The Mousehunter Read Online Free Page B

only hardened. “I’ll tell you in no uncertain terms, if you complete this task then I’ll make you the richest and most famous privateer that ever lived.”
    Drewshank’s eyes glazed over for a moment, and then he shifted in his seat. He’d be damned if he’d roll over for Lovelock quite so quickly.
    “I must admit, you’ve got me interested, but you’ll need to give me more information to persuade me. For a start, why are you so impatient to send me off tomorrow?”
    Lovelock walked to the map. He pointed to Hamlyn, a port nestled on a small rocky island just two days’ sailing from Old Town.
    “My merchant ship, the
Lady Caroline,
was attacked and sunk in the seas north of Hamlyn. That infernal pirate Mousebeard was involved, and I want you to see to it that he never sails again.”
    Drewshank noted that Lovelock’s breathing had hastened slightly, and a tinge of color appeared in his cheeks. The captain raised an eyebrow. “That’s no small task, Isiah,” he said. “But I see you’ve upped the reward for his capture.”
    “You’ve noticed my posters then?”
    “I haven’t met a sailor who doesn’t have one pinned to his hammock posts. Everyone in Old Town dreams of catching him.”
    Lovelock smiled thinly. “There’s a lot of talk of catching Mousebeard in the taverns, but so far I’ve not seen one captain so much as point his ship in the right direction, let alone put up a fight. Why, if I was younger I’d go myself . . . .”
    Lovelock’s hand tensed and he clenched the jacket over his chest. He gripped the desk with his other hand and gazed at its surface: “And with
Lady Caroline
now resting on the ocean floor, I’m going to have to take the mouse by the whiskers, so to speak.”
    He turned to Drewshank. “I want you to hunt him down,” he said forcefully. “You so often claim you’re the best there is, captain, so prove it — I’ll pay for whatever you need. That reward will be mere pennies compared to what I will give you if you succeed. Are you up to it?”
    Drewshank’s head was suddenly filled with all the terrifying stories that had been told of the pirate; tales of incredible sea battles, horrific torture, and senseless murder. But his head had never bettered his heart when it came to making decisions, and Lovelock’s final challenge roused him. He smoothed his hair and stood up.
    “You ask a lot, but you ask the right man, Lovelock. Mousebeard’s
Silver Shark
will be no match for my ship!”
    “That’s the kind of talk I need to hear. There’s another small thing I ask of you though . . . .”
    “Hmmm . . . What is it?”
    “I need him brought back to Old Town alive. The
Lady Caroline
was carrying something exceptionally important. Mousebeard is certain to have it, and I want it back.”
    Drewshank sat down again. “I should have known there would be some funny business involved,” he muttered.
    “What’s that?” said Lovelock sharply.
    “I asked what this exceptionally important thing might be.”
    “You don’t need to know, Drewshank . . . .”
    “So it’s one of your more secret investments that you’d rather were kept quiet, is it, Isiah?”
    “You could not overestimate its importance, captain,” said Lovelock, deadly serious. It was clear he did not appreciate Drewshank’s insinuation.
    “But you put this most important thing in the care of those fools on the
Lady Caroline
?” said Drewshank. “If you’d asked me to transport it in the first place, you wouldn’t have had half this trouble!”
    “Very true, captain. But here I am now, asking for your help, and prepared to pay you a fortune for it.”
    Drewshank smiled and straightened his collar.
    “A fortune?”
    “Enough to see you wealthy for the rest of your days . . . ”
    “Hundreds of thousands?”
    “At the very least . . . ”
    Lovelock sat down in his chair and took a large bank draft from the drawer of his desk. He scribbled an amount across its center and signed it in his