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

by Liza O'Connor

  He nodded in agreement.

  “So who told you to avoid her?”

  “Just about everyone,” he replied and pointed ahead. “There he is.”

  “Where’s Tubs?” she asked, now worried someone had waylaid her giant on the back streets.

  “Don’t worry about Tubs. The man is indestructible. Let’s just get this quarry run to the ground.”

  He nudged his horses faster.

  The man noticed the carriage and headed back down a side street.

  Casey slowed a bit. “Don’t worry, Tubs will get him.”

  “Have you seen Tubs?” she demanded.

  “No, but he’s there.”

  She was about to challenge his claim, but her intuition told her the same.

  A shrill whistle caused Casey to rein in the horses, hard. His left arm swung out to prevent Vic from flying off the carriage.

  A moment later, Tubs exited the alley, holding a wiggling, determined-to-escape fellow in one hand. Tubs seemed oblivious of the man’s flailing blows and kicks.

  Her giant headed straight to the carriage cabin, and Vic joined him from the other side. He stuffed the man in the corner of the carriage and crushed in beside him.

  “You are breaking my bones!” the man cried.

  “So?” Tubs asked.

  The question took all the wind out of the man. “So this is it…” His brown anguished eyes met Vic’s. “Can you, at least, tell me why before you kill me?”

  “Why what?” she asked.

  “Why I have been hunted since I turned three and twenty? What did I do to anger whoever you work for?”

  “You’re being hunted?” Vic asked, now more confused than ever.

  “Don’t toy with me! Your boss, or master or whoever he is has been trying to kill me for over thirty years. Why?”

  “Can you provide examples of these attempted murders?”

  He ripped open his shirt and raised his neck which bore an ugly red line across it. “From a garrote back in ‘78.” He pointed to a red welt of skin. “A knifing in ‘82.” He pointed to an indentation on his chest. “Bullet in ‘83.” Then pointing to two more added, “‘86 and ‘87.”

  His angry eyes focused on her. “You look so innocent.” He glanced at Tubs. “But I know you…and I know this time I’ll die. All I want to know is why? Why has your master hunted me all these years? What did I do?”

  Vic leaned forward. “I don’t know, but I will find out,” she promised. “We weren’t sent by the person hunting you.”

  “Then why did you follow and capture me?”

  “I was hired by your aunt to get rid of a ghost.”

  “Are you mad? Ghosts aren’t real!”

  Tubs huffed as if he knew differently. Vic would have to pursue that line of query later, however, just now she had to figure out what was going on with her ghost case. “I agree, there’s no real ghost, but someone is trying to literally scare your aunt to death, only she’s proven stronger than they expected. Instead of going mad or dying of a heart attack, she hired Thorn’s Private Inquiries to find out what is truly going on.”

  He covered his face with his hands. “Oh, God! I’ve brought my troubles to her door.”

  To Vic’s shock, he burst into tears. “I shouldn’t have done it. I knew better, but you’ve no idea how hard it is to live a life with no family, no one who gives a damn if you live or die. I could never marry nor have children. I’ve been utterly alone except for Aunt Holly. She was my one respite from a life of pure hell.”

  He moaned in misery. “And now they’re trying to kill her as well.” Then his head snapped up, his eyes desperate. “Wait, you said you’re from Thorn’s Private Inquiries. He’s the real Sherlock Holmes. Can I hire you to find out who is trying to kill me and now Aunt Holly?”

  “Your aunt has already hired us to do so.”

  “Do you know who wants her dead?”

  “We just began yesterday, but our first suspect was you.”

  “Me? Why would she suspect me?”

  “She doesn’t. She loves you so much she has left her entire fortune to you.”

  “She has? Why? I have plenty of money. I just don’t have a life to spend it on. I move from one place to another every few weeks. I have managed to avoid serious injury by living among the worst cutthroats imaginable.” He glanced at Tubs again, evidently including him in such a category. His focus returned to Vic. “Tell her to change her will. To give the money to charity.”

