The Emerald Key - By Christopher Dinsdale Page 0,26

destination, just over a week ago. Being a smaller ship, a government official decided that the passengers were to go through immigration in Montreal, as Grosse Isle was filled to capacity.”

Jamie paused. “Then my brother is in Montreal?”

“We’re only sailing as far as Quebec City. We can drop you off there if you like. From there, you can catch another boat that will take you upriver to Montreal.”

Jamie was torn. A part of him was screaming yes, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Colin sitting on that step, waiting for him to return. If he didn’t help that boy, who would? There must be a way he could get to Montreal while helping Colin at the same time. With only a moment’s hesitation, Jamie reached forward and shook Officer Keates’s hand.

“Thank you so much for your help, but I also need to make sure Colin O’Connor is well taken care of before I leave. Is there any possible way he can join us on the Independence?”

“Sorry, lad. But a five-year-old listed as crew would look a little suspicious. We also have our government licence to consider. What you are suggesting is called human smuggling. I’m afraid we can only bend the rules to give you a hand, not the boy.”

“Then I will have to stay here at Grosse Isle.”

Officer Keates raised his eyebrows but didn’t seem overly surprised by the news.

“Just one last favour,” asked Jamie, “if you don’t mind.”

“Name it.”

“I noticed all officers on board the ship carry a small knife. Could I have yours? I can pay you for it.”

Keates laughed and reached into his jacket. In his hand materialized a small pocket knife. The blade was stowed safely away within its metal housing. The officer offered it to Jamie.

“Keep this as a memento of your time on the Independence. And don’t worry about the cost, I’ll just dock it from your pay.”

They both laughed. “Thank you.”

The sailors pushed the empty tender away from the dock. Oars dipped into the water, and the small craft began its long trip back to the Independence.

“Sorry we couldn’t help the young lad out,” Keates shouted out over the stern. “The ship leaves in an hour if you change your mind!”

Chapter 6

Jamie sat on the edge of the dock, chatting with a large family about the pubs in Dublin as he kept one eye on the large woodshed nearby. Colin was having a nap on the veranda under the supervision of the nun who had befriended them. With the sun setting, Jamie watched the last of the labourers put a padlock on the shed door, climb into his boat, and sail home to the mainland for dinner. Even with the gentle waves of the river lapping beneath his feet and the animated chatter of the family surrounding him, Jamie could hear an endless shower of moans drizzle down from the quarantine building. He wondered how anyone could possibly sleep on this island without being haunted by constant nightmares.

Jamie excused himself from the conversation and meandered along the shoreline towards the wood shed. He was thankful that there were no official records of him on the island so he could move around the buildings as he liked. By the look of things, no one seemed overly concerned about the tracking of the quarantined immigrants anyway. The healthy families ignored official demands to stay inside the buildings. They preferred to take their chances outside in the fresh air and chose to camp out under the stars along the shoreline. Jamie couldn’t blame them, for he would have done exactly the same thing if he had been in their shoes. Why put your family at higher risk for disease by sleeping with the sick?

Originally, Jamie had hoped to steal a small boat from the dock but he had to give the officials on the island some credit. All the boats were taken to other nearby islands or the mainland at night in order to prevent such an escape. So Jamie had to come up with another plan. He slid in behind the shed until he was under a small locked window. Using Officer Keates’s knife, he pried out the pins holding the hinges in place, then quietly lowered the window to the ground. He then climbed in through the open window frame and lit a small candle. It wasn’t hard to locate the things he needed. He grabbed a saw, glue, nails, a hammer, and some rope and threw them into a burlap bag. Before