Chapter 9
As Captain Jonathan Barnet quietly stepped through the open doorway of the Turner residence, he carefully absorbed every feature of the darkened house with rapt attention. The Turners had been missing for a few days now, with no indication of where they went. However, Barnet was absolutely certain of where they were: sailing alongside Jack Sparrow somewhere in the Caribbean. Soon, he heard Mercer, who had assisted Barnet in entering the home, follow closely.
Captain Johnathan Barnet's reputation was one that pretty much every single pirate was familiar with. Barnet had made himself known among his enemies by taking part in the East India Trading Company's first attack on a group of pirate vessels. Tracking the ships down had been an easy feat, due to Barnet's flawless ability to follow the trail of a ship by traveling from port to port in hopes of acquiring some valuable information. And once he had found what he was after, Barnet did not hesitate whatsoever in completely annihilating the ships that carried ruthless criminals onboard. Barnet harbored a true hatred for pirates, especially after his brother Cutler Beckett had been murdered by one.
Recently, the East India Trading Company had been criticized of becoming that which they were hunting. However, Barnet considered whatever actions needed to be taken necessary if they were to truly bring the age of piracy to a close. Barnet was sinisterly unmerciful whenever he had a pirate at the business end of a sword; he was a man who went along with the East India Trading Company's plan, but was prepared to accomplish it himself by any means necessary. And if that meant sacrificing the daughter of Port Royal's Governor along with her husband, then so be it.
Mercer made his way upstairs, and as he did so, Barnet began to walk from room to room, taking in the house's rather lavish features. They had decided that this was the best moment to search the house for any incriminating evidence that would prove consequential for the Turners. As Barnet thoroughly searched every bit of the lower level of the house as possible, he began to get the feeling that he had already come to know these people as if they were close friends; every single personal memento seemed to tell everything there was to know about the Turner family. The family portrait, which was created only a short time ago, showed Will, Elizabeth and Michael smiling widely; the artist certainly had done an excellent job of capturing each person's facial and physical features rather well.
Minutes later, Barnet was in the midst of sorting through the dining room when Mercer stealthily approached him from behind. Barnet turned around with an expectant look on his face. "Well?"
"I found nothing incriminating or anything that would hint as to where exactly the Turners disappeared to."
Barnet nodded. "There's no doubt in my mind that they have absconded in the presence of Jack Sparrow."
"And what purpose could possibly be served in joining him yet again?"
"Consider it. The East India Trading Company is currently employing the use of any privateers willing to hunt for the Amulet of Atlantis. With this amulet in our possession, piracy would surely be exterminated in a short matter of time, ensuring us victory. I think it is safe to assume that Sparrow has somehow gotten wind of our plot and is attempting to recover the artifact before we do." Barnet paused for a moment. "I must admit, it was rather ingenious of him to enlist the help of his old friends...with the Turners onboard his ship, he would be ensured safe passage through the blockades that the East India Trading Company has stationed throughout the seas."
"However," said Mercer, "you are operating of your own accord, Captain. You are not working with the East India Trading Company. At least, not anymore."
"Your point being...?"
"Don't you fear failure at this stage?"
Barnet merely smirked wickedly. "Of course not. I have taken careful steps to ensure my success in controlling the seas, however long it may take. I have ships of my own, covertly stationed at ports relatively close to the rumored location of the amulet. I can simply contact them through my...special way and inform them to be on the lookout for Sparrow. Even if we fail in the pursuit of obtaining the amulet, events will still be set in motion that will allow me to emerge victorious one way or the other. And if it means secluding, imprisoning, or even killing a family with as much political influence as this one, then so be it."
"And what if Swann attempts to stand in our way?"
"We will do whatever is necessary, Mr. Mercer. I never lose."
An eerie silence followed Barbet's last words. Finally, after the minutes crept by in agonizing slowness, Barnet spoke again.
"Now, we must continue on in our act of investigating the Turners. Both because we don't want to arouse suspicion from my superiors at the East India Trading Company, and because we need to have sufficient evidence in our possession with which to threaten the Turners if things come to that. I want a list of known friends and/or acquaintances of the Turner family. Perhaps they can shed some light on how often they seemingly vanish into thin air like they just did."
"And how would I go about doing that?" asked Mercer.
"Start by asking Governor Swann. Surely he should be aware of the people his daughter and son-in-law socialize with."
Mercer nodded curtly and exited the house.
