Well Kept Secrets (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 4)

by Liza O'Connor

  “They are, but never tell anyone or I’ll be robbed for sure.”

  Her eyes rounded in what she hoped was gullible innocence. “Is that why you were so angry with me for entering this room the other day?”

  He took her hand into his, his fingers resting on the veins of her wrist. “I was concerned you might be a spy of some sort, at first.” After a pause, he smiled. “But I am convinced you are only a young lady of excellent character who has fallen from her rightful level because she fell in love with the wrong man.”

  Vic extracted her hand and rose, slowly walking about the room. “The heart can be very foolish, yet very stubborn. I don’t wish to still love him; I just do.” She turned to face Schnell, taking in the disappointment in his eyes. “You are clearly a man of purpose, a good man. But if you are hoping I might forget my love for Jack, I fear you will be disappointed.”

  With a heavy sigh, Schnell pushed himself from the sofa and approached. Taking her hand in his, he responded. “I am also a patient man.”

  Before he could say more, a knock sounded on a second door, probably from the alley. His eyes turned hard. “Back into the front, quick!”

  Vic ran from the room. She wanted to remain in the storage room and listen, but she didn’t dare. The chance of Schnell checking was too high. So she returned to the front room, frustrated and annoyed. However, she did leave the door between the storage space and the shop open.

  The only thing she learned, other than Schnell had her pegged to be his Mrs. Schnell, was that if she could eavesdrop, she would know what criminal activity he was involved in. That was why Schnell had hired a deaf mute as his cook and housekeeper.

  She heard the parlor door open, then the door to the apothecary closed.

  He had checked. The man might have hopes, but he remained cautious, and had Vic been caught eavesdropping he would have killed her. Or tried.

  Vic touched the comb in her fake hair.

  Chapter 9

  Tubs didn’t think he was doing the business much good. The only two people who’d come to make an appointment, a middle-aged gentleman and an old woman, took one look at him and beelined it from the office.

  This was the first job Mr. Thorn had ever given him that he didn’t like. Last year, when he worked for Sojourn, he had to kidnap Vic and then sit and keep an eye on the boy. Vic kept insisting such a simple job was beneath a man of Tub’s experience.

  It had really touched him that the skinny boy appreciated his ability to walk quietly despite weighing four hundred pounds. It wasn’t easy ‘cause every board in the world wanted to scream his presence. It had taken him years to become so light-footed.

  He hadn’t known Vic was female at the time. Probably a good thing, because he didn’t like women back then. They were always screaming and fainting around him. And the ones who didn’t were nasty creatures like the madam of Dragon’s Cloud. She was as evil as they came. He hated working for her and her weasel husband, but he didn’t have no choice. Back then he had to do what Sojourn said, ‘cause if he didn’t, the master criminal would send men to kill him and eventually one of them would have succeeded.

  Contrary to the popular belief that bullets didn’t faze him, when he got shot it hurt like hell. He’d just learned, by the age of four, to live with pain and keep it to himself. Otherwise, people would keep hurting him, just to watch him cry.

  Vic had been the first person not only to admire his skills, but to like him. ‘Course at first, he distrusted the boy’s words, thinking the clever fellow was just working an angle to escape. But turned out Vic didn’t need an angle. He’d brought a whole damn army to Dragon’s Cloud. At the first sound of their arrival downstairs, Vic told him what was happening and encouraged him to save himself.

  Tubs at that point still hadn’t been sure what was going on downstairs, but the boy seemed sincere, so he took a secret passage out of the place. Once safely away, he watched the scene of carnage from a nearby tenement building. Hundreds of British soldiers surrounded and besieged Dragon’s Cloud. They tore the building down floor-by-floor looking for something beyond those enslaved servants they rescued.

  Only later did he learn it was the real Sherlock Holmes they sought. And he would have never known that if Sojourn hadn’t ordered him to guard a dying man who couldn’t even lift an eyelid. He’d been sitting on a too small chair when, of all people, Vic burst in the room. At the sight of Vic pointing a gun at his head, all the while insisting he didn’t want to use it, Tubs quit his job. Sojourn could kill him all he wanted, but no way in hell was he going to battle against the only person who had ever been nice to him. Jacko was also aiming his gun at Tub’s head, declaring he’d have no problem shooting him, but that was secondary.

