A Dodge, a Twist and a Tobacconist

by Sophronia Belle Lyon

  Chapter Twenty

  I awoke to bright sunlight as someone tapped on my door. I hastily clothed myself and found the sitting room full again when I emerged.

  “Tod has signaled us that the airship will land on the roof in a short time,” Madame Phoebe informed me. “I hope you are somewhat recovered from your flight. We shall need to go over every piece of information we have, and whatever Bates can add. Fun See has communicated with Scotland Yard and Morris and Carlotta Bolter are to be brought here to be questioned. Perhaps somehow we will get some answers from these people.”

  I felt as if I had been beaten all over with cudgels but Elinor Ferrars presented me with a cup of tea and it made me feel much better. Everyone chewed over what we had discussed the day before except Oliver Twist, who sat among us but still seemed to be consulting his rogues’ gallery, trying to put a face and name on Dodge.

  I found myself anticipating Kera Mion’s arrival and stifled the feeling. I chided myself for my foolhardy thoughts the day before. I had to give my heart and mind to the mission, and whatever lay past bringing Dodge down would have to remain outside my thoughts for the time being.

  Oliver looked up and spotted me. The tablet went into his pocket and he sidled over to me.

  “I can’t wait to see Tati again,” he confided. “So what about you and Kera? Or are you still holding yourself aloof for duty’s sake?”

  I colored. “I do not understand your meaning.”

  “Doctor Mac read me a speech about not being afraid to latch onto a good woman,” Twist grinned. “You were still abed but I tell you, right then I knew I wanted Tatiana and that I was going to go get her.”

  “There is so much danger and uncertainty,” I grunted. “How can you think of romance when you are pursued by the man who tried to sell that girl into sexual slavery?”

  “It’s just knowing how short life can be and how God intended us to spend it that makes me realize I have actually disobeyed Him by not looking for a wife. Haven’t you said that you have no time for love, or that it would be too dangerous to any woman when you have enemies and will be making more? Well, it’s nonsense, Florrie.

  “God said it wasn’t good for us to be alone. He wrote about marriage and love and has whole books about Christ and the Church and how He wasn’t afraid to love us with the whole world ranged to destroy Him. Here, Tod’s arrived. Up we go.”

  The lift in the center of the garden fountain went up several times to accommodate our company. I had not been altogether surprised to learn that the hotel was Twist’s creation.

  As we stepped out onto the roof I was glad to see again the extraordinary mountaintop sculpture garden by the light of day, rather than in the garish half-light of London’s nighttime and hurtling toward it borne on a runaway glider. I cast a wary glance at the mountain sheep that had snared me, then realized Twist must have gotten all the debris from the glider cleared away.

  “I really want to ask Charley about that material,” Oliver insisted. “After I give Tatiana another kiss it’ll be time to grill him proper. Not sure I have much hope of Noah and Charlotte being able to tell us anything worthwhile. Noah bragged about being more educated than I was but he advanced himself by stepping on other people’s backs, not by actual application or study.”

  Tod set the airship down with barely a whisper. I could not even see the mended spots in the upper skin. People began to burst out, starting with a veritable flood of children. Phoebe and Archie embraced theirs. I spotted Kera trying to herd some of the slippery little ones to the safety of the lift and I touched her hand briefly. She blushed and smiled before she disappeared below, helping the nursemaids.

  I remembered the part Sararati had played in repairing the glider and moved over to compliment him. “You son has an inclination to follow in the footsteps of our inventor members,” I said to his parents, shaking the boy’s hand.

  “I said you would make it safely, Flying Prince,” smirked Sararati. “And I was right.”

  Abdalla Gafur looked questioningly up at me. “He is responsible for repairing the glider I flew to London.”

  “So you have found a better occupation that putting nasty things in gentlemen’s pockets,” his mother beamed.

