Alice felt bad for the young man, but he was wrong about Jacko. She had money enough. She could afford to marry for love. “Have a safe trip back to London,” she said as she climbed off the wagon.
Returning inside, she went upstairs to find her mother writing names and addresses from memory.
“Lucky for us I never kept an address book of the suffragettes, in fear Mr. Carson would find it.” She thumped her head. “I put it all up here.”
Alice leaned over and kissed her temple.
Her mother studied her. “You seem sad.”
“Jacko had to return to London upon waking.”
Her mother eyes widened in surprise. “Then why did he come at all? I am sure there are beds enough in London.”
She sat on the edge of the bed. “He came to see me, but he had not slept in days.” Her mouth turned up at the corners. “It was most illogical of him, but quite endearing all the same.”
“And why did he have to leave?”
“A friend is missing and may die if not found soon.”
“Well, you can’t argue with that reason. Did he say if this friend was male or female?”
Alice stood and walked to the window to stare at the ribbon of gray road. “Male, and I was greatly relieved. I cannot imagine any female not falling in love with him if he saved her from certain death.”
Her mother’s eyebrows rose in a challenge. “Are you saying I’ve fallen in love with Jacko?”
After returning to her mother and wrapping her arms around her, Alice kissed her cheek. “I am indeed. Nothing else could account for your amazing understanding of my heart’s desire.”
Chapter 11
When Jacko arrived at his office, a young boy sat on the floor outside, his small foot thumping like a rabbit. Upon sight of Jacko, he jumped up. “I been waitin’ nearly an hour to collect me fortune!”
Jacko opened the door and ushered the boy in. He would gladly give the boy a fortune for the return of Xavier, but he had little hope finding his friend would be so easy.
“Watcha got?”
“Give me my ten thousand pounds first.” The boy bravely held his ground, his grubby small hand stretched forward, palm up.
Jacko admired his pluck. “That’s not the way it works. You tell me what you know and then I decide if it warrants the money.”
The boy’s brow furrowed. “And what if you decide it don’t?”
“Then I’ll pay you what I think it’s worth.”
The boy jammed his hands in his pockets as he stared at his feet muttering beneath his breath.
“What’s your name?”
His head tilted up and his eyes narrowed. “What’s it worth to you?”
The kid reminded him of himself as a scrappy boy. “It could be worth a regular job.”
The boy’s eyes widened as he yanked his hand from his pocket and extended it to Jacko. “People call me L’il Pete. So do I get the job?”
Jacko shook his tiny hand. “I’ll give you a try.” He walked to his desk, grabbed a pencil and paper, and wrote his boarding room address. He handed the slip to the boy. “I’ll pay you two shillings a day to sit in a chair in front of this room and bring me messages from people who stop by. Any tip they give you is yours to keep.”
L’il Pete’s eyes narrowed. “That’s it? Just sit in a chair?”
“You can even sleep if you like.”
The boy shook his head as he wiped his nose on his sleeve. “I wasn’t born yesterday. What’s the git?”
“The ‘git’ is you must keep to your schedule and never lie to me.”
The boy’s head tilted in confusion. “That’s all?”
“Sounds simple, but I’ve yet to find a boy who has the character to do it.”
The small fellow jutted out his chest and snared his thumbs through his belt loops. “I got tons of character. Everybody says so.”
Damn, but he liked this boy. “Which is why you are getting the job. And when you go back there today, if a boy named Elwood shows up, tell him he’s fired.”
“Elwood…” The boy’s face scrunched up as he rubbed his chin with grimy fingers. “How big is he?”
“Good point.” Jacko wrote on another slip of paper, ‘Elwood, you are fired—Jacko.’ He gave it to the boy. “Just give him this.”
The boy nodded and slipped it in his pocket.
“Now what do you have for me?” Jacko had little hope the fellow had any news of value, but he’d give the lad a listen.
“I heard the one-eyed beggar man was in Dragon’s Cloud.”
“Old news. The Dragon’s Cloud was torn down last night and no one-eyed beggar man was found.”
