Vic remained quiet for a long time. “I don’t remember her crying, but she was just ten years old, so I never told her that Mother had died.”
“When did she find out?” Frederick asked.
“They sent a ship out to pick us up, but I still don’t believe Claire knew that Mother and Father had died.” Vic rubbed her temples before continuing.
“When we got to shore, Aunt Maddy was there waiting for us at the dock. She gathered Claire in her arms and took my hand, then she took us to her carriage. I don’t remember Claire crying then either. Once inside the carriage, I know she didn’t cry. Instead, she asked where her bunny was. I explained to Aunt Maddy that was her stuffed toy and then I told Claire it had gone down with the ship. Claire looked up at Aunt Maddy with the saddest blue eyes. Aunt Maddy pulled Claire into her lap and promised she would find her a new bunny. I loved my Aunt Maddy from that moment onward.”
“Did Claire ever cry about her parent’s death?” Frederick asked.
“Not that I know of. But I was going through my own crisis. While I didn’t see my mother drown, I was convinced she drowned due to the three layers of petticoats and the heavy wool skirt.”
Frederick spoke softly. “That seems a reasonable assumption. How did you react?”
Xavier spoke up at once. “Frederick, I need you to treat what you are about to hear as confidential material. Do not take any notes about this and do not mention it with anyone else.”
“I give you my word.” Frederick place his pad and pencil on the table, then focused on Vic.
“The secret that I need to keep is that I was born female. However, after knowing my mother drowned due to those damn skirts, I refuse to wear dresses thereafter. After three days of refusing to wear dresses, my aunt came to my room and asked me why. When I explained the dresses had killed my mother, she pointed out that if I wore pants, I would be laughed at and eventually arrested. I told her I didn’t care, I wasn’t wearing a dress! She then suggested if I was adamant about wearing pants, that I would be better off dressing and acting like a young man. And that’s what I did. And I have never regretted it.”
Frederick smiled. “And how did your sister take to your change?”
“At first, she seemed pleased since now she was the only girl, so Aunt Maddy would love her more.”
“Did she love Claire more?” Frederick asked.
“Not that I could tell. I thought she loved us both equally. However, my aunt did assign her butler, Gregory, the task of making me a proper gentleman. He rode me hard, but Claire...she got to do whatever she wanted.
“Once I grew up, I went to Oxford. Claire suddenly realized she would never be allowed to go to Oxford and it upset her greatly. She did not want to be a man, she loved being a beautiful young woman, but she wanted to know about everything. So, I would lend her my books and help her on topics in which the author of the books failed to explain matters properly. And I helped her create a laboratory in the basement. And she seemed happy again, until she realized the young fellow she had chosen to love wasn’t smart enough to keep up with her.
“Then Aunt Maddy was murdered, and at the funeral I met Xavier. I already knew who he was. In fact, I had planned to go see him after the funeral and ask for tips on how to find out who had murdered my aunt.”
Vic laughed softly. “I still remember his scold that I was tossing him off when I didn’t expect him to solve the case, only tell me how to do so. When I apologized, he allowed me to assist in finding the murderer.”
“And did you?” Frederick asked.
“We did.”
“Was Claire pleased that the murderer was found?”
“I’m not certain.” Vic looked to Xavier.
Xavier sighed. “I have no idea. I don’t recall her ever mentioning the murder at all.”
Determined to move matters to a conclusion, Vic continued. “When Claire dropped her young man due to his lesser intelligence, I introduced her to David, who, in my opinion, is more brilliant than Claire.”
“Have you ever told her that?”
“No, she believes she is the most brilliant person on earth, and I just let her have her way.”
Frederick read more of the possible triggers, raising his right eyebrow on a couple.
Vic quickly added, “Claire sees herself as a brilliant, beautiful lady of the first level. Thus, she went after Xavier because, in her mind, I was now male, and it did not matter if I loved him, I could not have him. And the reason why she was so mean to Jacko, is because he was not a proper gentleman at the time and still he made no advances towards her. The reason she hates Tubs is because he is very big and also has no interest in her whatsoever.”
Frederick returned to his list. “David, I see the first serious issue between you and Claire occurred when she tried to declare Vic a woman and have her thrown into Bedlam so she could steal Vic’s child.”
Vic replied, “Yes, and given how hard the baby was to birth, I greatly resented her attempted theft. In fact, I still haven’t forgiven her for that.”
“Do you bring it up all the time?”
“No.”
Frederick chuckled then sobered. “David, can you explain why you left her for this?”
David’s eyes rounded in shock. “I tried my hardest to stop her from going to a lawyer and filing her suit. I asked her why she was so hell bent on hurting Vic and she replied that Vic got whatever she wanted, and she had nothing. We had been trying to have a baby for over a year. When she couldn’t conceive, I suspected it was because of all the draughts she had taken when she was a young girl to prevent her from having a baby. I believe they caused her inability to bear children. However, whenever she raised the conversation, and that was often, it was always me who had the problem.”
“And do you argue often?” Frederick asked.
“Not anymore. I am presently living at Xavier and Vic’s house.”
“And why is that?”
