The CrimeLords' War (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 7)

by Liza O'Connor

  “Hardly. I told him not to tell anyone.”

  “I meant on his character. Like his father, he’s never shown a bit of consideration for others. Yet, he risked a great deal of wrath just to ensure enough people of power would be there to stop the agents from shooting you.”

  Vic frowned remembering the guy in the hall. “One pulled a gun on me, so they weren’t as tame as you think.”

  “How close were you to him?”

  “Three feet.”

  “Normally, they shoot at ten feet, assuming they've already warned you to turn around.”

  Vic frowned. “That’s excessively aggressive.”

  “Well, they typically deal with spies and assassins.”

  Her mind turned back to Ariana/Achlys, the Russian spy who now had her claws into Xavier. “Xavier, I understand your guilt about Ariana and the need to make it right, but I’ve had a long and terrible day and I need you at my side tonight.”

  “Music to my ears. I am entirely yours.”

  That was too easy by half. “What happened to Ariana?”

  “Turns out, she doesn’t like my real face or black hair or hawk nose. Fortunately, Connors sent over a psychologist who happened to be blond and handsome. Her adoration transferred to him at once. Better yet, he was just as enchanted with her.”

  “Men,” she sighed.

  “He has always wanted to study a multiple personality. He asked her to go away with him and she happily agreed. He promised me he works for a private institution where the patients are treated very well.”

  “That sounds very nice until Achlys breaks out and returns to kill us both.”

  “The goal is to keep Achlys from ever showing up again.”

  “That was your goal. This fellow will want to study her second personality, so he’ll have Achlys out a great deal of the time.”

  Xavier frowned. “I'll need to verify their securities are sufficient to keep Achlys in.”

  Vic found his lack of concern annoying. At least he didn’t declare he would have to become Ariana’s husband and live apart from Vic. That would have prompted her to kill the deranged she-devil at once.

  Xavier nibbled her neck as he lifted her into his lap. “Barns was filling us in on your busy day, when you arrived.”

  She pushed him from her neck. “When I arrived, everyone was laughing. I don’t recall anything funny about my day.”

  “He was explaining how you had made up a cover to ensure access to the wife and servants, which had seemed farfetched when you first suggested it, but oddly turned out to be true. He declared it living proof that your intuitive skills have no limits.”

  “Barns bragged about me?” she asked in surprise.

  “For a young man who thought himself the most superior being on the planet, Barns has improved immensely.”

  “Well, I certainly like him more than his father.”

  Now it was Xavier who stiffened and put space between them. “How did you encounter Simon?”

  She explained Simon’s intrusion into their house, leaving the door unlocked, and then holding Gregory at gunpoint. “And does he apologize? No! He puffed up like a pigeon and asked if I knew who he was. I declared him Barns’ father and an incompetent burglar.”

  Xavier was laughing up till the last part. “In the future, allow me to insult Simon. He has a very resentful nature.”

  “It’s not as if I hunted him down to insult him. He broke into our house!”

  “Is it?”

  “Is it what?”

  “Is it our house. I discovered my keys no longer work and our butler refuses to open doors.”

  “Oh, the locks were changed because I couldn’t be certain I stole all our keys off that idiot’s key fob.”

  “And Gregory?”

  “That’s my fault. You put Ariana in our bed. So I told Gregory not to open doors for anyone, especially not deranged petite blondes.”

  He chuckled. “Which probably explains why Claire was in a temper when she arrived at the office and demanded my immediate retrieval of her daughter.”

  “Did she admit what she did to Justine during her interview?’

  “She refused to be interviewed, insisted everyone loved her, and this abduction had nothing to do with her or David, but more likely a retaliation against you.”

  They finally arrived home and Vic thanked the driver, then hit her head. “Shoot, my carriage is at Samson’s home. Casey, you should have said…Casey? Where are my drivers?”

  Casey walked out of the barn. “Right here, Miss Tilly.”

  Samson’s driver, who looked to be one his brothers, chuckled. “I dropped them off on the way, but I guess you two were too busy to notice.”

  “That still doesn’t explain how Casey got home before me,” Vic challenged.

  “Casey can outrun the wind.” He then wished them a good night and drove off.

  As Vic and Xavier approached the front steps of their home, arm in arm, the door flew open and Gregory stood in their path. “How dare you bring your loose women into this house! I won’t have it! Vic deserves better.”

  “Gregory, it’s me,” Vic said. “I’m in disguise.”

  “Get in here at once,” he demanded and turned his wrath upon her. “What are you thinking, dressing like a woman? What if people recognize you?”

  “Gregory, you couldn’t even recognize me,” she chided.

  “Upstairs now!” he barked. He then nailed Xavier in his cross hairs. “And you. Get rid of that other woman.”

  “Done,” Xavier said.

  “I don’t mean putting her up in a house of her own.”

  “He put her in a mental institution with a doctor she likes better than him.” Vic leaned in and kissed Gregory’s cheek. “No more scolding. I’ve had a very long and hard day.”

  Gregory calmed, but a look of worry overcame him. “It was a very good thing you did today, saving the woman and the children.”

  Vic shook her head, tears threatening to return. “The new born died before I found them.”

