A Peculiar Time in 1944 - A Millard Fanfic (Miss Peregrine's Home) #wattys2020

Chapter 77

"The trouble with the merely unwise/deeply stupid line is that you often don't know which side you're on until it's too late." {Jacob Portman, pg 62 book 3}

The man reached into his black trench coat and Aurora saw Emma inhale ready to blow him back off the pier and into the water. But when he pulled out a small piece of paper and stretched his arm out to pass it to Jake Aurora could practically feel their confusion coming off them in waves.

"What's this?" he asked hesitantly.

"The price. And some other information regarding my services."

Jake took it and turned it over. It was a business card, 'Sharon's River Tours' was written in large letters and under that in smaller print it said, 'offering day trips and romantic sunset cruises since 1693. Discretion guaranteed. Ask about our specials! Price: one gold piece.'

"So this is you? You're Sharon?" Jake asked, his voice still a bit shaky.

"In the flesh." The man said grabbing the lapels of his jacket with pride.

"Good bird man, you scared us half to death!" Addison said.

"My apologies. I was napping and you startled me."

"We startled you?" Aurora asked incrediously.

"For a moment I thought you were trying to steal my boat."

Emma forced a laugh shrugging it off as Sharon continued, "Now you've woken me, what can I do for you?"

"We need to hire your boat." Emma said taking charge, "We happen to know that a lot of peculiars come through this place. Is that because there's a loop entrance nearby?"

"Emma." Jake began warily, "We don't know if he's –"

"So long as he's not a wight." She replied then turned to Sharon, "You're not, are you?" after all they hadn't seen his face under his hood, he could have white eyes.

"I am a businessman." He said evenly.

"Who's well accustomed to meeting talking dogs and girls in big metal shoes?" Addison asked.

"In my line of work, one meets a wide variety of people."

"We're looking for some friends of ours." Jake said cutting to the chase. "We think they might've come this way within the last hour or so. Mostly kids, some adults. One was invisible, one was well dressed, a pair were oddly identical. . . "

"They'd be hard to miss." Emma added.

Sharon crossed his arms, "As I said, all manner of people hire my boat, and each relies on absolute discretion. I won't discuss my clientele."

"What can you tell me about your tours then?" Jacob asked and Aurora turned to him puzzled. His eyes flashed to hers for only a moment but the look was clear: Trust me. She mostly tuned out Sharon's raving on and on about his various tours through the worst events in history, many of which Millard had described when they'd asked him about the punishment loops.

"Lastly, there's our most requested excursion, which is a personal favorite of mine. But oh – never mind. Come to think of it, I doubt you'd be interested in Devil's Acre."

Something stirred in Aurora's mind but she couldn't figure out what it was. Why did that sound familiar? It was on the tip of her tongue.

"Why not? Too nice and pleasant?" Emma asked with sarcasm.

"Actually, it's rather a rough spot. Certainly no place for children."

Acre! That was it! "Code 141. All crews report to the acre immediately." That's what the little radio on M's belt had said outside the convention. And Addison had followed their trail to this dock, and there was a loop entrance to Devil's Acre, it couldn't be coincidence.