“Because Vic found a loving boy for me to raise, and I fell head over heels the first day I met him. I was certain Claire would welcome him into our house, especially since Vic then could transfer the ownership of the house into his name. Only Claire refused him the moment I carried him inside. She demanded I remove him at once. She was furious that I wanted a son, that Maddy and she were not enough.”
“That is most interesting,” Frederick replied. “I believe I’ve identified the triggers we’ll need to alter with mesmerism. But understand, this will be my first time at trying this, so I may fail completely. However, the main trigger is that Claire doesn’t feel people love her as they should. She is comparing herself to you, Victor. I’m guessing all the people in your household like you.”
“The large and extensive household all adores Vic,” Xavier stated.
“And now, even her husband is in that household.” Frederick focused on David. “I gather you love Vic as well?”
David smiled. “I do. Vic and I became solid friends at Oxford. Then I had to leave because my father lost all our money on a single card game. So, I became a dentist. While all my other friends wrote me off, Vic never did. In fact, he brought me patients to work on.”
“When did you learn Victor was a female?”
David considered the moment. “About a week into my marriage to Claire. I was sharing a story about Vic’s cleverness and Claire slammed her hand down on the table and informed me that I needed to cut all contact with Vic, because he was a she!”
“I was shocked, for Vic and I roomed together, and I had never known. But there was no way I would ever cut off Vic. He is my best friend.”
Dr. Frederick smiled. “I thank you both for being so forthright and honest. I believe I can help you if you wish. Let me explain how I will go about it.”
David and Vic sighed with relief and they leaned forward to catch his every word.
“There are three triggers causing Claire to act in an irrational and angry manner,” Frederick stated with certainty. “One is her belief no
one loves her as they should. Two is her jealousy of Victor. Three is her need to control her environment.”
Both David and Vic nodded in agreement.
“If I can mesmerize her and soften the intensity on those three issues, I believe matters will go more smoothly in the future and Claire will be a happier person.”
Frederick stood up. “Think about it. If you want me to try, then call me by eight tonight. David, your wife will not be happy when she discovers what you’ve done, but I strongly believe you are the appropriate person to bring her here. The less you tell her, the more likely she will remain in the carriage. If she needs further information, tell her you’ve arranged a room in a chateau located in the forest outside of London that will give you two time to be alone. However, once you bring her, you will have to leave while she remains here until I have tried my hardest to soften these triggers.”
“And if you fail?” Vic asked.
“Then it will be your choice. I can continue to work with her, or I can send her home. But be warned, if I send her home without fixing her, she’ll be worse than ever.”
When they climbed into the carriage, both David and Vic were sobbing, so Xavier chose to ride beside Davy.
“I don’t know what to do,” David admitted. “Claire will never forgive me if I do this.”
“Nor me.”
“What if we don’t do this?”
“Then Claire keeps getting angrier and angrier. Then she’ll kill someone else.”
David gasped. “You know about that?’
Vic nodded. “Yes, but I haven’t told anyone else.”
“I had hoped she was just making it up,” David whispered.
“No. And it wasn’t an accident,” Vic admitted. “She asked me to teach her how to shoot, then she created the poisonous Rupert’s Drop, then she shot the fellow in the leg. I told Xavier I didn’t see who shot him, but I did. I just kept telling myself it was just someone who looked like Claire, but it couldn’t be Claire.”
“What are we going to do?”
Vic hugged her friend. “I’m sorry it is falling on to your shoulders. I had planned to have Xavier make the decision and take her there.”
“Do you think she’ll get better if we do nothing?” David asked.
“No. I think she’ll worsen. And if she kills anyone else, she will likely hang for it.”
David gripped his head. “Then we need to try this now, because all other options are unacceptable!”
Vic nodded. “We’ll let him know the minute we get back that we want him to try to make her better.”
Chapter 14
Gregory, clearly upset, stood at the kitchen door the moment they arrived home.
“What has happened?” Vic asked.
“Claire set her house on fire. It has burned to the ground. Fortunately, the houses around it survived. However, the fire inspector wishes to speak to you in the morning. They believe the fire was purposely set. Witnesses saw a petite young woman tossing a liquid that smelled like alcohol on the sides of the house and then setting it on fire. When they tried to stop her, she pulled a gun and threatened to shoot them, telling them this was her house, and no one but her would ever enter it again.”
“Dear God, did she return to the house?” David demanded.
“No, she came here and is presently in the parlor being well watched by Tubs and Jacko, as the children work on the castle.” Gregory rubbed his temples. “She evidently plans to sleep with Maddy.”
“The hell she will,” Xavier replied. He then focused on Vic and David. “You are both too close to this situation. We need to take Claire now, before she sets our house on fire.”
“That would be the natural progression.” Vic admitted, and glanced at David for his agreement. Vic had never seen him so tormented, but he nodded.
Xavier released a heavy sigh. “Gregory, I need to use your phone.”
Gregory led him to his room and dialed the number as Xavier called it off, then he handed Xavier the phone and he stepped back. “Would you like me to leave or stay, sir?”
“Stay for this call, but my next call I will need you to leave once you’ve dialed the number for me.”
“I understand.”
