Turning back to the dockside, Jerry noted that the customs hall was empty. So, too, were the harbour master’s office, the administration building and the office of the meanest man on the dockside, Mr Heartfelt. A haul was a huge operation, unlike the odd bag of spuds or flour or a crate of tea or barrel of molasses. Conor had left him in no doubt that there would be sacks needing to be sliced, spilt and collected as they hung in the net, suspended from the hook of a crane that he was using to move the bigger loads out. They would store the bigger bags in lucky shed seven with the broken lock, ready to be separated and carried up in smaller loads. The rolls of fabric would be stored in the shed built into the sandstone ridge and would take a week to transfer up.

Jerry scanned the dock for a sight of the bizzies, his nerves on edge. There were none. Seamus trotted up to him silently.

‘What’s the cargo?’ asked Jerry.

‘Tea, coffee, raisins, flour, almonds, tons of material on rolls, hard nuts, potatoes, rum, ciggies, molasses, bananas, cocoa powder, weird-sounding big hams – you name it, he has it. Conor has pulled a blinder this time.’

Jerry thrust his hands into his jacket. ‘Makes a change from unloading smelted iron. You can’t feed a family on a lump of iron.’

Callum joined them bringing a message from Conor. ‘We can’t start yet; something’s going on down on the bottom but he says not to worry, it’s not the bizzies. I’ll go back down and see if he needs me for anything.’

Jerry didn’t like it at all. ‘Whatever it is, I hope it’s sorted soon; if the bizzies arrive, it’s each man for himself. Pass the word down the line, Tommy…’

Tommy didn’t like it either; each minute of delay was a risk and he hadn’t come back from Ireland to find himself up before a magistrate on his first morning home.

Chapter Twenty-eight

It was Scamp barking that had alerted Alice.

‘Kathleen, is that Scamp? It’s coming from over here, quick.’

As she walked past the Morry, Blinks whispered down from the deck, ‘Kathleen, you’re a bit old to be working the docks! Short of a bob or two, are you?’

Kathleen scowled and craned her neck backwards to look up. ‘You wait until I can reach you, you cheeky bugger,’ she hissed back up at him. ‘I’ll be telling Conor on you. He said he saw Peggy down here and she’s been missing since this afternoon. Have you seen her?’

Blinks shook his head. ‘Not since earlier and we’re just getting ready to unload. The coast is clear, but not sure how long for, so we need to be getting on before your man realises he’s been had and comes back.’