  “Not to her other nephew and nieces?” Vic asked.

  “God, no.” He shook his head. “My Uncle Langly and Rhodan were two of the most self-indulgent, amoral bastards I’ve ever met. They spawned bastards from one side of England to the other. And if anything, my cousins are worse than their fathers. They’ve no perception of right and wrong and believe everything is theirs for the taking. Fortunately, half of them have died while in prison.”

  “And how many still live?” Vic asked.

  “I’ve no idea. I’ve spent my entire life hiding from everyone.”

  “Is it possible your aunt knows, but she didn’t wish to admit it out of embarrassment?”

  “She is embarrassed by them. Mortified, in fact. So much so, she gave them substantial money nearly thirty-five years ago, under a legal agreement in which they agreed never to contact her again, and if they broke the agreement, they must repay the money plus ten percent interest.”

  “How much money would they owe?”

  “Over a million pounds. She’s proud of her cleverness and declares it money well spent. Until the agreements, they were always stopping by, staying for years, stealing items from her house to pawn, leaving her to pay their gambling bills, and making her life utterly miserable.”

  “Do you think one of them could be behind this ‘ghost’ problem?”

  “While no sane person would risk debtors prison just to torment a good lady, my cousins do not connect actions to consequences, so yes. I think it is very likely it is one of them. One must still have a key from their prior visits.”

  “Have you ever seen any of your cousins in London?”

  “No, but that means little. The truth is I have no idea what they look like anymore.”

  “But you remember what they looked like as children,” Vic insisted.

  “Actually, I don’t. I remember how horrible they were, but I have no image of them. It is as if my brain has removed them entirely. I could bump into one in a crowd and I would never know.”

  Vic huffed in exasperation.

  “I’m sorry I cannot help you. I love Aunt Holly, and if I could force my brain to remember, I would.”

  “I’m not frustrated with you, but with my client’s refusal to tell me the truth. You said these cousins stayed at her house, yet, she told me she hadn’t seen some of them since they were small children and never met others at all.”

  “She’s done the same thing I have. But ask her about the contract. That she remembers. Clearly, she did not set such a contract with children.”

  “Is there someone who might have pictures of these people?” Vic persisted.

  “I doubt it. The uncles died years ago when someone set their house on fire.”

  “Do you believe it was one of their progenies?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Vic leaned forward. “Might they also be behind the efforts to kill you?”

  “When I survived my second random shooting, I did suspect them. When I was a boy, my mother took me to visit her father on his birthday. The visit turned into a terrifying nightmare for me. My cousins’ idea of entertainment was to go hunting, with me as their prey. I ran for my life through the woods, while my cousins, both female and male, hunted me with bird guns. I didn’t think I would survive the day. Thankfully, I never had to visit them again.”

  Vic was now certain one or more of these monsters were behind both the ghost and the constant hunting of Edward. But she needed to know what they looked like.

  “Can you provid
e me their names?”

  He opened his mouth and after a long moment shook his head. “I have blocked their names as well… However, my aunt has contracts with each of them.”

  “I’ll start there. Do you recall if they resembled each other?”

  “I do. I could barely tell them apart when they were hunting me. Girl or boy, they all looked like their fathers, who were identical twins.” He stared up at her. “I’d forgotten. They all looked alike. Narrow faces, black eyes, and pointed chins.”

  “Are you willing to help protect your aunt?”

  “Yes! Without question.”

  “Then I need you to come home with us and remain there while I determine who is tormenting the poor woman.”

  “How will that help?” he asked.

  “First of all, you may remember more. But more importantly, you remain alive. You asked why someone has hunted you for thirty years. It may be because one of your cousins learned she’d left everything to you.”

  “She would never have told them. I didn’t even know,” he argued.

  “But you said some of them stayed for years at her house. Isn’t it possible they saw a copy of her will?”

