Revenge of the Mad Scientist (Book One: Airship Adventure Chronicles) (9 page)

Sam gave him a skeptical look. “Do you really think we can slip out of here without him catching up to us?”

“I don’t know. But even if he does, we can prove we have the cargo run and will be getting paid for it. If he wants his money, he’ll let us complete the delivery.”

Sam shook his head. “Seems like the vindictive type to me. He may not give us another chance.”

Rett gritted his teeth. He couldn’t allow the Baron to take his ship. They had to find a way to leave Eagle’s Peak with the cargo. Once they had the money for delivery, there was nothing the Baron could do…he hoped.

They headed down the steps through the gondola and out the exit to the gangplank. The crew had pulled them down enough so they were able to walk out onto the floor of the hanger.

“Sign here, Captain.” One of the landing crew held a billing sheet out to Rett. “You can settle up in the office before you leave.”

Rett nodded absentmindedly and scrawled his name across the bottom of the bill. He pulled the telegram from the cargo company out of his pocket and looked at the address. “Thanks. Can you direct us to the Burton Cargo office?”

“Aye, Captain. It’s in the main aeroport building just across the landing field from this hanger.” He pointed out the main doors.

Rain came down in a thick curtain outside and Rett arched an eyebrow at Sam. “Run?”

Sam shrugged and motioned with one hand for Rett to precede him.

Rett pulled his long oiled coat’s collar up and ran across the yard to the tall red brick building where the terminal and main offices of the aeroport were located. Sam followed, sloshing along behind him. They plowed through the double doors and stood breathing hard, dripping all over the cream colored marble floor.

People scattered about the terminal, some staring out the large windows at the effects of the storm, others visited vender booths or the counters of travel companies. No ships were taking off in the harsh weather so the terminal was in a holding pattern.

“There.” Sam gestured to a sign that pointed down a hall indicating the direction of the Burton Cargo office.

They walked down the hall passing people coming and going. He pushed past several men exiting the office of the freight company. Rett walked up to the counter and smiled at the young woman who appeared to be their receptionist. He admired the golden curls, pulled up on top of her head in front then cascading down her back. She looked at him with bright blue eyes shaded by thick brown lashes. “May I help you?”

“Hello, I’m Captain Everette Brockton. I have a contract to pick up a cargo for delivery to Jenta.” He gave her his best rogue smile and was rewarded by the attractive curl of her lips and fluttered eyelashes.

“Just wait, Captain. I’ll let Mr. Burton know you’re here.” She threw a coquettish look over her shoulder and walked down the hall behind the counter.

Rett enjoyed the view of the cinched waist of her corset and the sway of her bustle as she strolled away. If they had an overnight here, he might be interested in a little light dalliance. Sam jabbed an elbow in his side to bring him back to the present.

“What?” Rett gave him a sharp glance.

“Keep your mind on business.” Sam frowned at him.

“Okay, okay.” He turned away and leaned back against the counter, scanning the other people in the room. They didn’t have to wait long until the receptionist returned, accompanied by a middle-aged man with graying hair and wire-rimmed glasses.

“Captain Brockton?” The man came around the counter.

“That’s me,” Rett said. He extended a hand and the other man took it hesitantly.

“I’m sorry, Captain, but we assumed since you missed the pickup time yesterday that you would not be available for the shipment. We had to assign the cargo to another transport.”

The floor seemed to fall out from beneath Rett. They needed this job desperately. Their bank account was empty. They didn’t even have enough money to pay for the covered slip, much less the huge amount they owed the Baron.

“I’m sorry. We had a broken regulator take us down in Topol yesterday. Perhaps you have another cargo we could take on.”

“Not at the present time, Captain. I’m sorry, but Burton Cargo prides itself on making its shipments on time.”

“I see. Well, we’ll be around a few days. If a shipment becomes available, we’re in hanger number four.” In fact they wouldn’t be going anywhere if they didn’t come up with some money.

“Very well.” The man inclined his head and headed back down the hall to his office. The pretty receptionist gave Rett an apologetic smile and began helping another customer.

He and Sam walked out of the office, back to the main terminal area.