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Mary Thomas had been a close, personal friend of Will and Elizabeth Turner ever since they had arrived back in Port Royal onboard the Black Pearl, having just been married by none other than Jack Sparrow; that had been eight years ago. Mary remembered catching a brief glimpse of the buccaneer and also remembered quite vividly the sense of lust that had erupted inside her the moment the captain's eyes had met hers. Before departing from the town, Jack and Mary had rather unexpectedly crossed paths; Jack was obviously drunk and was in search for a good woman with which he could have a one-night fling. One thing had led to another, and that night Mary became that woman. After that night, Mary thought that she would never see Jack Sparrow again, but she turned out to be wrong about that. Over the next two years, Jack covertly came to and from Port Royal to rekindle Mary's and his fiery passion.
Finally, a miracle that Mary never dreamed of had occurred. After their latest fling, Mary discovered that Jack had gotten her pregnant. However, after having told Jack the wonderful news, the pirate had acted scared rather than happy. Mary admitted to herself that at one point in their relationship, she had considered the option of Jack leaving the profession of pirating, but she had come to realize just how foolish she had been. Instead of agreeing to help raise the child, Jack had simply abandoned Mary and her unborn baby, which hardened Mary's demeanor toward the captain considerably. Mary had a girl and decided that on some level, she would give her child something that belonged to her father...in a manner. She had decided to name her child Jacquelyn, borrowing slightly from Jack's name.
Over these past six years, Jacquelyn and Michael, Will and Elizabeth's son, had grown very close as the result of numerous play dates and home-schooling together. From time to time, Jacquelyn showed a streak of mischief that she could only have inherited from her father, and curiously, Michael seemed to possess the exact same quality. Lately, Jacquelyn had been using her creative, yet mischievously cruel mind that was put to work anytime she was crossed had been used to its fullest extent in many different ways against babysitters. The last babysitter for Jacquelyn had been Elizabeth and she had looked after Jacquelyn for an entire weekend when Mary went to visit a family member. What exactly happened between her daughter and Elizabeth, Mary still was not completely sure of. But when Mary returned home, she discovered Jacquelyn in pretty good condition, but Elizabeth was a down-right mess. Her hair was disorderly, her clothes ripped slightly in some places and splotched dirty in others, and an expression that combined both anger and weariness plastered across her face. Elizabeth told Mary to severely punish Jacquelyn for the relentless torment that she had put her through while not going into any specifics. Mary thought it best to let Elizabeth calm down a while by keeping Jacquelyn out of her eyesight. But once Elizabeth had settled, everything went back to normal. But seeing as how Elizabeth was the town's schoolteacher during the fall and spring in addition to a bureaucrat, who could blame the children for feeling the need to have a little fun with her?
Being a prankster was not the only thing Mary was concerned about in terms of her daughter, though. Jacquelyn also found opportunities to question her mother about who her father was. Mary refused to tell Jacquelyn that she was Jack Sparrow's daughter, mainly because she feared her reaction. But Mary knew that she would eventually be forced to tell Jacquelyn the truth; she just had to figure out the appropriate way.
Mary, who was buying herself with duties in the kitchen, was abruptly jolted out of her reverie by the sound of her daughter's voice.
"Mummy?" Jacquelyn called from the kitchen doorway. "There's a man at the door who wants to talk to you."
Curious, Mary dropped what she was doing and turned around to face Jacquelyn. "What did this man look like?"
"Important."
"Did this man say what he wanted to talk to me about?"
Jacquelyn shook her head. "No. He just asked me to go get you."
Mary wiped her hands with a cloth and nodded. "Alright. I'm coming." Mary followed Jacquelyn out of the kitchen, through a narrow hallway, and ended up in front of the main door, which was open. A man with a white wig perched on top of his head and navy blue robes draped over his body stood there, a look of unwavering seriousness on his face. He nodded curtly.
"Miss Mary Thomas, I presume?" The man's tone of voice was able to convey the fact that he was without a doubt a dignified person of government.
"Correct," Mary answered. "And who are you?"
Without an invitation, the man stepped inside the house while removing his overcoat. Another man behind him, who appeared even more cold in demeanor, took it.
"Captain Jonathan Barnet," Barnet introduced himself, "of the East India Trading Company."
"And to what do I owe the pleasure of being visited by a man of your stature?" Mary asked politely.
"What I'm here to discuss could easily be considered quite...sensitive. Do you have a place where we can talk in private?" Once he was finished, Barnet glanced down at Jacquelyn.
Picking up on what Barnet meant, Mary bent down to say something in Jacquelyn's ear. "Why don't you go up to your room and let us have some privacy? Could you do that, dear?"