  “One of them did get into her safe. It’s why she paid them to go away and leave her alone. But how would killing me improve their lives? I assure you she would leave her money to a rock garden before she’d give a dime to my cousins.”

  “I will check with a lawyer, but if she died soon after your death, her money might be shared among her living relatives. Which means your stubborn refusal to die has kept your aunt alive all these years as well.”

  The man bursts into tears again.

  Watching a fifty-year-old man sob like a baby disturbed Vic. A glance at Tubs told her he wasn’t comfortable witnessing it either.

  “Will you come to my home where you will be safe from harm?’

  He breathed in. “Yes. I will do whatever is necessary to save my aunt.”

  Chapter 29

  Vic led Leslie Ferguson into her home. “Gregory!” she called out the moment she opened the door.

  Her butler-parent arrived and frowned at the sight of her companion.

  “Gregory, this is Leslie Ferguson. He is going to stay here while I resolve his aunt’s case. It could take a while, so he’ll need a room, clothes, and accessories.”

  He disappeared through the door to the kitchen, returning with the young girl who was afraid of men lurking in shadows.

  He focused on Leslie. “Delia will show you to your room. You may either tell her what you require in clothing and accessories or write a list and I will see to the matter.”

  “Thank you,” the man said and followed the girl upstairs.

  Gregory turned his focus on her, and it was a decided glare.

  “What? He is the key to keeping my client alive. They dare not kill her until they kill him.”

  Gregory closed his eyes as if willing sufficient patience to deal with her. “Victor, I have no issues with you saving people. However, doing so does not preclude using proper etiquette. When bringing guests home, you must never open the front door and bellow for your butler.”

  “What would you have me do? I’m not upset that you don’t spend your day standing at the door so it opens when I approach it. You were clearly busy doing something of greater importance, so I unlocked the door and entered. However, I was certain you would not approve if I settled Leslie in without letting you know, so I called, not bellowed, your name.”

  “You should have knocked on the door and waited,” he scolded.

  Vic stepped closer, determined to win this argument. “Well, the problem I have with your solution is that someone is trying very hard to kill Leslie. His body has more bullet wounds, garrotes and knife scars than Xavier’s. I was not about to let him die on my doorstep while I practiced proper etiquette.”

  All the annoyance dissipated from her butler. He closed his eyes for a moment and then gently gripped her shoulder. “In that case, you did nothing wrong. Getting the gentleman inside outweighed propriety. Do you know how long he will be staying?”

  “No. I only began the case yesterday and he was my suspect. Now I’ve discovered he needs saving as much as his aunt. Unfortunately, while I know I’m looking for one or more of his evil cousins, they are evidently so horrible both he and his aunt have blocked all memories of them.”

  Gregory squeezed her shoulder. “You will find a way. You always do.”

  His certainty filled Vic’s heart with love for her butler-father. “Oh, be warned. These vermin have hunted Leslie for over thirty years. They’ve basically stolen his entire life from him. So he is prone to bursting out in tears when kindness is bestowed.” Vic frowned. “I know you will want to scold him that gentlemen don’t cry, but I think it’s good for him to release his anxiety.”

  “I will endure,” Gregory promised.

  Vic had a great desire to hug him, but then she would get scolded since gentlemen don’t hug either.

  Oh, what the hell.

  Vic wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight.

  Instead of reprimanding her, he kissed the top of her head. “Stop that and go save the world,” he whispered.

  Once she and Tubs were headed off to her lawyer’s office, Tub spoke. “You were lucky to have such a good father figure growing up.”

  Vic nodded. “Yes, I believe he spent far more effort than most fathers do on raising me to be a proper gentleman. Shame most of it didn’t take…but the rules of proper etiquette are ridiculous. Why would I stand at the front door knocking when I have a key?”

  Tub chuckled. “You don’t even need a key. Either way, knocking does seem silly.”