“Dammit,” Rett exclaimed and pounded a fist into a palm.

“What are we going to do?” Sam raised his brows.

“We have to come up with a fare, either cargo or passage. We’ll hang out around here for a while and see if anything becomes available.”

“Look, I know you don’t like it but we should register with the charter office.”

Rett scratched his chin. “I guess that would be a good idea. I hate charters though. Dealing with people on my ship always makes me want to kill somebody.”

“You’ll have to bloody deal with it, mate. We need the money if we’re going to keep the ship.” He punched Rett in the shoulder and headed off to register
Gambit
as available for charter.

Rett’s gaze circled the terminal as if searching for a magical way out of their dilemma. But the only sight was the sedate parade of passengers waiting for the storm to pass so they could continue their journeys. His mind raced from one impossible scenario to another for pulling them out of this mess. Without his ship he couldn’t make money, and he wouldn’t be able to get his ship out of the hanger without paying the bill. The longer they stayed in Eagle’s Peak the more likely it was that one of the Baron’s men would find them and demand payment for the loan. They barely had enough money left for a few meals.

He stumbled against a counter when a shrill alarm sounded outside. It was a repetitive blast that he recognized with an icy chill of fear—an airship had crashed. People rushed to the windows running across the front of the terminal trying to see past the curtain of rain. Their gasps and exclamations of horror rang in his ears along with the continuing shriek of the alarm.

Steam carts roared out clanging their bells with the emergency personnel clinging to the sides as they raced to the site of the crash. Rett squinted but he couldn’t see through the deluge of water.

“What happened?” Sam was at his elbow.

“A crash,” Rett said. Sam’s expression turned grim and his skin blanched.

Rett took Sam’s shoulder and pulled him away from the window to distract him. He knew airship crashes brought back memories of Sam’s own disaster and the pain he had suffered to recover.

“What did they say in the charter office?” Rett asked.

Sam shook his head. “No charters at the current time. I put us down for any trip that comes up, but there are at least five other ships listed ahead of us.”

“Damn,” Rett muttered. As much as he hated charters he would have been dancing a jig to find one that would pull them out of their current financial difficulties.

“What are we going to do?” Sam crossed his arms.

“I don’t know." Rett chewed his bottom lip. “Look, I’m beat. Let’s go get something to eat that hasn’t been in a galley hold for the past three months, and then I want to sleep at least twelve hours. After that maybe I can come up with a plan.”

Sam let out a deep breath and nodded. “I’m pretty tired myself and I could use a good hot meal.”

“Looks like the rain is letting up. Let’s go over to the tavern and grab a bite.”

Indeed, the rain had slowed to a drizzle. The emergency vehicles came roaring back from the crash, stretchers lashed to the sides. He hurried Sam away so he wouldn’t have to witness the bodies. Bloody unlucky, that crash. He hoped whoever was onboard had survived. They stamped through the mud and deep puddles to the tavern, intent on forgetting their predicament at least until tomorrow.

Chapter 6

Belle’s head was a balloon filled with pain. She cracked open her eyes. A gas light overhead cast a dim glow over the white walled room. The smell of antiseptic hit her nostrils and her gaze wavered for a few moments. She groaned and someone came to her side, placing a cool hand on her brow.

“You’re okay, My Lady,” a musical female voice told her.

Belle blinked several times and focused on a young woman in white smiling down at her. A white cap on her head identified her as a nurse, and her blond hair was pulled back in a bun

“What happened?” Belle asked. She didn’t seem to have any recent memory.

“The airship you were on crashed.”

Belle studied the fuzzy image of the nurse’s face and her eyes focused. What about Benji and Jasper?

The nurse patted her hand. “Don’t worry. Your friends are okay. Everyone on the ship survived thanks to the quick thinking of the captain. He jettisoned the inflatable as soon as you hit the ground. It was a remarkable bit of flying according to the witnesses.”

“Thank God,” Belle murmured.

“Yes, just rest now. You’re fine.”

Belle pulled herself to a sitting position in the bed under the watchful eye of the nurse. Her head gave a spin and then settled down.

“When can I leave?” she asked.

“Not until the doctor releases you. But you don’t have any serious injuries.”