  “Perhaps I can do both,” grinned the naughty child. His mother sighed and hugged him again. Mowgli’s eyes glowed and he put a callused hand on the boy’s back as he accepted his mother’s kiss with boyish reluctance.

  The reunion between Pecos Bill and his Sue was so sweet and poignant. She seemed ready to devour him, enveloping his head in her large hands and kissing him with murmurs of endearment I made sure I was not near enough to hear. Dobbs appeared used to such displays and I envied him the privilege he had to see such unlikely fidelity and tenderness.

  I turned back to the airship but was dismayed to see Doctor Mac and Uncle Vanya carrying a stretcher across the rooftop garden. Oliver and I both hurried over and Mac supervised the loading of an unconscious Charley Bates into the lift.

  “He’s had a stroke, Mac thinks,” Rose informed us. “I’m afraid it will be very difficult to get any information out of him. He does wake up at times and seems to be trying to say something but we can’t understand a word.”

  Shortly after everyone was settled into the hotel Oliver and I approached Charley Bates’ bed. The fellow gripped Oliver’s arm with his one good hand and made gargling sounds, his eyes frantic.

  “This is how he’s been pretty much since you left, Florizel,” Doctor Mac growled. “I wish I could say I had any hope of his recovering. I was shocked that he seemed so well after the tumble he took. Guess it was just a matter of time before the full effect landed on him.”

  “I heard you came to know the Lord, Charley,” Oliver said softly, patting Charley’s hand. “I’m really, truly glad. Don’t make yourself worse on my account. When it’s God’s time, I’ll know what you want to tell me. Rest easy.”

  Morris Bolter and his Carlotta arrived in shackles and Madame Phoebe, Oliver and I sat down across from them. Both of them started violently at the sight of Oliver.

  “Sweet li’le Oliver,” the woman exclaimed. “‘Ere yew are!”

  Oliver stared at her. “Carlotta? Where did that come from? You’ve dyed your hair black, I see. Pretending to be some exotic Spanish Señorita? You still look like the same Charlotte to me. And yes, here I am. What of it?”

  “Well, fancy yew roight ‘ere in Lunnin, when we bin wishin’ yew was dead an’ we ‘ad all yer millions our own selves,” Morris Bolter snarled.

  “And you wish me dead because ...?” Oliver invited. I gave the angelic little inventor credit. He seemed completely unafraid of either of the evil-faced creatures, merely curious about some interesting specimens.

  “Cor, they’s too many reasons t’ count,” shrilled Charlotte. “Yew come inta money while yer betters suffer, fer one.”

  “You being my betters? Dodge being my better?”

  “Natch,” Bolter-Claypoole affirmed.

  “You always used to tell me you were my betters,” Oliver shrugged. “Until you insulted my mother, I let it pass. If you recall, that was the day you found out I wasn’t quite such a helpless little thing as you assumed.”

  Noah suddenly shifted uncomfortably. I almost chuckled. The man was twice Oliver’s size. “Oym sure ‘at’d be fair, me trussed up loik a Christmas goose an’ yew free as a bird.”

  “There was never any idea of fairness in your head, Noah Claypoole, or Morris Bolter, or whatever you want to call yourself,” Oliver snorted. “Luckily for you, I just want some information. Who is Dodge and where can we find him?”

  “Loik we’d tell yew,” Charlotte sneered.

  “Tell me, and I’ll give you each five thousand pounds and passage to Australia, not as convicts like you deserve, but with your freedom and a stake to try a new start.”

  “Foive thousan--” Noah choked. “Cor!”

  Charlotte eyed Noah sharply. “‘E’d kill us if we--”

>   “If we was Souf o’ Bot’ny Bay ‘e’d be ‘ard put to it t’ foind us, naow wouldn’t ‘e jest?” Noah growled.

  “You called him Jack,” I said to Claypoole.

  “Never Oy did,” he spluttered.

  “We have a witness,” I said.

