The Missing Partner (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 2)

by Liza O'Connor

  Vic jumped up from the desk. “More than me? Why on earth would you pay a street boy—” She stopped yelling as she noticed the twinkle in Xavier’s eyes. She sat down in a chair. “I would just like to confirm he is being paid a fair wage for his work.”

  “Since he never complains, I must presume he is overpaid.”

  “That is not a reasonable assumption.” Vic crossed her arms and scowled.

  “It has worked well enough thus far and I’m not inclined to change my habits.”

  Vic lost her patience. “Just tell me what you are paying our employees, please!”

  “I will not. If you are so damned determined to know, then interrogate them on your own time.”

  She had tried that, but none would crack and spill. She had also searched the office for ledgers showing his employees cost, but unless he had their salaries hidden under a false label, such as ‘sundries’ then he paid all of his employees out of a different account than he paid his other business expenses.

  “Xavier, I only wish to ensure they are being compensated for their hard work.”

  His eyebrows rose in feigned insult. “And I cannot be trusted to do so? Do you feel underpaid, Victor? Is that what we are really discussing?”

  “No! You pay me an outrageously large salary. A hundred pounds a month is far more than I would make at a bank in a year.”

  Xavier relaxed and a faint smile teased his lips. “Then you are not complaining about your salary?”

  “No!”

  “Good. And since no one is complaining, let us talk of something else.”

  She glared at him for refusing to answer her question. “All right, let us talk about people who are complaining. I spoke with Inspector Stone and he refuses to ask the Queen to reimburse the tenants for their eviction during your illness.”

  His resounding laugh filled the room. “I would have paid to see him ask her.”

  “It’s not funny. Those people were set out of their homes nearly a week. I believe we owe them compensation. I spoke to Mr. Tubs and he said rent in the area runs about five shillings a week.”

  “Do you know who owns the tenement building?”

  “No…”

  “The Queen. And do you know how much she charges in rent to live there?”

  Vic sensed this was a trick question, but she answered anyway. “Five shillings a week?”

  “Wrong! She generously provides their homes at no charge.”

  “But Mr. Tubs said—”

  “Five shillings a week, yes I know. However, the tenants do not pay the Queen. They pay Seth Sojourn for the privilege of living there for free. Unfortunately, Seth is in a financial crisis presently due to the destruction of Dragon’s Cloud, so he won’t be inclined to reimburse their rents.”

  Xavier paused and then smiled as some thought amused him. “Although there is a satisfying sense of justice in asking him to pay for the results of my living in squalor while I healed from his poor care.” Xavier took out a sheet of paper. “I take it back. You are absolutely correct, Victor. These people deserve reimbursement.”

  He scrawled across the page with great amusement. When he finished he set the paper aside to dry. Vic leaned in and deciphered his hieroglyphics.

  The Queen requests her subjects in Albany 12 receive one week’s reimbursement of non-authorized rents while your poorly doctored hostage occupied their building. All other requests pending this settlement.

  The last sentence worried her. “What do you mean ‘all other requests’?”

  “That will remain a secret until hell freezes over. Now I have a question for you? Who drank all of my best whiskey?”

  Vic leaned back in her chair. “That will remain a secret until hell revives from its freeze.”

  Chapter 28

  Vic found Mr. Tubs hiding out in the kitchen, cleaning his gun. She sat down at the table beside him.

  He looked up, worried and upset. “Is the lady all right?”

  “She recovered even before Davy found the salts.”

  “Sorry about me scaring her. Mr. Thorn told me not to smile at the clients, and I don’t. I was laughing at you playing with the teeth on her fox coat.”

  “I couldn’t help myself. Why would anyone wear a sharp tooth dog skull on their coat?”

  Mr. Tubs made his hoof’ing laugh. “You should have seen your face.” Then he sobered. “From now on, I’ll go to the kitchen when a client arrives.” He picked a black speck from the hairs on his arms. “Did I tell you I went to the zoo to see the elephants on Sunday?”

