Just then Vic heard the carriage doors open. She ran to the kitchen door, relieved to escape Gregory’s scold. Once inside, Casey ordered Vic to wake Tubs. Hearing the stress in his order, she quickly ran to Tubs’ room and pounded on his locked door. “Tubs, you are needed!” she yelled, then hurried back to the kitchen, terrified as to what had happened to Xavier and Jacko.
To all appearances, both Jacko and Xavier looked to be dead.
“No, no, no!” she cried out. “You cannot die on me, neither one of you!” She searched for a pulse on Xavier, but her own heart was pounding so hard, she worried that she was just hearing her own pulse, not his.
Suddenly she was pulled away and Doctor Connors took over. He quickly declared both men alive and ordered Tubs to carry them inside Xavier’s library.
“Can’t we carry them to their beds?” Vic challenged.
“No, once they are stable, we’ll move them to their beds, but right now I need to determine what poison they’ve been given.”
“But they had anti-toxins.”
“They either didn’t have time to take it, or they received a drug I did not anticipate.”
Tubs had already carried Xavier away and now returned for Jacko. Sara ran back to her room the moment she looked into the library where the men laid on the floor. Soon she returned with pillows and blankets for each man.
Vic had frozen with fear upon sight of her beloved. To all appearances, he looked to be dead. When Sara asked her to help with the blankets, she finally came out of her stupor. She ran to Xavier, placed the pillow beneath his head, and then focused on the quilt. While there was a large rug in the room, she was determined to provide her beloved a blanket both above his body and below. She laid out the quilt beside him. “Sara, the floor is too cold. Help me get Xavier and Jacko closer to the fire where I have moved their quilts.”
With Sara and Tubs’ assistance, soon both Xavier and Jacko were closer to the fire wrapped in their down quilts.
When Connors entered the library, he praised Sara for putting them closer to the fire.
“That was Vic’s idea,” she stated. “I just helped her get the men settled.”
Connor patted Vic’s head. “Good job.”
“Where have you been?” Vic demanded.
“I had to take blood samples to determine what poison was used before I could create an antidote,” Connors replied softly.
He quickly injected both Jacko and Xavier with the antidote.
“How did you know which toxin they used?”
“Well, I had an assortment of anti-toxins ready to use, but they chose an unexpected poison, Amatoxin. Which meant that I had to create the antidote in my lab before I could return.
Vic knelt between Jack and Xavier. “Will they recover fully?”
“I don’t know, since I’ve no idea when they received the toxin or how much they received. We’ll just have to wait and see. However, on the upside, this is a milder poison than cyanide, which Russians typically like to use.”
“Why would he do that?” Vic asked.
“Well, if he thought Xavier would show up, then it would be clever on his part, if the poison was something Xavier would not anticipate.”
Vic gripped Connor’s hand. “Thank God you were there to stop them, no matter what the poison.”
“We still aren’t out of the woods. But I will not abandon my patients, so if you wish to sleep, I will understand.”
“No, I will sleep once both men are well, and they can tell me what went wrong.”
Chapter 3
IT WAS NEARLY NOON the next day when Xavier and Jacko woke up.
“Bloody Hell,” Jacko moaned. “What happened?”
Vic huffed in annoyance. “That is what we all want to know, so you better figure it out soon.”
“Vic don’t talk so loudly. My head is about to fall off,” Xavier declared.
“Do you recall what happened?” Vic whispered.
“Not yet. My head is killing me,” Xavier admitted.
Since noise upset them, she pulled Connors out into the hall. “Will you stay here and watch over them while Tubs and I kill the man who did this?”
“Yes, and if I’m later questioned by Scotland Yard, I will say you and Tubs were here the entire time.”
She gave Connors a hug and went in search for Tubs. She found him in his room cleaning his gun. “We need to kill the Russian.”
“He’s already dead,” Tubs replied and handed her the local paper, which declared Sanders Quinn dead.
She gave him a big hug, and happily returned to the library.
“Something wrong?” Connors asked.
“No, everything is fine,” she said and smiled happily. “Problem is solved.”
“What do you mean the problem is solved?” Connors asked.
“Someone else has already killed him.”
“How do you know that?” Connors challenged her.
She grinned. “Tubs bought today’s paper.”
Connors sighed with relief. “I am very glad to hear it. How did he die?”
“By persons unknown. I’m thinking Ruddy’s family members might have killed him. They would have just cause to do so. Ruddy was their breadwinner.”
IN THE AFTERNOON, BARNS showed up. He was quite shocked to see the weakened state of Jacko and Xavier.
Vic explained their efforts to find the Russian’s passport last night. “Only they failed and were poisoned for their attempt.”
“Then how are they still alive?” Barns challenged.
“Dr. Connors upon discovering that they had chosen an unexpected toxin returned to his lab and created the anti-toxin for Amatoxin. Fortunately, they appear to have received only a small dosage.”
“And what if it had been something else? Do you realize how important Xavier is to our country?”
“I do. In fact, I offered to do this job, but Jacko and Xavier insisted on going.”