  Vic nodded. “Good thing I had a legitimate excuse for my bad behavior today.”

  “His scolds don’t hurt. They are just enough to make you want to do better.”

  “Does he scold you?” Vic asked. Tubs was an employee, not a servant. Gregory had no authority over him.

  Tubs studied her for a moment. “Before you start trouble where none exists, keep in mind that we live in his house.”

  “His house? The house is mine…and Xavier’s.”

  “Well, from my perspective, he’s in charge of your house and all the people in it. And if anyone is doing something he don’t like, he will let them know.”

  “What did he scold you about?”

  “I wasn’t scraping my boots on the bristle hog before coming through the kitchen door.”

  Vic chuckled. “Yeah, he hates for dirt to be tracked into the kitchen. He acquired that bristle hog soon after I arrived. I got so mad at being forced to use it, that I hauled back and kicked it one day. The thing barely moved, but I damn near broke my toe. It’s solid concrete. Then I tried to pull the wire bristles from the top, but they are embedded deep into the concrete. Finally, I gave up and made friends with Bristle Hog.” She smiled at Tubs. “I bet you could kick the fellow a good distance.”

  Tubs nodded. “I could…but I won’t. It does its job really well.”

  A quick stop at her lawyer’s office verified her presumption. If Leslie died before his aunt, and she had no other beneficiary stated in the will, then her money would be dispersed among all living relatives. If none existed, it would go to the Queen’s coffers.

  Now she needed the names of these amoral cousins so she could determine which ones should be arrested. When she arrived at Lady Haughton’s home, the butler refused them admittance.

  “Lady Haughton has had a difficult night and is in no condition to receive guests.”

  “I am not here as a guest. I am here to investigate the ghost.”

  “There is no ghost!” he snapped and attempted to close the door. The moment Vic placed her hand against the door it not only stopped closing but flew open.

  She smiled up at Tubs for his assistance. They both entered.

  “I’m calling the police,” the butler snarled, in a very un-butler like manner. In fact, the anger in his face reminde
d her of the way he glared at Leslie a few hours ago.

  “Will you please let Lady Haughton know Victor Hamilton is here about the ghost?

  “There is no ghost! The woman is ill, succumbed to madness. You need to go at once.”

  Vic ignored him and went straight to the parlor. Not finding the lady there, she continued upstairs checking every door as she progressed down the hall. Finally, she saw a young girl slip from a room further down. “Which room is Lady Haughton’s?”

  “She is too ill for visitors,” the girl whispered and ran downstairs.

  Now worried, Vic headed to the room the girl had exited.

  Lady Haughton lay in bed, her skin deathly white.

  Vic gripped her wrist and checked for a pulse, unable to find one.

  Tubs reached around her and felt the woman’s neck. “She has a pulse, but just barely.”

  “Pick her up. We are taking her to Connors.”

  They met no resistance until they reached the foyer. The butler and four younger long-faced men, all who strongly resembled the butler, blocked their exit. With Tubs’ arms occupied carrying Lady Haughton, clearing the door became her chore.

  Vic drew her gun. “You will step aside or be shot. This woman is in need of immediate medical care.”

  The butler stood behind what she suspected was his sons. “We have called a doctor. Take my mistress upstairs at once!”

  “I want her to see an excellent doctor, not whoever you’ve called—if you’ve telephoned anyone at all,” Vic replied. “Now move.”

  They moved…unfortunately their movement was to each draw their own guns.

  Since when did servants and butlers carry weapons? But Vic knew exactly when. The butler was one of the cousins and these were his offsprings from hell.

  She had no more than come to the realization she was about to be shot, when a force of nature pushed her to the floor, just as the shots rang out. By the time she pushed herself up to help Tubs, the battle was over.

  Efficient as always, he had them tied and bundled. Gathering three of them up, he stormed through the kitchen. Vic followed, her gun still drawn, in case anyone tried to interfere.