Of Night and Dark Obscurity

by Nicola Italia

  When she turned around to smile at him, her face shifted and it was Caroline Derry. His heart skipped a beat as he saw her light eyes set in a perfect oval face. Her light hair moved about her and she reached out to him.

  “Caroline,” he pulled her to him and crushed her against his chest. “Don’t leave! It’s not safe,” he whispered into her ear. “It’s not safe.”

  She shook her head pulling away from him. Val watched her disappear into the fog even as he tried to reach her.

  “Caroline!” He called out her name and the all too familiar pattern repeated itself, only this time it was Caroline who was missing.

  He began searching and searching for her but he knew how it would end. He willed himself to stop the cycle. He didn’t want to find her dead. He didn’t want her to be killed. He wanted her alive and warm in his arms. He wanted her alive. In his arms. When he awoke that morning, thoughts of Caroline filled his head.

  ✽✽✽

  Felix was working at his desk when Val walked into the office. He placed his hat on the rack and addressed his sergeant.

  “We’ll give our doctor a visit today,” he told him.

  He nodded. “I sent the cable to Harvard as you asked.”

  Val moved behind his desk as Felix seated himself before him. “That cable should prove most interesting. It will tell us several things. Is Doctor Barton in fact a doctor, and if he is not, as I suspect, why is he practicing medicine? There’s something there. He’s hiding something.”

  “What do you think he’s up to?” Felix asked.

  “I’m not sure. Money. Duping people. The prestige of seeming to be a doctor and being treated as such. Possibly something more nefarious.”

  “Nefarious?” Felix wondered aloud.

  “I arrested a man last year who was selling some elixir or some such nonsense claiming to be a magician who could cure ailments. It turned out he was a dangerous man prescribing arsenic in large quantities,” Val remembered.

  “A miracle that someone wasn’t hurt.” Felix remarked.

  “Someone was. Someone died. And the magician was hung.” Val nodded.

  “Not much of a magic trick, that,” Felix shook his head.

  ✽✽✽

  Hubert watched his daughter from across the dining room table. She seemed a shadow of her former self. She wasn’t interested in the social work as she had been before her sister’s tragic death. Her sewing circle hadn’t met since then, and though the house was in obvious mourning with its black wreaths, mirrors covered, and correspondence edged in black, he wanted her to take steps to live again. He knew her mourning couldn’t continue indefinitely.

  “Dearest. I have several buildings that I would like you to look at. They are older buildings as we discussed and need work. But I think we could get labor at a cheap cost and they could be renovated and ready to let within six months, perhaps sooner,” Hubert said as he pushed the folder towards her.

  Caroline sipped her coffee and looked down at the folder but said nothing.

  “I met with the estate agent and these are the ones he recommends based on our past conversations,” he told her.

  “Thank you, Father.”

  “Of course. Caro this is your future. It’s what you’ve been working towards. You want to help the poor people of London and I believe in you.”

  Caroline smiled but it was faint. “Your help means everything to me. Without you—“

  “None of that, my dear. You are my daughter. I mean to help you and your dreams. You are giving and caring to want to do this for people who you owe nothing.”

  “It means everything to me. To help better their lives. It’s a beginning,” she said tiredly opening the folder.

  She moved through the sheets of paper looking at the number of units in the building, the age of it, the address.

  “This one. This one looks promising,” she said suddenly, tapping at the sheet of paper and pushing it towards her father.

  “I see what you mean. It’s a larger unit but in a better area,” he agreed.

  “Could we see it today? If you can’t then I would like to go alone and view it.”

  Her father nodded. “The estate agent said any time you wished to see it you could make arrangements, even the same day. I’ll send the footman with a note. What time did you wish?”

  “Noon.” Caroline said feeling a little more optimistic.

  “Excellent.” He patted her hand and folded the newspaper next to his breakfast plate. He kissed her cheek and was gone.

  Caroline went upstairs to change for the outing. She didn’t want to go anywhere. She wanted to stay in her quiet room. She had little energy and every place and thing reminded her of Irene. But she wanted to do something positive and stay focused on her goals. This would be something good to come out of all this sadness.

  She dressed in a black gown that denoted her status of mourning and pulled on her black gloves. She pressed back the black covering about the mirror and stared at her reflection. She didn’t look different and she did. She seemed changed somehow and realized it was in the eyes. The eyes seemed to have become so sad.

  She replaced the crepe back on the mirror. It didn’t matter how she looked. All that mattered was Irene’s killer be found and brought to justice. She must focus on that and make sure the Inspector did as he said he would.

  ✽✽✽

  The doctor’s practice was not as ostentatious as Val would have expected. He had the sense that Odean Barton was a showman and a pretender. This office was anything but that, and maybe that was smart too. No one would look twice at a doctor practicing off Harley Street, though his music hall performance might garner attention.

  “Inspector,” Odean greeted him and Val introduced Sergeant Felix Grant. “Sergeant,” he said as they were introduced.

  He brought them into his office. There was a desk which dominated the room and several filing cabinets stood to the left of them. “I keep my records as up to date as I can. These files are the patients I have seen since coming to London.”