  Wheels seemed to be turning in the man’s brain. “Yeah, I called ‘im Jack. An’ we got us a hunnert Jacks wot works fer ‘im. Jacks er Johns sao thick we trips over ‘em.”

  We all stared at the man. His eyes shifted everywhere and we were certain he lied.

  I persisted. “He was one of you, one of the pickpockets or housebreakers. You know who he is. Tell us!” I slammed my hands down on the table in front of me and the muscular bully quailed and sniveled.

  “Fagin an’ all a’ ‘em as was b’fore us was swept up an’ jailed afore we was there a month!” Charlotte blurted out. “Some was ‘ung, some was transported. Noah an’ me, we kep’ wot Fagin ‘ad runnin’ our ownselves. Dodge, ‘e come outta nowheres an’ took over everythin’ six months ago, nao more. Charley Bates, ‘e come along too, just after, but we got nao idee ‘oo Dodge is or wot ‘ole ‘e crawls outta or inta--”

  Noah lifted both shackled feet and kicked her right out of her chair and onto the floor. The brutal act did not draw so much as a whimper from her. The two guards who had brought them simply lifted her up and set her back on the chair.

  “An’ yew ‘ave the perishin’ biggest, stupidest maouth on yew as ever was!” roared Noah. “Yew ‘ad tew go an’ spit on money an’ passage away from ‘at ‘ell’ound. We’re dead, Charlotte. Dead!” He tried to kick her again but the guards intervened this time and pulled their chairs far apart. Noah screamed curses without pausing until his voice grated to a whisper.

  “Noah, I’m sorry,” Charlotte bleated. She turned hollow, terror-filled eyes to Oliver. “‘Elp us. Please.”

  “Help you what?” Oliver stood up and pulled out his tablet. He touched a control and Noah lurched up in his seat with a wheezing cry of pain.

  “No! Cor, don’t ‘urt ‘im!” Charlotte quavered. “For old time’s sake. Oliver, ‘ave a little pity.”

  “If it were for old time’s sake, pity would be the last thing on my mind.” Oliver stared at Charlotte in disbelief. “And I didn’t do anything to Noah. Somebody call Doctor Campbell. Look at him.”

  Noah had begun to twitch, then to spasm, and was in full convulsions by the time I catapulted out and back into the room, dragging Doctor Mac back with me. Noah lay on the floor with the two guards holding him down to keep him from banging his head on the chair and table legs.

  “Cor, ‘e’s ‘avin’ one’a ‘is fits, then,” Charlotte cried. “Just a bit of Opium’ll set ‘im roight. It allus does.”

  Mac snorted as he opened his bag. “I’ll bet it’ll take more than a bit. He’s been treating seizures with Opium, more all the time, hasn’t he? Poor fool.”

  “If Noah dies Oy’ll kill you!” she screamed at Twist. “Oy swear Oy will! Yew always ‘ated ‘im! Jest because ‘e were brave enough t’ call yer mother wot she were!”

  Oliver straightened up. His face lost what little color it had ever possessed. I grabbed him and forced him to look at me. Oliver stared into my calm gray eyes (I prayed, that is, for God to make them calm) for a full minute, then expelled a breath.

  “You’re right, Charlotte. My mother deceived herself into trusting my father. She was a fool to do it. Because he’d married an evil, insane witch, and a foreigner living abroad at that, he claimed he was justified in abandoning her and marrying my mother. He made promises to her he could never have kept. She gave her heart and her virtue to a dreamer who became a dead man before I was even born.”

  Everyone in the room looked at Oliver in disbelief. “I’m praying Noah recovers, whether you believe me or not, Charlotte, just as I’m praying Charley does, and that you and Noah find Christ.”

  Phoebe knelt to assist Mac and I helped Oliver and one of the guards move Charlotte farther away from Noah. She was almost incoherent with weeping but lifted her shackled hands and tried to strike at Twist, kicking and flailing.

  “I think his seizure’s over now,” Mac reported. “Let’s get him into a bed.”