  He had a chance to pay back Vic for saving his life, so he quit his job. A second later, Vic offered him new employment…a perfect job, where his skills would never be wasted.

  He stared at the empty appointment book. And until this day that had been true. He ‘spected Vic wouldn’t be happy to learn Mr. Thorn had demoted him to secretary. Tubs sure wasn’t.

  The door opened, and Tubs braced himself for yet another terrified client. He frowned at the man who entered, certain he wasn’t going to scream and run off, but sort of wished he would.

  Inspector Stone did step back at the sight of him sitting at the tiny desk. “Is Xavier available?”

  Tubs rubbed his neck. “No, but I’ll make an appointment for you.”

  Stone stormed towards Xavier’s private office and opened the door. Evidently, the Inspector not only believed him a murderer and a thief, but a liar as well.

  Anyone else, Tubs would have stopped. But he wasn’t so keen going to jail for manhandling the top guy at Scotland Yard. On the other hand, sitting in jail couldn’t be worse than sitting here. At least there he might find someone to talk to.

  Stone left Xavier’s private office and returned to Tubs. “Do you know when Xavier will be back?”

  “Not ‘til wee in the morning. They’re still working the case that you ain’t.”

  “Ah,” Stone sighed and paced the room a bit. “I doubt he’d appreciate my stopping by and asking a favor while he’s in disguise.”

  “Don’t think he would, at that.”

  “Then let us remove the middleman so everyone can get to work.” His brow furrowed. “I cannot imagine you are enjoying your current assignment.”

  Tubs huffed. “Not a bit.”

  “Nor would I think you’d be very effective at it.”

  “Couldn’t be worse.”

  Stone smiled faintly. “What was Xavier thinking?”

  “No idea.” Tubs cracked his knuckles. Usually knuckle popping would stop people from asking him stupid questions.

  Evidently, it didn’t work on Inspector Stone since the man stepped closer. “I came here to ask Xavier if I could borrow you for the evening.”

  Tubs eyes narrowed. The man had some nerve! Only six months ago he’d tried to blame him for a bank robbery. “Need a patsy for another crime? Another bank robbery?”

  “I already apologized for that.”

  “Not to me you didn’t.” The Inspector had apologized to Mr. Thorn and Vic, but he’d never said a word to him.

  Stone stared at him a long moment then said, “I’m sorry.”

  Tubs thought that too short and too easy for his liking. “For what?”

  “For failing to apologize to you personally. To be honest, I am most conflicted in this matter. For years you have been the deadliest, yet craftiest criminal in London. If you were involved, the crime always went unsolved. As the person in charge of solving crimes, this made you my number one enemy.”

  Tubs hadn’t expected such high praise. “Sojourn wasn’t on the top of your list?” The man ran almost all the crime in Lower London.

  “No. He was second. You were my worst criminal. And you were untouchable, not because you had connections, but because you never left evidence and no one would ever testify against you.”<
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  Tubs smiled at the Inspector’s words and breathed in with pride. “Thank you.”

  “That wasn’t a compliment, Tubs. I am trying to explain where you stood in my opinion before Vic inexplicably hired you while Xavier was on his death bed.”

  Tubs shrugged his shoulders. Didn’t matter to him how Stone meant it, he thought it a grand compliment. Even while his skills were mostly being wasted, he still managed to rank as the best criminal in London.

  Stone paced before the desk. “I admit, I doubted your sincerity in changing sides. I thought honest work would bore you stiff and within a month you’d be doing side jobs on your own.”

  “Working for Vic ain’t never dull. Never. Not even when it should be. That boy is a magnet for trouble. The other day we went to get him some smoked mackerel. The first four stores we enter Vic insists there’s something wrong with the fish. The fourth fella got so mad he raised his butcher’s blade, ready to shut Vic up for good. I stopped him, of course, and pulled him over the counter so I could talk to him about being respectful to my friend.”

