Vic nodded. “However, we have isolated why she has gotten so much worse. The doctor we hired to make her better, was in fact demented as well. Instead of helping her, he was worsening matters. So, I killed him.”
“You killed him for the destruction of your bed?”
“No, I killed him because he was attempting to mesmerize Xavier. He has gotten into Xavier’s mind before, and every time he does, he can control Xavier a bit more. The only way to stop the damage happening to Xavier was to kill the vile beast. So, I shot him.
Gregory frowned.
“I had no choice. He had broken into our house and was mesmerizing Xavier to kill himself and me.”
“Then you were right to do so,” Gregory replied. “Where is the man now?”
“Barns had his men cart his dead body away.”
Vic yawned loudly. “I’m exhausted.”
“Go on to bed,” Gregory encouraged them. “Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.”
Vic stumbled to their new bed and laid down on their new mattress. “This mattress feels wonderful,” she muttered and fell off to sleep.
Xavier soon entered and smiled at his beloved pup. Vic had claimed the entire mattress for herself. Instead of scolding her, he gently moved her to her side, undressed, and claimed his side. He then pulled her to the center of the bed and fell asleep with his arms lovingly wrapped about her.
Chapter 15
THREE IN THE MORNING, a fire truck made a terrible racket outside. When the fire truck didn’t move on, Vic stumbled to the window. Not wanting to be shot by newly hired assassins, she peeked through a narrow slot in the closed curtains.
The fire truck was in front of their home.
“Bloody Hell!”
She hurried to Xavier, still asleep.
“Xavier, wake up! Claire has evidently decided to burn our house down.”
“Not even possible,” he grumbled.
“Well, the firemen think otherwise.”
Just then she heard glass breaking.
“Xavier, get up and save our house from being destroyed by overzealous firemen! They look to have a metal battering ram aimed at our door!”
Once her words sunk in, Xavier grabbed his pants and a shirt then ran downstairs. In less than a minute, he was yelling at them not to even attempt to break his door.
From Vic’s view from the upstairs window, they were evidently going to ignore him.
Fortunately, Xavier opened the door and stood in the frame. “What the bloody hell are you doing? Do you have any idea how much this door cost?”
“An angry fireman stormed up the steps. Sir, you need to get all the people out of this house at once! Your house is on fire!”
By this time Gregory was dressed for the day and had woken all the men up. He assigned Tubs and Jacko to check the outside perimeter. He then ordered the rest of the men to check the roof and inside of the house.
Xavier demanded for Vic to lock the door behind him as he stepped outside to discuss the matter further with the fire chief. “First of all, this house is fireproof. Secondly, it’s three in the morning, and finally, If Claire did set a fire, it would —”
“Found it,” David declared from the roof. I’ve put it out.”
Naturally, the fire chief was angry. “Were you cooking on your roof?”
“No, I was sleeping. However, there is a lunatic woman named Claire who is prone to setting fires. But honestly, I have no idea how she climbed the side of our home. He then walked over to the side wall and cursed loudly. “Bloody Hell!”
He stormed back inside. “Vic, why didn’t you remove the rope that Claire used to climb off the roof last night?”
“I was so exhausted that I didn’t even think about it.”
Xavier refocused on the fire chief. The crazed woman I mentioned before is trying to kill us. She got into our house yesterday. She locked herself into our bathing room, climbed out our sky-window, and then escaped with a makeshift rope that she made from our bedsheets.
“So why didn’t you remove the rope at once?” The fire chief demanded.
“It’s been an exhausting month. To be honest, no one has been getting much sleep.”
“Due to this woman?”
“Yes!”
“Then you’ll be glad to know we had her arrested.”
Xavier groaned. “Actually, Vic wanted her taken to an asylum, somewhere far away.”
“So, you know this woman?”
“Sadly, yes.”
“Well, you can find her in lockup at Scotland Yard. But be aware, there will probably be a fine, since you know her.”
Xavier snorted. “She’s not my relative. But I seriously doubt she’ll be in lock up anymore. She’s dangerously clever. However, since you spoiled her fun, you might want to have someone keep an eye on your station house because this woman loves to burn things.”
With that warning, the fire chief rounded up his men and returned to the fire station, which, not surprisingly, Claire had attempted to set on fire. Only the man left in charge had watered her down with a fire hose, forcing her to leave.
Chapter 16
THE NEXT TWO WEEKS were remarkably calm. The children were well-behaved, and with Maddy at the other house, Danny returned to following the boys around, and once Arroo had healed, she returned to playing with Cannon and the other boys.
After three months, each of the boys and Maddy received a puppy. While she knew Pete, Cannon, Ham, and Danny would be loving to their new pups. Vic still had concerns about Maddy. However, when she offered Maddy a little girl pup, Maddy cried with happiness and promised she’d take great care of her puppy. While she still hated the other dogs and the boys, she seemed to love her female puppy with all her heart.
That left three puppies to give away. She gave one to the fire chief, who helped them discover the fire on their roof before it caused any damage.
