The CrimeLords' War (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 7)

by Liza O'Connor

  Tubs sighed and stopped pushing the walker forward.

  “Do you want to go back?” she asked.

  “No. Has Gregory called Scotland Yard?”

  She nodded.

  “When they come, make sure you mention your mouthing off and the fact you had been behind that haystack. Otherwise, poor Fagan could go to jail for killing a man without reason.”

  “I’ll tell them exactly what I said,” she promised.

  Tubs pushed his walker forward, evidently still intent upon seeing the crime scene.

  He probably misses going to crime scenes and this one was close enough he could actually get to it. Only when he did, he’d be very tired.

  “You continue on. I forgot something.”

  ***

  Getting the giant chair out of Tubs’ room proved harder than Vic expected. If she dragged it and the wood floor got scarred in the process, Gregory would kill her, or worse, he might very well resign from being both her butler and her parent. However, walking it out the door was not possible. It was nearly as wide as the door.

  “Can I help?” Sara asked.

  She smiled at Sara holding Ham in one arm and Cannon in the other. Arroo stood at her feet wagging its tail.

  “Maybe, but you’ll need to lose the pups.”

  Sara returned the boys and dog to the other room and promised she wouldn’t be long.

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to bring Tubs back to his room rather than to take his bathroom chair to him?”

  “I’m not taking it to him as a bathroom chair. He’s determined to visit the crime scene in the barn, but I’m worried he’ll overdo it if he stands for hours.”

  Sara’s eyes widened and then her brow furrowed. “Let me help you.”

  For such a small young woman, she proved to have ample strength and the two of them managed to carry it halfway down the hall before Gregory spotted her. “Put that down,” he ordered.

  He evidently intended to do it himself, but upon determining that was not possible, he sent Sara back to the boys and told Vic to grab her end.

  Proud of him for letting her help, they soon had the chair in the barn. All the aches in her arms, back, and legs were worth the effort when Tubs smiled at her as he moved toward the chair.

  “First, where would you like it placed.”

  “It’s fine where it is,” he assured her.

  “I will be asking Casey and Fagan to move it,” she added.

  Tubs chuckled. “In that case, over there.”

  Casey and Fagan moved it across the room, chiding their friend for even thinking they planned to sit and watch Vic wrestle this monster on her own.

  “What did I say about mirth?” Gregory demanded as he returned with a thick square board that fit on the seat, covering the hole.

  Vic squeezed his hand. “That was very nice of you, Gregory.”

  Tubs nodded in agreement. “Yes, thank you so much…for everything.”

  “You are more than welcome, Tubs,” Gregory replied. “I believe Scotland Yard has arrived. Casey, will you bring them straight here?”

  Casey ran out the barn door and whistled a moment later.

  Vic eyed Gregory. “You either have eagle ears, or a sixth sense, because I didn’t hear a thing that alerted me that Scotland Yard was here.”

  An irate voice could now be heard outside the barn. “I am not a servant, you know. I expect to be admitted through the front door!”

  She groaned and stormed outside. “For God’s sake, stop being insulted when no insult was intended. The barn is the crime scene! Casey was simply being efficient.”

  Barns grimaced. “My apology, Vic. It’s been a trying day.”

  “What’s happened?” she asked, delaying his entrance into the barn.

  “Dead bodies filling the Thames. Meyers thinks we’ve got another turf war between the Crime Lords. Fortunately, so far, there doesn’t appear to be any innocents involved.”

  Vic thought of Samson’s brothers going off into Seth’s territory last night. “Have you identified the dead?”

  Barn huffed. “I’m not officially on the case. Although I was allowed to fingerprint the dead.”

  “And who are they?”

  “The ones I’ve printed and matched to a print on file have all belonged to thugs who work for Seth.”

  “But you aren’t done with them all?”

  “No, Inspector Stone sent me here. So this better not be some lame carriage accident.”

  “Actually, it does involve a carriage.”

  “Victor, I have dead people to print.”

