The Darkest Days (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 6)

by Liza O'Connor

  Chapter 5

  Xavier remained in a surly mood as Davy drove him back to the park to retrieve his pups.

  Damn it all! Why had Samson asked such a thing, even in jest? But he knew why. The young man had fallen in love with Vic and the fact he normally preferred women made no difference to him. Xavier had gone through the same confusion when he first met Vic and believed her to be a young man.

  While the eyes could be fooled, evidently the body was not so easily confounded. Samson wanted Vic, and given he was closer to Vic’s age, handsome, and muscular, he probably thought he had a chance.

  Xavier had never worried when Captain Meyers or Tubs fell in love with his partner. Meyers was happily married, Tubs had never believed himself worthy of any woman until Vic played matchmaker between him and Sara. Thus, neither had been threats.

  But the young, handsome Samson could become a threat.

  As the carriage pulled up to the park, Xavier climbed out, searching the lawns for Tubs and his three pups: Vic, their son Cannon, and the young bloodhound, Arroo.

  Tubs, being seven-foot-tall and weighing over four hundred pounds, should have been the easiest to spot, but only if he wished to be. Otherwise, the man was amazingly elusive to a scan of the horizon.

  Unable to find any of the four, he wondered if they had moved to a different park.

  If so, Vic would have left a message.

  He noticed a sheet of paper attached to a tree and walked to it. The sight of a knife holding it to the bark worried him.

  What if they’d all been taken? How Tubs could have let that happen, he could not imagine…

  He yanked the letter from the tree and read it swiftly.

  Xavier,

  The pups have mastered “finding”, so we are now practicing “hiding”. Please try to locate us. We are in the park.

  Vic.

  Xavier chuckled, his worry and anger faded away as he studied the area, now understanding why he couldn’t find Tubs. He’d have better luck looking for the other three.

  As he walked through the craggy armed London planes, he marveled at how easily a person could hide near the lumpy trunks and not appear to be anything other than another bump or bend.

  He spotted Arroo first. The pup was tucked in tight by a thick root and wouldn’t have been visible except for the white patches on his legs. He reached down and picked up the half-grown bloodhound. “We may need to get you dark boots for surveillance.” Upon returning Arroo to the ground, he was certain his son would be near his pack mate. Searching the bumps on each tree carefully, he finally located his son, Cannon, inside a hole at the base of a tree.

  The boy happily crawled out on his own and tackled Arroo. The two tumbled about, growling and fighting in play.

  “Enough. I have to find Vic and Tubs, or we’ll starve before this game is over.” He stared up at the tree, doubting Vic would be very far away from their son. She had grown most fond of the boy.

  His first sweep gave him nothing, but the intense stare of Cannon and the pup made him study the branches a bit more.

  Still, he couldn’t find her, but given the two intense stares, she had to be there. “Tubs, keep an eye on the pups,” he ordered as he climbed up the tree.

  When he glanced down, Tubs stood by the pups, his black eyes scrutinizing the park for trouble. Cannon and Arroo watched the tree. Xavier followed their gaze from his new angle. He was certain of the branch they watched, but if Vic was there, he could not see her. Perhaps she lay on top of it.

  Moving further up, he reached the branch. Nothing.

  Just then something poked him in the back. “Bang, you’re dead.”

  Xavier turned and smiled at his wife. “Clever, using the pups to send me to the wrong branch.” She climbed down halfway and yelled at Tubs to catch her.

  His heart caught in his throat as he watched Vic leap from the limb.

  Since there were no howls at ground level, he assumed Tubs had done his job. He needed to climb down before the pups decided to play this game yet again. To his surprise, all four waited beneath the tree when he touched ground.

  He smiled at Vic and ruffled her short blonde hair. “Thank you for not hiding again.”

  “We’ve learned enough today. We’re hungry.”

  The pups barked in agreement, his son’s being a sharp ‘yes’ repeated three times. “Cannon, since you are one-year-old now, you need to slow your words and speak them rather than bark them.”