  Val nodded to Felix and the sergeant moved to the file cabinets and opened the top drawer.

  “I must say that after our visit I tried to recall the name Irene but could not. But that might not be uncommon. A lot of women visit me for a wide range of issues. Some of them gave me false names, I know.”

  “How do you know?” Val asked him.

  “I’ve seen my share of too many Jane Browns and Sarah Smiths for them all to be real. But again. I understand. They don’t want their husbands finding out.”

  “As you are a doctor, what is the reason they would be concerned about their husbands finding out?” Val quizzed him.

  Odean gestured to the outer waiting room and then into the room where he saw patients. There was a table with stirrups and the body of a woman from her breasts to her thighs.

  “You see this Inspector?” He pointed at the mannequin. “This is the female body. Now some doctors focus on the wrong part of the body. But I’ll tell you what the right part is. Here!” He pointed to the woman’s organs.

  “A woman has concerns and issues that don’t plague men. We could never understand. But as a doctor, I have made it my mission to do so,” he nodded excitedly. “You see—“

  Felix was standing in the doorway holding a file. He looked at the doctor and then at Val. “I found this,” he said handing it to Val.

  Val took the file from his sergeant and looked at the name. He then handed the file to the doctor. “Describe this patient for us.”

  Odean took the folder and read the name aloud, “Caroline Derry? I remember her vaguely. A young woman. Very young. She had issues with her menstrual cycle. It was very heavy.”

  Val glanced across the room at Felix who appeared queasy. “What was her physical appearance?”

  Odean paused to give this question some thought. “Brown hair. Slender figure.”

  “And what happened? What did you prescribe?” Val asked.

  Odean shrugg
ed. “I prescribed some medicine for her. She was very pleased.”

  “How many times did you see her?” Val asked taking out his small notebook.

  “A handful of times. It was rather straight forward,” Odean told them both.

  “Did you see her outside your practice?”

  “What do you mean?” Odean frowned. “Outside my practice?”

  Val tapped his pencil on the paper. “I think you know what I mean. Did you take her out?”

  “Of course not! She was a patient!” Odean sputtered.

  Val nodded. “I think that will be all for now.”

  “How dare you! I’m a respectable doctor serving my patients as best I can. Your insinuation is offensive,” Odean told the men heatedly.

  “That was not my intent,” Val assured him. “I merely needed to ascertain the degree of relationship. As you said there was none but a doctor and patient I am satisfied. Good day.”

  Odean watched the two men leave, still fuming.

  ✽✽✽

  Caroline gingerly followed the estate agent as he moved into the different rooms of the building matter-of-factly. Several of the beams were cracked and the floor and ceiling were coming apart in places.

  “I know this place looks like a lost cause,” Mr. Peter Davies admitted. “But your Father said you wanted something cheap to do up. This is very cheap.”

  Caroline nodded. “Well I agree with you on one thing Mr. Davies. It does look rather—concerning.”

  “Concerning yes,” he said smiling. “But this building has an excellent foundation. And that’s important. Much of the other items you see can be fixed and not expensively.”

  Caroline looked about at the cracked ceilings and the wooden floors that had been torn up in places. Any money she saved buying the building would be spent in fixing it up but that would be the tradeoff. She could buy a better building but the price would reflect that too.

  “How many units are in the building?” She asked.

  “There are six in all. And as I told your father, I have another building that fits your purposes. He said you were doing some sort of charity work,” Mr. Davies said.

  “That’s right. My father is investing the money and I am renovating the buildings to turn these into livable homes so people in the slums can live here instead. Their rents will be partially subsidized.”

  “That’s a mighty tall order. You want to change all the London slums?” He asked eyeing her skeptically.

  “One building at a time.”

  “I admire you Miss Derry. Not many would take on such a feat.”

  “Well someone must. They’re deplorable.” She told him. “I’ve thought about starting a Guild. To help work towards this goal. Do you know of others who might think as you do? Who might want to contribute?” She asked.

  Mr. Davies gave her a strong assessing look. “I do. In fact, I would like to invest with you as well. As an estate agent this is exactly the sort of thing that needs doing.”

  “You’d like to invest? Really?” She said surprised.

  “Yes. Tell me more.”

  ✽✽✽

  Caroline entered the cab and told the driver to take her to Crystal Palace Park. She was delighted despite herself. She had not wanted to go to the meeting with the estate agent but now she was feeling more engaged in the decision. Her “Guild” as she had called it was in fact the small sewing circle she had started. But now she wondered if she might turn the circle into something truly worthwhile.

  Rather than spend each week discussing and debating the issues, she wanted to actually do things. She felt a thrill pass through her. For the first time since she had learned of Irene’s death, she felt a sense of hope, not the despair she had been feeling.

  She didn’t want to return home just yet. Though she was interested in telling her father of the successful viewing, she wanted time to herself. She wanted to take in the air and she had always loved going to the various parks in and around London. Hyde Park had been one of her favorites but she avoided it now after Irene was found there.