  Xavier pulled her into his arms. “No one but Vic could have saved any of them.” He then stroked her cheek. “You saved me as well.”

  “Xavier! What are you thinking coming here with that strumpet?” Sara yelled. “Vic loves you with all his heart and this is how you repay him?”

  Vic laughed. “Sara, it’s me. Did you get to the baby in time? Do you know what Connors did with the children?”

  Sara hugged Vic. “I’m so glad that’s you.” She then smiled at Xavier. “I apologize for the scold.”

  “Completely understandable.”

  She then focused on Vic. “The children are here. Connors said the infant died from arsenic poisoning. However, had it lived, it would have had so many things wrong with him his life would have been short and miserable. He is not certain whether the boys can’t speak because no one taught them or because the arsenic they received during pregnancy has stunted the growth of their brains.”

  “I will search for a tutor, for the boys,” Gregory promised.

  “Hold off on that,” Xavier said. “I need to discuss a few matters with Vic concerning her cases, which may alter their temporary home.”

  Chapter 28

  Vic had been hoping they would continue to their bedroom, but Xavier led her to the library, which warned her whatever he had to say was not going to be good.

  It doesn’t matter. As long as we stand together, we can withstand anything.

  He sat down in his chair and nodded for Vic to take hers.

  “I have a confession to make. I was at Scotland Yard when you arrived this afternoon.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “I was worried about you. When Claire said Gregory had no idea where you were, I grew concerned that you had gotten into trouble.”

  “Being the trouble magnet I am,” she grumbled.

  He smiled at her with pure love. “Being the trouble magnet you are. Stone had his own complaint. It seemed my beloved partner had
abducted Barns without even a by-your-please, and kept him away from his work the whole day.”

  “We were saving people! Since when is that a bad thing?” Vic demanded.

  “Well, he didn’t know that particular point. He expected me to tell him what you were up to.”

  “But you had no idea…” She sighed heavily. “That must have worried you a great deal.”

  “Even though Claire promised not to tell you about Maddy being abducted, I am all too aware of your uncanny intuition skills. So yes, I was very worried. When Barns returned with two paddy wagons filled with people to interrogate, some being of social prominence, Stone was ready to hit the roof.”

  “Why?” Vic demanded. “Is not arresting criminals one of Scotland Yard’s main purposes?”

  Xavier chuckled. “Yes, I believe it is. However, before declaring anyone a criminal, Stone has this pesky rule about acquiring proof of guilt. He was afraid Barns had foolishly forgotten that rule and arrested them solely based on your intuition.”

  Vic grimaced, realizing that might be true, until she recalled the facts she had unraveled. “Hold on. I may have begun solely on intuition, but I gathered some compelling facts along the way!”

  “Yes, Barns was quick to point out after a rather weak start, you obtained substantial evidence Lady Hudson was being poisoned, and the fact there were four children of the appropriate ages to be Lady Hudson’s children, and the new born also showed signs of arsenic poisoning, located at the address Eve claimed as her home.”

  “Don’t forget the infant was dead, and all the boys show signs of severe neglect,” Vic added.

  “Even without that observation, he assured Stone that bringing in these people was the responsible thing to do.” Xavier smiled. “Stone had a great deal of issues, some of which you will no doubt be lectured about as well.”

  “He mentioned I need to ask him before running off with Barns again,” she grumbled.

  “Good, that will be one off his list.”

  “What else did he take issue with?” She’d saved four people’s lives and Barns had rounded up the criminals.

  “He was disturbed over your less than solid reason to have begun your investigation, and to be honest, I could not explain the matter either. I checked Ben’s cases. What made you believe the wife, who was not a client of ours, was being poisoned by her servant, who was not a client of ours, who was evidently having an affair with the husband, who was also not a client of ours? Has our recently insipid cases caused you to solve crimes for free? By the way, did you know Ben took another pet case?”

  “A lost puppy,” she corrected.

  “Oh, well Doyle won’t jump on that,” he stated. He then paused. “Where was I in my scold?”

  “You were complaining that none of the people involved appear to be clients. But evidently, Ben had the sense not to share his Missing Husband debacle with you.” She explained what he found, then how he decided to ignore her order to close the case, leaving her no choice but to check on the first wife.” She sighed. “While I admit my intuition was off the mark a bit, as to who was behind the poisoning, those boys would have never been found because neither parent even knew they existed. So I will not apologize for my faulty intuition since it was all for the best.”

  He smiled at her, which she appreciated. She hated being scolded.

  “During the interrogation of the cook, your intuition proved most astounding. Mr. Hudson’s new wife, Angie, and Eve are sisters. Until recently, Angie also lived in that poorly kept mansion.”

  Vic frowned. “Eve had a grand story of them being rich before they had to go out and fend for themselves, but she enjoyed the tale too much for it to be true.”

  “That was my take as well.”

  “You interrogated my suspect?” Vic asked, greatly annoyed he would come in on a case he hadn’t worked and interrogate her suspect while she was out solving other crimes.

  “We are partners,” he reminded her.

  “But not on this case. You should have allowed Barns to interrogate her.”

