The Pearl had reached Tortuga by nightfall. The town was a chaotic mess as usual, as Will weaved his way through the masses. Hands buried in his coat pockets, head down, hat pulled low, he tried to stay beneath notice. The last thing he needed was to let it be known that he was here and looking for answers. Pushing open the door of the Dark Horse Tavern, he entered the warm room, looking around. Giselle's usual place of business. But he could see nothing of the buxomy blond anywhere.

He wove his way to the bar, leaning over it. "'Ey, Scarlet…." He motioned to her. The red head shot a glance over her shoulder, then motioned him into the kitchen. He walked around the bar, pushing open the doors and entering, where she stood, arms crossed and looking nervous.

"Have you seen…?"

"Not since yesterday. I'm worried." Scarlet said quickly. "There've been strange men around, Turner. I see 'em, comin' in here, lookin' like they're waitin' for someone. Giselle seen 'em to." She rubbed her bare arms. "She didn't come in this mornin' and I've seen hide nor hair of her, but the boss won't let me go check on 'er."

Will watched her nervous motions, the pacing, rubbing her own arms, and she wouldn't meet his gaze.

"I'll go check on her, if you'd like." Scarlet spun, grabbing his hand between hers.

"Would you? Bless yer heart, Will." She said, her eyes lighting up. She was truly concerned about her friend.

"Aye, I need to talk to her anyway."

Scarlett nodded. "Assumed you'd be involved in this somehow. Her room is at the brothel on Oak Street. Up the stairs, and three doors down on your right."

"Thanks. Much appreciated." He told her, slipping his hand from hers and walking out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Madame Dorian's was one of the finest wench houses in the city, and on a night like that one, it was crowded, as usual. Men sat around, a wench on their knee and a mug in their hand, sharing sea stories and laughing at each other.

Will wove his way directly to the stairs, pushing past more than a few temporary couples heading to the bedrooms. At the third door to his right, he stopped. There was silence in the room when he knocked. He knocked again, and still didn't get an answer. Twisting the knob, he found it was locked. Hoping Giselle would forgive him, he got down on his knees, picking the lock.

The door swung open as he got to his feet. Except for one sputtering candle, the room was completely dark. He saw a dark shadow sitting in the corner, rocking back and forth.

"Giselle?" The shadow moved, a whimper emitting. "Giselle, are you ok?" He approached the woman, crouching down in front of her.

She looked up at him. Her hair was matted down, face wet from running tears. In the little light provided, her complexion was waxy and pale. One arm was curled around her legs, while the other reached out for him. He took it in his, and she got up, crawling into his arms. He froze, not knowing what to do, but it seemed all she was asking for was to be held. In the movement, his hand brushed her belly, and he was surprised to find a bump there.

"They told me….they told me that if I spoke one word to you, they'd kill it…." She sobbed against his chest. "They came in here and was demandin' to know where I was, and Madame Dorian told 'em, so they come up to my room and start wavin' a pistol in my face." He rubbed her back, sitting down on the floor. "Said that I saw nothin' the night Jack got shot." She broke out in fresh tears.

"Gis, who were they going to kill?"

"My baby." She said quietly, rubbing her stomach. This was new to him. She most definitely had not been pregnant the last time he was here. "I can't say anythin'. I don't want them to harm my baby." She whispered.

"Giselle, they're not here, they won't…"

"They'll find out. They always find out." She curled up in his arms. "Please….just stay with me."

They were silent for a while, before Will needed to clarify something. "You said they'd kill the baby if you spoke to me? Did they mean me specifically?"

She sat up, looking at him. "Their exact words were 'If Captain Turner comes pokin' around here, you won't be tellin' him a single word unless you want me emptyin' my pistol into that expandin' stomach of yours, hear?'" She shivered.

"Damn it." There went one of their advantages. As long as everyone thought he was dead, he was free to come and go as he pleased, but now that someone knew he was alive, he'd have to watch his own back as well.

Standing up, he helped her stand as well, moving her to the bed. She climbed in, resting her head on her arm as he pulled the covers up and over her. She murmured a word of thanks as he slipped out the door.

Suddenly all the patrons of the tavern were suspicious to him. Any one of them could be the mole. You can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest, honestly. Jack's words echoed in his head as he made his way downstairs.

The movement in his peripheral vision was all he had of a warning. Will ducked, the sword swinging over his head and lodging itself into the wall. He brought his elbow up into the ribs of the attacker, satisfied to hear something crack. The man grabbed his coat collar, slamming him against the stairway. Black spots danced in his vision, and he rolled as the sword came down again, this time burying itself in the steps. He stood up, swinging his right fist and connecting on the attacker's chin. The man's knee went up into his stomach. It knocked the wind out of him, just long enough to be thrown into a table a foot away. All bets were off. The brothel erupted in a flurry of cursing and fists, everyone for themselves. Will jumped up from the table, catching his attacker in the stomach. Both men crashed through the side door out into the alleyway, landing on the cobbled streets. They climbed to their feet, Will's sword drawn and pointed at his attacker, the other man holding his pistol, arms up.

"Who the hell are you people?" Will growled, approaching slowly. The man smirked, stepping back.

"None of your concern." He responded lightly. "You'll never get anything out of me."

"So you do know something." The grin that crossed Will's face was vicious. "You don't know how persuasive I can be."

The man moved fast, taking him by surprise. He pointed the pistol at his own head and pulled the trigger. Will froze, watching the body fall to the ground. His lead was gone, just like that.

Swearing, he sheathed the sword, kneeling down beside the body. He checked all the pockets, looking for anything that might give him what kind of an idea he was up against. As he reached into the man's coat to search the interior pockets, a glint caught his eye, just a small bit of something poking out from underneath the collar of his shirt. He pulled back the collar, looking down at the necklace. Swearing, he yanked it off the body and stuffed it in his pocket, along with the change purse and a dagger he'd found. Hell, this guy was dead, he wasn't going to use them. Standing up, he strode from the alley, intent on getting back to the Pearl. He wasn't going to get much else here.