Dead Before Sundown

“Won’t you come in?” Beswick invited Frank and Meg. “You might as well be comfortable while we wait.”

They followed the captain into his cabin. Like all the other cabins on the Jupiter, the room was small, but it was comfortably furnished with a bunk, a desk, a map table, and a couple of chairs. A bookcase was built into one wall.

“Would you like a drink?” Beswick asked Frank. “I have some decent brandy.”

“I’m obliged, but no thanks,” Frank said. He wasn’t that much of a drinker under normal circumstances. With Salty missing, Frank knew he might need a clear head even more than he usually did.

“I’m sure Monroe will be back shortly with the news that he’s found Mr. Stevens.”

Frank thought the captain was pretty irritated by the situation, but Beswick was trying to keep that from showing. The shipping line would want him to be polite to the passengers.

“The thing is, Salty doesn’t really know anybody else on the ship, either the passengers or the crew,” Meg said. “He wouldn’t have any reason to be in somebody else’s cabin.”

Frank said, “We think he’s gone ashore.”

Beswick frowned. “Into the settlement, you mean? Why would he do that? I explained to everyone about what sort of place Powderkeg Bay is.”

“That wouldn’t mean much to a man like Salty. He’s likely traipsed through every hell-on-wheels between the Rio Grande and the Milk River,” Frank said.

Of course, the same comment could be made about him.

“Salty used to drink quite a bit, too,” Meg added worriedly.

“Ah,” Beswick said. “I see.”

Anger flashed in Meg’s blue eyes. “I don’t think you do,” she said. “Salty’s not just some old drunk. He’s been all over the West and done just about everything there is to do.”

“I meant no offense, Miss Goodwin. Still, you have to admit, you are worried about him because you think he may have slipped off to some saloon in the settlement.”

Meg couldn’t deny that, so she settled for just glaring in silence as they waited for the young sailor, Monroe, to return.

That took about ten minutes. Beswick said, “Come in,” when someone rapped on the door. Monroe stepped inside, holding his cap respectfully in front of him.

“Mr. Stevens isn’t onboard, sir,” he reported.

Beswick frowned in surprise. “You’re sure of that?”

“Aye, sir. I found Mr. Handlesman, told him what you said, and he organized a search party. We checked everywhere, even in the cargo hold.”

“And you didn’t find Mr. Stevens?”

“No, sir.”

Beswick turned to Frank and Meg. “It looks like you may have been right. My apologies for doubting you.”

Frank didn’t care about apologies. He said, “Now that we know Salty’s not onboard, I’ll go take a look for him in the settlement.”

“Not alone,” Beswick said. “That wouldn’t be wise.”

Meg said, “He won’t be alone. I’m going with him.”

“That would be even more unwise.” Beswick looked at the sailor. “Monroe, you and Mr. Handlesman and the rest of that search party will accompany Mr. Morgan ashore.”

“I don’t want to have to keep up with a bunch of sailors,” Frank said.

“With all due respect, Mr. Morgan, that decision isn’t yours to make. I’m charged with the safety of my passengers, and I intend to see to it that I deliver each and every one of them safely to Seattle. Besides, you can use the help. Mr. Handlesman is my second mate and a good man.”

Frank supposed it wouldn’t hurt to have some of the crew with him, especially if Powderkeg Bay really was as wild and woolly a place as everybody said it was.

“All right, but I’m going ashore now. Salty could already be up to his neck in trouble.”

“There’s no doubt about that,” Beswick agreed.

“What about me?” Meg demanded.

“Go back to your cabin and wait,” Frank told her. “Sorry, but that’s the way it’s got to be.”

“I don’t like it,” she muttered darkly, “but I reckon we shouldn’t waste time standing around arguing. We’ve wasted too blasted much of it already.”

“I’ll see that the young lady gets back to her cabin safely,” Beswick said, which earned him another glare from Meg.

Frank and Monroe left them there and hurried back up to the deck. The continuing drizzle made it a little slippery under Frank’s boots.

Monroe found the second mate, Handlesman, who turned out to be a stocky gent with a bulldog face and red hair under his cap. Even though he clearly didn’t care for the orders that Monroe delivered, he quickly gathered up several sailors to serve as the search party.