  Stone interrupted his story. “Which caused a panic in the street as people left the shop screaming a giant monster had gone insane and was chopping up people inside.” Stone smiled. “I saw the report.”

  Tubs frowned. “I got Vic out the back before the police came.”

  “True, the report stated person or persons unknown. Given the butcher nor anyone else was hurt in the melee, I did not make the connection to you until Vic sent me an angry message about butchers trying to sell smoked eels as mackerel. He insisted I charge them with fraud.”

  Tubs chuckled. He hadn’t known Vic had done that.

  Stone joined him in a moment of humor then sobered. “Vic once told me with time I would recognize what a valuable asset you are, and he’s right.”

  Tubs tensed with caution. When anyone other than his fellow workers and bosses complimented him, he knew he was being buttered for a roast.

  “I need your help, Tubs,” Stone admitted.

  “Forget it. I’m not killing anybody unless they’re threatening Vic.”

  “You misunderstand. This is a foreign official with a penchant for young boys.”

  “Don’t care. Won’t kill him.”

  “I don’t want you to. I want you to be his bodyguard.”

  He glared at Stone. “I’m not protecting some pervert without the express order of Vic or Mr. Thorn. If someone else kills ‘em, that’ll be fine by me.”

  Stone rubbed his temple. “Allow me to explain. Every year about this time, I receive a notice from my superiors that a Mr. Hidick— not his real name—will be enjoying the pleasures of lower London and he is not to be arrested or prevented in his pursuits. And every year, once the man leaves, I’ve twelve to twenty young boys dead in the morgue.”

  Tub’s eyes narrowed, recalling a fancy that showed up every Christmas, taking whatever boy set his fancy, even if they were innocents not in the business. “I take it back. I’ll get rid of that one for you.”

  “Unfortunately, I am still forbidden to touch the man.”

  “I’m not,” he muttered.

  Stone sighed heavily. “He’s royalty, Tubs and if he dies, you will hang, whether they find evidence of your guilt or not.”

  Tub’s glared at him. “That’s not fair.”

  Stone held his hands palm upward. “There is nothing about this that’s fair.”

  “Who’s gonna watch after Vic if I’m dead? Who’s gonna get rid of the next Mesmerist?”

  “Hopefully, you. Which is why I’m asking you to be Mr. Hidicks protection tonight. He has a bounty on his head.”

  “How much?”

  “A hundred pounds.”

  The amount took Tubs by surprise. “That’s gotta come from someone with money.”

  “I know exactly who it came from. It’s the same person who has given me orders to arrest you for the crime when the bastard is killed.”

  Tubs scratched his bald head as he grasped the reasoning. “Getting rid of two problems at once.”

  “That is how this man sees it.”

  “So you want me to keep this pervert alive so he can kill more boys?”

  “I’m hoping your conversion to the other side is well known by now, and none of the procurers will open their doors to Mr. Hidicks once they see you accompanying him.”

  “Probably true. But what if he grabs an innocent off the street? He’s done that before.”

  “I suspect you will be the one he orders to catch the boy.”

  Tubs nodded. When prior bosses ordered him to catch and kill little boys who spied on their business, he let them escape. L’il Pete was one of those boys. Tubs would put on a good show for the boss, but the boys always managed to scamper off.

  “So, let me get this straight. You need him alive come morning, but you don’t care if he don’t have no fun all night.”

  Stone rubbed his temple. “If he thinks I have purposely sabotaged his night on the town, he will probably have me fired.”

  Given the number of lives at stake, Tubs thought that a poor reason not to do the right thing. But then he found he often seemed to have a higher moral ground than those around him, ‘cept for his new bosses, of course. His moral compass and theirs were much aligned.

  “So, he has to think, no matter what goes wrong with his evening, that I’m doing all I can to keep him safe and help him have fun.”

  “Yes.”

  Tubs had been making his bosses think they were in charge while he did what he wanted most of his life. “I think I can do it.”

