Ch.28 Partnership Josephine woke with a start. She yawned and sat up. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked herself. She looked out her window. It was dusk outside and the last rays of the sun were slowly fading away. Josephine got up and went out into the hall where the pitcher of water was. She splashed some water on her face and then dried it with a towel. She yawned again and stretched. She walked, leisurely, back into her room and over to her bed. She gazed out her open window. Then realization flickered in her. "Wait a minute..." she whispered to herself. "I didn't open this window...and if I didn't then..." She whirled around.....and faced an empty room. Josephine sneaked over to her closet. She silently placed her hands on it. "HA!" she yelled as she pulled it open; but the closet was empty. She grimaced. "Imagining things again are we Josephine?" She turned around and jumped in shock. There was a man standing in her room. "My God!" she exclaimed. She grabbed her sword that was leaning on the wall next to her. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded. She drew her sword and pointed it at him. The man smiled and chuckled lowly. "A friend." His hand grasped her sword and flicked it away from him. "But how do I know you to be a friend?" Josephine asked suspiciously and she flicked it back towards him. "An enemy of my enemy is my friend. And I would assume the same goes for you," the man said, eyeing her sword. "But who is our common enemy?" Josephine asked. "Oh a certain, uh, Captain Jack Sparrow," the man said indifferently. "WHAT?" Josephine asked jumping again in shock. Then she regained her composure. "How do you know that I am your enemy's enemy? "A source, my source, on the Pearl that has been spying on Jack for months," the man said. "Who is?" Josephine prompted. "Cambury," the man said. Josephine stared at him in shock. Then she remembered—that one night when she had seen Cambury sneak away from the ship... Josephine rounded on the man. "Why are you his enemy?" The man looked at her. "He stole my boat, by treason, and left me to die on a cursed isle. Is that reason enough?" Josephine glared at him. "You're a pirate, and connected to Captain Sparrow—Both things I want to have nothing more to do with. Get out." "Even if I say that I have a way to get back at Captain Sparrow?" Josephine paused. "I might be interested. Let's hear it." "I plan to lure Jack onto that isle he left me on and humiliate him and take my ship back," the man said. "But why do you need me?" "You're the bait to lure him." "So let's say I'm interested. When does this happen?" "Well," the man started, "My ship comes in a fortnight, approximately. I'll leave word for you—by means of the window. When you get my word, you get anything you want and go down to the beach." Josephine looked at him and smiled knowingly. "After which, you send word to Jack by means of Cambury that you have 'kidnapped' me and are heading to such and such a place." The man smiled. "Precisely." Josephine shivered at that smile. She thought. "Very well, I'm in, AS LONG as I get my freedom after this charade is over." "Agreed. Now that we are 'partners,' what shall I call you?" the man inquired. "Miss Turner," Josephine relied. "And you?" "Captain Barbosa," Barbosa said with a straight face. He turned to leave out the window, then turned back. "Are you by chance related to the William Turner in this port?" Josephine looked surprised. "Well, yes, I am. He's my brother." "Ah. Just wondering," he replied. He slipped out the window and then disappeared into the street and the coming night. Josephine watched him go and then closed her window. "Till we meet again," Josephine muttered. She closed her curtains.
That had gone much better than he'd hoped. And to think that Jack's girlfriend was a Turner! It was ironic and appropriate. Barbosa chuckled satisfactorily. The girl was naïve—but that was good. She would only be that more oblivious to his real intentions. Barbosa walked to the bar on his left. As he stepped inside the moon came out from behind a cloud. Barbosa looked up at it. "Wait a while, moon. Very soon we will show ourselves to Jack, and then..." He briefly touched his pistol. "...that will be the last you shed light on him."