The Mermaid in the Basement

by Gilbert, Morris

  Serafina gave a gasp and was about to reply when Dylan dug his elbow into her side. “She’s a friend of mine. Her name is Molly.”

  Serafina saw the girl staring at her in a clinical fashion, and she said weakly, “Hello, Callie.”

  “Are you ’is woman?”

  Serafina was trapped. “Yes,” she lied valiantly.

  “Your face is dirty.Why don’t yer take a bath?”

  Suddenly Dylan laughed. “She hates bathing, Callie. Sometimes I just have to hold her down and wash her myself.”

  “We got some ’ot water if yer wants to wash ’er now.”

  Dylan was enjoying this, Serafina saw.He turned to her with his blue eyes bright. “You may have something there.What do you think, Molly? Could I wash your face?”

  “Leave my face alone,” Serafina said through clenched teeth.

  “You see? She hates bathing.”He looked over and saw Mrs.Montevado. “How are you today,Maria?”

  “Much better.”Maria Montevado was standing behind a table fixing some food. “The money you brought from the viscountess has been a godsend.We haven’t ever eaten so well.”

  “Oh, she’s a generous lady. Not like Molly here.Molly’s stingy.”

  “Wot do you want ’er for if she’s dirty and stingy?” Callie demanded.

  “Well, I try to get rid of her, but she follows me around. Every time I try to hide from her, she finds me. She’s so in love with me, you see, Callie, I just can’t get rid of her.”

  Callie came to stand before Serafina. Only twelve years old, but she had the assurance of a much older person. Life in the streets had taught her that. “Why don’t yer be clean and make yourself decent?” she said. “You like dirt?”

  Serafina could feel Dylan holding back the laughter that showed in his features. She met his eyes, which were dancing with fun. “He’s so pretty, ’e is, I can’t bear to do without him, you see.”

  Callie considered this and said, “You ought to wash. It won’t ’urt yer none.”

  “Will you let me fix you a bite to eat?”Maria asked.

  “Oh no, we’re in a hurry,” Dylan said. He turned to Callie. “Callie, you remember I asked you to look for a man with a steel hook?”

  “Yus, I remember that. I couldn’t find him, though.”

  “Well, he lives with a woman called Sadie. She’s a bad woman just like he’s a bad man.” He took a sovereign out of his pocket and held it toward her. “This is for you. If you find him, I’ll give you five more just like it.”

  “Five sovereigns!” Callie exclaimed. She grasped the coin, stared at it, and then looked up at Dylan. “You must be rich.”

  “No, this is all from the viscountess. She’s rich, and beautiful too.Not like ugly Molly here. She bathes a lot too.”

  “Well, why don’t yer get rid of Molly and marry the viscountess?”

  “Now there’s an idea,” Dylan said. “What do you think,Molly?”

  Serafina glared at him, then looked over the poor surroundings, the two children, and the woman. The woman had traces of a beauty that had been worn down by life. Her heart smote her as she realised how little she knew about the poor. “I think you could afford more than five if she finds him.”

  “Ten it is! You see,Molly here is ugly and dirty, but she’s got a generous spirit after all. Ten sovereigns if you find our man.”

  “We’ll find ’im,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “We’ll find him. Don’t you worry.”

  “Remember. You’ll find me at the Old Vic Theatre at night. Come early, if you can, before the play starts.”

  “Wot if I find ’im some morning?”

  “Here’s my address. You come there and leave me a note. I’ll check it every day, and if I get a note, I’ll find you at once right here.”

  Callie nodded, then she turned and gave the sovereign to her mother. The woman said, “God must have sent you, Mr. Dylan.”

  “Like I say. It’s the viscountess’s money.”

  “Then God bless her,”Maria Montevado said.

  Dylan said, “I hope you find Sadie and the man. Come along,Molly.”

  They moved toward the door, and Callie came forward. She grabbed Serafina’s dress and forced her to turn around. “You’re dirty as a pig,” she said, “but yer might look all right if you’d wash. You come back ’ere, and I’ll ’elp yer look better. Mr. Dylan’s too ’andsome to ’ave to have an ugly, dirty woman like you with ’im.”