  “Understand your priorities. Keeping this bastard safe is most important. Saving the boys is secondary.” Stone stopped his pacing and stared at Tubs. “You are a valuable asset to this country now. And while those above still refuse to see it, I do.” His gaze remained steady as he added, “I do not want to lose you. However, you will hang if Mr. Hidick dies tonight. Then, not only will we lose you, but Xavier and Vic will probably leave the country in protest, at least until we have a new First Minister.

  “You’d be in trouble then,” Tubs said, repressing his desire to smile at the disaster that would befall Scotland Yard without Mr. Thorn and Vic’s assistance.

  “More than even you could contemplate.”

  “I’ll do it.” Tubs rose from his chair. Honestly, he didn’t see that he had a choice. The hundred pound price on the man’s head was sure to get him killed if Tubs didn’t intervene. “What happens if someone dies while I’m trying to protect this bugger?”

  “Nothing will come back to you.”

  “You sure? Whoever put out the bounty might think otherwise.”

  “You will be the man who saved Mr. Hidick. At worst, you may have to go before the Queen and be thanked for your brave service to our country.”

  He didn’t want to go before the Queen. The old lady might scream and faint, getting him shot by her prissy dressed guards and their excessively high fur hats.

  “When and where do you want me?”

  “Now…actually, but you’ll to wear a suit? I seem to recall Vic bragging about getting you one.”

  “I have one, but I ain’t keen on messing it up.”

  “If it gets ruined, I will see you get a new one.”

  “All the same to you, I like the one I got.” Stone would never understand, but when Vic went to the trouble of finding a tailor who would cut and sew him a beautiful suit made of the finest wool, it had almost brought Tubs to tears. Never had he expected to own such a fine garment.

  “Go change into the suit. Mr. Hidicks will not accept you otherwise.”

  The suit wouldn’t do him no good if they hung him…which they might actually be able to do if they used a chain instead of a rope.

  He knew from past attempts, ropes broke before his neck did. Still, attempted hangings hurt like the dickens, so he went upstairs and changed into his beautiful suit.

  Once dressed, his gloomy mood left him. All he could think of was how
wonderful his life had become since Vic offered him a job.

  He wished Mr. Thorn would return. Tubs had promised him never to freelance, and while this was for Scotland Yard and he didn’t have much choice in the matter, he’d prefer having permission. If Vic were here, his friend would probably come up with a better solution than saving the pervert and losing more boys.

  As he followed the Inspector to his hired carriage, he noticed the alarm in the driver’s face upon seeing him. Clearly, the guy had heard about him tipping over the carriages of bad cabbies who abducted and took young dandies to opium dens, getting them addicted, so they could weasel a reward from the families to rescue them. His tipping carriages had reduced this sort of kidnapping, but with the consequence that no cabbies, good or bad, wanted to give him a ride.

  He rubbed his chin, wondering if the speed in which rumors spread about his efforts to stop crime might not work in his favor for once.

  “Do we have time for a short stop?” he asked.

  Stone pulled out his pocket watch. “We have a half hour at most.”

  “That’ll do. It’s Friday. There will be a batch of little boys being held in a warehouse for tonight’s auction. I just need ten minutes to set em’ loose.”

  “Set them loose where?” Stone demanded.

  “Don’t really matter where they go; it can’t be worse than where they are.”

  “It’s freezing cold outside!”

  “Well, it ain’t no warmer in the warehouse and dying from the cold is much better than what’s in store for them.”

  “We really don’t have time,” Stone insisted.

  “Only take ten minutes and it’ll make my job much easier tonight.”

  “How?”

  “Because I can focus on keeping Mr. Hidicks alive rather than trying to save the boys, if there ain’t no boys to be saved.”

  Stone rubbed his temple. “Perhaps we can take them to the orphanage on Beaker Street.”

  “They’ll just sell ‘em back to the procurers. Better to let them run.” Tubs sighed. If Vic were here, then she’d send them to her house where the butler would find them good jobs as servants. “Can we stop by Vic’s home for a moment? I need to talk to Gregory.”