842. Chapter 842

After The Limey

Episode 4.20

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Blimey, Guv'nor. I don't own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

Author's note: This is a sequel to chapters 785, 788, 808 and 830.

The slender woman, dressed in a black dress with a black lace mantilla covering her chestnut hair and her face, slipped quietly into the Cathedral of Santa Maria de la Encarnacion. When her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw the man she had come all the way to Santo Domingo to see.

She knelt in a pew behind the black robed figure. "Father Ryan?"

"Yes, my child?"

"I have come from your cousin, Kevin Ryan. I'm Captain…"

"No names, my child. No names."

"Certainly. I'm looking for information about Don Tomas Hijo de Puta Y Demming, the bastard half-brother of the governor of Jamaica, Sir William Bracken."

"You realize that what he told me is under the seal of the confession, do you not?"

Captain Kate Beckett nodded. "Both men are evil scoundrels who have robbed and killed throughout the Caribbean, Father. I need to stop them."

"I fear I have no information for you, my child. The confessions of Don Tomas concern physical liaisons with the wives and daughters of his underlings, the maids at the Governor's Palace, women of the street, sheep, cows, and several dogs. There are also liaisons with a palm tree in the city square, a table in the Governor's dining room, an old carriage and the kitchen fireplace in his home. He has told me nothing of any criminal activities involving Sir William." Father Ryan stopped and looked pensive. "I do confess, however, that his confessions are quite long and repetitive and I sometimes fall asleep during them."

The Father's conversation was cut off by the slamming open of the church door and the sound of booted feet.

"Soldiers!" Kate said, spring up and heading for the side door. Her blood froze as she heard the voice of the Swedish renegade, Ole Sorenson, calling to his men. "Ya, ve catch da bitch an' den ve drink beers and visit de sauna."

Rushing into the darkened streets of nighttime Santo Domingo, Kate almost tripped over a man lying in the gutter. He grabbed her booted ankle. "Say, will you stake a fellow Englishman to a meal?"

Kate sighed and tossed the man a peso. But when she turned to leave, she saw that the street before her was blocked by soldiers. Turning around, she saw more soldiers. She began to draw her blade.

"I think we should get out of here." Said the shabby man, getting up.

"The street is blocked in both directions. If you walk away slowly, they won't hurt you. It's me they're after."

The man nodded. "Then we should both leave. Luckily, I know the quick way to every pub in Santo Domingo." The man pushed on a wall which gave way, leading them to a small alley and then through a courtyard. The man led Kate for several minutes and they ended up in a darkened pub.

"Maria! Un cervesa, por favor." He was handed a large pot of beer.

Suddenly an armed soldier walked in and saw them. "Manos arriba!"

The man threw up his hands, sending the heavy ceramic pot of beer upwards. It then landed on the soldier's head, knocking him out. "Perhaps we should leave." The man said. "This place seems a mite unfriendly."

"Where will we go?" Kate asked. "Soldiers are everywhere."

"We go down." He led her to a trapdoor in the back which opened up to show a small boat sitting in a small stream.

"If you can get to the ocean, I have a ship. I'm Captain Kate Beckett of the Revenge."

The man held out his hand. "I'm old Ben Gunn. Could you use a good gunner's mate, Captain? I served in the Royal Navy as a gunner."

Kate signed him on right there.

Several days later, the Revenge was sailing through the Windward Passage, in hopes of finding a pirate ship that Bracken had sent out to raid the shipping of all nations. "Sail, ho!" Cried the lookout. "Two sail, two points off the starboard bow."

Kate took out her telescope as her husband, Dr. Richard Castle joined her. "What do you see, Kate?"

Kate cursed. "It's a Royal Navy frigate. She's HMS Sumptuous. I saw her last summer in Grenada. Her guns have twice our weight of metal, but she's slow."

"Then we can just outrun her."

Kate shook her head. "There's another ship with her, the Sloop John B. She's a privateer owned by Bracken. She hasn't got our firepower, but she's faster. She'll close on us and try to slow us down until Sumptuous can come up and blast us."

"Perhaps a shot or two would slow them down." Ben Gunn said, knuckling his forelock to Kate.

"We'd never hit them from here. Our stern chasers are only six pounders."

"Suppose you let me try."

"We have nothing to lose." Rick said.

Kate nodded. "Try, then."

Gunn, as well as his gun crew, Rick, Kate and Alexis went to the Captain's cabin in the stern of the ship where the guns covering the rear of the ship were. Kate blushed as she saw her flimsy underwear scattered all over the cabin. "Um, my husband and I were just married, so…"

"Don't worry." Gunn said, as he and his crew loaded and ran out the gun. Gunn took careful aim and fired. When the smoke cleared, they could see that the foremast had fallen.

"Damn it." Said Gunn. "I missed. I was aiming at the mainmast." Once again they loaded and fired the gun. This time they saw the mainmast fall overboard. "That should keep them away." Gunn said, satisfied.

"The frigate is still chasing us." Alexis said. "If we were to slow a bit and make them think they could catch us, we might lead them over the Matanzas Bank and run them aground."

Kate smiled. "Rig a sea anchor to slow us down and Alexis, chart us a course that'll lead them right to the Matanzas Bank.

Hours later Kate could see the Sumptuous was less than a mile astern. Through her telescope she could see he gun crews getting ready. Then the frigate chasing them came to a sudden stop against a sand bank. As she watched, the pressure of the wind on the sails became too much and the ship's masts snapped.

As Kate's crew cheered, she gave her orders. "Turn about. I want to see if we can catch the Sloop John B. Taking her will infuriate Bracken and we may be able to us her."

The Revenge took in her sails a nightfall and it wasn't until dawn that they found their quarry, wallowing in the sea.

"She looks deserted." Rick said.

"They could be laying low, hoping to board us. We'll go in to half pistol shot range and if anything is amiss, we'll blast them."

But when Kate led a boarding party to the ship, they found the ship's boats gone and the crew with them.

A search of the captain's cabin brought Alexis running to Kate and her father. "Look! There are papers from Bracken himself ordering his ship to attack any ship worth anything. This proves that Bracken is corrupt."

"But how can we get them to someone in authority? Bracken has people everywhere."

"Perhaps I can be of help." Said a cultured English voice.

Everyone turned to face Ben Gunn.

"Perhaps I should properly introduce myself. I'm Jordan Shaw, special investigator to King George, looking into events here in the Caribbean."

"Can you get these to the proper authorities in London?" Kate asked.

"I can try, but I can guarantee nothing. Bracken is a wealthy and powerful man, and he has many friends. People who are invested in his success."

Kate thought for a second and handed the papers to Jordan Shaw. "I wish you good luck."

"Excuse me." Rick said. "But I had understood Jordan Shaw was a woman."

"I am."

"But we were in the head together, and you're a….woman? You saw…." Castle blushed deeply.

"A woman and a master of disguise. Or perhaps I should say I'm a mistress of disguise?" Jordan said lightly.

"I'm a woman, too." Kate said in a sultry voice.

"That's different. That's…"

"Perhaps after we send this lady on her way to London, I can show you again what a woman is like."

"I can't wait."