  “‘E ain’t gonna die, then?” Charlotte asked.

  “Well, as to that, he’s still got to go through the withdrawal from the Opium addiction. I’ll try to treat his seizures with something that’ll actually help him and ease the process of weaning him off the drug. I can’t make anybody live, ma’am. Only God can do that. And for what it’s worth, you’d do well to make your peace with God, as I’ll be telling Noah if I get a chance, because what a doctor can do toward healing us is nothing compared to what Christ can do for our souls.”

  “We’re sold t’ the Ol’ Scratch, sure, an’ Dodge be the one ‘e sent to make us moind our place.” Charlotte watched longingly as they carried Noah out. “Belial, ‘e calls ‘imself sometimes. Oy seen ‘im jest appear at yer elbow an’ whisper, ‘Not thinkin’ a’ bungin’ off, is yew? Th’ devil ‘ll ‘ave ‘is due, an’ Oy’m ‘ere t’ pr’tect ‘is investment’.

  “They must be something yew wants t’know what we kin tell yew,” Charlotte wheedled. “On’y swear yew’ll transport us an’ not put us in prison ‘ere. We won’t last two ticks, God’s me witness.”

  “Anyone can be forgiven, Carlotta.” Kera entered the room and stood before the filthy, haggard woman. “Anyone can be free. Look at me if you don’t believe it.”

  Charlotte raised her eyes briefly and then they fell to the floor again. “Dodge jest ain’t caught yew yet,” she muttered. “When ‘e does, yew’ll smell the brimstone, just loik t’ rest o’ us’n.”

  “Doesn’t matter if he does catch me.” Kera came closer and Charlotte kicked out at her. I tried to pull her clear but Kera knelt down and kissed Charlotte’s dirty shoe. “God loves me, Christ died for me, and I can’t wait to see heaven. While I live I want to fight Dodge and try to destroy his power, but I would pray that even he could find the peace I have found. Can’t you see? Peace, Charlotte. All we’ve ever known is scorn and shame and fear. Feel the peace of these people, the peace they obtained from God’s Word.”

  Charlotte made a scoffing noise but she was clearly shaken by Kera’s humility. I lifted the Indian girl up and kissed her on the forehead. “The Poison Maiden has become a vessel for the honor of Christ. If this does not convince you that grace is for all, I do not know what can.”

  “Oy tol’ yew I don’t know ‘oo Dodge is or where ‘e is,” Charlotte insisted. “So yew kin jest stop yer smotherin’ wi’ koindness. Oy knows where oy’ll spend t’ noight. Either in jail or Dodge’ll get t’ me an’ send me where Oy belongs. Oy knows what Oy am.”

  “You’ve talked to Dodge face-to-face, and you have no idea who he is?” I asked.

  “You are a soul for whom Christ died.” Oliver said. “Is there anything at all you can tell us that will help us set free all these slaves Dodge has made?”

  Charlotte cast her eyes around the room, not looking at anyone. “‘At-ere political-toype, Newsome, wot ‘e knows on--” she jerked her head in my direction “-- ‘E could tell yew more’n yew think. Whyncher arsk ‘im?”

  “Trevor?” I started. “I had forgotten all about him! What do you mean? What does Trevor know?”

  “‘Ow to get to ‘ell faster nor any o’ us, loik any politician,” sneered Charlotte. “An’ ‘e also got a new way a’ keepin’ in touch wi’ Dodge now ‘at ‘is little darlin’ bodyguard bunged off, don’t ‘e jest?” She cast a sidelong look at Kera and actually looked a little ashamed. “Nao offense.”

  Kera reached out and touched Charlotte’s matted hair. “May God bless you as he has blessed me, poor Charlotte, with forgiveness and peace.”

  She turned to follow me out of the room. “Let me come with you to see Trevor. It could be dangerous. I told you I was becoming afraid of Trevor more than afraid for him.”