The boy cocked his right eyebrow. “That’s because they moved him.”
Jacko knelt down, eye-level with the boy, his heart pounding in excitement. Was it possible this L’il Pete was the answer to his prayers? “Moved him where?”
His cockiness disappeared. “I’m not sure.”
Jacko’s frustration rose and he raked his hand through his hair. Someone in this damn town has to know where Xavier was. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. “Well then, what did you see?”
“I saw four men carrying a body out the back of Dragon’s Cloud and down the alley around six last night. He had a black patch over his left eye and was dressed in rags.”
This might be the break they needed. “Which way did they go, east or west?”
The boy gave that some thought. “I was hiding in the garbage on the opposite side of the Dragon.” He then pointed left. “They went that way down the alley.”
“West.”
The boy’s hands settled on his tiny hips. “West then.”
“That’s a dangerous place. What were you doing there?” Jacko asked, worried the boy might be making it up.
“I can’t say.”
“Pete, you work for me now, remember?”
L’il Pete smiled. “Right. Mr. Denny paid me a half-penny to hide in the alley and describe the men who came in the back with packages.”
Jacko tried to hide the rage he felt towards Charles Denny. He caused more boys’ deaths than any man in the docks. “I don’t want you taking any more jobs from that scurf. He’s not paying you a fair wage for the danger you take on.”
Pete frowned. “How much should I get paid to hide in garbage?”
Jacko stifled his desire to laugh at the boy’s earnest question. “That depends where the garbage is. Since the job could have easily cost you your life, you shouldn’t take less than a million pounds.”
The boy’s eyes rounded in wonder. “Somebody’ll pay me a million pounds to hide in garbage?”
“No. That’s just what the job’s worth. Denny can always find some young boy who doesn’t realize he won’t live more than a few days on the job. He’ll tell the boy to report his findings every day, but delay paying him until the end of the week, which means Denny rarely has to pay the boy at all.”
L’il Pete’s mouth fell open. “That ain’t right!”
“No, it’s not. Which is why, I want your word you won’t do any more jobs for Mr. Denny.”
The boy nodded, but then pouted. “What about the pence he owes me?”
“Write it off as a lesson learned.”
***
Vic burst through the office door. “I know how to find him.”
L’il Pete turned and glared at his competition. “Hey now, I was here first.”
Jacko handed the boy twenty pounds. “Your information was helpful, but insufficient to earn the prize. Now get to work.”
The boy stared at the bill and then stuffed it deep in his pocket. “Well, it ain’t the fortune you promised, but it’s still a grand prize. I’ll head on to my new job now.”
“See that you’re on time, and remember, never lie to me,” Jacko scolded and shooed him out.
“What did he tell you?” Vic asked.
“He saw four men carry a body from the alley heading west. He couldn’t follow, so that’s
all we know.”
“Well, that shortens the space to search immensely.”
Had the poor pup lost his mind? “Vic, most of London is west of that alley!”
Vic stared about his office. “Do you really sell maps?”
Jacko sighed. “I buy and sell information, some of which are maps.”
“What type of information?”
Jacko shrugged, having no patience to be scolded just now.
“If I wanted to know every doctor in the vicinity who will tend gun wounds without calling Scotland Yard, would you happen to have that?”
“I could sell you a map with their locations marked in red.”
Vic smiled. “I wish to buy your map and a fearsome pirate to accompany me.”
A seed of hope grew in Jacko’s gut. “You think Xavier is at a doctor’s office?”
“Xavier incurred a serious wound—I suspect a gunshot somewhere on his shoulder or chest. The wound is infected and he requires a doctor. I do not think they would risk carrying him far, because he must be close to death.”
“Who told you he had been shot?”
“No one. The room where they held him in Dragon’s Cloud told me. The blood on the mattress indicated a front chest wound, and the lingering odor indicated infection.”
That would explain why four men had carried him. They were trying to keep him alive. He retrieved the map.
Vic smiled at the sight of it. “How much is it?”