  Crystal Palace Park was a place to escape the grime and dirt of London and breathe in the fresh air of the lovely park. It was filled with fountains, roseries, trees and lush green landscapes. She smiled as she stepped out of the hansom cab. A delightful place to be.

  She walked into the park and knew exactly where she wanted to be. She saw the large creatures made of clay come into view and she smiled. Dinosaurs!

  Chapter 6

  Caroline had loved coming here as a child. The beasts appeared so large and fierce when she was little and they had not diminished with time. If anything, she thought them all the more fascinating knowing that nothing on earth resembled them in size. Caroline looked around her to see if anyone else was enjoying them.

  There was a nanny with two children, who seemed to be running around enjoying their freedom, and a younger couple walking about the giant figures more engrossed in each other than the beasts surrounding them. Finally, there was a man who was turned away from her. He was on a nearby bench and he appeared to be sketching.

  Caroline walked toward him. She didn’t want to interrupt his sketching but she did admire the skill which she did not possess. She pulled her coat tightly about her body as she watched the man. The pencil moved deftly across the page and she noticed his fingers were long and tapered. They were artistic hands.

  She stood discretely behind him and watched the pencil move across the page with skill and ease. The body of the dinosaur before them came to life on the page. It was mesmerizing and she sighed aloud. The man looked up and over his shoulder at her sigh.

  “Miss Derry?” He said in recognition.

  “Inspector Pierce.” Her own greeting was almost a question. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. I saw you sketching and I do admire that skill. Your work is quite lovely.”

  Val smiled as he placed his sketching pad away and stood. “You seem to be alone in that sentiment. The few that know I sketch think it’s a silly trifle.”

  “A trifle perhaps. But not silly.”

  “What brings you to the park?” He asked as they began to walk side by side.

  “My father thought it very important that his daughters visited the parks often when we were younger. He used to say London was much of the world but not all of it.” She smiled.

  “That’s very true.”

  “I think he wanted us to get out of the dirt and soot of it, and I always loved the Dinosaur court,” they both smiled at this.

  “I remember as a child the large beasts fascinated me. There were even some model dinosaurs that had been made when they opened the exhibit. My father managed to track one down for me. I wonder what happened to it.” She said absently. “And you? You come to the park to sketch?”

  “Yes. To sketch. To think. To have some peace and quiet away from the world.”

  “And I’ve disrupted your peace,” she said looking up at him.

  “No. It’s good that you’ve disrupted me. I spend too much time wrapped up in myself. I forget to eat and I sleep little. It’s good you’re here.”

  Caroline smiled. “Then I’m glad.”

  “Speaking of eat, have you? I know a café nearby that serves excellent food. It’s but a short journey from here.”

  Caroline shook her head. “I can’t have supper with a man I barely know,” she told him.

  “I’m surprised you care about such things. You seem very modern in some of your charity work. It’s a light supper. And we aren’t strangers,” he told her.

  “We are basically strangers,” she told him.

  “When we eat and talk together, we will be strangers no more,” he returned.

  It was not normal that a man and woman who were not related or engaged should eat out alone, but what harm could come from it? She realized she was hungry.

  Caroline looked about and saw the couple had moved along and the children and nanny all looked tired and ready for a nap.

  �
��I suppose a light supper wouldn’t hurt,” she said agreeing.

  He smiled. “I’ll hail a cab.”

  ✽✽✽

  Seated across from the Inspector, Caroline realized she had never dined with a man at a restaurant besides her father. She felt a little reckless as she sat across the small table from a man she barely knew. No one seated inside the small café knew that they were not related nor married, and what was the harm she told herself. When they ordered their teas and steak and kidney pies, she smiled at him and waited for him to speak.

  “Tell me about yourself.” He said. “I don’t know much about you.”

  “I’m the daughter of a doctor. My mother died in childbirth with my sister. I was raised by my father and his mother, my grandmother,” Caroline told him. “I enjoy reading, sewing and helping others.”

  Their tea arrived and she added milk to hers while he sipped his, adding only a pinch of sugar.

  “I’m actually working on something very exciting,” her eyes were bright as she told him. “My father is helping me. As a woman I can’t own property but he’ll buy the property for me and I’ll be an estate agent of sorts,” she smiled. “I plan on re-developing a building and then placing people of need into it.”

  “Very commendable,” he said watching her. “Your father is very generous.”

  “He is. Very much so. It’s just one building and it won’t change overnight I know, but it’s a start. And I have to do something. The squalor of the slums is inhumane.”

  Their steak and kidney pies were placed before them as Val nodded in agreement to her words. “The slums are notorious. Rife with violence and filth. I’ve seen it.”

  “As have I,” she nodded.

  “You have?” He asked surprised. “When have you?”

  She tasted the steak and kidney pie and thought it was very tasty, but it was not as good as their Cook’s.

  “I’ve traveled to different parts of London to look into the issues that surround the poor. When I was young, I made toys for the children. As a child, I wanted to help the other children. Now as an adult, I see what they need is so much more than toys.”