  “There’s a good offer for you, Molly.” Dylan was laughing now, and he pulled her outside. As soon as they were clear, he turned to her and said, “Well, there’s a fine young girl, that Callie.”

  “She’s rude!”

  “Just honest. Being in the streets makes you that way, I think. But you can see your money has done a good thing for that family.”

  Serafina stared at him and finally mustered a smile. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

  “Me? I felt so sorry for you I could hardly keep from crying—and you making enough noise grinding your old teeth!”

  “Liar!”

  “I suppose I am. Let’s move on.We’ll get something to eat, and then we’ll find some more people to ask.”

  Serafina trudged along, so weary she had to hold to his arm. Hope burned faintly within her, and she knew that without Dylan they would have no hope at all.

  TWENTY-THREE

  On Thursday afternoon the prosecution finally concluded its case.Allen Greer said in a voice edged with bad temper, “That is the case for the prosecution, my lord—and we might have ended much sooner if my worthy opponent had not kept interrupting with meaningless remarks.”

  Judge Franklin Locke gave Greer a look that could have cut to the heart. “If there is any rebuke to be made, Mr. Greer, I will be the one to make it.”

  “Yes, Your Honour,” Greer muttered. He turned to the jury and grinned slightly, then took his seat.

  “You may speak for the defendant, Sir Leo.”

  Leo rose slowly to his feet, his face filled with confidence, but then it always was no matter how poor a chance he had of getting his man off.

  He began by saying, “My lord, I will call as my first witness Mr. James Barden.”

  Barden, the butler, came in and took his place in the witness box.

  “You have been the butler for some time at the Newton household, Mr.

  Barden. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, sir.” Barden’s face was pale, and he answered nervously.

  “During this time you have had opportunities to observe the defendant, Mr. Clive Newton, very closely.”

  “Oh yes, sir. Since he was a small boy.”

  “Do you think Mr. Clive could be described as an evil man?”

  “Objection!” Greer rose at once and said, “My worthy opponent is putting words in the witness’s mouth.”

  “Sustained. Rephrase your question, Sir Leo.”

  Leo artfully changed the question so that it meant exactly the same thing. He kept the butler on the stand as long as possible until the jury began shifting nervously, then he said, “Do you have any questions, Mr. Greer?”

  “No. There’s no need.As we all know, any good servant will say nothing evil about his employer.”

  A murmur went through the room, but Sir Leo ignored it. He waited until Barden was gone and then started calling witnesses from the Newton household.

  The trial proceeded at a snail’s pace, and finally, after the judge dismissed the court with the notice that the trial would begin the next morning at ten o’clock, Greer moved over and said, “Well, Sir Leo, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a worse defense in my life.”

  Sir Leo simply smiled. “We will see, shall we not?”

  “You don’t have any secret weapons, Leo.Why don’t you admit it and let the poor man confess everything, and we can all go home?”

  “I don’t think it will happen that way.”

  Greer shook his head and, going back to his desk, picked up his papers. As he stepped outside
the courtroom, he saw Superintendent Winters. Winters moved toward him, asking, “How do you think it’s going?”

  “Very well for the prosecution.”

  Winters chewed his lower lip and sighed heavily as he said, “I feel sorry for the family.You know, Mr.Greer, one family member can destroy the rest. I can’t think what Sir Leo is going to put up for a real defense.”

  “Oh, he has no defense to make. There’s no way he can deny the evidence we have. He’ll call in a whole parade of character witnesses. I’ve noticed he has put the Viscountess Trent on the list.”

  “I suppose just as a character witness for her brother.”

  “What else could she be there for?”

  “Well, without giving away any secrets, Allen, she’s playing detective.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “She’s been scraping around trying to find some sort of evidence that would free her brother. Made a regular nuisance of herself. If she weren’t a viscountess, I would have stopped her long ago.”

  Greer grinned. “You can’t afford to offend any of the nobility, can you,William? I mean, after all, the gossip is that you’re right on the brink of receiving your knighthood.”

