Meanwhile, Seltie, alerted by the screech of the stairs and the agitated fowl, which raised such a great honking alarm that a dog began barking in the distance, was peering out the window again. She recognized Noddak by his travel cloak and watched him speaking into the little black device. She ran back to the bedside. “He’s talking to a little box, Vett. I don’t know what that means.”
“It means that I have to leave Lone Island right now,” Vetta said.
“Leave? Now? You can’t go anywhere. You just had a baby. You need to rest.”
“I can’t rest, Tee. Not with that man after me. I’ll take my sailboat to the mainland. Help me gather a few things.”
“I know you Torph women are strong after birthing, but, Vett, this is too much. And the wind has been rough today, too. How can you even think—after what happened to poor Mr. Brackenpool, and he was only out fishing…”
“I miss him, Seltie, I do. But dead is dead, and he’s not coming back. It’s up to us now. And I’m telling you, I have to go. Right now. Feyar City is my only hope. There’s someone there I know of who can help.”
“Even if you make it to Southport in this weather, it’s still a long way north to Feyar City, hundreds of miles. And you with a newborn, no less!”
Noddak, back at his listening post on the porch, had heard enough. I need to talk to that woman before she does something stupid. He crept as quietly as he could around to the back door and tried the handle. It was open. Slowly, he turned the handle and opened the door wide. He stepped inside, and wham! An iron frying pan hit him right in the face. He went down like a stone, his head reeling.
“I got him, Vett! I got him right in the kisser! Do you want me to—”
“No! Don’t kill him. Let’s just go!”
“If you say so,” Seltie said dubiously, “but I still think—” She raised the frying pan for a mortal blow.
“Tee! Leave him. Come help me, please!”
Seltie glared at the barely conscious Noddak. “Best you just lie still, you hear me? Don’t make me use this skillet again, or you’ll regret it.”
Noddak groaned, but still could not speak.
Seltie fetched Vetta’s hiking pack and loaded it with a few essentials of clothing and food. “Ain’t room for much more—you’ll have to make do with what you can buy or find along the way. All set?”
Vetta took the pack and started for the door, carrying the swaddled infant. “My diary! And my necklace!” From a drawer in her bedside table, she found the oilskin pouch containing her heirloom medallion and her diary, tucked it into her blouse, then took the baby out the front door. Meanwhile, Seltie had been preparing a second backpack.
Noddak picked himself up and staggered into the main room of the little house just in time to see Vetta and Seltie run out the front door and close it behind them. Noddak hesitated long enough to be sure he wouldn’t get another frying pan in the face, then cautiously opened the front door.
He watched Vetta and Seltie dash across the spit to Vetta’s tiny sailboat tied to the dock. The women threw the backpacks into the craft, then jumped in after them. A heartbeat later, the little boat pulled away from the dock and headed out into the heaving bay.
Noddak squinted into the spray. He caught one final glimpse of the sailboat, then it vanished behind a swell. He pulled the black device from his pocket again and pushed a button, and waited for an acknowledgment. “Noddak again. I want to report that the mission is a complete success! What? Um … well, that presents a problem. The midwife, she, uh, well, she managed to incapacitate me, and all three of them got away. What? Yes, that’s right: incapacitated me. You want specifics? Fine—they mistook me for a bad guy and clonked me on the head with a frying pan. Fry. Ing. Pan. Yes, you heard right. Then they left the island on a sailboat. I overheard them say they were going to Southport, then from there north to Feyar City. No, I didn’t “let” them get away. They fled the island while I was semi-conscious. Why did they mistake me for a bad guy? Well, why do you think, you imbecile—my blasted bad temper! You want some of it? Just wait until I get back to HQ! What? What do you mean I’m not going back to HQ? Of course I’m—oh. I see. Feyar City, huh? Madame Entigy herself ordered it personally. Ehem. Well. If I must, then I must. I’ll report once I arrive there. Noddak out.”
I should have guessed, Noddak thought. Madame Entigy isn’t one for letting a fellow off the hook. I’m not going tonight, though—I have to get some rest. Feyar City, eh? Well, it’ll be good to see old Cheeseboy again.
Then, at last, the blow to Noddak’s head took hold. He staggered into the house and collapsed onto the floor. The last thing he remembered was the mob from the inn crashing into the house.