by Bettie Jane
"Certainly, Inspector Gibbs.”
Mr. Abernathy sounded quite eager to assist Julia, which actually quite surprised her. The last time she worked with him, she ended up stealing files. Jacob seemed to have forgiven her quite quickly. However, she had expected Mr. Abernathy to hold a grudge.
Once their introduction was complete, Jacob turned to Julia.
"I do have to go. A body was found this morning at Tower Bridge."
"It wasn't a young boy, was it?" Julie asked, alarmed.
"No, it definitely was not a young boy. It was an older fellow, probably late forties or early fifties. I don't know anything else yet, but it definitely isn’t the young boy you're looking for."
Julia let out a breath she didn't realize she’d been holding and smiled at Gibbs.
“Thank you for your help, Inspector," said Julia. Then in a very deliberate decision to break protocol, she gave the Inspector Gibbs a kiss on the cheek right there in the middle of Scotland Yard headquarters.
To her surprise, he escalated the kiss from the cheek. He kissed her squarely on the lips, leaving her gasping for a bit of breath after he released her.
Julia watched Gibbs retreat for a moment, slightly frazzled by Jacob’s behavior, before turning her attention to Mr. Abernathy.
"Mr. Abernathy, I'd like to formally apologize for what happened the last time you helped me—”
“Think nothing of it, Miss Barlow. I quite admire your work ethic and your fiery spirit. Besides, if someone's going to steal from me it might as well be someone as lovely as you."
Julia decided to accept the compliment rather than get her back up, and smiled warmly. She was intent on securing and maintaining positive relationships with everyone she could at Scotland Yard to assist in her investigations. She knew that access to confidential police information could be the thing that set her apart in her industry and help her solve cases more quickly.
“That's quite kind of you Mr. Abernathy. And I'm thrilled you're willing to help me today as well. Are you familiar with the missing person report that was filed for Oliver Dickens?"
"That name does sound familiar. Do you know when the report was filed?"
"Three days ago, I believe," said Julia. "He's a twelve-year-old boy that the police tried to take into custody when his father was arrested, but from my understanding the boy ran off before he could be placed at his grandmother’s house. Apparently the grandmother is quite abusive, much like the boy’s father, and the boy simply refused to go. I am hoping for a positive outcome, although I should like to say that the police simply must do a better job taking care of wayward children if this is the norm."
"I quite agree. It’s a shame what happens with orphans in this city. Oliver Dickens, you say?”
"Yes, that's correct.” Oliver wasn’t orphan but she let his comment slide.
Mr. Abernathy opened his desk door and searched through the files in his cabinet until he pulled out one and opened on his desk.
"I remember taking this report. The boy’s aunt is the one who filed it?"
"Yes. She's quite concerned for his well-being and as such has hired me to aid in the search for Oliver.”
"That's wonderful. I hope it does speed up this process. We have quite a backlog of missing boys and I'm afraid this one has many cases in front of it. We have investigated, but not much. He hasn't turned up at the grandmother’s house, or at any of his mates’ houses either. He's not been to school, and in fact, there's been no sighting, at least that's been reported, for anyone matching his description since we opened the file on him."
“I see,” Julia said. "Would you be so kind as to let me write down the addresses of his home as well as the grandmothers? I have a fair amount of personal information from Esther, the boy’s aunt, but I think it would be helpful to compare it with your information.”
“Yes, certainly."
He slid the file in her direction and then stood up.
"I am going to get a cup of tea, and I am sure when I return, I won't notice that you've copied down all the information in this file. I presume you won’t be stealing this file since as I’m giving you time to copy all the contents?”
He winked at her, smiling, and stepped out of the room.
"Mr. Abernathy?" Julia called after him. “Why is it that you're being so agreeable? I know Scotland Yard policy isn't this elastic."
"Julia Barlow, investigative reporter and owner of Charing Cross investigations. You see, your reputation quite precedes you. You seem to have a head for solving puzzles, and I'm certainly not going to get in the way of you finding this young boy. Have a good day, Miss Barlow. If you discover anything that will be useful to the police, please pass on that information so that we may work together."
"Thank you, Mr. Abernathy," Julia said, standing to shake his hand. “I’ll not forget your kindness, and I'll be certain to pass on any relevant details from my investigation."
"You're quite welcome.”
Once Abernathy left the room Julia copied down all of the information in the file. There wasn't much, only the boy’s home address, records of the abuse from his father and the grandmother's address. There were notes in the file about Oliver's mother from when she disappeared a year ago, including interviews the police conducted with Winnifred’s friends and other family members. Julia copied down that information as well, unsure if it was important, but unwilling to overlook even the slightest detail. She would find this boy today and that was that.
3
As was turning into their regular custom, Julia and Frankie met at Charing Cross Investigations headquarters to lunch together while discussing the case.
“All right, Frankie, let me catch you up on what I found out so far. Jacob introduced me to Mr. Abernathy. Do you remember him? He's now working in Missing Persons, and he let me see the file they have on Oliver from when his aunt reported him missing. I have his home address and a few other details about him and also about his mother when she went missing. Hopefully there will be something in all of this that could help us. I'm curious what you found out about hiding spots for twelve-year-old boys."