“Well, then I take back my words. Having you die would have been an even bigger disaster. The truth is we can’t afford to lose any of you. So, tell me why any of you had to break into the man’s house and nearly die for it.”
“We have strong reason to believe the man is not “Sanders Quinn,” but rather a Russian spy named “Anton Popov.”
“And your proof?”
“I don’t know if we have any proof or not. Xavier and Jacko are not actually coherent yet.”
“Just as well, because the man is a favorite of our new prime minister.”
“We knew that going in. However, if we can prove the man is a Russian spy, then I trust our new prime minister will be relieved that he died this morning. And just so you know, there are evidently two more Russian spies we need to remove as well.”
“Bloody Hell!” Barns yelled. “I’m in the mind to have you held in house arrest for the next two months.”
“Why are you angry with me? I haven’t shot anyone!” Vic objected.
“Then who did?” Barns demanded.
“Tubs insisted upon going. But he didn’t kill anyone. He just followed the actual murderer home and then handed the man’s location over to Xavier.
“So, who killed him?” Barns demanded.
“That is not my concern just now. I’ve two of the best men I know in grave danger and Xavier’s mother stressed out over the health of Captain Pike.”
Barns gripped his head. “What has happened to Captain Pike?”
“A time bomb was thrown into our bedroom, which we took to the back yard. David proceeded to retrieve a vest for Captain Pike and bucket of water to throw the bomb into. Only, we weren’t fast enough, and it blew up and injured the captain. Dr. Connors came and stitched him up, but it will be several months before we’ll know if he is still his old self.”
Barns rubbed his head. “And all this occurred in two days?”
“No, that all occurred yesterday. Except for you yelling at me, today has been very quiet while half my staff recuperates. And before you ask, no one is
leaving this house. We are all beyond exhaustion.”
“I’m sorry for yelling at you. But if Sanders Quinn is truly dead, my day has become far worse than yours.”
“Not if you can prove his true name is Anton Popov.”
“And how am I going to do that?”
“Well, if you have men really good at entering a room built to kill, you’ll probably find his true Russian passport in the underside of his desk. Otherwise, you can wait until Jacko recovers and offer him significant money to find the passport.”
“Jacko has never demanded money before.”
“Yes, well, this room nearly killed him and Xavier, so the only way you’ll convince him to try it again will come with a request for significant money. And honestly, he might refuse the job no matter how much you offer to pay him. Coming that close to death will have altered them both.”
“But you’re healthy, right?” Barns asked.
“I’m never stepping into that room again.”
“Again?” Barns restated. “When did you go into the room?”
Vic sighed. “I befriended his wife, who let me look at the room from the door, around 1:30 p.m. yesterday. I don’t understand how or why Xavier and Jacko got poisoned. If the guy wasn’t already dead, I would be going after him now.”
“Don’t say that. The prime minister wants someone’s head, and I don’t want it to be yours or mine.”
“Then I will try very hard to locate his passport,” Vic promised. “If the prime minister realizes the man was a Russian spy, surely he will move on without requiring anyone’s head. Unless he wants to help remove the other two spies as well.” Vic grinned. “Do you think it might be one of the other two Russian spies who took him out? Maybe they thought he was getting too cozy with the prime minister.”
“That’s an excellent angle,” Barns said. “Do you know the names of these men?”
“I expect Xavier does, but I don’t. I’ll give you a call the moment he is making sense.”
ONCE GREGORY LED BARNS from the house, she returned to the library, only to find Jacko and Xavier sitting on the couch, sharing a bottle of whisky.
“Did Connors say you were ready to drink whisky?”
“He wasn’t here, and we didn’t ask him,” Xavier assured her. “Now I understand that you agreed to send both of us back into the Study of Death.”
Vic glared at Jacko. “Well, Mr. Big ears, you got your facts wrong. I did not commit either of you to do that. I only said if you were willing to do so, Barns needed to cough up significant money.”
“Which he won’t do,” Xavier observed.
“Which means you are not obliged to do anything.” Vic wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “However, I do need to know what happened in the study.”
Jacko huffed in anger. “The damnable safes were all rigged to blow. Knocked us unconscious. When we woke up, Sanders had us both tied up and demanded to know why we were in his study. So, I explained you had lost your earring when his wife showed you the study.”
“You didn’t say that!”
“I most certainly did.”
“Damn it, Jacko, you probably got the poor woman killed.”
“If only,” he retorted.
“What do you mean?” Vic asked.
Jacko rolled his eyes. “His wife has two personalities...maybe more, and the dominant one hates you.”
“I don’t believe you. It was her husband that she hated.”
“There was no love loss there, but she was playing you all the same. In fact, she was most angry when you didn’t arrive with Xavier, for she wished to rip your skin off your body. Fortunately, she thought me quite handsome, so she promised me she would only kill Xavier. She would keep me as her stallion.”
“This had to be a different woman than the one I met. I’m telling you, the person you met was not Jennifer.”
“Indeed not. This woman was a dedicated Russian spy who despised her faux husband. But just so you know, she didn’t like you nor Xavier either.”
“Then it had to be a different woman! However, I want to know how you were poisoned.”