  “What did you think?”

  “They were using their trunks to blow water at each other, which made me laugh. The next thing I know, this young woman faints.” His eyes filled with sadness. “I’m pretty sure I caused it.”

  Her heart went out to him. “Why don’t we go to a dentist and see if there is something he can do.”

  Mr. Tubs shook his head. “No, thanks.”

  Unable to accept defeat, she pushed. “May I ask why? If it’s the money, I can give you a loan.”

  He looked at her and sighed. “You are the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

  “Really?” Vic smiled with pleasure. No one before had ever claimed her to be the nicest person they knew. Gregory often called her the most annoying and Xavier declared she had the best intuition, but she rather liked Mr. Tubs’ attribution. Then she remembered he had only known her a month. “You might want to wait awhile before we carve that into a silver chalice and place it on the mantel. I have my cranky moments.”

  Mr. Tubs chuckled and looked at her. “I like that you don’t talk down to me. Most people think because I’m so big and ugly, that I’m dim-witted. But I’m not. I didn’t get much formal education, but my mind works better than most.”

  “Did I mention that elephants are highly intelligent? Some people say they never forget anything they learn. They’ll remember a trail they only took once when a little calf.”

  “You named me good then. I’m the same way.”

  “So if it is not the money, why don’t you want to see a dentist?”

  He breathed out so heavily she felt the breeze across the table—a rather malodorous wind that made her stomach roil.

  He stared at his hands. “Well, first of all, I won’t fit into his chair, and second he won’t want to work in my mouth. It’s ugly in there. I ain’t got a single good tooth left.”

  Vic stood up. “Come on. I know a dentist who loves a challenge. If you don’t fit in his chair, he’ll figure something out.”

  Mr. Tubs remained seated in silent resistance.

  “He’s a nice fellow. We were study-partners our first year at Oxford. Then he decided he wanted to become a dentist and transferred to King’s College. He is very good. I go to no one else.” Vic opened her mouth and leaned forward so Mr. Tubs could see her healthy mouth.

  Vic held out her hand. “His office is quite amazing. He has a large assortment of hand and foot drills. He even has one drill that runs by an electromagnetic motor. If nothing else, you’ll find the visit fascinating.”

  Tubs rose from the table. “Well, now you’ve got me curious.”

  ***

  David Brown was tinkering with his equipment when they entered. “Vic, how are you? Come see my new x-ray machine. Just got it installed this morning. Edmund Kells sent me the specs, and I had a London machine shop build it for me. I tell you, the Americans are hands above us when it comes to improvements in dentistry. Truth is most of my equipment and tools are either French or American. I suppose we Brits just brush our teeth too much to warrant such investment in reparations.”

  Vic laughed. “Well, I’ve brought you someone who is in great need of reparation.”

  David took a look at Tubs and a sparkle lit up his eyes. “Wonderful, I have wanted to try out my new dental chair on a heavier person. It’s supposed to seat customers of any size.”

  Tubs’ brow furrowed as he eyed the seat. However, when David pushed down the arms so they
extended the width, Mr. Tubs, with much cheerful encouragement from David, sat in the chair. By his pained expression, he expected it to collapse any moment.

  “How much do you weigh, if I might ask, sir?” David asked as he cranked a lever until Mr. Tubs laid almost horizontal with his head elevated to a serviceable height.

  “I stepped on a grain weight once. The man said I was four hundred-weight.”

  “That would be about thirty-four stone,” Vic added helpfully.

  With pride David pointed to the underside of the chair. “With these large crank wheels operating the rack and pinion mechanism, did you see how easy I moved him about?”

  “Very impressive.” Vic smiled, happy she could make David’s day and help Mr. Tubs at the same time.

  He stared into Mr. Tubs’ mouth. “Well, this is interesting.” Glancing at Vic, he asked, “Do you have time for me to take X-rays? I would love to shoot Mr. Tubs.”