Stone admitted he would like the giant pup, insisting it would be the most troublesome of the lot. To ensure the pup would be doomed, he named it Trouble.
That just left a sweet little female who loved to provide kisses. Vic decided to keep the cherub for herself.
Now that the pups all had their special owner, they played together with perfect manners. Including Trouble. Yes, he continued to outgrow the other pups, but he was so gentle and protective of his pack that she convinced Stone to give him a new name. After considering the matter, he added, “No” to the front of his name. “No Trouble” seemed to like his new name.
Stone would often state it was a shame that Vic couldn’t follow in No Trouble’s footsteps.
Not surprisingly, that only resulted in Vic growling at Stone.
Unfortunately, when they would go to a park to train the pups, other children wanted to pet and sometime try to steal the pups. No Trouble was not having it. He kept a sharp eye on the pups and intervened with barks for assistance if a little dog napper wouldn’t set the puppy back down. While this normally caught the attention of the mothers of said children, some parents had the audacity to scold No Trouble. If Stone had come out with them, which he often did, he would scold the parents. Otherwise, Vic would provide the scolding. But to be honest, Stone was by far the better scolder.
Vic was shocked upon discovering Claire picking up one of the puppies, as the children and pups played in their favorite park. Normally, No Trouble would bark at the person, but he didn’t with Claire. Instead he sniffed her, then whined at Vic.
“This is a cute fellow. May I have him?” Claire asked.
“Sorry, but they already have owners,” Vic replied.
Claire rolled her eyes. “I just want one of them.”
“They all have owners.” Vic repeated.
Claire’s eyes narrowed. “I see you’re as selfish as always.”
“I’m not trying to be, but I am not going to give you a puppy that someone else already loves.”
Claire sighed, then slipped the puppy into her large purse.
Before Vic
could object, No Trouble secured the pup and carried it away. He had been so clever about it, that it was likely that Claire still believed the pup was inside her bag.
“Why are you here, Claire?”
“I’m here because you keep trying to put me into institutions. I am not insane. A doctor declared me rational. You’re the problem, not me.”
“How am I your problem, Claire?”
“You’ve convinced everyone to hate me.”
“Claire, I still love you. I will always love you. But honestly, you would be better off in an institution.”
“I am not insane. I’m just smarter than you, and that makes you jealous!”
“You are smarter than me, but I’m not jealous of you. I just dearly want you to be well. I’m sorry that I have caused part of your problems.”
“How so?”
“I sent you to an evil mesmerist. I had thought he was a good man and would help you. Instead he made you much worse.”
“That’s a lie. You killed him out of jealousy. But I forgive you. It turns out that I am happier without him than with him.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I truly want you to get better, but you’ll need help in doing this.”
“Are you offering to help me, Vic?
“No, you need a professional.”
“But I had a professional, only you killed him.”
“He was not a good man.”
“You should be in jail for that, but somehow you have everyone wrapped around your fingers. They dance like puppets to your tune.”
“No, I just have rational friends.”
“You are the most selfish person I know. You steal and kill other people’s husbands. You are a terrible person. Honestly, you are the one who should be locked up.”
“Claire, it is very clear you remain angry with me. If you don’t wish to be put in a quality institution, then go somewhere far away where you can forget me and move on with your life.”
“Why should I bother? Wherever I go, you will show up. You are always chasing me down.”
“Claire, the last time I chased you down, I believe I was six years old.”
“No, it was last week. When I was visiting MY daughter!”
“And yet, instead of visiting her, you tied up an old woman and don’t try to claim it was Maddy who did that. When I untied her, I recognized the complicated knot that you used.”
“No, it was Maddy who tied her up. Just ask her.”
“You’ve no doubt threatened her into claiming she tied the knot, but yesterday I asked her to show me the knot she tied, and she couldn’t do it.”
“She’s just playing you for a fool,” Claire insisted.”
“Claire, not even I can tie that knot. Which means you broke into Vivian’s house and assaulted her. And if you ever come near any of my family again, I will call the police.”
“How dare you threaten me!” Claire screamed. “She had no right to be there!”
“She had every right. It’s her house, Claire.”
Vic sighed. “We aren’t making any headway. So, I’m going to grab the children and take them home.”
“You do that. Let’s just hope you have a home to go to.”
Vic met Claire’s angry glare. “I’m sorry!”
“For what?
“For not protecting you better. I was the eldest. I should have gotten you better help sooner.”
“No worries there. Your concept of protection doesn’t appeal to me at all. I rather enjoy doing whatever I wish,” Claire assured her.
Her words sent Vic into tears, which prevented her from seeing, nor warning Claire to run before Barns and Meyers secured her arms behind her back.
“What are you doing?” Claire demanded.
“Claire Hamilton, you are under arrest for the murder of fifteen young men.”
“You have no proof that it was me. All those deaths were different, which means different people killed them.”
“While the deaths were so brutal that we assumed it was a man at first, you failed to kill victim number sixteen. He not only told us we should be looking for a female, but he gave us your name as well.”
“You lie! I didn’t leave any of them alive.”