“Well then, we are back talking about the woman. She was outraged to discover her faux husband had taken all her poisons with him when he left to kill Tubs.”
“Unfortunately, the she-cat found a poison in her husband’s cabinet. It wasn’t a very potent poison, so she intended to make Xavier drink the whole bottle. However, when she walked beside me, I managed to trip her, causing her to drop the bottle. While the glass didn’t break as I had hoped, she spilled over half of it. So now she decides to poison me as well. She splits the remaining amount and demands we drink it.”
“Surely you didn’t actually drink it!” Vic insisted.
“I spewed most of mine into the fireplace.” Jacko focused on Xavier. “How’d you get rid of yours?”
“I coughed it into her face.”
“Well, that explains why she was screaming about her eyes. Still, when she attempted to attack Xavier with a butcher knife, I escaped my ropes, came up behind her, and broke her bloody neck.”
“And what about her husband?”
“Turns out he didn’t realize that Tubs had crossed to the good side nine years ago. So, he went looking for him in the old tenement buildings and somehow drowned in the Thames. Tubs is still well-respected down there, so I imagine someone killed the fellow as a favor to Tubs.”
“Excellent.” Vic liked it when matters fell their way. “So, did anyone retrieve the passports beneath the desk?”
“No. We were both feeling the effects of the poison that we didn’t manage to get rid of,” Jacko snapped. “It took all my energy to untie Xavier.”
“So, you left without getting the documents?”
Jacko snorted. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I no longer cared about the documents. I just wanted to escape this mad-woman.”
Vic sighed heavily. “Which you did when you killed her! I can’t believe you left the documents.” Vic stopped chiding them, given their weakened state. “Well, we really do need those passports. Since it appears everyone is dead now, I’ll see if I can locate them.”
“Who bloody well cares now?” Jacko yelled.
“Well, the prime minister does.” Vic snapped. “So, you two need to stop drinking whisky, and I’ll have Gregory fix you a nice lunch while I finish your job.
JACKO GLARED AS VIC left. “Someday, I’m going to strangle your wife,” he growled.
“No, you won’t. She is the most amazing woman I have ever met, and if on occasion she loses her patience with us lesser beings, we just have to accept it.”
“I still don’t see the purpose of looking for their passports. Both his wife and Sanders are dead. Who cares about the bloody passports!”
“Well, she’s right about you not yet thinking matters through. We need that proof, or the new prime minister will more than likely charge us for Sander’s and his wife’s death. So, let’s hope she finds those documents before the prime minister does.”
“Why would he care?”
“Oh, rest assured. He won’t want his name ever connected to Sanders again. However, he is not beyond killing us all to ensure his name remains above reproach.”
Chapter 4
ENTERING THE HOUSE was far easier than expected, since the front door was unlocked. Vic, dressed as a woman, quickly checked the bottom floor and then hurried to the study. The room was a shamble. She carefully stepped around the wires until she reached the desk. She blindly felt the bottom of the drawer and located two stiff documents. Carefully retrieving them, she slipped them into her pocket and made her way out of the house. She had barely gotten into her carriage when police officers surrounded it.
“Get out of the carriage,” a captain demanded. She slipped the documents into her corset and settled her blouse.
“There is no one in here but me,” she announced and stepped out of the carriage. She was quickly patted down and declared clear. The captain
demanded to know why she had been in that house.”
Vic calmed and told her grand story. “Yesterday, I had met the nicest woman here. Only this morning, I heard something terrible had happened to her, but no one seemed to know exactly what had happened. I asked my husband if I could come and see if she was all right, but he said I couldn’t. I decided to wait until he took a nap and then have my driver bring me over here. When I reached the door, I felt in danger, so I hurried inside. I had thought I would feel safe once I got inside, but instead I became even more terrified. I couldn’t find Jennifer anywhere, so I returned to my carriage, only you have surrounded it. Can you tell me what has happened?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Am I in trouble?” she asked, her lips quivering in fear.
“No, ma’am. But in the future, you should listen to and obey your husband.”
“I will do so,” she promised. She then stopped and stared at the men frisking her carriage.
“Is there something wrong with my carriage?”
“No, ma’am. Your carriage is fine. Now get home to your husband.”
GETTING HOME TOOK FOREVER because several of the officers had evidently been ordered to follow them to their home. A normal driver would have never been able to lose men on horses, but Casey was not an ordinary driver. Two hours later, they had lost the officers and they hurried home.
Instead of a happy welcoming, Xavier cursed her a blue streak. “What the hell happened? You were supposed to get in and get out!”
“I did. I even found the passports exactly where I said it would be. Unfortunately, when I returned to my carriage, it was surrounded by mounted police.”
“Bloody hell! Did they take the passport?”
“No, they frisked our carriage and Casey thoroughly, but they only gave me a polite pat down. Unfortunately, the captain had a squad following us. It took us forever to lose them before we could return home.” Vic grinned as she reached between her breasts and pulled the passport from her corset. “Sometimes, being a woman can work in our favor.”
The Future of Scotland Yard Page 3
