Part 5 – The Stakeout
"Look," Diesel said, slowly. "This is something Stephanie and I can handle on our own. I appreciate your offer –"
Sparrow drew himself up. Suddenly, the affable, lovable goofy pirate I'd been hanging out with seemed more than a little dangerous. "It's not an offer, mate."
"You stick out like a sore thumb, Jack Black."
"It's Sparrow. Captain. Jack. Sparrow. Savvy? And ye're a fine one to talk about sticking out. Are those even clothes?"
It was starting to get ugly. I slipped out of the kitchen and back into the dining room, where I ignored the stares of the Turners and cut myself a huge slice of chocolate cake. Taking a forkful, I sighed with relief and looked up at Will Turner. "Probably, it would be a good idea for you to go in there before somebody takes a swing at somebody else. I figure you've got two minutes and some violent swearing before that happens."
Will stared at me. His mouth dropped open. And then he dashed into the kitchen.
I took another bite of chocolate cake. "This is really good."
Elizabeth smiled weakly. "Thank you."
"I'm looking for a guy," I told her. "He's new in town. Red hair. About six feet tall. Skinny."
She looked thoughtful and took a forkful of the chocolate cake on my plate. "That sounds like the man who just opened the apothecary in town."
"No kidding."
"No kidding." A small, conspiratorial smile lit up her face. "It's not far. You know, I've never been on a stakeout before."
"You heard that?"
"I'm surprised all of Port Royal didn't hear it." Her smile grew wider. "We can borrow my father's carriage."
I glanced towards the kitchen and heard Sparrow's raised voice followed by Diesel's. Will Turner's voice cut in but was quickly overpowered by Sparrow and Diesel. "Probably, I'm going to get in trouble for taking you with me."
"Probably," she agreed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
We left the governor's carriage in front of one of the local taverns and instructed the driver to wait for us. The driver snorted and muttered something under his breath about women.
"You realize he's going to tell your father all about this little trip."
Elizabeth smiled again. "And I'm sure my father will be properly scandalized."
We walked in silence through the small town, past Will's shop and down another street until Elizabeth stopped and pointed at one of the small, one- story storefronts.
"There."
"How can you tell," I asked. "It looks like all the other stores."
She looked at me and shook her head. "The sign."
"The upside-down bell?"
"The mortar and pestle," Elizabeth corrected me and then she narrowed her eyes at me. "Are the signs so different in New York?"
I nodded. "Very."
"What do we do now?"
"You're going to be lookout while I see if he's home," I instructed. I guided her down the narrow alleyway next to the apothecary. "Stand here and if somebody comes by, call your husband's name and complain about him keeping you waiting. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Good." I walked over to the first window, which was firmly shuttered. The next two windows were also shuttered. "Glass windows aren't popular, huh?"
"Too expensive." Elizabeth sidled up to me. "Now what?"
I pressed my ear to the door. It sounded like nobody was home. I stepped back and looked at the door. "It would be illegal for me to break in."
"I suppose it would," Elizabeth agreed, her mouth twisting into a moue of disappointment. "Is that it then? Do we go back?"
I tried the doorknob. It turned, so I pushed the door open, just a little bit. "Look at that. Somebody left the door open."
Elizabeth's eyes grew wide as comprehension dawned. "How careless."
"Did you hear something? It sounded like somebody saying they fell down and couldn't get up."
"I do believe I did," Elizabeth agreed. "Perhaps you should go in and check. It wouldn't do to leave some poor soul crying for help."
Elizabeth would have fit right in back home in the Burg. "Stay out here."
"Lookout again?"
"Lookout. It's a very important job." Lula, my usual partner, was the world's worst lookout. She usually disappeared at the first sign of danger or the police and left me to deal with whatever the problem was. I hoped Elizabeth was marginally better, since this wasn't my usual stakeout. This guy was the one responsible for sending me through time and blowing up my truck.
I left her standing outside while I slipped inside the apothecary. It was pitch black inside and I didn't have a flashlight or even a candle. I moved carefully in the small shop. Moonlight and the torches outside reflected off of the jars that lined the shelves on the walls.
Out of curiosity, I picked up one of the jars, took off the lid and sniffed the contents. It smelled like a cross between camphor and used sweat socks. Blecchh. I put the jar back and kept going. There was a small cabinet behind the counter and I crouched down to inspect it. It wasn't locked, either, so I opened it.
"Oh, crap."
The contents of the cabinet definitely didn't belong in 1689. I was pretty sure plastic explosives and electronic timers were 20th Century inventions. Still, I wasn't going to waste any of the 28 seconds left on the clock worrying about it.
I got out of there and grabbed Elizabeth's hand. "Run!"
"What? What did you see?"
We were halfway up the street when the apothecary blew up.