  The boy growled softly and pressed his face against Arroo, who comforted him with its large wet tongue.

  Tubs picked them both up and they headed to the carriage. Once inside, Vic frowned.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “I’m feeling uneasy…”

  Samson had the audacity to declare his love for Vic, and now his number one pup felt uneasy. He didn’t like that coincidence at all.

  “Tubs stay alert,” he warned as he placed Cannon and Arroo on the carriage floor, and drew his gun.

  Vic and Tubs drew theirs as well.

  When they arrived home, Xavier might have felt foolish if Vic’s sense of trouble hadn’t worsened. They dropped the pups at the house and entered their office.

  A dusty, tired-looking young fellow ran to Xavier holding out a letter. “A message for Mr. Thorn.”

  The boy handed the letter to Xavier and ran from the office.

  Vic ripped the letter from Xavier’s hand and opened it. Then Xavier stole it back and stormed into his office, Vic following him. Together they read Alice’s plea.

  Xavier and Vic,

  Our new constable at Litchfield arrested Jacko this morning for the murder of one of my farmer’s daughters and the theft of a horse. Both charges are entirely without merit. Jacko was in bed with me at the time of the murder, but Constable Ott has declared both myself and my butler unreliable witnesses. And the constable’s horse followed Hellion back to the barn, evidently hungry and in need of water. Jacko was with the officer when the horse ran off, so he knows for a fact that Jacko is innocent, but he arrested him anyway.

  Jacko has asked for your help to solve this murder, and I add the request that you ask Inspector Stone to help us remove this constable. I fear he is on a vendetta against Jacko based on the past. He referred to him as a pirate.

  Alice

  Xavier stared at the letter in shock.

  Vic ran to the door. “Tubs, tell Gregory to get my carriage ready and pack us clothes. Have Casey meet us at Scotland Yard. We are headed to Litchfield to solve a murder.” She then turned to their secretary. “Ben, reschedule any meetings for the next week.” Finally, she eyed Xavier’s grumpy driver, seated on the bench. “Davy, we’re going to Scotland Yard this moment.”

  She then returned to Xavier and gripped his hand. “You are not going to lose your best friend,” she assured him and pulled him from his chair to the carriage.

  The moment Vic and Xavier were inside the carriage, the vehicle lunged forward. She gripped Xavier’s chin and turned his face to her. “Are you all right?”

  He nodded. “Yes…thank you for taking charge and putting matters into action. I admit the letter took me by surprise. I’ve always known Jacko’s past might cause him problems, but while he was safely in the countryside, I never thought it possible.”

  “No matter, Stone will make it go away.”

  Xavier sighed. “That is not a certainty. Stone may insist justice takes its course. Now that he is in charge of Scotland Yard, he will not wish to cut corners.”

  “No!” she stated with certainty. “He will intercede in this matter. No other option is acceptable.”

  Upon arriving at New Scotland Yards, she waved off the officer at the desk and stormed up the stairs.

  “Excuse me, sir, you cannot—”

  “Sully, that’s Victor Hamilton and Xavier Thorn,” the familiar voice of her friend, Captain Meyers, barked. “Always let them pass through.”

  Vic would normally pause for Meyers to ca
tch up, but today every second counted. Country justice could be frighteningly swift at times, especially when the constable was determined to hang someone.

  A well-dressed gentleman occupied Stone’s visitor’s chair, but since the door was closed but not locked, she decided it couldn’t be a terribly important conversation and barged in.

  “We require your intervention at once before one of your constables kills an innocent man.”

  Both men stared at her in shock.

  Stone recovered first. “James, this is Victor Hamilton…Xavier’s partner.”

  James chuckled and stared slightly to her right. “I see you’ve passed on your manners to the boy.”

  Xavier gripped the back of her neck before she could respond to the rude man’s comment. “James, I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but it is critical we speak to Stone at once…in private.”

  James breathed in and huffed. “We will continue this later tonight,” he stated and slowly walked from the room. The moment Xavier closed the door, Vic turned to Stone.