  “Well, you can print the one inside! You should know by now I don’t just have normal carriage issues. No, when someone nearly runs me down, I yell at the driver, but instead of driving on, he stops and tries to kill me. And would have if I had not had the sense to move after mouthing off and Fagan hadn’t acquired Casey’s second gun.”

  He stopped. “So the events leading to this shooting occurred outside your house?”

  “Yes, I was trying to cross the street to go to the office.”

  He turned her around and headed back to the street. “Walk me through exactly what happened.”

  She found the exact location where she had looked both ways. “There was a carriage plodding along on that side and another carriage way down by that plane tree. Given how far away he was, I thought I had plenty of time to get across the street. However, I was concerned about the plodder, so I kept my eye on it as I stepped off the curb. I immediately sensed danger and glanced to my left to see death hurling towards me. I leapt back to the sidewalk just in time to avoid being killed.”

  “The one you saw down there,” he stated.

  “Yes. It was only a few seconds since he had been down there, which proves my claim he was driving recklessly fast.”

  Barns’ brow furrowed.

  Vic didn’t like those furrows. He usually got them when he disagreed with her.

  “As he passed, I called him a bad driver.”

  “Were those your exact words?”

  “Of course not. I don’t have your precise memory. I may have cursed, I’m not sure. However, can we both agree that even cursing someone who almost ran you down, when they are entirely at fault, is not justification for pulling a gun and shooting a haystack he believed to be hiding me.”

  “That is far from an acceptable response,” Barns said, as his brow furrowed deeper. He then looked at the carriage on the side of the road, the horse still foaming at the mouth. “This is the carriage?”

  He walked over and tried to inspect the horse, but the horse was in no mood to be inspected. The poor thing had been abused enough.

  “Who shot the guy?” he asked.

  “Fagan, but only after he attempted to shoot me.”

  “Could you ask the other driver to come out?”

  “Davy is sick. How about Casey?”

  “Is he familiar with handling horses?”

  “Of course. He’s my driver.”

  Barns frowned. “Then who is Fagan?”

  “A driver in training. Xavier selected him.”

  “Ah.”

  “What does that mean?” she snapped.

  Barn’s eyes rounded. “It explains why a trainee to drive carriages would be so quick to kill someone wishing to kill you.”

  “Oh…I believe both he and Casey have been given orders to keep me safe while Tubs is recovering.”

  “Is Tubs recovering?” Barns asked.

  “Yes. And if you are ever shot, make it through surgery and don’t get an infection, do not listen to doctors telling you to lie quietly in bed. Get up as soon as you can. All that lying about nearly killed Tubs.”

  Barns smiled. “I’m glad you found the problem and fixed it. Now, can you call Casey?”

  Vic bellowed for Casey, which unfortunately brought not only her driver, but an outraged butler as well.

  Her butler-parent stormed up and gripped her arm, moving her away from Casey and Barns. “Unless the
officer was about to arrest you, I can fathom no reason that would require you to bellow for anyone.”

  “You’re right. Despite the fact I have been scolded and yelled at all morning, only to nearly be run over by a bad driver who then tried to shoot me, that is no reason for me to bellow. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Gregory’s frown slowly softened. “I am sorry this day has been so hard on you. I will ask the cook to prepare you some pudding to help even matters out.”

  She smiled. “If it would not get me a terrible scolding, I would hug you.”

  Gregory stepped back before she had a chance to risk it anyway. “I will be in the barn,” he declared.

  When her focus returned to the horse, Casey was gone and Barns was inspecting the inside of the carriage.

  Vic peered through the window. “Can I help?”

  “No, you are involved in the crime.”

  “Barns,” she growled. “I did nothing that was even close to criminal.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way. I meant you were the intended victim, thus you cannot participate in the scene evaluation. It could compromise our case against the murderer.”

  “The driver is already dead. He doesn’t require prosecution.”

  “No…yes, I see your point. But you still may not assist.”

  “Why not? I’m quite sure he’s murdered people before. No sane person shoots someone for cursing at their bad driving.”