  “Barns had left with you…again. Stone asked me to try and break her.”

  “Did you? Break her, I mean. I really didn’t like Eve.”

  “Creatures like her don’t break, but when I laid out the facts we had against her and her mother, she insisted Angie was the leader. She had tried to win Hudson’s hand five years ago, when both young ladies were on the marriage market. While Hudson fell in love with Angie, she lacked a fortune, so he married Charity.”

  Vic snorted in agitation. “And they plotted Charity’s death from the first.”

  “Because the husband is always the first suspect in cases of rich healthy wives dropping dead, Hudson bribed his cook to put small amounts of arsenic in her food, so she slowly became ill and fragile. Knowing fragile women often died in childbirth, he tried to keep her pregnant, even if that meant forcing her before she was ready again.”

  “It’s a shame he won’t get the death penalty,” Vic grumbled.

  “It is. But given most of what we know comes from a deranged young servant and a drunken cook, I doubt he’ll even be charged.”

  Vic frowned then scoffed. “I was about to ask who arranged for the babies to be switched, but that had to be Angie.”

  “Excellent deduction. Angie was not about to allow Charity to give Hudson sons. So she arranged for Eve to be hired before the first child’s birth. That way she could switch out the babies.”

  “Where did Eve get the little girls?”

  “Their mother was a drunken dollymop. She popped one out every nine months and then returned to work. The match up of the first births was probably a coincidence. But Angie took that coincidence, and her little sister, Eve, saw it to fruition.”

  “Why did they keep the boys?” Vic asked.

  “Excellent question. Angie and Eve's mother thought they would eventually be useful.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “She wouldn’t or couldn’t articulate her reasoning. Perhaps she thought they would grow up and support her, or perhaps she planned to blackmail Hudson. The woman was deep in her cups during her initial questioning.”

  Vic yawned, the longest day in her life finally catching up on her.

  “Allow me to cut to the chase. In all likelihood, Eve will go to jail for attempted murder and murder. Angie and Hudson were very careful to avoid implicating themselves.

  Lady Hudson’s family has taken her into their care. Presuming Lady Hudson will want her three boys even if they cannot speak—”

  “I believe she will.”

  “Then we should send them to her family estate where mother and children can reunite.”

  “Has anyone told Hudson he has three boys?”

  “No. So unless Angie mentions she switched out his sons with girls—”

  “Which she won’t,” Vic agreed.

  “Then he hopefully will not know until his divorce of Lady Hudson is finalized.”

  “Please tell me she hasn’t signed over her property to that monster?”

  Xavier smiled. “It seems the fellow has gotten some bad advice from a lawyer who has not kept up with the times. Hudson believes her property is his because she never once stopped him from selling her assets. He submitted his request for a divorce, claiming his wife has disappeared to parts unknown, probably with one of her many lovers. He is demanding she be returned to comply with her sexual obligations, or he be provided a divorce, so he may acquire a wife more attentive to her marital duties, as God would have them.”

  “And the girls?”

  “Since he has already married Angie, and could go to jail for bigamy if she chose to press charges, one may assume they will remarry. Since the girls are Angie’s sisters and Hudson believes them to be his offspring, I expect him to request full custody of the girls.”

  “Lady Hudson admitted she’s never felt a connection with them.”

  “Then all ends well. She will return to the loving care of her family,
and they have the means and money to locate the boys the best of teachers.”

  “If they are teachable,” Vic muttered.

  “Then we are in agreement that tomorrow morning you and I will drive the boys to their family?”

  She smiled. “That sounds like a very fine ending to Ben’s screwed up case…but hold on. For Angie to have done all that Eve claims, she would have known where Lady Hudson lived.”

  “And that was Angie’s first rebuttal when Eve’s testimony was read back to her. Her proof that she had not known the address, nor that Hudson was even married, was that she went to be best investigation agency to have them find her missing husband.”

  “And the fact her sister worked for the house?”

  “Eve never told her where she worked. However, I will say, she was genuinely outraged to discover Eve and Hudson were lovers.”

  “And now she gets her revenge on Eve. Eve goes to jail while she becomes the next Lady Hudson, wealthy beyond imagination…or so she thinks. What do you think Angie will do when she discovers she’s wasted five years marrying a man of little means?”

  Xavier shrugged. “Not much she can do.”

  Vic grinned. “Except kill him. And that is one murder I will not prevent, although I will be glad to assist Barns, after the fact, so Angie is hung at last.”

  “That’s my clever, pup,” Xavier chuckled. “Let us retire to our bed, so we may mend our strained bonds in every manner imaginable.”

  She stood and pressed against him. “Strained perhaps, but not a single break. I continue to love you with all my heart, and there is no other man who fits me as you do.”

  “The same here, pup. You are everything to me.”

  If you enjoyed this book, please write a review.

  OTHER BOOKS BY LIZA O’CONNOR

  HISTORICAL

  The Adventures of Xavier & Vic

  Humorous, Late Victorian Sleuth Series

  The Troublesome Apprentice

  The Missing Partner

  A Right to Love (a romantic spinoff)

  The Mesmerist

  Well Kept Secrets

  Pack of Trouble

  The Darkest Days