Steve saw that Rita was not with either one of them. That worried him, though he would have preferred to see her with Wayne; Steve doubted he would hurt her. He understood, though, that Wayne was using Roland to sabotage Hunter’s search. That much was obvious.

Steve glanced over his shoulder and waited for a couple of passersby to move on. Wayne was still sitting at the table. Steve pressed the button on the communicator pinned to his shirt and spoke quietly.

“Hunter, Steve here. Wayne Nystrom is here and Roland is working with him. I’ve seen them together, but Rita wasn’t with them.”

“Give me your location,” said Hunter. “We will join you as soon as we can.”

“He’s getting up,” Steve said suddenly. “He’s walking away. I’ll tail him, Hunter, and keep talking so you can track me. He’s turning…toward the waterfront.”

“What is the name of your street?” Hunter asked. “We can intercept him.”

“Uh-” Steve glanced around but saw no signs anywhere. “I can’t tell. I don’t see a sign. This place is pretty haphazard compared to a city like Mojave Center.”

“I understand. Continue speaking and I will follow your signal. Your voice will be clearer than the static and background street sounds alone.”

“Here goes,” said Steve, as he moved down the street at a safe distance behind Wayne. “I don’t want him to see me because that will really put him on the defensive. I don’t know if he has Rita locked up somewhere or if she’s still with Roland.”

“When I have caught Wayne,” said Hunter, “I believe we can learn something about her. Wait for me to join you. Otherwise, I fear that he will escape you. Also, I am concerned that a real fight may attract attention and alter the behavior of the locals. I do not want to risk their involvement.”

“He may get away anyhow,” said Steve. “I can’t follow him too closely. This street doesn’t have enough people on it for me to hide among. If he turns, he’ll see me.”

“Your signal is much stronger,” said Hunter. “We are walking as quickly as we can without attracting a great deal of attention.”

“He just turned onto the waterfront. He’s walking west and looking at stuff in the booths and shops.” Steve shifted into a jog as Wayne moved around a corner.

By the time Steve had rounded the corner, Wayne was out of sight. Steve looked around frantically, then saw him again, idly examining a clay pot that was for sale.

“If it’s a choice of grabbing Wayne or losing him, which should I do?”

“Do not risk a disturbance,” Hunter said firmly.

8

Rita finished her herbal tea, glancing about for both Roland and Hunter’s team. Since every sight was new and exciting to her, the time passed quickly. She wondered if Roland had survived his duel, or whatever he had gone to do. Then she also wondered if he had just wanted an excuse to leave her, but that didn’t make sense. If he had tired of her company, he could have simply stayed away that morning.

When Roland came striding back down the street, he was smiling as cheerfully as ever.

“Finished, sweet lady?”

“Just finished. Dm, how was your…business?”

“Easy, Rita. No problem at all.”

“Well, that’s good.” She decided she had better not ask what he had really been doing. A buccaneer wouldn’t like a stranger prying.

“And now, will you accompany me for a walk along the docks? In the salt spray and morning sunshine?”

“I’ve seen the docks,” she said, thinking to herself that Hunter might still be looking for her there. “How about showing me the rest of the town?”

He smiled engagingly. “That, too, can be done. But for now, will you indulge me?”

“Sure.” She followed him, reflecting that Hunter would probably catch up to her sooner or later, anyway. Besides, maybe he was focused on finding MC 2 and wouldn’t worry about her until later.

Hunter, still listening on his internal receiver to Steve’s quiet chatter, led Jane quickly down the waterfront, scanning the booths. She hurried to keep up with his long strides. The area was crowded.

“I see you, Steve,” Hunter radioed. “Look back over your left shoulder.”

Up ahead, Steve did so and saw Hunter. He didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry. Steve stopped and waited for Hunter and Jane to catch up. Then he just shook his head.

“Sorry, Hunter,” Steve said. “I didn’t dare get too close. Then I lost him in the crowd.”

“What was he doing?” Jane asked.

“Just browsing in the booths and shops. Killing time, it seemed to me.”

“We will keep moving,” said Hunter. “Now that we are together, we can apprehend him if necessary. I will be present to see that the First Law is not violated.”

“Finding him in this crowd will be tough,” said Jane. “Now it’s almost as dense as it was last night.”

Hunter nodded and once again led the way.

Rita found the waterfront much more exciting on her second visit. In the daylight, she breathed in the salt air deeply and saw the sea gulls circling and diving over the water. Best of all, though, were the tall-masted ships anchored out in the bay. Those ships, even more than the buccaneers themselves, truly represented the era.

“A pretty sight, is it not?” Roland nodded toward the crowd of ships.

“Fascinating.”

“I hear there is a merchantman out there of two hundred eighty tons that can take you back to Old England in four weeks.” He grinned. “Not that I have any wish to go back, but it takes a fine ship to do that.”

“A month.” Rita suppressed a smile, thinking of how the supersonic planes of her own time could make the jump between lunch and dinner on the same day.

“The mere wink of an eye,” said Roland. “Do you like ships, then?”

“They’re beautiful,” said Rita.

“You must have traveled by ship? That is, unless you were born and raised on Jamaica.”

“Uh-no, I’m not from Jamaica. But I don’t really know ships.”

“Let me help you. You see the biggest ones out there? Only two or three are in sight.”

“The three-masted square-riggers.” Again, Rita fought down a smile. From her book learning, she knew more about the ships of the era than Roland ever would. On the other hand, he had actually sailed them; she had never even seen a real one before.

“That’s right.” He pointed to one. “Those are the finest flagships of a buccaneer fleet. Each one is big enough to slug it out with even a naval frigate. They can also handle a long sea voyage.”

Rita pointed to some smaller ships that were also three-masted and square-rigged. “What are those, then? They look similar.” Of course, she knew very well what they were, but she wanted to keep him talking. Once he had explained the ships, she would no longer have to feign ignorance.

“Merchant ships, including the one I told you about a moment ago.” He winked at her. “Some are here trading legally. Others were, shall we say, brought here by those of us under the governor’s commission.”

“What do you call the bigger of the two-masted ships?” She pointed to one of them.

“Those are brigantines, fine and reliable workhorses. They can take different sails, too, at different times, to suit different conditions.”

“What about the little ones?”

“Ah! My personal favorites, those. The smaller two-masted ships are schooners, perfect in these waters for their speed and shallow draft. The smallest of all are single-masted sloops, the fastest ships on the water.”

“Why are there so many ships in the harbor? Is that normal?” She didn’t think it was, but of course the exact number would be changing day by day.

“Normal, is it?” Roland shrugged. “Ships come and go all the time.”

“Have you sailed on some of these?” Rita winked back at him, smiling. “Maybe on the governor’s commission and maybe without it?”