  Mr. Tubs frowned. “Eh?”

  Vic laughed when she realized he had misinterpreted David’s comment. “He wants to take pictures of your mouth with his new machine that can see through flesh and bone.”

  “Very good, Victor!” David patted her on her back. “You evidently read this month’s Proceedings of the Physical Society of London.”

  “Actually, my sister read it, and mentioned it to me.”

  David paused during his set up of the machine. “Your sister, Claire, right?”

  “I’m amazed you remember.”

  “Well, you made her rather unforgettable. Does she still have a laboratory in the cellar?”

  “She does.”

  “I’m glad her husband is supportive of her intellectual pursuits.”

  “She doesn’t have a husband. I put out a rumor she was dirt poor and scared her suitors away.”

  Both Mr. Tubs and David stared in horror at Vic as if she had just declared she murdered the Queen. “Well, they were horrid, money-grubbing bastards, who wouldn’t let her say a word in twenty. I didn’t mean for the entire town to think her poor, I just wanted the three to go away. And they did, before dessert could be served.”

  “That’s horrible!” David said.

  “I’m sorry, I was a desperate man. I had to save someone’s life that night and I could not hang around the house protecting Claire from these cretins.”

  He looked up from his work. “I meant for your sister. I think you were absolutely right to chase them off.”

  With a metal plate stuffed in his mouth, her giant friend could only manage an ‘ee oo’.

  David returned his attention to Mr. Tubs. “You have a wonderfully large mouth‒makes it very easy to work in. Now remain still while I activate the X-ray machine.”

  Victor followed David to the control panel and watched as nothing happened other than a loud humming noise.

  David turned the machine off and returned to Mr. Tubs, extracting the plate. “Now watch how easy I can shoot the other side.” With a flip of a lever, he rotated Mr. Tubs around so he faced the other direction. “Bloody clever, don’t you think?”

  ***

  David seemed fascinated with the results of his X-rays. He cranked Mr. Tubs to a sitting position so he could see as well. He talked through the problems with every tooth.

  “Now a normal dentist would just pull your teeth out and give you dentures, but I think I can save most of them by drilling out the infection and filling the hole with a new mixture of amalgam suggested by the American dentist GV Black. This composite of silver, tin, copper, and zinc will withstand expansions and contractions during temperature changes.”

  “In clear English, what does that mean?” Tubs asked.

  David patted him on his giant back. “It means you can eat without pain and be less likely to lose your fillings during winter.”

  Tubs nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

  “Do you have time to do it now?” Vic asked.

  “This is the only time I can do it. My appointment book is full for three months. Since I began using nitrous oxide, I’ve become the most popular dentist in London. Fortunately, for you, I closed the office today because I wasn’t certain how long it would take them to set up the X-ray machine. So today, Mr. Tubs can have all my appointments, and I daresay, he’ll need them.”

  “You see, Tubs. Our coming here was meant to be.”

  As David calculated the amount of gas to give Mr. Tubs, Vic double-checked his math. Mr. Tubs’ weight was off the chart, so David had to calibrate the amount by hand. When they both agreed he had the calculation correct, Vic turned her attention to her very worried employee.

  “I’d rather have the pain then the gas,” Tubs said.

  Realizing what worried her friend, she patted his arm. “Nitrite oxide is not like opium. You won’t develop a craving for it. Nor will it put you to sleep. Some people experience a sense of happiness, and others simply feel calm. However, its best attribute is that you will experience no pain, and given all the drilling David plans to do, that is very important, not only for you, but for David and me.”

  Tubs brow furrowed. “I understand why the gas will help me, but why would your dentist care if I take it or not?”

  “Because people in pain often bite down on hands sticking in their mouths and neither of us wish to be bit.”

  “You’re going to help?”

  “I’m going to be his troublesome apprentice.”

  David smiled at Vic’s announcement. “Great, let me show you how to run this clever suction machine, also invented by an American, I might add.”

  “Claire told me about this,” Vic said as she held up the tube.

