“Ah! Good point.” She pulled the letters from the desk, culled those that thanked him for stock information. “These will go into evidence if Xavier decides to send him to prison. The rest you can put under the mat.”
“What if it rains?”
“That is not my problem,” she laughed, and looked at Alice. “If I require a witness that I warned him not to provide the information in the file to the Wasp is there any chance you heard me advise him against doing so, and warning him he might go to prison if he does so?”
“I certainly did,” Alice assured her.
“I was in the basement, but I heard it, too.”
“Excellent!” Vic declared. “Tubs, you stay here while I telephone the locksmith. Once he comes, hopefully, we’ll have time to buy you stock.”
When Alice and Vic crossed the street and knocked on the door of Vic’s house, Alice chuckled. “I’m surprised you don’t just pick the lock.”
“Can’t. Not even Jacko can pick these.”
Alice raised her right eyebrow.
“It’s true; ask him yourself.”
Before Alice could reply, the front door opened and Jacko smiled at his wife. The hallway echoed laughter and two different barks. “Get in fast!” Jacko warned. Vic knew hers and Tubs’ son were fast on their feet. Fortunately, they seemed mesmerized by Rocky. Even Arroo seemed to like the little pup.
Gregory entered the room in high agitation. “Oh, thank God you’ve returned. Barns just called. The parliament intends to arrest you.”
“That’s ridiculous! I didn’t do anything other than ride in a carriage and row a boat.” She then recalled her sassy response to the Parliament Ministers demand to retrieve the diamonds.
Gregory gripped her arm. “You are to go into hiding at once. Barns suggested you wear the disguise you wore at the dock and go immediately to where Stone is hidden,” Gregory ordered. “Hurry and change now. Casey will get you there.”
She ran upstairs to change into her disguise and Alice hurried behind.
By the time Vic realized Alice had followed her into the room, she had already shed her masculine clothes and was stepping into a gown. Alice picked up the male clothing, stuffed them in the clothes hamper, and placed some pants of Xavier’s on top. Then she helped Vic dress.
“By your lack of surprise, may I assume Jacko told you I am female?”
“He didn’t have to. I’ve known for a very long time. Claire revealed your secret by sharing a picture of you two.”
“I’m going to steal that picture!” Vic pulled the wig over her short hair. “Is that why you took up laughing at me?” she asked.
Alice hugged her. “Vic, I was not laughing at you, but marveling at all you could be.”
“You should have told me all the same. Then I could have clocked Claire upon her silly head.”
Chapter 16
With Alice’s assistance, Vic was dressed and headed downstairs in short order. Just as they arrived in the lobby, someone pounded on the front door. Jacko waved them all to the carriage house. He pointed Vic, Cannon, and Arroo to Casey’s carriage, and his family to his own carriage. Both vehicles left the carriage house at once, one turning left, the other turning right. Vic heard a cacophony of police whistles at first, but soon they dimmed. Once certain that her driver had lost all tails, they stopped at the Xavier’s house of disguises so Vic wouldn’t be living in one dress for days. While there, she decided Casey should have a disguise as well.
Finally, they switched out the carriage for an older dusty carriage in the barn. “We cannot be too careful with Stone’s safety,” she explained as she rubbed a solution on his face that gave him wrinkles. “Since you are much older, now, be more like Davy in your behaviors. Don’t go jumping up on the carriage as if it’s nothing. Take your time and groan a bit.”
Casey laughed. “I love working for you guys.”
When they finally arrived at Samson’s, Casey drove the carriage straight into Samson’s carriage house. The moment the doors closed, the light came on and an angry voice demanded to know who he was.
Casey raised his hands. “Samson, it’s me, Casey. We’re in disguise.”
“Thank God. Vic are you in there?” Samson asked.
“I am, and please don’t shoot Casey. He’s the finest racing carriage driver that has ever lived.”
Samson opened the door and stared at her in stunned silence. “I didn’t think it was possible, but I find you more attractive than Tilly.”
