48 Hours a Day

“Mr. Malcom, do you really think I’m that stupid? Let’s not talk about my father’s case first. Redmond was the vice leader of the first black-market alliance. Why would he be against Normand? It’s not like he would gain anything out of it. According to what I know, Redmond stayed on to support Normand during his most difficult time. As for you, you just arrived on this island at that time. If the first generation of the black-market alliance was stable, you would have had a tough time getting to where you are today, right?”

Malcolm’s expressions stayed the same, even after hearing what Carina said to him.

“I don’t blame you. Even I missed the real target. Redmond has bigger ambitions than anyone could imagine. As one of the pioneering black-market merchants on this island, he was never worried about his wealth and fame from the beginning until now. However, he was forced to live under Normand’s shadow. If he didn’t do what he did back then, he couldn’t have gotten to where he is today. He is now the leader of the black-market alliance.

“As for me, it’s true that I secretly wished the first alliance wouldn’t last long, all because of profits, of course. I did ask a merchant called Eugene to sabotage the black-market alliance, but the impact was minimal. With Normand’s reputation, it was hard to shake him off from his position.”

“So, you asked Eugene to coin up a story that Normand had been secretly working with two captains, right? Since you had the guts to do something like this, why should I believe that it wasn’t you who sent my father to jail?”

“It seems like you are well-informed of the past. Whatever Eugene did after had nothing to do with me. I didn’t ask him to frame Normand of something he didn’t do. After your father was jailed, I started my own investigations, and I found out that Redmond had something to do with this incident.”

“Why would you do that? You are not even that close to Normand, aren’t you? So, why are you investigating this matter?”

“Because I don’t want to be the second Normand. All this time, Redmond had always resented the setting up of the alliance, hoped that it never existed in the first place. He only supported the first alliance to get rid of Normand. This time, he believes that I’m a huge threat. I have to say, he’s one brilliant old man. Though he’s now the leader, and I’m just the vice leader, he knew that I would eventually get to his position within three years. By that time, he would be forgotten everyone around him.”

“If what you say is true. Why would Redmond agree to form the alliance with you?”

“Why would he support Normand to form the first alliance in the first place?” asked Malcolm.

Before Carina could answer, Malcolm, continued,

“That’s because he couldn’t figure out an effective way to get rid of Normand. If Normand weren’t the leader of the alliance, it would be hard for Redmond to turn everyone against Normand since he’s a rather reputed person here. Things were different when Normand was elected leader. The alliance’s members automatically went against him when they were told that he had been receiving bribes from the captains. The profits of the members were severely affected, causing them to revolt.

“I knew that he would use the same strategy to fight me. Your problem isn’t the only one I’ve had to deal with lately. I have to admit that your business did give me some problems, and if Redmond’s men didn’t stir up trouble, would I have been so passive? Most importantly, Frazer betrayed me. He told me earlier that he had a beef with Zhang Heng, and he was willing to dispose of you and your people for me. However, I started to be suspicious of him after what happened to the Skeleton.

“Don’t you think that Zhang Heng and his Jackdaw arriving that night was too much of a coincidence? Wilton’s Skeleton arrived first, and Jackdaw came right after that. That wasn’t a coincidence. Frazer calculated everything. According to our agreement, the Skeleton was supposed to sink your ship and kill everyone on it. After that, they were supposed to leave Nassau. However, Frazer told me that Wilton was out of control. Not only did he take your money, but he also wanted to use your sailors to rip you off. Can’t you see that he’s fooled us here?

“Frazer is considered to be Zhang Heng’s mentor, more or less. He knows Zhang Heng better than anyone else on this island. In that situation, he knew exactly what decisions Zhang Heng would make. Frazer had already anticipated that Wilton and his men would live past that night. I have to admit that he had it all hidden so well. Though I suspected him before, I couldn’t find anything solid to pin him. So, I decided to trust him once more. When he contacted the captains on the island to leave the alliance and deal with you instead, I realized that I made a huge mistake.

“It was supposed to be a ‘kill-two-birds-with-one-stone’ strategy. If everything went smoothly, I would use the opportunity to destroy you and your business. Once you’re gone, the other captains on this island would have no option but to rely on the black-market alliance even though they don’t like us. The person that destroyed this plan wasn’t Zhang Heng. It was Frazer.

“We all know his conflict with Zhang Heng on this island. I only chose to believe him previously because I thought his target was always Zhang Heng and not me. After this incident, I can tell that he works for Redmond. However, it would be naive for Redmond to think that he can get rid of me so easily. If he can look for Frazer’s help, then I can work with you to get rid of him as well. You get to keep your twelve pirate ships, and I won’t interfere with your business anymore. I can even provide you with assistance to get through certain customs and local markets. Once this whole thing is over, I will help you to get your father out of jail.”

“What would this cost me?”

“You don’t have to do anything. I just want us to stop fighting each other. I will solve my problem while you just sit quietly and watch the drama unfold. As for your father’s case, I’ll make the person responsible pay the price. Take your time and think over my offer. I’ll give you three days to think about it. We will meet again at the coffee shop in three days.”