  “All the more reason for you t
o stay here safe and sound,” I responded. “Trevor and I have been friends a long time, my dearest little vessel. He is not likely to harm me, but Dodge will surely try to harm you, as he must know by now that you have left his service.”

  “Did you not hear me say I am not afraid of Dodge? I can help you, my father in Christ. Madame Phoebe would not want you to go alone, almost certainly will not permit it. She has said so, has she not?”

  I stopped dead. How long had it been since I had suffered through that stern talking-to by our leader and had sworn to be a whole-hearted member? So much had happened since then, and I knew Kera was right. I also knew it was foolish to think of this girl as helpless and in need of my protection. And even more foolish to think I wanted to face anything, danger or blessing, with anyone else by my side.

  “Let us go to Madame Phoebe and seek her counsel,” I said, taking Kera’s hand and pressing it against my lips for a long moment. “And thank you for reminding me of my place and my duty, my little vessel.”

  Madame Phoebe agreed at once that Kera should accompany me. “Once again our leads come down to Mr. Newsome,” she commented. “Surely it was God’s providence that allowed us to join forces, Florizel. Your friendship with him may allow us to finally locate and stop Dodge. I pray we can also ensure your friend’s safety, and the security of his soul as well.

  “Trevor’s circumstances have once again changed, Florizel, since you left London. He has taken up residence in the Otel d’Raison, where the rates are higher even than they are here at Doctor Twist’s establishment. The Dodge Foundation’s name is listed as principle ‘investor’ in the hotel. By placing Trevor there, Dodge need not have ready capital to make Trevor look as if he is well-funded. Wealthy patrons will soon smell success and back Trevor’s campaign. At least that must be the hope.

  “But the truth is we have no evidence that any new campaign funding has materialized. I believe I can suggest something that will get Trevor’s and Dodge’s attention and bring their guard down. They will understand that they must allow you access to Trevor. The Prince of Bohemia must come back into his hereditary pomp and circumstance. His fortune must be restored, it must appear to be vast indeed, and he must be eager to use as much of it as is necessary to put Trevor into office.”

  “Madame Phoebe, your plan is breathtaking, but surely you have overlooked one detail. A British political campaign cannot receive foreign funding, little or much. Bohemia’s money could be of no use to Trevor.”

  “Ah, but this is not Bohemia’s money,” Mr. Campbell grinned, producing a large file of documents from the clockwork cabinet. “Here are investments, stocks, property deeds, negotiable bearer bonds, all kinds of money substitutes, all invested, negotiated, bought and paid for right here in England, all in the name of Bertram Florrie, English citizen, and distant cousin of yours, suddenly and recently deceased. All yours, Prince Charming, as bait to lure in a Dodge-Fish.”

  The Otel d’Raison was an establishment almost as magnificent as the Bronze Cascade, and with the added attraction of being built like a bridge over the Thames. I was struck by the contrast between the two structures as Kera and I approached the building. Twist’s hotel seemed a celebration of God’s creation, full of growing things and animated creatures in warm, glowing bronze, bursting with light and color. This place was made almost entirely of black steel and smoky glass. It boasted sensual columns of godlike creatures supporting the vaulted ceilings. They framed darkly-beautiful frescoes and sculptures depicting figures of history, science and culture. The whole design celebrated man and his achievements. And yet, every human figure seemed to be bearing enormous weight, holding up ceilings, stairways and aqueducts throughout the place.

  “It is like a temple to the god within man,” Kera whispered. She had assumed her old costume and weapons and paced a step behind me and to my left. I had submitted to being outfitted as befitted a foreign prince newly come into a fortune. My costume was black velvet and satin, trimmed and brocaded with rich gold and jewels. Zambo walked a few steps behind us both, carrying a gilded and enameled chest. He wore a turban with ostrich plumes and a jewel above his forehead, a heavy gold earring, and a lion pelt draped over one shoulder above silk trousers.