Vic focused on Claire in horror. “You killed sixteen young men?”
“Of course not. You killed those boys, Vic. It is solely your fault that they died. The one I wanted to kill was you. Only Tubs keeps you protected. I was furious to learn that the idiot I had married hit Tubs on the head but failed to finish him off! By the time I arrived, he was already back protecting you.”
“How can you hate me this much?” Vic cried.
“How can I not? You are so selfish. Whatever Victor wants, Victor gets. But nothing for Claire, despite that I am the smarter of us.”
Vic forced herself to look away from her sister and focus on Barns. “What will happen to her?”
“She’s killed fifteen people, Vic. She’ll hang for this.”
Claire’s face paled. Then she focused on Vic. “Vic, it isn’t true. All those people were alive when I left them. If they died later, it’s not my fault.”
Vic turned to Barns. “You are certain Claire did this?”
“Absolutely. While each fellow died in a different manner, she always placed a ‘get well soon’ card on their palm. She’s guilty, and she will hang.”
Be careful. She’s brilliant. Without a doubt, she has an escape plan. I suspect she picks locks as good as Jacko.”
“How dare you accuse me! I would never do something so foolish.”
Barns glared at her. “You forget, we have a living victim who also received a card and knew your name?”
“It wasn’t me who killed them! It was Victor!”
“Barns be careful. Claire is most clever. If you put her in a jail cell, she will escape.” Vic warned.
“I won’t lose her.” Barns promised. “Here’s Xavier. He’ll take you, the children, and the pups home.”
Seeing Xavier exiting his carriage, she called her massive parade of pups and children to the carriage. Once inside, she took a headcount. Four boys, one girl, eight puppies, and a worried husband. Sighing with relief, they headed home.
When Xavier didn’t question what Claire had done this time, she realized he already knew. When tears fell down her cheeks, Xavier pulled her tight to his chest and kissed her temple.
Upon arriving home, Gregory gave her a hug as well.
“So, you know what Claire has done as well?”
“No. I hugged you because something has hurt you to your core.”
Vic nodded and hugged him harder.
“What did Claire do?” Gregory asked.
Vic looked up at him. “It will break your heart, but you have to know.”
Gregory gripped her shoulders and stared at her with great compassion. “Tell me.”
“Claire will be charged for the deaths of fifteen young men and one attempted murder. She killed them, for no other reason than they looked similar to me.”
“Dear God! Why would she do that?”
“She said it was because Tubs protected me too well for her to kill the one who she truly wished to kill.” Vic threw her arms about Gregory. “If only I had realized sooner that the doctor was making her worse, not better.”
“Thank God you killed that monster.”
“But not soon enough.”
Xavier spoke softly behind her. “Vic you could not have stopped this. These deaths began almost a year ago.”
“But she was in the asylum for much of this year!”
“She was supposed to be, but it turns out the doctor not only let her roam about outside the gates during the day, but they had many night excursions as well. But since the doctor always accompanied her, the guards never reported the issue to anyone.”
“Is it possible he killed some of the young men rather than Claire?” Vic asked.
“During the early attacks, perhaps, although there is no proof of it. I have assessed th
e crime scenes and talked to the locals. In all but the first case, someone did remember a beautiful young woman smiling at the corpse then grasping the dead man’s hand. A moment later, a carriage would stop. The driver would climb down, assist the frail young miss inside, then drive off. Only in two cases, did anyone notice a man in black, seated in the back with the young woman. However, I expect he had come with her for all but the last one, in which the boy lived.”
Vic sighed “She no longer had the mesmerist to assert his will, for I had killed him. So why would she keep killing even after I killed the mesmerist?”
Xavier sighed. “Because she couldn’t stop. The compulsion that he created inside her, to kill you, remained firmly in her brain. Since her carriage burned in the fire, I have no idea where she obtained another one. She then entered the pub where a young man, who looked like you, celebrated his wins on a horse. Claire probably whispered that she wished to go home with him. He, no doubt jumped at the chance to bed such a fine lady. The moment they entered a dark alley, she would have injected a needle into the base of his neck. The fellow would have been knockout in seconds. Then she would slip the card into his left hand and return to the carriage.”
“So how did the young man survive?”
According to Sergeant Meyers, he found the young man in the alley and believed him to be yet another dead Vic. He placed the body in his carriage planning to take it to the morgue that Scotland Yard uses. Only a few moments later, the young man sat up, certain he was being kidnapped. Making the possibility even more likely, he quickly discovered his camera and money were gone.
Sergeant Meyers had the driver head to Scotland Yard as he explained to the young man that some fellow was going about killing thin young men with blond hair. “We thought you were the sixteenth victim. And I still think you were meant to be, only the fellow must have done something wrong this time.”
The young man’s response changed everything. “Well, first of all, it wasn’t a guy. It was a young woman named Claire Hamilton. And I’ve no idea what she did to me, but it knocked me right out.”
When they arrived at Scotland Yard, Sergeant Meyers took him to Barns right away.
The Future of Scotland Yard Page 10