It was late, and Basil knew he should have been asleep, but his mind refused to stop racing. Somehow the fact that Ratigan had two children had slipped right by him. And to think that he'd boarded a ship belonging to his enemy's son astounded him. How had he missed it? As he lay in bed, he realized that Cap did somewhat resemble his father.
Basil couldn't figure out how to reconcile Cap's family tree to his willingness to help. Was it possible Cap was actually in league with his brother-in-law? Could he be trusted?
A thought occurred to him. Cap could have, at any point since bringing Basil to the boardinghouse, caused him harm, or worse. But he hadn't.
There was an urgent desperation in his voice this afternoon whdn his sister was here, as if he actually wanted to stop her husband. It's no easy task to fake that much emotion.
Basil's thoughts then turned to Mrs. Moore. He had no trouble believing her story, despite the fact that she had the same roots as Cap. She came across as genuinely afraid of her husband, not so much for her sake as for Tommy's.
Tommy's face came to mind. There was an innocence about the boy that stirred sympathy in Basil's heart for him. The kind of father that Tommy had—one who would hope to raise his child n a life of crime—wasn't deserving of forgiveness or a second chance. He wasn't deserving of a child.
The thought of Tommy's father made the detective's blood boil. If it hadn't been for Moore, Basil wouldn't be in his current situation. Because of Moore, Basil had been forced to leave his friends.
Yes, my friends. He looked at Dr. Dawson, asleep in the rocking chair. Where would I be without him? Whowould I be? Once upon a time, I believed it was possible to lead a full life all alone, but somewhere along the way he changed my mind. I can't imagine life without him.
He mentioned Mrs. Judson this afternoon. Is it possible that he cares more than I've ever given her credit for? And the Flavershams have brought a light into my life that I needed, that perhaps I still need.
Basil's thoughts were then filled with another face: the queen's. She told me I had to leave. I can't go back. Cap and Dawson have their minds made up that I must return to London, but it's out of the question.
It was then that a plan began to form, and as he glanced again at his associate, Basil was tempted to wake him, but he opted not to. He needed to work out some minor details, and anyway, Dr. Dawson needed his sleep in order to help Basil regain his strength.
xxxxx
The detective lay awake for hours, sorting out details until he finally fell asleep just before dawn. Not until noon did he reawaken, as Cap entered the room with lunch.
Basil struggled to sit up, and when Dr. Dawson reached out to stop him, he shook his head negatively. "Dawson, I won't recover if all I do is lay on my back. If I'm going back to London, I need to be stronger than I am right now, and the only way for that to happen is I must do more than lie down. Now, Cap, if you don't mind, today I'm going to feed myself."
Dr. Dawson raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Where on earth is this coming from? You made it quite clear yesterday that you weren't coming home. Why the sudden change of heart?"
Basil glanced in Cap's direction. He still wasn't sure if the sailor could be trusted. Looking at the doctor again, he responded, "By no choice of my own, I've been dragged into this case. The queen doesn't believe I'm innocent; the only way for me to get out of this mess is to go back and prove it myself."
"How do you intend to get around Her Majesty's orders?" Cap asked.
"Furthermore, we have no idea where Moore is," Dr. Dawson stated. "Even if we are able to sneak you into London, how would we find him?"
Basil grinned mischievously. "Who said anything about sneaking? I fully intend to go back to London with the queen knowing I'm there."
His companions both opened their mouths to argue, but Basil continued talking. "Before you get upset, just stop and listen to me. I have a plan, and we set it in motion in two days."
Basil paused to draw a breath, giving Dr. Dawson an opportunity to interject his opinion. "Two days? Basil, don't be ridiculous. That won't give you enough time to regain your strength."
"Dawson, allow me to remind you that trip home will last roughly ten days, giving me time to continue recuperating. The only reason I'm suggesting we leave in two days rather than tomorrow is for Cap's sake. He'll need to get word to his crew of our departure time. Now, do you want to hear this or not?"
The doctor motioned for Basil to go on, and as the trio ate their lunch, Basil filled his companions in on what he would need them to do.
The physician in him disagreed with Basil's eagerness to dive into the case so soon, but Dr. Dawson had to admit he was glad that, for whatever reason, Basil had decided to listen to the please of those around him and come home.