A Despicable Crime

by Liza O'Connor

  The young man gulped, then whispered. “Go all the way down the hall, the last door on the left.”

  “Victor stay here ready to shoot him until I verify he’s told me the truth.”

  “Oh God!” the young man cried. “Did I say left? I meant right. Second door on the right.”

  “Is that the second door from this side or from the far side of the hall.”

  “Th, Th, This side.”

  “So, you lied to me?” Tubs growled.

  “Not on purpose,” he promised.

  Vic noticed his hand seemed to be pushing something under his desk. “Hold on. I think he just signaled someone.” Before the boy could object, Vic climbed over the counter and knelt to inspect the bottom of the counter. “He’s warned someone.”

  Tubs reached across the counter and pulled the boy to his side.

  “Please don’t kill me!” the boy whispered.

  “Don’t plan to. I’m just going to open the door and send you through first.”

  “No, I can cancel the warning. Let me do that, please!”

  Vic watched him as the boy pushed the button three times.

  “You are still walking in the door first,” Tubs warned.

  Vic noticed, while worried, the boy wasn’t terrified any more.

  When the boy entered, an older man scolded him for causing a ruckus.

  “I’m sorry, Father. He said he would kill me!”

  “Luke, what are you—” He stopped talking because Tubs entered.

  Vic was right behind Tubs, so she couldn’t see the man talking.

  “Tubs! Why are you terrifying my boy?”

  “He wouldn’t tell me where you were, and you and I need to have a conversation.”

  “About what?”

  “Let’s start with Daniel Thorn.”

  “I don’t do business with him!” Granger snapped.

  “You did once. I can recognize your forgeries anywhere.”

  “Many years ago, I did one, but he never paid me for my efforts, so he went on the blacklist.”

  “What about the actress Penelope Hope?”

  “What about her?”

  “Did you do a Will and Testament for her recently?”

  “Of course not. She has no money.”

  Tubs leaned in and snared his right hand. “Don’t toy with me, I’m in no mood to be lied to.”

  “Don’t crush my hand. I need my right hand,” Granger pleaded.

  “Then answer my question.”

  “Penelope stopped by last week and asked me to provide her a Will and Testament which she planned to use to force her mother to share her savings.”

  “And because you two are occasional lovers, you believed her.”

  “Father!” the young man exclaimed.

  “Get back to your desk!” he yelled. Once the boy was gone, Granger cursed Tubs a blue streak. “I have a good life, why are you so hell bent to ruin it?”

  “You’re doing fine on your own. Are you aware that Penelope is Daniel Thorn’s mistress?”

  “What? No. That is an outrageous lie.”

  Vic, having grown bored, stepped out from behind Tubs. “Actually, that’s a proven fact. As is the fact that the Will and Testament you forged was not for Penelope, but for Daniel Thorn. If he could only find the document, he could declare his grandmother dead, toss her from her home today, and take all her possessions. Unfortunately, both of his forged documents disappeared from his safe yesterday.”

  “I don’t believe you. From what I hear, Daniel’s safe is impenetrable.”

  “Well, you don’t have the talented people that Xavier Thorn...No relation to Daniel Thorn by the way...and I have. You know Tubs, of course. Have you ever met Jacko the pirate?”

  “Tubs, do you work for Xavier Thorn?”

  “On occasion. I mostly work for Victor Hamilton, who is Xavier’s equal partner.”

  “You switched sides?”

  Tubs smiled. “About four years ago. You seriously didn’t know?”

  “If I had, I wouldn’t have let you back here.”

  “It’s not as if you invited me, but if you have a matching button beneath your desk, I recommend you signal a ‘never mind’, because otherwise you’ll be the first to die.”

  “Why are you doing this? We have never had issues before!” Granger yelled as he pushed the button beneath his desk three times.

  “That is true, but times are changing.”

  Vic spoke up. “Mr. Granger, how much of your business is legitimate vs. your forgeries.”

  “Answer him truthfully,” Tubs warned.