  Barns sighed. “I’m going to need help on this.” He climbed out of the carriage and gripped Vic’s arm. “Let’s go see the crime scene.

  Once inside, he smiled at Tubs. “Mr. Tubs, Vic said you were recovering, but this is a grand sight. I could use your help on this if you are willing.”

  “I can tell you the dead man's name, his profession, and who he works for,” Tubs offered.

  Barns smiled. “Well, I know his profession, but I would like his name and who he works for.”

  “Robbie Conrad, assassin, Sojourn Seth.”

  Vic snorted. “No wonder he was such a terrible driver. And see I was right. He has murdered before.”

  Barns filled with pride, pulled out his notepad and showed it to Tubs.

  Tubs nodded. “You’re learning fast.”

  Vic grabbed the notepad and tried to read his scrawl. “Your handwriting is terrible. What does this say?”

  “It says ‘Assassination attempt. Failed at accidental carriage death, died during second attempt. Target: Victor Hamilton.”

  Knowing what he claimed it said, she was able to make out the words. “Why would Seth want me dead? Oh… uh oh.” She looked at Tubs. “Do you think he knows about the Tilly disguise?”

  “The what?” Barns demanded.

  “Nothing to concern you,” Vic said.

  “It does if it’s related to this case.”

  Tubs gave the matter thought as he rubbed his bald head. “I don’t think the two are related. That’s a very good disguise. This is something else.” He looked to Barns. “I’ll interrogate Vic and then let you know what his motivation might be. In the meantime, you need to let your boss know about this immediately.”

  Barns frowned. “I know that. It’s why I was taken away from something important and sent to investigate this instead of some idiot on the force. And trust me, we have a great deal of those.”

  Tubs chuckled. “You probably shouldn’t say that out loud, but I’m not arguing with you.”

  “I need to use your phone,” Vic whispered to Gregory and hurried away.

  ***

  “Where’s Vic going?” Barns demanded. He wouldn’t be surprised if Vic was running out the front door to confront Seth by himself. Without question, Vic made the worst victim he’d ever met.

  “To make a telephone call,” the butler replied.

  “You have a telephone? I thought Xavier refused to install one.”

  “I have a telephone,” Gregory replied.

  “When I am done with my interview of those involved, I would like to use your phone if I may.”

  “Of course,” Gregory stated.

  Barns turned to the two protector drivers. “Fagan, please go inside and keep watch over Vic while I acquire Casey’s testimony and then you two can switch off.”

  The young man nodded and hurried off.

  Barns then smiled at Casey. “Just tell me what happened. Do not be concerned that I’m not taking notes. I have perfect recall.”

  Casey’s brow furrowed.

  “He’s more accurate than a person taking notes,” Tubs assured him.

  Casey told him what happened in excruciating detail, including the specific taunts Vic made while hiding behind the haystack. Barns shook his head. When Casey got to the fact that neither of them had seen him draw the gun, Tubs spoke up.

  “That’s because he wears a mechanism on his arm that shifts the gun hiding up his sleeve, into his hand once he straightens his arm. So all he had to do is point or hold out his hand and the gun appears.”

  Barns pulled back the sleeve and found the metal track that Tubs described. “Not typical gear for a driver.” Had he had any doubt the man was an assassin it would be gone now.

  Once Casey concluded his testimony, he left to switch out with Fagan. The butler approached him. “Are we in agreement that Fagan acted responsibly in protecting Vic?”

  “We are absolutely in agreement.” He then smiled at the worried young man entering the barn. “This interview is simply for the record. The man you shot was an assassin, and you were in your rights to shoot and kill him. Had you not acted so quickly and decisively, Vic, Casey, and you would all be dead.”

  Upon taking the testimony of Fagan, he turned back to Tubs. “Is there anything else I should know about this man?”

  Tubs rubbed his chin. “Not right now, but let me talk to Vic.”