He pushed a sheet of paper across the desk to Julia.
“Here's a list I made of all the places where I used to hide out. I also called a couple of my mates and talked about where they would hide. Let's compare notes on your file and these hiding spots and maybe will find something to go on. In the meantime, though, put your papers down. Mattie was insistent that I bring the soup that she made for us. She said you would love it. Lobster bisque."
“I do love a good lobster bisque, but since when does Mattie know how to cook lobster bisque?"
“She's on this newfound domestic kick. I'm not sure how long it will last to be quite honest. She's actually quite a good cook. Apparently she's been sneaking lessons from her mother’s personal chef.”
Julia unpacked the picnic basket that Frankie had brought and was delighted to see the contents. Lobster bisque, crackers, and tea. Even a little bottle of wine.
"We cannot drink wine for lunch, Frankie! Honestly, if I did I would fall asleep and I have to find that little boy."
"I fully agree with your position, Julia. Mattie insisted that I bring it because she said the pairing with the lobster bisque and this particular wine was amazing. I promised her that I would at least offer the wine to you. That seemed to satiate her.”
They enjoyed their lobster bisque, and while Julia was eating, she poured over the list that Frankie had created. They made light conversation, bantering about the wedding, and spoke about the upcoming tea party. Frankie insisted this was the most important event to Mattie of all the pre-wedding festivities.
As he spoke, she scanned the list that Frankie had put together. Nothing she saw was terribly surprising. Frankie mentioned places like Hyde Park and areas that he'd heard of on the East End where orphan boys were known to congregate. He'd even mentioned the Goodall secret basement hideout where he and Oscar used to hide when they were in troub
le. Julia wondered if Oliver and his friends had a secret hideout similar to Frankie’s. She made a mental note to follow up on that idea with Oliver's friends. Perhaps she’d send Frankie to interview them. As she continued to scan the list, she noticed the areas underneath a couple of the local bridges, specifically Tower Bridge. Apparently, there were engine rooms in many of these bridges with areas where guards could be housed while on duty.
Tower Bridge.
Jacob had told her that a body was found at Tower Bridge. Surely it was only a coincidence that Tower Bridge had made the list of reasonable hide-outs and also was a place where a body had turned up recently.
"I don't know if I believe in coincidences, Frankie, do you?"
"I've never thought about it. Why do you ask?"
"You mentioned bridges on your list. Some of these bridges used to or still house guards. There would be indoor areas where kids could hide. I was thinking of Tower Bridge. Tell me more about that."
“The boys and I explored Tower Bridge one time when we heard that there was a secret room in one of the towers. Of course, that upper walkway isn't used anymore, which would make it an even better hiding place. Why do you ask?" he repeated.
"When I went to Scotland Yard headquarters, Jacob was leaving to investigate a body that turned up there overnight. Do you think it's a coincidence that a body turns up at Tower Bridge, which just so happens to be a fantastic potential hiding place for a young runaway?"
Frankie tapped his pen on the desk before finishing the last couple bites of his lobster bisque. When his bowl was empty, he looked up at Julia.
"I would like to believe in coincidences, Julia, but I don't know that I do."
The two stared at each other for a brief moment before they averted their eyes. Julia looked back at the list, Frankie eyed the bottle of wine Mattie had sent.
"The body that Jacob found," Frankie asked, "was it a young boy?"
Frankie had the very thought she had earlier. The hope that existed in a missing persons’ case also held a thread of fear that a missing child would turn into a dead child.
Julia shook her head. “No, I asked him. He said it was an older man."
"I'm still not sure I believe much in the coincidence angle. How about you, Julia?"
"I genuinely hope that the two things are not connected, however, I think we've learned to follow where suspicions lead us."
Julia looked at Frankie while considering her options.
"I recognize that look of mischief in your eyes. What are you up to now, Miss Barlow?"
"I tell you what, Frankie. Borrow my file. See if you can interview any of the boys that Oliver might've known at school to find out if they had a secret hiding place. While you're doing that, I'm going to run over to Tower Bridge since Jacob is there and see if I can look around. I want to rule it out. If I can’t, then perhaps whoever found the body saw a young boy. It’s worth a shot. Especially if you are available to interview a few of the boy’s friends.”
"I am sure Inspector Gibbs is going to love this. Are you sure I can't tag along? I should like to see his reaction when you show up at his murder scene. Again.”
"Very funny, Frankie. See what you can find out from anybody in the boys’ file, and I'll see what I can find out at Tower Bridge. We have a deal?"
Frankie let out a fake disappointed sigh but smiled at Julia.
"If you insist, Boss Lady. Do me a favor, would you? Make sure you're on time for Mattie's tea party. She will blame me if you're late. Even though you are the boss. Promise?"
“I promise." As she said the words, she certainly hoped they were true.
4
When Julia arrived at Tower Bridge, there were police scattered all over the grounds near the South Tower. She decided to start at the North Tower to see if she could get more done before Jacob saw her and potentially tried to run her off.