“Well, for a regular customer, ten pounds, but I’m not charging you.”
“Nonsense. You deserve the ten pounds. This map is going to find Xavier.”
“Yes, but—”
The pup slapped down her ten pounds. “Don’t argue with me. This is my day. Everything goes as I wish it.”
Jacko laughed and slipped the money in his pocket. He found great irony that Vic paid for a map Xavier had drawn, but it wasn’t worth arguing over now. He’d settle it later, once they found his friend.
***
The moment they entered the fifth doctor’s office and he saw the man’s worried, flustered state, Jacko knew they had found Xavier. Unfortunately, they appeared to have arrived too late. The man was packing his bags.
Vic must have come to a similar conclusion, but one that left open a possibility of hope. “Is he still alive?” The pup pushed past the doctor and entered his examining room.
“Here now! What are you about?”
Finding the room empty, she turned and grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know who you mean.”
Vic sniffed the man’s sleeve. “I can smell him on you. Now either you tell me this instant or I’ll tear the place apart.”
Pulling one of his guns, Jacko pressed it to the doctor’s head. “And I’ll kill you.”
“All right,” the doctor cried. “I’ll take you to him. Please, put the gun away. I’m not the enemy. All I’ve done is try to save his life, but they brought him too late.”
Vic naively released him, but Jacko snared his arm before he could run. He led them across the hall and unlocked a door. They entered a room containing an unconscious beggar man and the deadliest thug in London—a giant man named Sonny Tubs—sitting in the corner, his face propped up by his giant paw, his eyes half closed. Unfortunately, their entry woke him up.
As Tubs reached into his jacket, Vic pulled her gun. “Please don’t draw your weapon. I don’t want to shoot you.”
Vic sounded sincerely upset at the thought, but Jacko had seen enough of Tub’s handiwork to know the man was a brute. Aiming his gun straight between the giant’s ugly eyes, Jacko added, “I’ve no problem shooting you.”
Tubs looked from Vic to Jacko and back to Vic. He held his massive hands up. “And I don’t want to die over this. Ain’t my mess. I had nothing to do with it. Here I am a highly skilled craftsman and it’s ‘be a look out’, ‘guard the boy’, ‘guard the beggar’. I’m sick of this nonsense, and I sure as hell don’t want to die at the hands of the only person who’s been nice to me in so long I can’t remember. If you’ll just step away from the door, I’ll leave.”
Jacko kept his gun cocked and aimed. Vic, however, turned her attention to the one eyed beggar man lying on a narrow bed. Her fingers wrapped around Xavier’s wrist and felt for a pulse. Jacko feared by the pup’s frown they were too late.
Vic glanced at Tubs. “Since you’ve quit your prior job, how would you like an honorable job protecting good people?”
Had Xavier’s death caused the pup to lose her mind? Jacko shook his head in firm disagreement with her offer.
Vic sighed and looked at Jacko. “Xavier is too ill to move. We need help protecting him.” She then returned her attention to the giant. “I apologize, I never got your name.”
“Sonny…Sonny Tubs.”
“Really? How amazingly odd. I’ve mentally called you Mr. Tubs since we first met.”
Jacko struggled to make sense of her words. Met? When the hell had Vic met the deadliest men in London?
“To discover Tubs is your actual name is quite astonishing, but not unbelievable today. This is my special day, where everything works to my liking. So I’m offering you honest employment with Xavier Thorn’s Private Inquiries.”
Tubs’ eyes rounded. “I’m gonna be working with Sherlock Holmes?”
With loving eyes, Vic looked down at the one-eyed beggar. “Yes, and while he does yell on occasion, he values highly skilled employees. So I believe the two of you will get along just fine.”
Jacko rolled his eyes. Xavier, if he was even alive, would not want a mass murderer on his staff.
Mr. Tubs ‘hoof’ed several times. “Me…working for the great Sherlock Holmes. I like that!”
Jacko lowered his gun. While he didn’t believe for a moment Xavier would hire the man, clearly Tubs did.