  “It’s about seventy/thirty,” the man grudgingly admitted.

  “And in the thirty percent, how many don’t pay their bills.”

  “I can’t say.”

  Vic rolled her eyes. “Come now, Mr. Granger. It’s a well know secret that you share your bad debt list with your fellow forgers, so a person should never cheat you more than once. So how much of your hard work do you lose in a year?”

  “Don’t lie to him,” Tubs warned.

  Granger sighed. “About thirty percent.”

  Tubs growled.

  “All right, we lose forty-five percent, but only once.”

  Vic snorted. “Clearly that’s not true. If your cheats send someone else to obtain the document they want, they can cheat you constantly. Daniel Thorn certainly cheated you twice, and he’s not that bright.”

  “I do not believe Penelope would cheat me. I believe you are lying.”

  A low guttural growl came from Tubs. “Victor does not lie.”

  “Allow me to prove that you were cheated twice.”

  “What is your proof?”

  Victor pulled the document from Tubs’ vest pocket and slammed the Will and Testament down on his desk.

  Granger grabbed a magnifying glass and studied the etching on the side of the document. “Bloody Hell!”

  Vic shook her head and approached him. “So here are the facts as I see them. You believe the forgeries that you actually get paid for are thirty percent of your overall business.

  “That is correct.”

  “No, it is not. Once the no-pays are removed, it is twenty-three percent. Now, how long does it take for you to create a forged document?

  Granger frowned. “It depends on the job, but from one to five days.”

  “So, you spend all your days working on forgeries, am I right?

  Granger nodded reluctantly.

  “Thus, your son is responsible for nearly eighty percent of your profit.”

  “No, that’s not true!”

  “It is once you remove the items you never got paid for. Then your forgeries are only worth twenty-three percent of your business. But I’m quite certain it is even less than that. How did Miss Penelope pay for her document?”

  “Bloody hell,” he snapped.

  “And how many women come to you with documents to be forged?”

  “Answer him,” Tubs warned.

  “Six or seven.”

  “So, you are risking your legitimate business, which is presently understaffed, and you do nothing to help improve your true business because you want the company of a woman other than your wife.”

  “Hold on. I love my wife, but she doesn’t do much in bed.”

  “Then maybe you should work on your bedroom issues, because the only one who is bringing value to your business, is your overwhelmed son. You are wasting days to provide someone who may not even pay you for a forged document that will unquestionably hurt an innocent. And just so you know, I intend to educate the officers of Scotland Yard about this despicable business. So, you and your fellow forgers need to stop forging and serve those who truly need legal documents. And if you can’t live without being creative, then design creative dance cards for the ladies who attend balls. You will have much better margins there, I assure you.”

  Granger remained quiet for a moment, then replied, “That is a very good idea!”

  “Oh, if you’re goin
g to take my advice, you should know that long lines deter sales. I saw at least sixteen people leave when they saw the excessively long line you have. You have sufficient space, you just need more employees.”

  Granger stood up and held his hand out to Vic. “Thank you, for your advice. I greatly appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome. Just be aware that I will be training Scotland Yard how to reveal Forgery Shops, so you need to get out of the business very soon.”

  “Well, I thank you for the heads up on that as well,” he replied. “My wife would never forgive me if I got sent to prison. To be honest, I saw it as a harmless occupation.”

  “Harmless? Would you think it harmless if someone stole your home and declared you dead, so you had to live in the streets until you froze to death or they threw you into Bedlam?”

  “Dear God! That would be horrible!” He looked to Tubs. “Has that actually happened?”

  Tubs nodded.

  “As of today, I’m done with forgeries. Are you going to talk to Fred and Hankins?”

  “Nope.” Tubs said. “Don’t like either one of them. But, if you like them, you should let them know the tide is against them. But frankly, if I were you, I’d work on improving your business. I know you bought the machines so that you’d have more time to do forgeries, but maybe you should try to stay on top of the constant changes going on now. You’ve got a solid foundation to build from, but it won’t grow on its own. It needs your attention.”