Once she was across the river, she identified herself to the bridge guard, George, as Inspector Gibbs’ assistant, who told her that the inspector was on the Upper Walkway.
Perfect, Julia thought. She could explore the bowels of the towers hopefully before Jacob even knew she was there. As cooperative as he seemed to be lately, she somehow doubted he’d be willing to give her completely free rein on the crime scene.
She looked around the North Tower as she wandered. She explored the rooms and when she ran into George again, he was happy to give her a bit of a tour.
“After all,” he’d said, “It’s not often I get to help with official Scotland Yard business and in the company of such a lovely lady to boot.”
She wanted to ask George directly about the secret room that Frankie had mentioned to her, but she didn't want to risk getting the boy in trouble or scaring him off.
Instead, she listened as George told her briefly where the engine rooms were, how to access the Upper Walkway, and also mentioned that the body found was located in the South Tower near the Upper Walkway. That explained why all the police activity was at that tower.
"Would it be easy for somebody to sneak in here at night, either the North Tower or the South Tower?"
"I suppose it would be fairly easy. As it is, even in the daytime we keep only a very small crew, as you can see. At night the group of people working here is even smaller. One or two times throughout the evening shift, a bridge guard will patrol the upper walkway, but if I'm being honest I'll let you know that when it's cold out often we skip it."
"I see. I can certainly understand not wanting to patrol so high when it's cold out."
"In fact, one of the night guards is missing. When I reported for work this morning, there were supposed to be two guards on duty, but there was only one. His partner said that Frank left sometime in the middle of a shift. He said it wasn't very unusual for Frank to leave early. He was a lazy guard. With a body found on his watch, I suppose his job might be in jeopardy."
Julia thought to herself. A missing guard? A rarely patrolled bridge and hiding space? Too many coincidences for Julia’s taste. Even though there wasn't anything specifically linking the body and the bridge to Oliver as far as she knew, she had a nagging voice at the back of her mind pressing her to follow up.
"I don't suppose you have Frank's last name, do you?"
George looked a little defensive at her question. Julia smiled warmly and touched his arm.
"Oh, don't worry, I have no desire to get your friend into any trouble. I'm hoping to interview him to see if perhaps he saw or heard anything out of the ordinary."
"Frank's last name is Cooper.”
"Thank you so much. What about you? Have you seen anything out of the ordinary on any of your patrols since you arrived today?"
"You mean other than the dead body?"
Julia flushed. "Yes, of course. Other than finding a body, which I'm sure is quite rare and upsetting for you, have you seen anything else on your patrols that could be of use to the police?"
Julia felt a tiny bit dishonest doing this work in the name of the police, however, even though she wasn't technically here on the business of the murder, if it was even a murder and not a suicide or accidental death, she still was here on police business. After all, she was looking for a missing person with the blessing of the police.
George shook his head. "Nothing out of the ordinary, I don't suppose. We always see evidence of trespassers on our patrols. Things like cigarette butts, empty whisky bottles, and the like. But nothing particularly interesting or different this morning, other than the body.”
"Thank you, George. You've been quite helpful. I don't mean to keep you from your work. I'll wander about a bit by myself. You mentioned the inspector was up on the Upper Walkway?"
"Yes, miss," George said. "You be careful on the stairs.”
Julia waited until George was around the corner and then she hurried back to an area where she had noticed a short hallway that branched off the main one. The guard very specifically didn't draw attention to it and she didn't ask, but she suspected it would attr
act the attention of a curious twelve-year-old boy. It certainly had her attention.
At the end of the short hall, she found a door that was slightly ajar. She gently pressed on the door, pushing it open enough to peer inside. She saw several empty cigarette packs, an empty whisky bottle and a half-full bottle sitting on the ground next to a makeshift pallet that looked to be recently used.
The room was empty, but it looked as though the occupant had every intention of returning. Julia walked farther into the little room and move the blankets about to see what else she might be able to find. Any homeless person could be sleeping in here. It could've been a homeless person that had been involved in the death at the tower. She had no evidence yet that this sleeping pallet was connected to Oliver.
She patted the blankets down and felt something hard underneath the thin pillow. Beneath it, she found a worn copy of Charles Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist.
Julia picked up the novel and opened the cover, and her heart began to beat faster when she saw the inscription inside.
"My dearest Oliver. May this book keep you company when I cannot. Know that I love you always. I love you more than life. Remember patience, my love. Love always, Mother.”
It was dated over a year ago before Oliver’s mother had left. Odd, that. It didn’t sound like a person who would abandon her child.
Nevertheless, Julia was giddy at her discovery. Her instincts had once again helped her put pieces together that brought her closer to solving a mystery. In this case, she hoped it meant she was closer to finding Oliver alive so she could return him to his aunt.
Julia put the book back under the pillow, straightened the blankets so they looked as they had when she arrived, and left the tiny room with the door ajar as it had been when she discovered it. She needed to find Jacob on the Upper Walkway.
A dozen questions bounced about in Julia's mind. Had Oliver seen a murder? Did the death have anything to do with Oliver? Was Oliver safe? Perhaps he'd seen the murder and then been caught by the murderer.
