stood and barked instructions to the cowering trio

'What do we have in the hold?'

'er….do you mean the real hold or…'

'imbecile! Do we have any crates?'

'Yeah…er…some linen, and…'

'That'll do. Knock them out.'

'Sir?'

'Knock. Them. Out.'

'Help!' Ida started to shout, 'help! Down here!'

'Honestly,' he muttered, drawing a cosh from somewhere deep within his coat, 'do I have to do everything round here…?'