“Frederick. We cannot wait. I need to send the package now. Matters have escalated. The package and I will be leaving with fresh horses and a rested driver in no more than ten minutes. We should arrive in four hours. Davy will not be the driver. It will be a young man named Casey. Please tell the guards in advance. I do not wish Casey to die over this nonsense.”
“Can you tell me what has happened?” Frederick asked.
“Not now, I will tell you when I arrive.” Xavier hung up and handed the phone to Gregory. He quickly placed it on the hooks. Then he lifted it up and dialed in the new number as Xavier read it off.
Barns answered at once.
“Thank God you are still there,” Xavier snapped.
Barnes replied. “I just got a report that a house belonging to Victor Hamilton was set on fire.”
“Yes, Vic’s sister, Claire, has become unhinged. I am taking her to an asylum the moment I finish this call. I believe she had servants. Could you have some of your men check the house and ensure they all got out?”
“I’ll have it done right away. I am glad you are taking her to an asylum, I was going to suggest that when I drove you home last night, but I didn’t want to speak with Maddy in the carriage.”
“Yes, this was already in the plans, only Claire reacted one day in advance. We had intended to take her there tomorrow morning, but we are going to take her now. No way in hell would I let her sleep in my house.”
“Is someone watching her?”
“Jacko and Tubs.”
“Then all should be good.”
“With Claire, you never know. If she’d burn her own house down simply because Vic cannot legally put the title in her name, she would have no trouble setting our house on fire.”
“If you require help, let me know,” Barns stated and hung up.
Xavier hurried back to the kitchen. “Casey, get Vic’s carriage ready to go.”
“It’s ready,” he stated.
Both Gregory and Casey followed Xavier to the hallway. He nodded at their immediate assistance. “First, I’ll get my mother and great-grandmother out of the parlor and place them in the library. Next, we should declare bed time and take the children upstairs to our bathroom and lock them in. The bathroom is well sealed. However, there is ventilation in the ceiling, so the children can continue to breathe fresh air. Gregory, I want Sara and the other maids to stay with the children in the bathroom. Perhaps take some food as well.”
“I’ll get right on it, sir,” he stated and in less than two minutes most of the maids were quietly rushing up the stairs and readying the bathroom for occupation.
Sara rushed to Gregory. “We have sufficient food for two days and milk for the younger ones. All the maids are upstairs, waiting in the upper hallway in case they need to hurry a child along or a child attempts to enter his regular room instead.”
“Well done, Sara. Just remain in the hallway until Xavier declares it bedtime.”
“Would it not be better for me to do so? I am the one who normally puts them to bed.”
“Excellent idea. I will suggest it to Xavier. However, I expect Claire will try to follow Maddy, so I will need to distract her.”
Xavier exited the room with his mother and great-grandmother and quickly moved them to the library. “Stay here. If you smell an odor like the sewer, climb out the window and go across the street to our office.”
“Can you tell us what has happened?” Vivian asked.
“No time.”
“Does it concern Claire? She seems almost wild tonight.”
“Just lock this door and stay far away from her,” Xavier warned.
“Gregory, I need you to distract Claire while we get the children out of the room.”
“To keep with their regular routine, Sara sh
ould remove the children from the room and I should delay Claire by asking her about her house.”
Xavier gripped his arm. “Excellent. But be very careful. It is highly likely that she plans to kill everyone in this house tonight.”
Gregory seemed to grow an inch. “That will not happen, sir. Not on my watch.”
The removal of the children went like clockwork. While Ham had reason to question why he needed to go upstairs rather than to his own bed, he never said a word. He just did as his mother requested.
As was the plan, once the last child was in the giant bathroom with all the female servants to care for them, Pete sealed the door, per his father’s orders and sat in a chair outside the door.
Xavier stuck his head in their master suite. “Did you take a head count?”
“Yes, sir. All little soldiers and maids are accounted for.”
“Any idea where Vic might be?” Xavier asked.
“He said he was going to do a perimeter sweep on the outside.”
“Good, thank you.” Xavier rushed downstairs.
Gregory stood before the parlor door holding a large canister of activated charcoal. “Tubs and Jacko have secured Claire, but by her attempts to smash the back of her legs against the floor, we believe she does have toxic Rupert’s Drops in the seam of her hem.”
Xavier opened the door and found Tubs holding Claire’s legs while Vic carefully cut the hem of her dress off and removed small sponge cushions holding Rubert’s Drops. Noticing a window open, he deduced that Vic had prioritized stopping Claire from killing everyone over doing a perimeter sweep.
Vic looked up. “Any chance you have some chloroform? We really need to knock her out.”
“I could do it with one blow, but it might make her crazier than she is now,” Tubs warned.
The only reason why the hellcat wasn’t screaming for help was because someone, probably Jacko, had stuffed her mouth with a cloth, then wrapped cotton string around and around, thus preventing her from spitting the cloth out.
“Sorry, the chloroform is upstairs in our bathroom, which is in lockdown to protect the children and maids,” Tubs explained.
“Never mind. We got this,” Vic assured him. “You should step out, because if one of these damn drops gets its tip tweaked, everyone in here will die.”
A Despicable Crime Page 13