  “One of your constables has recognized Jacko and arrested him for murder and stealing a horse. He has no evidence. He has acted solely on the fact he knew Jacko when he was a pirate. He has refused to even take evidence from those who can prove Jacko innocent of both crimes.”

  Xavier was impressed at how much Vic had grasped from Alice’s letter.

  “One of my constables?” Stone stated in surprise. “Did you get a name?”

  Xavier pulled the letter to see if Alice had mentioned the constable’s name.

  “Ott,” Vic snapped. “He’s clearly a lazy officer who wishes to convict a man of his past rather than finding who actually murdered the young girl. The accusation of the horse theft is completely made up. Jacko was in his presence during the alleged theft.”

  Stone frowned as he opened a ledger and flipped through the pages.

  “Stone, are you listening?” Vic demanded. “We have no time to spare. Village justice can be terribly swift!”

  His head popped up. “Village…where was Jacko arrested?”

  “In Litchfield.”

  He walked to the door and called a young man over. After giving him instructions, he returned to his desk and sat down. “Sit,” he said. Xavier did, Vic did not.

  “We have no time to sit. Due to your poor choice of constables, Jacko is in grave danger!”

  The young man knocked and entered when Stone motioned for him to do so. “Found him. Lester Ott. Hired one month ago. Originally from the lower docks.”

  A tight smile came to Stone’s lip. “A month ago. Excellent. Barns, this is Victor Hamilton and Xavier Stone.”

  The boy’s eyes rounded. “It is an honor to meet you both.” He shook Vic’s hand and then Xavier’s.

  “Stone, if you don’t intend to help, then give us Captain Meyers,” Vic yelled.

  Stone held his hand out. “How soon are you leaving?”

  “The moment you give us Meyers,” Vic snapped.

  He stared at Barns. “You will be accompanying Victor and Xavier to Litchfield. You are to ascertain the situation and if you deem it necessary, you, as the senior officer, will take over the investigation of the murder and the claim of horse theft. Do not return until both are resolved.”

  “Yes, sir.” The young man grew an inch in height.

  “You have three minutes to transfer your current tasks to others. Unless Vic deigns to stop at your residence so you might acquire a second suit, you will have to manage with that one alone. Dismissed.”

  The boy flew from the office, gently closing the door before disappearing.

  “I want Meyers!” Vic yelled.

  “Well, unfortunately, Meyers has other matters to attend to. Barns is young, but in many ways he reminds me of you, Vic. I not only believe he can handle this matter, I believe he will become a better officer in doing so.”

  Xavier spoke before Vic yelled her objection. “Stone, I appreciate your need to train the next generation of police, but Vic is correct. Jacko’s death could be imminent.”

  “Which is why Barns is the better choice. He outranks Ott, so he can take charge of the case. He also can leave in three minutes. Meyers has responsibilities that prevent him from being at your beck and call. It would take him three days to pass off his current cases.” His focus returned to Vic. “I want Jacko saved as much as anyone, which is why I am sending you the best officer for the task.” He returned his focus on Xavier. “I only ask you keep him safe. He is a remarkable young man and may someday be my replacement unless Foreign Affairs gets him.”

  Xavier stood. “Thank you for your best officer for the job.” He gripped Vic’s neck. “Let’s go save Jacko.”

  Vic ignored him and focused on Stone. “If you say Barns can save Jacko, I have to trust your judgment.” Before she could warn him what was at stake and that they’d never help him again if Jacko died, Xavier pushed her from the room.

  “Stone doesn’t have time to wait for you to twist out an apology,” Xavier scolded.

  As they hurried down the steps, she objected to his last comment. “I wasn’t apologizing.”

  “I know that, which is why I removed you from his office. Stone does not work for you, Vic and if you continue to embarrass and harass him, he’s going to decide he can solve crimes without you.”

  “Fine, who needs him?” she snapped.

  “We do, on days like this.”

  “And what does he do? He gives us a boy barely out of short pants.”