She huffed as she gave him her hand. “Men are so fickle.”
As he led them to his library, she smiled at the sight of Stone. “It’s me, Vic.”
Stone’s eyes rounded. “Amazing!”
“It’s good to see you, sir,” Vic said as she approached him and knelt so he wouldn’t have to look up at her. “Where are your wife and children?”
“They’re downstairs. What we will be discussing is not for the ears of civilians. Who did you bring with you?”
“Just Casey. Tubs might show up later since it will be a moonless night. I asked Samson to allow Casey in this meeting, and Tubs if he arrives.”
Samson spoke from the door. “While there is some risk in doing so, I believe we will have a much better chance securing Xavier’s freedom with their help.”
Vic stood up. “They arrested Xavier? On what charges?”
“They won’t even admit they’ve arrested him, in fact his friends within the Parliament and External Affairs have been assured he is only being held for questioning and remains unharmed.”
Vic turned to Stone. “How did Barringbarn get those diamonds?”
Stone turned his palms up. “He insisted he didn’t steal them. In fact, he assured me they were fakes. Then he had his men kidnap me.”
“Where exactly is Barringbarn’s office?” Vic demanded. She had a great desire to tear it apart.
“His official office was on Westminster Abbey, but he often worked from his London home,” Stone replied.
“When he worked at home, did his secretary join him?”
“The young man followed Barringbarn around like a pet poodle. I believe the fellow fancied himself in love with Barringbarn.”
Vic appreciated his candor. Her intuition had said their relationship was more than professional. “So why were we asked by Barringbarn to follow his secretary? He carried no diamonds on him.”
Stone rubbed his temple, then flinched from the pain even such a simple action caused. “He may have been there to ask Mason to accelerate my death. I had been kidnapped a week before and had already attempted several escapes while in Barringbarn’s custody. So being a coward, Barringbarn sent his lover to meet Mason in the man’s warehouse, only a young woman killed him before he could request my death.”
“Then who met up with Mason in the days following? I doubt it was Barringbarn. He’s a coward.”
Stone sighed. “If we knew who is behind Xavier’s abduction, we’d probably know the answer.”
Vic sat up, praying for their first real clue. “There were two irrational men at the late-night meeting yesterday. Their behaviors made me think they were part of whatever Barringbarn had planned. Barns might know who they were.”
“Can you describe them?” Stone whispered, evidently growing tired.
“One had an excessively long powdered wig and a very low voice. The other man had a red face, and a small capped wig which exposed orange hair beneath. He also constantly threw his hands in the air.”
“Minister Cobbs and Minister Wiggens. They could certainly be behind this. The two have business ties with Barringbarn, and from what I hear, the business was doing poorly. It is quite possible they were going to use the diamonds to get out of debt.”
Vic was not surprised their businesses were failing. The true gentry did not tend to fare well against the brilliant driven men who were changing the world with new ideas and products. In fact, the gentry who failed to adapt were losing power, even in the Parliament. If the nouveau rich bec
ame powerful enough and married into a family of old wealth, they would be welcomed into Society and possibly become a minister. “So why did they not use the diamonds to save their business? Why kidnap you and involve Mason at all?”
“Barringbarn hired a thief to steal the diamonds, but then cheated the fellow of the money he was promised. The fellow was so outraged, he came to me, offering up the real thief in exchange for no jail time. Needless to say, I didn’t believe the fellow at first. So, I had Meyers lock the thief up until I could talk to Barringbarn. The moment I entered Barringbarn’s office I knew he was guilty of something. I suggested I could return the diamonds to the Queen, never mentioning him at all, but he continued to insist the diamonds were fakes and if I said a word to anyone, he would charge me with libel. I forewarned him, the matter was not resolved, then left him to stew over his choices. The following day I was abducted.”
Stone may have tried to laugh, but it triggered a fit of coughing. Vic wanted to pat his back, but she might cause him harm by doing so. She didn’t know if they had injured his back as well.