  “Did she?” David looked wistful. “Victor, would you consider inviting me to dinner some night? I would like to meet your sister. If for no other reason, then to prove you haven’t invented this goddess of knowledge and accomplishment just to torment me.”

  Vic laughed. “I’ll do you one better. I will invite you to dinner and forbid the cook to poison your food.”

  Chapter 29

  Vic was exhausted from her day as a dental apprentice. She crawled into bed, next to Xavier, intending to go directly to sleep. Only Xavier woke the moment her head rested on his chest.

  “How long could it possibly take to pull a mouthful of teeth?”

  “We didn’t pull them. We excavated and repaired them. Even the front teeth are filed down with ivory covers that David wired into place by anchoring them to the incisors.”

  Xavier yawned, evidently having no interest in dentistry. “Have you figured out what happened to that fool’s luggage yet?”

  “I came directly here after my hard day’s work as a dental assistant. Let me assure you, being your partner is infinitely more satisfying.”

  Chuckling, he stroked her head. “Well, I’ve a few bones for my tired pup. Stone stopped by and said the prosecutor has arrested Carson on both the charge of attempted murder and murder. He hopes to outrage the jurists with the man’s intention to kill a well-liked lady of society so much they will find Carson guilty of the murder of the unfortunate woman, as well. The prosecutor is confident he can convict on the attempted murder charge, and optimistic Carson might hang for murder.”

  “That is indeed satisfying.” She then pushed herself up and looked at him. “I also have good news! I have found Claire a prospective husband”

  Xavier’s brows furrowed. “As long as it’s not me, I am impressed.”

  “My friend, David—he’ll make Claire a fine husband. He’s half in love with her sight unseen. When we were in school, I would speak of her and the lab she created in the basement. He fell in love with the idea of an intelligent wife back then and now wants me to invite him to dinner. Just think, they could spend hours at night discussing the Proceedings of the Physical Society of London.”

  “He sounds like a good choice for Claire. However, since he is your friend, you must ask yourself if Claire is a good choice for him.”

  “What’s wrong with my sister?”

&nbs
p; “As a wife? Well, even an enlightened fellow such as your dentist might object to her dalliance with a butler in training.”

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Claire has broken it off with Jonas, and Jonas is in love with our cook’s niece, Sara. Although do not let Claire know the last part.”

  Xavier frowned.

  “Xavier? Do you see a flaw with my plan?”

  “Well, if you must know, I’m not certain even your enlightened friend will care much for the real Claire. I consider myself the epitome of enlightenment, and I find her most irritating at times. She behaves as if she is the Queen of England and all must obey her. And she has a tendency for scolding.”

  “I agree on both issues and she is going to work hard to improve her behavior.”

  “How is she to do that when everyone gives in to her? While Gregory holds you to a firm line, he does nothing to curb Claire’s tendencies to boss and command. Instead, everyone caters to her every whim. If she decides to take an equal partner, she will have to radically change her behavior.”

  Vic tilted her chin in pride. “That is precisely what I said.”

  He leaned in and kissed her lips, teasing them open. Vic enjoyed a moment of intimacy and then pulled back. “What did Dr. Connors say?”

  “He said I have made extraordinary progress both in healing and ridding myself of this damned addiction.”

  She laughed. “You have, but I was talking about something else.”

  “I was leading up to that. He says if I believe it will help me take my mind off my cravings, then I should succumb to the pleasure of your delicious body until my soul reaches rapture.”

  She shook her head. Those words would never come out of Connors’ mouth. “What did he really say?”

  “I will tell you his exact words if you can tell me where Mr. Hanson’s luggage is located.”

  Had she not met Davy on her way up, she would have answered his question incorrectly. Then she frowned as she realized Xavier would not know she knew the answer. “Do you not wish to make love to me?”

  He stared at her as if she were mad. “We are only bargaining on whether you get to know Connors’ exact words. Either way, I will submit my body to your pleasure.”