  “I can’t speak about that.”

  “Oh, of course not. But after you become SirWilliam, things will be different.”

  Winters shook his head and looked rather downcast. “I’ve told you before, Allen.My wife is more ambitious than I am. I’d be content to stay at the Yard as superintendent, but she has political ideas. She wants me in the House of Lords. Not what I would like”—he grinned ruefully—“but we have to humour our wives, don’t we now?”

  “I don’t.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You don’t have a wife.”

  “Well, there are times when I wish—” He broke off suddenly and said, “I’ll be interested to see what the defense has. We’ve got this case nailed down, and I need a victory.”

  “Good publicity, eh? Especially with as spectacular a case as it is. Well, you needn’t worry.We’ll win this one.”

  Serafina had hurried down for breakfast so that she could meet Dylan by eight o’clock and the two could continue their search. She was met by Louisa, her maid, who said, “There’s a letter for you, ma’am.”

  “A letter? The post hasn’t come yet.”

  “No, ma’am, it was slipped under the door.”

  Serafina took the envelope. Written on it in capital letters was her name: Viscountess Serafina Trent. The writing was blunt and blocky, impossible to recognise.Moving toward the smaller of the two dining rooms, she opened the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. On it were written the words: If you don’t stop trying to get your brother off, something very bad is going to happen to your son. This is all the warning you will receive.

  A chill suddenly ran through Serafina. She stopped dead and read the message again, her hands unsteady.

  “Is it bad news, Viscountess?”

  “Oh, Louisa, never mind. I’m going to skip breakfast this morning.” She moved to the hallway, picked up a cloak that she kept there, donned a hat, and left the house. Albert had the carriage all ready, and she said quickly, “Take me to Mr. Tremayne’s house, please, Albert.”

  “Yes, Viscountess.”

  Serafina got into the carriage and leaned back. She put the letter back in the envelope and held tightly to it. The warning had shaken her in a way that she had never experienced before. She considered the idea of going to the Yard and telling Superintendent Winters or Mr. Grant what had happened, but she finally decided she would see Dylan first.

  When she reached his house, she did not wait for Albert to help her. “Wait for me, Albert. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Serafina entered the house, walked to Dylan’s room, and knocked on the door. He opened it almost immediately, and she said, “Dylan, something’s happened.”

  Dylan stepped aside and scanned Serafina’s face. She was more troubled than he had ever seen her. “What is it, Viscountess?”

  “It’s this.” Serafina handed the note to Dylan, and he opened it and read it swiftly. “We must be getting close, Serafina. Whoever sent this knows what we’ve been doing.”

  “I don’t know what to do.We need to find this woman Sadie, or Clive will die.” She looked up, and fear was reflected in her violet eyes. “But I can’t risk David’s life.”

  “No, you can’t do that,”Dylan said.He stood there for a moment and then said, “We must protect David, but we’re the only hope Clive has.”

  Serafina seemed incapable of clear thought. It was a new experience for her, but then she had never had her child threatened before. “I—I don’t know what to do!”

  A decision came to Dylan. “I think I have something that will answer.

  Don’t be afraid!”

  “I can’t help it.”

  “Be of good courage. The Lord will strengthen your heart. I know you don’t believe that now, but I do. So I’ll just believe for both of us. Is your carriage outside?”

  “Yes.”

  “Follow me, then. I think there’s something we can do.”

  Serafina realised at that instant how dependent she had become upon Dylan. She, who had never wanted to depend on anybody and had prided herself on her ability to handle problems, suddenly felt as helpless as a child. She went outside, and as Dylan handed her into the carriage, she heard him give an address to Albert. Then he got in beside her and turned to face her as the carriage started out. “We’ve got to protect David, and we can’t stay with him all the time and hunt for the witness, but there’s one thing we can do. Some time ago I met a man called Lorenzo Pike. He was an expert thief and never once was caught. I knew what he was, though, and somehow we became friends. Lorenzo’s wife grew very ill. I went to visit them many times, and while I was there sharing the Gospel with her, Lorenzo listened. To make a long story short, Lorenzo gave his heart to the Lord, and he’s been a miracle to watch.”