Once his coughing subsided, he continued, “I believe Barringbarn discovered most Crime Lords feared what would happen if they were to kill me. It could have caused an all-out war. The only one who had no skin in the game was Mason. He makes his profits overseas. I have no idea how the transaction took place.”
“We believe the exchange took place several days before they moved you to the boat. Word went out to potential buyers that Mason knew well enough to trust. Only when he had whittled the potential buyers to three men, did he have his men retrieve you.” Vic sighed. “I’m sorry we weren’t a day faster in finding you. But we had yet to realize that Barringbarn was involved. We just thought him the worst Internal Affairs minister that had ever existed.”
“That he is,” Stone replied. “And I do not fault you for your delayed rescue. Who would presume a man so high in the ranks would risk his life for three diamonds? I hadn’t, not even when I had the thief’s testimony. I’m lucky to be alive at all.”
He looked up at Samson’s concerned face. “I owe you and Jacko my life. Thank you. You’re a good man and the best of Crime Lords.”
A faint smile touched Samson’s lips.
Just then, Tubs walked in. “Sorry, I’m late.” He looked to Vic. “Do we know who took Xavier?”
“Minister Cobbs and Minister Wiggens.” She then turned to Stone. “What are they in charge of?”
Stone sighed. “They are minor parliament members. I’m not sure they are in charge of anything.”
“So they wouldn’t have legal authorization to hold Xavier?”
“No. They would need someone else to arrest him.”
Vic growled in exasperation. “Possibly not. I believe they’ve crossed several lines already and fear Xavier will figure it out if he remains alive and that will send them into disgrace and bankruptcy.”
“What are you saying?” Stone asked.
Vic met his eyes. “The night Jacko and Samson saved you, Barringbarn approached the unmoored boat, waving his hands. Then someone on the boat shot him with a poisonous bullet.”
“I still don’t understand why he was there,” Stone said.
Vic understood his confusion. The transaction was finished between Barringbarn and Mason. He could not possibly believe Mason would give up the diamonds now. Then another possibility came to her. “It never made sense for Barringbarn to wish to speak to Mason. But what if he was trying to warn someone on the boat that the alternative plan they had concocted wasn’t going to work?”
“I’m not following,” Stone admitted.
“Earlier that day, we had informed Barringbarn that these hydrogen sulfide bullets were highly lethal. Barringbarn insisted at worst it caused a sore throat and headache. And we assured him he was wrong. Evidently, we must have caused sufficient doubt to make him ask another expert.” She smiled. “I believe he was trying to save his co-conspirator on the ship.” Vic turned to Casey. Can you remember anything about the guy who shot Barringbarn?”
Casey shook his head. “I only saw the back of him.”
“Could you see his hair color, his height?” she asked in frustration.
“Maybe…Yes, he had orange hair, and now that I think about it, his black suit was good quality.”
“Then my vote is Minister Wiggens. He was no doubt still angry with Barringbarn for giving up the diamonds they needed to save their businesses. But clearly, by his presence on the ship, he wanted those diamonds back. When Mason heard the gun shot that killed Barringbarn, he probably came up to find out what happened. Only Wiggens opened the door, shot him in the chest, then slammed it shut and locked the hatch.”
“How could you possibly know he came up to find out what was going on?” Stone challenged.
“Because I had recently conversed with Mason. He was a hands-on fellow. When I was talking circles around a young clerk so Cannon could discover which boat you were on, Mason decided to take charge of the situation. Now if he would take charge of my stupid request for them to figure out where my husband was in America and ship him my son, then he would certainly leave his buyers in the hull and go up to see who was firing a gun.”
“Vic makes a good point,” Samson said.
“It wouldn’t stand up in court, but I believe you are right,” Stone replied.