  Granger shook Tubs hand as well. “You won’t be mad if I talk to Fred and Hankins, will you?”

  “Not at all, but let them know, if they go after Victor, I will kill them. That’s a promise.” Tubs and Victor left the printing shop and headed to the carriage.

  Casey spied them at once. “You were in there for hours. I was just about to enter the place and try to find you.”

  Vic grinned at her driver. “It takes time for a horse to change its color.” Vic told Tubs to wait in the carriage. “I need to make an appointment for Vivian with our man of business.” She then ran up to the second floor to Mr. Ascot’s Office. Ten minutes later, she returned to the carriage.

  She smiled as she entered. “Mr. Ascot has agreed to take Vivian as a client. Now back to Granger. Do you think he’ll stop forging documents or just get craftier?”

  “In Granger’s case, I think he’ll stop the forgeries.”

  “What about the other two?” Vic asked.

  Tubs grimaced. “Not a chance in hell.”

  Chapter 4

  Xavier, Fagan, and Vivian arrived at Vivian’s home at dusk. Instead of stopping in front of the house, he had Davy drive a half block down the road. Xavier asked her to remain in the carriage while he spoke to Fagan. After Xavier got out and conversed with the fellow, Fagan headed around to the back alley.

  “Where is he off to?” Vivian asked as she peered through the carriage window.

  “He’s checking out the parameter for any signs of forced entry.”

  “I see...” she paused. “You believe it’s possible Daniel is inside.”

  “It is a strong possibility. Having lost his documents, he has limited options left.”

  “And what is he most likely to do?”

  “Sadly, I don’t have Victor’s ability to pull the truth from thin air. However, he is in dire straits. I was able to confirm this morning that several loans are evidently coming due and he cannot pay them.”

  “How did you discover that?” Vivian asked.

  “Jacko likes to check out the home before he steals whatever he has been asked to retrieve.” Xavier chuckled. “In this situation, he got stuck in a closet for nearly an hour listening to Daniel and Charlotte fight about money. He wanted her to sell her family jewels to get him out of trouble with some dangerous men, but it turns out all her jewels are fakes.”

  “He’s always owing someone money,” Vivian observed.

  “Yes, but these men are Crime Lords, and they have a strict policy to make lethal and violent examples of any man who does not pay on time.”

  Vivian gasped. “Oh, dear Lord! I do not want him to die. I just want him to grow up and behave properly.”

  “Well, his plan to steal all your money by declaring you dead won’t work now. Without the document, he cannot prove you are dead, nor that he is the recipient of your money.”

  “But that is a good point, is it not?” Vivian asked.

  “Well, if you do not want Daniel to die, you will probably have to pay his debt. Otherwise, he’ll be dead by tomorrow.”

  Suddenly the door to the carriage opened and Fagan slipped inside.

  “I was beginning to think you’d been taken prisoner,” Xavier complained.

  Fagan grinned. “No, but all the lady’s servants are tied up, and a man is pacing back and forth threatening to kill them unless they tell him where the lady is.”

  “Did he have anyone else with him?” Xavier asked.

  “Not that I could see.”

  Xavier sighed and focused on Vivian. “So here are our options. If we all go in, Daniel will attempt to kill Vivian and I will have to shoot him. If I go in alone and Vivian, you stay in the carriage with Fagan to protect you, Daniel will try to shoot me and again I would have to shoot him. If we return to our house, Daniel will probably shoot some of Vivian’s staff in a fit of rage. And if Daniel goes beyond his time, the Crime Lords will kill him, and... Damn it all! They will capture his wife, my mother, and make her a sex slave unless I bend to their will! Davy return to Daniel’s house as quickly as you can!” Xavier barked.

  “I can’t believe I put this into motion,” Vivian cried.

  “You didn’t. This is all Daniel’s doing.”