"Look," Diesel said, slowly. "This is something Stephanie and I can handle on our own. I appreciate your offer –"
Sparrow drew himself up. Suddenly, the affable, lovable goofy pirate I'd been hanging out with seemed more than a little dangerous. "It's not an offer, mate."
"You stick out like a sore thumb, Jack Black."
"It's Sparrow. Captain. Jack. Sparrow. Savvy? And ye're a fine one to talk about sticking out. Are those even clothes?"
It was starting to get ugly. I slipped out of the kitchen and back into the dining room, where I ignored the stares of the Turners and cut myself a huge slice of chocolate cake. Taking a forkful, I sighed with relief and looked up at Will Turner. "Probably, it would be a good idea for you to go in there before somebody takes a swing at somebody else. I figure you've got two minutes and some violent swearing before that happens."
Will stared at me. His mouth dropped open. And then he dashed into the kitchen.
I took another bite of chocolate cake. "This is really good."
Elizabeth smiled weakly. "Thank you."
"I'm looking for a guy," I told her. "He's new in town. Red hair. About six feet tall. Skinny."
She looked thoughtful and took a forkful of the chocolate cake on my plate. "That sounds like the man who just opened the apothecary in town."
"No kidding."
"No kidding." A small, conspiratorial smile lit up her face. "It's not far. You know, I've never been on a stakeout before."
"You heard that?"
"I'm surprised all of Port Royal didn't hear it." Her smile grew wider. "We can borrow my father's carriage."
I glanced towards the kitchen and heard Sparrow's raised voice followed by Diesel's. Will Turner's voice cut in but was quickly overpowered by Sparrow and Diesel. "Probably, I'm going to get in trouble for taking you with me."
"Probably," she agreed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
We left the governor's carriage in front of one of the local taverns and instructed the driver to wait for us. The driver snorted and muttered something under his breath about women.
"You realize he's going to tell your father all about this little trip."
Elizabeth smiled again. "And I'm sure my father will be properly scandalized."
We walked in silence through the small town, past Will's shop and down another street until Elizabeth stopped and pointed at one of the small, one- story storefronts.
"There."
"How can you tell," I asked. "It looks like all the other stores."
She looked at me and shook her head. "The sign."
"The upside-down bell?"
"The mortar and pestle," Elizabeth corrected me and then she narrowed her eyes at me. "Are the signs so different in New York?"
I nodded. "Very."
"What do we do now?"
"You're going to be lookout while I see if he's home," I instructed. I guided her down the narrow alleyway next to the apothecary. "Stand here and if somebody comes by, call your husband's name and complain about him keeping you waiting. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Good." I walked over to the first window, which was firmly shuttered. The next two windows were also shuttered. "Glass windows aren't popular, huh?"
"Too expensive." Elizabeth sidled up to me. "Now what?"
I pressed my ear to the door. It sounded like nobody was home. I stepped back and looked at the door. "It would be illegal for me to break in."
"I suppose it would," Elizabeth agreed, her mouth twisting into a moue of disappointment. "Is that it then? Do we go back?"
I tried the doorknob. It turned, so I pushed the door open, just a little bit. "Look at that. Somebody left the door open."
Elizabeth's eyes grew wide as comprehension dawned. "How careless."
"Did you hear something? It sounded like somebody saying they fell down and couldn't get up."
"I do believe I did," Elizabeth agreed. "Perhaps you should go in and check. It wouldn't do to leave some poor soul crying for help."
Elizabeth would have fit right in back home in the Burg. "Stay out here."
"Lookout again?"
"Lookout. It's a very important job." Lula, my usual partner, was the world's worst lookout. She usually disappeared at the first sign of danger or the police and left me to deal with whatever the problem was. I hoped Elizabeth was marginally better, since this wasn't my usual stakeout. This guy was the one responsible for sending me through time and blowing up my truck.
I left her standing outside while I slipped inside the apothecary. It was pitch black inside and I didn't have a flashlight or even a candle. I moved carefully in the small shop. Moonlight and the torches outside reflected off of the jars that lined the shelves on the walls.
Out of curiosity, I picked up one of the jars, took off the lid and sniffed the contents. It smelled like a cross between camphor and used sweat socks. Blecchh. I put the jar back and kept going. There was a small cabinet behind the counter and I crouched down to inspect it. It wasn't locked, either, so I opened it.
"Oh, crap."
The contents of the cabinet definitely didn't belong in 1689. I was pretty sure plastic explosives and electronic timers were 20th Century inventions. Still, I wasn't going to waste any of the 28 seconds left on the clock worrying about it.
I got out of there and grabbed Elizabeth's hand. "Run!"
"What? What did you see?"
We were halfway up the street when the apothecary blew up.