“I’d like to see the doctor then.”

The nurse gave her a skeptical glance but she left the room and after several minutes returned with a gray haired man in a white coat. He studied her through wire-rimmed spectacles.

“I’m Dr. Gurse. The nurse tells me you wanted to speak to me.” His expression eased as he saw she seemed to be doing well, and he flipped through a chart.

“Yes, doctor. If I’m okay, I’d like to be released without delay. This accident interrupted an important trip.”

He gave her a sharp glance and then asked to look into her eyes with his scope. He also listened to her heart and breathing through tubes connected to brass cones he placed on her chest. He turned several wheels on the device and then nodded.

“You don’t seem to have sustained any serious injury. I have no reason to ask you to stay if you wish to leave.”

“What about my friends?”

“I haven’t checked them yet this morning, but I didn’t see anything acute last night when you were brought in.”

“Thank you, doctor. I’d like to leave then.”

“Very well, My Lady, if you insist. I’ll sign your discharge papers at once.”

He left the room and she slowly pulled her legs over the side of the bed hoping the weakness in her limbs would pass. She inched one toe down to the cold marble floor. Finally her head cleared and she was able to stand without wobbling. She found her clothes had been washed and pressed, then hung in the small closet of the hospital room. Her hands quickly searched her coat pocket and she gave a sigh of relief that her watch was still there. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing her last remaining link with her father.

“Belle,” Benji exclaimed when she entered his room a few minutes later. “Can we g, g, go now?”

He and Jasper appeared only a little battered, thank God. Jasper had a small bandage on his forehead and Benji’s left wrist was wrapped in gauze. How amazing no one had been killed in the incident. Gratitude swelled her heart.

“Where’s Captain Joe?” she asked.

“He’s in another room,” Jasper said. “He broke his arm.”

“I must go see him,” Belle said, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She felt horrible this trip had cost him so much.

Benji swung his legs over the side of the bed. “What shall we d, d, do now, Belle? We can’t continue without a ship.”

“I need to talk to Captain Joe. You two can see about getting us rooms for the night. I hope we will be able to retrieve our belongings from
Fantasy Flyer
.”

“We’ll take care of all that, My Lady.” Jasper perked up when he realized he could be of use in this situation, always happiest in full butler mode.

She left their room and walked up the hall to the desk where one of the nurses stood writing in a chart.

“I’d like to see Captain Joe, please,” she said to the woman. “Can you tell me which room he’s in?”

“Yes, My Lady. He’s in number eight over there.” She pointed to a door across the hall.

Captain Joe lay propped up on two pillows, drinking a cup of coffee when she entered. His head was wrapped in gauze and one arm hung in a sling. But when he saw her, his face brightened and he smiled.

“Well, I’m glad to see you’re in one piece, My Lady,” he said. “That was a very bad business.”

“I wish I could say the same for you.” She went to the side of the bed and touched his bandaged arm. “I’m very sorry about all this.”

“Not your fault. It’s the risk we take in this business. I’m the captain and the blame if any rests on me.”

“Will you be able to repair the inflatable?” she asked.

“Not for at least a week. I’ve had the aeroport manager in here this morning giving me the bad news. There’s no spare inflatable on site. They’ll have to have one sent over from Cross Roads and the next shipment of parts is not for four days.” He shook his head.

“Oh, dear.” Belle knew by that time it would be too late to help her father. Four days head start would allow them to hide him away deep in Carabarras by the time she arrived. She couldn’t bear the thought of going back to Urbannia and just waiting around until the authorities decided to look in the right place. Her father needed her and deep down she knew he was counting on her.

“You don’t need to stay with me, My Lady.” Captain Joe patted her hand. “I know you’ve got an important reason to continue your trip as quickly as possible. So if you find someone who can take you on, you should do that.”

“I appreciate your understanding, dear Captain.” She smiled. “But I have little hope that I can find someone trustworthy who will undertake such a voyage on a moment’s notice.”

The captain frowned and nodded. “Yes, Carabarras is not the most ideal destination. But you never know. Check with the charter office. I can refund part of the money you paid since we didn’t make it very far.”