  “Did he . . . stop being a burglar?”

  “Indeed, he did! He bought into an establishment that sells and repairs locks and safes. He was good at that, him. He didn’t need any education whatsoever. He has a friend called Yago the Gyp. He’s a gypsy.

  He was Lorenzo’s accomplice, but Lorenzo, after he found the Lord, bore witness to Gyp, and he also gave his heart to Christ, and now the two men are in business together.”

  “But how can they help us?”

  “They were both thieves and they had to be experts to stay out of prison as long as they did. Their hearing is exceptional, they can see like eagles, and they’re strong, tough men, able to handle any sort of trouble. I’m going to ask them, with your permission, that is, if they will be David’s bodyguards while the trial lasts.”

  “You’ll have to think for us, Dylan,” Serafina whispered. “I can’t think for myself, it seems.”

  He gave her a look filled with compassion, but his own eyes were bright with anger. “It’s sad you are, and so am I—but I’m angry as well. I fight against being angry, but when I think of someone harming David, my heart is filled with murder. Deep down I’ve got fire like an inferno, and I can feel it rising to my brain. I want to take the man who wrote this note and drive a sword through his heart!”

  Serafina was watching Dylan with something like shock. She whispered, “I feel something like that.”

  Taking a long breath, Dylan said, “It’s going to be all right.”He spoke of how able the two men were until they pulled up in front of a locksmith shop. “Lorenzo and his wife live above the shop with their three children. The shop won’t be open because Lorenzo has a religious service at this time every week.”

  “We’ll have to wait until it’s over,” Serafina said rather timidly.

  “Not at all. We’ll just join right in. Come you now.” He stepped down, helped her out, and said, “There’s a pub down the street, Albert. Go get yourself something to eat.We’ll be a little whi
le here.” He flipped a coin up, and Albert caught it expertly. “Thank you, sir.”

  As they went up the stairs that led to the apartment over the shop, Serafina heard singing.

  “They’ve already started.”

  “Can’t we wait out here?”

  “No, we’ll go inside. It’ll be fine.”

  The two knocked on the door, and it was answered by a large woman with a broad face and a generous mouth. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Dylan. “Why, it’s you, Mr. Tremayne. Come in.We’ve just started.”

  “This is Viscountess Serafina Trent, Dorcas. Viscountess, this is Mrs.

  Dorcas Pike.”

  “I’m happy to meet you, ma’am. Come inside, and you can join in the service. I suppose it’s Lorenzo you’ll be wanting to see.”

  “Yes, but we can wait.”

  Serafina accompanied him into a very large room that was packed with people. At least thirty people were there, and several of them had instruments—a trumpet, a zither, a bass drum. She glanced at them, then put her eyes on a dark-featured man with black curly hair seated at a small organ.

  Every eye turned to them, and Lorenzo Pike announced in stentorian tones, “Well, bless my soul, it’s me dear friend Dylan Tremayne and his lady! Come in, beloved saints!” Pike was a very large man with merry blue eyes. Turning to the congregation, he boomed, “This ’ere is the dear servant of God that wot taught me of my wicked ways and led me to Jesus.

  Hallelujah! He’s an actor now, but we must forgive ’im for his ungodly callin’, for God can use even an actor.”

  “This is Serafina Trent, Lorenzo.” Dylan grinned. “She’s not an actress, I must say.”

  “Sister, we welcomes you to the meeting of the Church of the Living God.” Lorenzo was wearing his best, a grey suit with a colourful red tie, and his hair was slicked down. He was obviously tremendously strong.

  His voice boomed, filling the room.

  “Dearly beloved, let us rejoice that our dear brother and sister have found their way and that they, too,will have a home in the New Jerusalem.

  They will be there with all the saints when the rivers of water flow down from the throne.Hallelujah! Now then, we will sing the songs of Zion. Lift up your heads and your hearts and your voices, saints of God.”