Part 6 – The Interrogation
"Why am I not surprised to find you here, Miss Plum?" Commodore Norrington looked me up and down and shook his head. He turned his attention to Elizabeth. "I am, however, surprised to see you here, Mrs. Turner."
We were standing outside the smoldering ruins of the apothecary while a bunch of redcoats poured buckets of water on the embers and made sure nothing else was burning. A group of them were on patrol when the apothecary blew up and they found Elizabeth and me lying on the ground, shielding ourselves from flying debris. They insisted on holding us until Norrington showed up.
"I've never seen her before in my life," I lied. "She was just passing by when that shop blew up."
Norrrington smiled tightly. "Indeed?"
"Yup." I batted my eyes innocently. It was hard to look innocent when the dress I was wearing was shredded and burned in spots. I didn't even want to think about my hair. "Maybe you should let her go home. Her family's probably worried."
"Just so." Norrington gestured to one of the redcoats. "Murtogg."
"Yessir."
"Escort Mrs. Turner home."
"Yessir." Murtogg turned to Elizabeth and offered his arm. "Right this way, m'um."
"Wait." Elizabeth marched up to Norrington. "James. A word, please."
"Of course." His expression softened slightly as he looked down at her.
"What's going to happen to her? She saved my life, you know." She blinked up at Norrington, all wide-eyed innocence. Her dress was a lot cleaner than mine, too.
Norrington sighed. "I must do my duty, Elizabeth. This...bounty hunter...was at the scene of some sort of mischief that could have killed someone. I am holding her for questioning and will arrest her if the facts and circumstances warrant it."
"Oh, but, James –"
"Elizabeth." He shook his head. "I cannot ignore my responsibilities."
I stepped forward before she slipped up and let on that we knew each other. "I appreciate your concern, Mrs. Turner. Really. I'll be fine. You should go home."
"Very well." Elizabeth took Murtogg's arm. "My carriage is just a few streets over, Mr. Murtogg."
As I watched her walk away, Norrington's hand clamped down on my shoulder. "Come, Miss Plum. We shall discuss tonight's events back at my office."
Somehow, I didn't think there was going to be cake.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I've never cared for bounty hunters," Norrington told me, as he steered me into one of the wooden chairs in his office. "I believe I care even less for you, Miss Plum."
I brushed some ash from the remains of my dress. The cops back home in the Burg were used to my involvement in explosions and finding dead bodies. I knew what to expect from them. Carl Costanza and his partner, Big Dog, were usually the first car on the scene and I was used to the jokes that followed their arrival. I wasn't used to somebody doing a really good imitation of my mother.
"Tell me what happened, Miss Plum. I will know if you're lying."
As I looked into those narrowed eyes, I didn't think he was kidding. "The man who bought the apothecary...I don't know what name he's using here, but his real name is John Ring, Junior. He was the one who blew up my Explorer."
Norrington regarded me silently and gestured for me to continue.
"I was on my way back to the Black Pearl when I saw him." Okay, I knew I was taking a chance, lying to Norrington, but somehow, I didn't think he'd believe me if I explained how I really found out John Junior was in Port Royal. "I followed him back to his shop and then I asked around and found out it was his. That gave me some time to go bring Sparrow up to date. Then I came back here to do a stakeout –"
"A what?"
"Surveillance?"
"I see. Go on."
"And then ka-blooey. I think Junior's got a thing for bombs."
"Ka-blooey," Norrington repeated, a pained expression on his face. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, Miss Plum, but why does Mr. Ring want you dead?"
I smiled weakly. "I took down his father."
Norrington's eyes widened slightly. "You killed his father?"
"No! No killing," I corrected him quickly. "His father was a fugitive. A very dangerous fugitive. I helped bring him in."
"What made him so dangerous, pray tell?"
Oh great, Stephanie. I gave myself a mental head slap. Somehow, I didn't think Norrington would believe it if I tried to explain how John Ring Senior incinerated my parents' Christmas tree just by touching it or how the electricity just crackled off the miserable old coot. "He was a killer. When he was younger. So they put him away, but he escaped. He was less dangerous when I went after him because he was an old geezer."
"I see."
I decided to leave out how Ring was dating my Grandma Mazur and that he escaped from some sort of retirement/jail facility for super-powered people back wherever it was that Diesel came from.
Norrington continued to study me.
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. These 17th Century dresses were uncomfortable enough, but the grit and charred rubble definitely wasn't helping.
"I find it interesting," Norrington finally said, "That Sparrow would allow you to remain on the Black Pearl given your situation and his instincts for self-preservation."
"He's not," I said, quickly. "He told me once he's rid of the coffee, he's rid of me, too. Probably, that's because I wouldn't sleep with him."
Norrington looked horrified.
I wondered which of the things I'd just said did it.
"You have twenty-four hours, Miss Plum," Norrington said, coldly, regaining his composure. "You will help Sparrow turn over the coffee and then I want both of you out of Port Royal."
"Ring –"
"Will be dealt with, assuming he exists. In the meantime, Miss Plum, have a care." Norrington got to his feet opened his office door. "I will be watching you."