Vic glanced in Jacko’s direction and her temper flared. “Jacko, did you let the doctor run off?”
Jacko cursed and glared at the giant. He wouldn’t have let go of the doctor if he had not opened the door to find the well-armed and incredibly deadly Sonny Tubs standing guard.
Mr. Tubs glared back. “Weren’t my job to watch him.”
“Well, somebody find him!” Vic yelled.
“I’m not leaving you alone with him.” The pup had some strange idea she could tame this beast, but she couldn’t. Tubs only knew how to kill.
Vic’s brows furrowed in annoyance. “Mr. Tubs, will you find the doctor for us?”
Hurrying out the door, Tubs barely made a sound, despite his massive size.
“He is amazingly light on his feet.”
“He is also a coldblooded murderer.” Jacko approached the bed, and slipped his hand upon his friend’s other wrist to ensure he truly had a pulse. “And Xavier is not going to be happy you’ve hired him.”
Vic’s expression softened as she petted the oily black hair of the beggar man. “Then he must get well so I can explain my reasons.” When Vic pulled back the sheet, she lost her temper. “The doctor didn’t even clean him. How is this wound supposed to heal amongst so much dirt?”
Mr. Tubs returned. “Sorry, the fellow already skipped out.”
“Doesn’t matter, he was a terrible doctor.” Vic looked up at Jacko. “Can you find me the best doctor there is?”
“I could, but I’m not leaving you with him,” Jacko replied.
Vic reached over Xavier’s body and grabbed Jacko by his silk shirt. “Listen to me! I am not in danger of Mr. Tubs. We are friends. However, if Xavier dies while you stand here arguing with me, I will make your life a living hell‒far worse than any gypsy curses you might know.”
He didn’t fear the pup’s threats, but Vic had a point. He couldn’t let Xavier die because Vic was too bull-headed to listen to him.
Jacko gave Tubs his hardest glare. “If they are not both here when I return, you are a dead man.” He then hurried from the room, praying Stone was in and would know the best doctor for g
unshot wounds.
***
Jacko climbed up beside Davy on the carriage.
“Where’s Vic?”
“Inside with Xavier and a bloody murderer.” He handed Davy his gun. “Go protect him. I have to get a doctor.”
“What do you mean a bloody murderer?”
“I haven’t time to explain. Xavier could die any moment.”
Davy leapt off the carriage and hurried in the building.
Jacko slapped the reins. “Come on, Marybell, your master’s life depends upon it.”
To his surprise, his declaration seemed to help move the mare along.
When he arrived at Scotland Yard, Stone was walking down the steps. God, if he’d been a minute later, he would have missed him.
He leapt off the carriage, trusting Marybell not to run off, and hurried to the Chief Inspector.
“I’ve found Xavier, but he needs a doctor, the best you know for infected gunshot wounds.”
For a long moment, Stone stared at him in shock. Then he grabbed Jacko’s arm. “We’ll take your carriage.”
Five blocks down, Stone called Jacko to halt and hurried into a brownstone. Two minutes later, Stone and another man, carrying a doctor’s bag, rushed into the carriage. Jacko ran Marybell recklessly fast through the streets, earning him more than one curse, but he feared even now he might be too late.
When they arrived at the rundown squalid building, Stone and the doctor hurried in after receiving directions from Jacko.
He had no option but to remain with the horse. In this part of town, a unattended carriage would disappear within seconds. Davy would never forgive him if he lost Marybell.
He expected Davy to come out any minute and take charge of the carriage, but an hour passed and still no driver. Jacko muttered beneath his breath, and then loudly cursed at a few men eyeing the carriage. “Unless you think this horse is worth dying for, move on.”
“It’s a free country,” the tallest of the men replied.
Jacko pulled his second gun. “Do you think anyone will give a damn if this free country has one less piece of shit in it?”
The man’s friends pulled him away. “Bloody hell! I know him. He’s the gypsy pirate. Let’s get out of here.”
A Right to Love: Romantic Spinoff From The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 2.5 Page 12