“Mason would have died at once, but within minutes, all the men would have died as well in such a tight space. Unlike Barringbarn, Wiggens seems to understand the lethal nature of this gas, since he quickly shut and locked the hatch, then hurried down to the rowboat and returned to the dock.”
Stone held up his hand. “How could you possibly know how quickly he closed the hatch?”
Vic almost rolled her eyes, but just remained still until the wave of frustration passed. “Because he’s alive. Had he taken one breath so close to the fumes, he would have died.”
“And the reason you believe he left immediately is because…”
“He knew how dangerous this gas was.”
Stone sighed in frustration and focused on Samson. “Any chance you heard these gunshots?”
“I did hear gun shots about a minute apart. But I was busy garroting pirates and Jacko was collecting sufficient knives to throw.”
“So the person was gone before we escaped,” Stone concluded.
Samson nodded. “And then we took you a long way around to avoid anyone seeing us.”
“So we have no proof…” Stone said.
Vic scowled at his need for proof, but then cheered up. “We might have one bit. Wiggens’ red face and wild flaying arms might have been caused by burns from the gas before he closed the hatch.”
Tubs nodded. “It’s got a wicked burn, and it keeps burning until you put activated charcoal on it.”
Samson spoke up. “You should know there’s a promise of five hundred pounds for any man who can get those diamonds.”
“Who’s paying the bounty?” Vic asked.
“Cobbs and Wiggens,” Samson replied. “I’ve warned my boys it’s a fool’s trap and they’ll die if they go for it, but I fear some of them will try anyway. There’s already over seventeen dead bodies around the boat. There may have been more that floated out to sea. So far, no one has even managed to reach the door. Meyers has men on the safe side of the river trying to warn the men off, but five hundred pounds is hard for a poor man to ignore.”
Vic huffed. “I doubt the queen is even aware of the bounty and I seriously don’t think she’ll want those diamonds back unless scientists can verify they’ve cleansed them of all the poison.”
Samson leaned down and whispered. “I think Stone needs to rest.”
Stone did seem to struggle to keep his eyes open. “Just one last question. Who is the most influential friend Xavier has in the Parliament?”
Stone’s eyes closed and for a moment Vic feared he had died, but then they opened. “Try Lord Carlson. He’s in charge of External Affairs, but he might be able t
o take charge given Mason was involved in the matter. And you won’t have to dance around him with half-truths. Don’t try to manipulate the man. Just tell him what you think. He’s aware of your intuitive skills.”
Vic would have hugged Stone, but given all his wounds, he probably wouldn’t appreciate it, so she just thanked him and turned to leave. She stopped when she realized she had no idea where to find this minister. “Stone, sorry, but do you happen to know his address?”
“Abbey Lane,” he whispered.
Fortunately, Abbey Lane was only a block long. Good thing, because ringing on doors at one in the morning would make for some very cranky butlers.
Since lights were on in all the houses and the last house on the block was hosting a ball, she suspected Minister Carlson would be found there. There was a very long carriage line of sleeping horses and empty carriages that backed up all the way to the end of the street. Vic had Casey pull in before the first one in line, making them the new first.
She was pleased to see there was a gate to the garden. It was locked, of course, but she had her picks out and the gate opened in a few seconds. She took care to slowly open it so it didn’t creak, as gates were prone to do. Pleased she had avoided making any noise that would call forth the footmen lurking about the front door, she quietly made her way around the back with a portable battery-operated torch that David had built for her, which she had given Samson, which he now let her borrow. While the battery weighed three pounds, without it, she would have never located the path that led her to the garden, where outdoor lighting provided just enough light to get young ladies into trouble. Upon seeing a couple hurrying towards her, she turned off and tucked away her flash light in a holly bush and then moved further into the shadows.
Once the lovers passed, she continued around the back until she located an entrance to the house. It turned out to be the servant’s area, but she thought that might prove a better entrance. Servants were far more obliging than the wealthy. “Do you know where I might find Minister Carlson?”
Toxic Diamonds (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 8) Page 12