  “I dare say the ‘boy’ is very near your age, well-educated, and has excellent connections. Before you decide he’s useless, you might want to determine his skills. Such snap judgments are no doubt why Seth so undervalued Tubs.”

  Shame flooded Vic, making her cheeks burn. She did not want to be compared to the idiot crime lord who thought Tubs incapable of reason, just because he was seven feet tall and weighed four hundred pounds.

  “You are correct. I have pre-judged him unfairly. My only excuse is that Jacko’s life is on the line and I was absolutely certain Meyers could save him.”

  “Not if he took three days to arrive,” Xavier added.

  “I don’t believe he would take that long.”

  “So ask him…wait…he’s not here. When has he not followed us up before?”

  Vic bit her lip. “That’s an excellent observation. He must be overwhelmed.”

  When they arrived at the two carriages waiting outside of Scotland Yards, the large one contained Tubs, Cannon’s nursemaid, and the two pups. Barns waited, evidently, unsure which he should take. Vic studied the young man. Xavier was correct, he looked to be about her age.

  “How far away, and how fast can you pack?” she asked.

  “Five blocks from here and five minutes,” he replied.

  She stared at both vehicles. Davy glared back at her. “You aren’t leaving me in London. I’m going with you.”

  Ever since they left Xavier’s driver in London while they went to Spain for four months, Davy has been adamant he wouldn’t be left behind again.

  “Fine,” Vic snapped. “Diana, grab Cannon, I’ll get Arroo. Davy will transport you.”

  “Why can’t we just stay in this one?” Diana asked.

  Did everyone have to challenge her authority?

  Xavier opened the door. “That is not for you to question,” he chided.

  The young woman scurried out with Cannon and rushed into the other carriage. Arroo jumped out on his own and followed his pack-mate.

  Xavier climbed into Vic’s carriage and waved Barns forward. “Vic, you sit by Tubs,” he suggested.

  She was about to ask why, then realized if she sat by Xavier, their love would become evident when she leaned against him, or said something clever, causing him to reward her with a kiss.

  She squeezed in next to Tubs and patted his arm. She hadn’t meant for Tubs to pack the pups and nursemaid, but she wouldn’t admit that now. If she did, Tubs would be apologizing for all
the trouble they’d get into for the next two weeks.

  Once Barns settled, she asked his home address and yelled it out to her driver, Casey. A second later, Davy was at the door demanding to know where they were going.

  “We are all going to Litchfield, only we need to stop at Barns’ home and get him some clothes, or else we’ll have to send you back for a change of wardrobe every other day.”

  He glared at the last comment and stormed off.

  She rolled her eyes and focused on the boy constable. “So Barns, tell me about yourself.”

  “Shouldn’t we first discuss the case?” Barns asked.

  “We have four hours. I think we will work better if we know a bit about each other, our respective skills, that sort of thing.”

  He grinned. “Oh, like an interview. I understand. My name is Clive Andrew Berringbarn.”

  Xavier’s head popped up. “Any relation to Simon?”

  Barns grimaced. “He’s my father…so I have to claim him. However, I requested my name be shortened to Barns so no one knows the connection except for Mr. Stone.”

  Xavier arched his brow at Vic with a decided ‘told you’ attached to it.

  “So who is Simon Berringbarn?” Vic asked.

  Xavier looked up at the ceiling. “That would be the Minister of Foreign Affairs.”

  “I thought his name was Thomas or something,” she said.

  Barns smiled at her, but to her eye, it held no contempt for her ignorance. “They switch jobs all the time. I can’t keep them straight either.”

  She liked the boy better now. “So let’s get back to you. I suppose you went to a university.”

  His smile widened. “I finished last spring. Oxford, same as you.”

  Her eyes narrowed in distrust again. “How do you know I went to school there?”

  “Several of the professors still speak of you frequently. You may not have finished, but I dare say no one has ever made a better impression while there.”

  Xavier jumped in. “Victor had to leave to care for his sister when their aunt was murdered. Fortunately for me, he joined my staff and in less than a year became my partner. Victor was born to investigate crimes.”