"Why am I not surprised to find you here, Miss Plum?" Commodore Norrington looked me up and down and shook his head. He turned his attention to Elizabeth. "I am, however, surprised to see you here, Mrs. Turner."
We were standing outside the smoldering ruins of the apothecary while a bunch of redcoats poured buckets of water on the embers and made sure nothing else was burning. A group of them were on patrol when the apothecary blew up and they found Elizabeth and me lying on the ground, shielding ourselves from flying debris. They insisted on holding us until Norrington showed up.
"I've never seen her before in my life," I lied. "She was just passing by when that shop blew up."
Norrrington smiled tightly. "Indeed?"
"Yup." I batted my eyes innocently. It was hard to look innocent when the dress I was wearing was shredded and burned in spots. I didn't even want to think about my hair. "Maybe you should let her go home. Her family's probably worried."
"Just so." Norrington gestured to one of the redcoats. "Murtogg."
"Yessir."
"Escort Mrs. Turner home."
"Yessir." Murtogg turned to Elizabeth and offered his arm. "Right this way, m'um."
"Wait." Elizabeth marched up to Norrington. "James. A word, please."
"Of course." His expression softened slightly as he looked down at her.
"What's going to happen to her? She saved my life, you know." She blinked up at Norrington, all wide-eyed innocence. Her dress was a lot cleaner than mine, too.
Norrington sighed. "I must do my duty, Elizabeth. This...bounty hunter...was at the scene of some sort of mischief that could have killed someone. I am holding her for questioning and will arrest her if the facts and circumstances warrant it."
"Oh, but, James –"
"Elizabeth." He shook his head. "I cannot ignore my responsibilities."
I stepped forward before she slipped up and let on that we knew each other. "I appreciate your concern, Mrs. Turner. Really. I'll be fine. You should go home."
"Very well." Elizabeth took Murtogg's arm. "My carriage is just a few streets over, Mr. Murtogg."
As I watched her walk away, Norrington's hand clamped down on my shoulder. "Come, Miss Plum. We shall discuss tonight's events back at my office."
Somehow, I didn't think there was going to be cake.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I've never cared for bounty hunters," Norrington told me, as he steered me into one of the wooden chairs in his office. "I believe I care even less for you, Miss Plum."
I brushed some ash from the remains of my dress. The cops back home in the Burg were used to my involvement in explosions and finding dead bodies. I knew what to expect from them. Carl Costanza and his partner, Big Dog, were usually the first car on the scene and I was used to the jokes that followed their arrival. I wasn't used to somebody doing a really good imitation of my mother.
"Tell me what happened, Miss Plum. I will know if you're lying."
As I looked into those narrowed eyes, I didn't think he was kidding. "The man who bought the apothecary...I don't know what name he's using here, but his real name is John Ring, Junior. He was the one who blew up my Explorer."
Norrington regarded me silently and gestured for me to continue.
"I was on my way back to the Black Pearl when I saw him." Okay, I knew I was taking a chance, lying to Norrington, but somehow, I didn't think he'd believe me if I explained how I really found out John Junior was in Port Royal. "I followed him back to his shop and then I asked around and found out it was his. That gave me some time to go bring Sparrow up to date. Then I came back here to do a stakeout –"
"A what?"
"Surveillance?"
"I see. Go on."
"And then ka-blooey. I think Junior's got a thing for bombs."
"Ka-blooey," Norrington repeated, a pained expression on his face. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, Miss Plum, but why does Mr. Ring want you dead?"
I smiled weakly. "I took down his father."
Norrington's eyes widened slightly. "You killed his father?"
"No! No killing," I corrected him quickly. "His father was a fugitive. A very dangerous fugitive. I helped bring him in."
"What made him so dangerous, pray tell?"
Oh great, Stephanie. I gave myself a mental head slap. Somehow, I didn't think Norrington would believe it if I tried to explain how John Ring Senior incinerated my parents' Christmas tree just by touching it or how the electricity just crackled off the miserable old coot. "He was a killer. When he was younger. So they put him away, but he escaped. He was less dangerous when I went after him because he was an old geezer."
"I see."
I decided to leave out how Ring was dating my Grandma Mazur and that he escaped from some sort of retirement/jail facility for super-powered people back wherever it was that Diesel came from.
Norrington continued to study me.
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. These 17th Century dresses were uncomfortable enough, but the grit and charred rubble definitely wasn't helping.
"I find it interesting," Norrington finally said, "That Sparrow would allow you to remain on the Black Pearl given your situation and his instincts for self-preservation."
"He's not," I said, quickly. "He told me once he's rid of the coffee, he's rid of me, too. Probably, that's because I wouldn't sleep with him."
Norrington looked horrified.
I wondered which of the things I'd just said did it.
"You have twenty-four hours, Miss Plum," Norrington said, coldly, regaining his composure. "You will help Sparrow turn over the coffee and then I want both of you out of Port Royal."
"Ring –"
"Will be dealt with, assuming he exists. In the meantime, Miss Plum, have a care." Norrington got to his feet opened his office door. "I will be watching you."