  ***

  Vic spoke the moment she was put through to Stone. “Inspector Stone, Barns will be returning to tell you that the crazy driver who tried to kill me, actually who tried to kill me twice is an assassin. You cannot let Xavier know that. I’m forgiving you for that letter you gave me knowing full well it was written in advance and provided no true assurance that Xavier was well. However, to make up for that insult, I want you to do me a favor and not tell Xavier about this incident. I’ve no doubt I’ll be kept prisoner until Xavier returns, but allow him to finish his task without unnecessary worry.”

  “I have no idea where Xavier is, nor any idea to what task you refer, nor to any letter you may have received. I certainly look forward to Barns’ report and his explanation as to why I am receiving this from you instead of him.”

  “Well that is very simple. I know where the phone is and he has not yet finished interviewing people.”

  “Vic!” Barns yelled as he stormed into Gregory’s private quarters. “Are you talking to Inspector Stone? How could you do that! Give me the phone at once.”

  Since she had said her piece, she handed him the phone, in no way certain Stone would keep this assassination attempt a secret given he’d blatantly lied about the letter—unless this was his way of saying he was getting out of the middle of the matter.

  She hung by the door to hear Barns’ conversation. Unfortunately, Gregory pulled her down the hall to Tubs room. “Stay!” he barked.

  Sara peeked out the back room. “What’s got Gregory so out of sorts? He’s told me the boys cannot leave the house for any reason until further notice.”

  Vic sighed. “It’s possible a crime lord hired someone to kill me today.”

  Sara gasped. “It wasn’t Samson was it?”

  “What? No. Samson’s my friend. It’s probably the same guy who nearly killed Xavier, the one who owns Dragon’s Cloud.”

  Sara had once ended up in Dragon’s Cloud as a sex slave and to this day had nightmares of her time there that only Tubs’ presence could dispel.

  The door opened and Tubs entered and headed straight to the bed while Casey and Fagan returned his chair to the room.


  “Thanks guys,” he said. “We need more muscle.”

  Casey nodded in agreement. “We’ll ask Gregory to call Samson and see if he can loan us about five.”

  Vic shook her head. “I’m pretty sure Samson has started a war with Seth and needs all his people right now.”

  “Over what?” Tubs demanded as he sat down on the bed and Vic handed him the pulleys to help him shift further onto the bed.

  She glanced at Casey and Fagan. “I could be wrong, so go ahead and ask, but if he says no, don’t get mad at him.”

  She and Sara grabbed Tubs’ feet and helped get him situated properly on the bed.

  “Make the call,” he barked and both men disappeared.

  Vic would have chided him for yelling at her drivers, only she feared he must be in terrible pain to have done so.

  “Do your legs need massaged?”

  “My arms and legs,” he admitted.

  Sara worked on his arms while Vic tended his legs.

  Tubs focused on Vic. “So first tell me what you know about this war with Seth.”

  “I don’t have much to go on, but I’ll tell you what my gut thinks.”

  “Let’s hear it.”

  She told him how she, David, and Samson had gone to the casino before it opened and figured out how the thieves were stealing. Then Samson asked her and David to return to the casino that night and help him identify the thieves. “Once we determined who was involved, Samson knew some of them worked for Seth. However, to be sure, we let the creator of the theft go so they could follow him to the person who ultimately owned this.”

  “And you don’t know why Seth is after you?” Tubs shook his head in disbelief.

  “I was in my Tilly disguise. So no I don’t.”

  “Why would you wear a Tilly disguise to retrieve jewelry?”

  “No. I wasn’t in disguise then.” She then groaned as she realized why Seth was coming after her. “Nor was I in disguise when we went to the casinos earlier. I was only in disguise later that night.” She shook her head. “But why would he come after me for stopping such a minor theft? That’s what I do: stop crimes.”

  “But this time you got between two crime lords fighting. You stepped over a line and by doing so made yourself a fair target.” Tubs rubbed his chin. “Still, to go after you. He’s got to know Xavier will kill him. Why would he do that?”