  ***

  Davy moved Marybell as fast as she could go. As they eventually rolled to a stop, Charlotte came out of the door and hurried to their carriage. However, when she opened the door, she seemed shocked. “Vivian, I’m surprised to see you.” She then focused on Xavier and her face contorted in pain. “I have missed you, son.”

  “Please, join us in the carriage,” Xavier insisted.

  “I wish I could, but Daniel has gotten himself into trouble. I had the butler call me a carriage. I thought this was my carriage.”

  “Daniel requested you to arrive at Vivian’s home?” Xavier asked.

  She nodded. “He said it was life or death.”

  “Are you bringing him money?”

  “No, he just told me to dress up nice and come as soon as possible.”

  “Get into this carriage now!’ Xavier focused on Vivian. “Now do you see the depths of his depravity. He intends to sell my mother to the Crime Lords.”

  “Nonsense. Daniel thinks me the ugliest woman in the world,” Charlotte insisted.

  “But you are my mother, and one of my jobs is to keep the Crime Lords in line. If they hold you captive, they’ll control me as well.”

  Muttering curses beneath his breath, he leaned out the window. “Davy return home as fast as Marybell can go.” He then focused on his ashen-faced mother. “I apologize for being so blunt, but there are some matters I cannot allow to happen. I will not allow you to be daily raped and sodomized if I do not do exactly as they demand. You are my mother, but my country comes first. So, you may not sacrifice yourself to pay off Daniel’s debt. You will remain safely at my house until this matter is ended. Do you understand?”

  “Daniel intended to sell me to Crime Lords?”

  “To pay off his debt, he planned to do just that. When it comes to saving his hide, he has proven yet again to have no scruples whatsoever.”

  Xavier focused on Vivian. “Do you now understand his depths of depravity?”

  “I do, but now I am more worried than ever for my servants,” Vivian cried.

  “Once I have you two secured in my house, we’ll attempt to rescue them. However, I do not expect Daniel to survive the night.”

  “Xavier, please do not let it be you who kills him,” Charlotte pleaded.

  “How c
an you still love that man?” Xavier demanded.

  “I despise Daniel, but I believe killing a person will hurt your soul.”

  “It absolutely does. For my country, I have taken several lives. And without question, it darkens a man’s soul. Honestly, before I met Victor, I often considered suicide.”

  “Xavier!” Vivian scolded.

  “Not to worry. Since Vic arrived, I have become a happy man. Perhaps with Daniel gone, you’ll be able to find someone who suits you better.”

  “Not likely. I have nothing now. Neither looks nor money.”

  “Nonsense,” Vivian stated. “You may come live with me. We’ll have a fine time together, and when I die, I’ll leave my house and money to you. I had planned to give it to Xavier and Vic, but they don’t need my money. Whereas you do.” She then eyed Xavier. “You won’t mind will you, Xavier?”

  “Not in the least.” He then smiled at the mother he barely knew. “In fact, I think it is a very fine idea. But just so you know, I do wish to know who my real father is?”

  “His name was Joshua Clavin. He was a very good man, much like you. He was the sheriff of our town. We first became friends, because I couldn’t imagine anyone wishing to marry me. Then six months into our friendship he asked for my hand in marriage. I agreed at once and allowed him to go further than I should have. I was convinced all my dreams had come true. Only my father declared him unworthy of a Jefferson. He warned me to stay away from Clavin, but I couldn’t. I loved him.”

  Her face twisted with raw pain. “A week later, Clavin was shot in the heart. They never found the killer, but I was certain it was my father who hired the man, so I ran away. Not just to another state, for while my father did not love me, I remained his property to sell off as he wished. No, I opened his safe, took the money he had once claimed was my dowry and I boarded a ship to England.”

  “Oh, my poor child,” Vivian cried and hugged her. “You never told me that.”

  “I couldn’t tell anyone anything of my past. I knew my father would have killed me if he had found me. So, I took a new name and I attempted to fit in, but I never did. I knew even when he courted me that Daniel was not a good man, but he was my only suitor. I knew why he wished to marry me, but thankfully he never figured out why I wished to marry him.”