Passage by Night

Manning turned, a slow, dangerous smile on his face like a fuse burning. ‘I only hope they do.’

He ran along the jetty, jumped down to the deck and went into the wheelhouse as Seth cast off. He opened the throttle and as the Grace Abounding strained forward with a sudden surge, swung her out of harbour into the gulf.

5 (#u9fdb3ba5-1a24-52a4-8420-5ee4dd0c9725)

Whistle Up the Duppies (#u9fdb3ba5-1a24-52a4-8420-5ee4dd0c9725)

They came into Nassau in the early afternoon. As the Grace Abounding skirted the green shoals of Athol Island, a great white liner moved out of the wide harbour, her rails lined with tourists taking a last look at New Providence.

The waterfront was crowded with work boats from the out-islands carrying everything from vegetables and fish to passengers and poultry. It was more like a marketplace than anything else and thronged with colorfully dressed natives talking endlessly amongst themselves, arguing good-humouredly as they bargained.

They tied up at an old jetty on the other side of the harbour and worked their way along Bay Street, looking for Manny Johnson’s boat. They found it within half an hour and Manning dropped down to the deck and looked into the cabin. It was empty. As he climbed back onto the wharf, Seth turned from a couple of fishermen who sat on the wall baiting their lines,

‘Seems Manny went on the town in a big way last night. Tossed his money around like it was going out of style.’

Probably flat on his back in some flea-pit sleeping it off,’ Manning said.

‘Never knew him to save his money when he could be drinking. Maybe had his sleep and started over again?’

‘Could be. Start at the other end of Bay Street. I’ll take this side. Try every joint you see. Somebody must know where he is.’ Manny glanced at his watch. ‘I’ll meet you back here in a couple of hours.’

Seth moved into the crowd at once and Manning started to work his way along the waterfront, calling in all the bars. He was wasting his time. Manny Johnson seemed to have covered most of them on the previous night, but no one had any idea where he was now.

It was just after four o’clock when he returned to the boat. He was hot and tired and there was a dull persistent ache somewhere at the back of his head. He lit a cigarette and leaned on the parapet, looking out over the harbour, wondering if Seth was having any better luck. After a while he turned to look along the waterfront and saw Morrison crossing the street towards him.

There was a wide grin on the American’s face. ‘Say, I’d no idea you were coming over today.’

‘Didn’t know myself,’ Manning said. ‘Something came up.’

‘Sorry about breaking our date this morning, but under the circumstances I didn’t think you’d be interested. When Joe Howard said he was coming to Nassau I thought I’d go along for the ride. Never really had the chance to look the place over on my way in.’

‘It’s quite a town,’ Manning said. ‘Plenty of night life and a first-rate casino.’

‘Sounds interesting,’ Morrison wiped sweat from his face with a handkerchief. ‘Too hot for comfort. What about a drink?’

Out of the corner of his eye Manning saw Seth emerge from the crowd and hesitate. ‘No thanks. Got some business to attend to. Maybe some other time.’

He left the American standing there and joined Seth. ‘Any luck?’

The big man nodded. ‘Took some doing, but I finally made it. He’s got a room in an hotel not far from here. What was Morrison after?’

‘Wanted me to have a drink with him. I had to chop him off pretty short, but it can’t be helped.’

It took them about five minutes to reach their destination, a seedy tenement used as an hotel by seamen. It wasn’t the sort of establishment that kept a receptionist. They entered a dark and gloomy hall and mounted a flight of wooden stairs. Seth opened a door at the far end of the corridor and led the way in.

The stench was appalling and Manning stumbled across to the window and opened the shutters. For several moments he stood there enjoying the cool breeze from the harbour and then he turned and looked down at Manny Johnson.

He lay on his back, mouth opened and twisted to one side, the soiled and filthy sheets half covering him and draping down to the floor. Manning sat on the edge of the bed, pulled him upright and slapped him gently across the face.

When the old man opened his eyes, he gazed at him with a peculiar fixed stare, and then something seemed to click and a slow smile appeared on his face.

‘Harry Manning. What the hell are you doing here?’

‘No time to explain that now, Manny. I want information and I want it fast.’ Manning gave him a cigarette and a light. ‘You ran someone over from Spanish Cay last night. A man called Garcia.’

The old man rubbed a knuckle into his bloodshot eyes and nodded. ‘That’s right. What do you want him for? He owe you money?’

Manning ignored the question. ‘Any idea where he went?’

‘Search me. He paid up like a gent and hopped it.’

‘Did he take a cab?’

Manny shook his head. ‘He hired one of the kids who bum around the wharf to carry his bag.’

‘Who was the kid?’

‘You can’t miss him. Hangs around the wharf all the time. Wears one of those American football jerseys some tourist gave him. Yellow thing with twenty-two in big letters on the back. Reaches to his knees.’

Manning turned enquiringly to Seth and he nodded. ‘I know the boy.’

Manning got to his feet. ‘Thanks Manny. At least you’ve given us something to go on.’

‘My pleasure,’ the old man said. ‘Now if you’ll kindly get to hell out of here, maybe I can get some sleep.’

They found the boy sitting on the wharf, a few yards away from Manny’s boat, with a fishing line, a small black dog curled up beside him. He was perhaps twelve years old and the yellow football jersey he wore contrasted vividly with his ebony skin.

Seth grinned down at him. ‘Doing any good?’

The boy shook his head. ‘They looking the other way. This ain’t my lucky day.’

‘Maybe it could be.’ Manning produced a pound note and folded it between his fingers.

The boy’s eyes went very round. ‘What you want, mister?’

‘You know Mr Johnson from Spanish Cay?’

The boy nodded. ‘That’s his boat down there.’

‘He brought in a passenger last night,’ Manning said. ‘He hired you to carry his bag. I want to know where he went.’

‘For a pound?’ Manning nodded and the boy grinned. ‘Mister, that’s easy.’

He handed his line and rod to another boy who sat on the edge of the wharf a few feet away. Then he got to his feet, nudged the dog with his toe and moved across Bay Street.

Manning and Seth had difficulty in keeping up with him as he trotted along the crowded pavement. He turned into a narrow alley and they followed him through a maze of back streets. Finally, he halted on the corner of a small square that was entirely surrounded by dilapitated clapboard houses.

He pointed to one in the far corner. ‘That’s it mister. That’s where he went. He paid me off in the back yard. I think he must have been a Cuban. When the lady opened the door, she called him Juan.’