Jacquelyn looked at each adult before finally answering the question. "Alright, Mummy." And with that, Jacquelyn climbed up the stairs that led to the house's upper level and went into her room.
"This way, please." Mary motioned to the study door, which stood ajar at the end of the hallway.
Once both Mary and Barnet were inside, Mary closed the door behind them. Then, they both sat down in plush armchairs that were situated in front of a nice, cozy fire.
"Now, what was it you wanted to discuss with me?" Mary inquired.
Barnet did not waste any time at all in getting straight down to business. "If I'm not mistaken, you are a rather close acquaintance of the Turner family, are you not?"
Mary nodded. "Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Tell me, how well do you know them?"
Mary considered the question and shrugged. "Pretty well, I guess. We've known each other for eight years now."
"And in those eight years, would you say you shared everything with each other?"
"Of course." Mary paused uncertainly. "Excuse me, Captain. But I don't really see where you're taking this."
Barnet waved a hand idly. "Forgive me. I'll get straight to it, shall I? Have the Turners ever divulged any information on partaking in certain acts of...questionable legality?"
Mary gave Barnet a quizzical look. "Do you mean piracy?"
Barnet simply nodded his head.
Mary hesitated. It was true, Will and Elizabeth had trusted Mary enough to confide in her the information concerning their past misadventures with Jack Sparrow. So it came as a genuine surprise to her that the East India Trading Company would be interested in this aspect of the couple's lives after all these years. Putting on the most convincing expression possible, Mary answered the question in a tone that suggested she really did not know anything. "No. Will and Elizabeth never talked about or even mentioned coming as close as a mile to a pirate since the whole Davy Jones incident, if that is indeed what you mean. After all, you should know that they were cleared of all charges once they exposed that bastardy Beckett's secret desires."
Barnet's face hardened considerably. "Yes, I am aware of that. However, I'd advise you to watch what you say about Lord Cutler Beckett. Mainly because he was my brother."
Mary's face drained of all color in an instant.
"Now, you should know two things. One, if the Turners took part in any acts of piracy since they were cleared of their previous charges, that would mean they would be violating British law, therefore resulting in their immediate arrest. And two, lying to a man in my position does have its serious repercussions."
"I'm not lying to you, Captain!" Mary protested.
"Somehow, I don't believe you." An uneasy silence followed those last few words, which was broken at last by Barnet. "Tell me, what are the Turners' occupations in the town?"
"Exactly why do you wish to know that?"
Barnet smirked. "I just want to know if it is normal for them to simply disappear without any indication of where they might be going. And keep in mind, Miss Thomas, that if you were to withhold information from me, I could have you arrested and put in jail."
Mary instantly became nervous upon hearing those words, and seeing no other alternative, decided to tell Barnet. "William works with his father in the blacksmith workshop where they make quite a bit of money these days, and Elizabeth is the town's new schoolteacher in the fall and spring seasons."
Barnet gave Mary a curious look. "Schoolteacher? I thought all children were home-schooled by their parents."
"On occasion. But for the majority of the year, they attend school in the normal fashion, under the watchful eye of Elizabeth. She is rather fond of children," Mary snickered, "that is, when she isn't the target of their amusing little pranks. After all, children will be children, and what better person to take out their frustration on than the person who gives them stressful work? But all the same, Elizabeth respects the children and the children respect her back...when they're not putting a pinecone in her chair, for example."
"And this is in addition to their duties as bureaucrats?"
"Yes."
"So it would appear that they wouldn't be people you'd expect to sail with, say...Jack Sparrow?"
Mary cleared her throat at the mention of Jack's name. "No."
Barnet seemed to mistake that as a form of hiding something, because a very curious expression crossed his face at that moment. However, he didn't say anything. Instead, Barnet merely rose from his chair.
"Thank you. I believe that will be all, unless of course, you have anything else to add?"
Mary shook her head. "No, Captain. Nothing."
"Very well, then." And with that, Barnet turned on his heel and exited the house.
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Outside, Mercer met Barnet at his awaiting carriage.
"Any luck?" he asked.
"No. She's lying to me, though. I can sense it."
"So what would you like to do about it?"
"I need this leverage to use against the Turners so I can get what I want. Miss Thomas won't willingly say what she knows. She'll have to be coerced."
"That is, if we're sure she knows anything at all."
"She knows something. There's no doubt in my mind about it. You realize, of course Mr. Mercer, that you'll have to do what we discussed in secrecy. No one can get wise to why we are really here; we can't afford it."
"I understand, Captain."
Mercer pulled something out of the inside of his robes: a knife. He twirled it in his fingers menacingly before entering the carriage alongside Barnet.