The Missing Partner (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 2)

by Liza O'Connor

  Once they settled in the uncomfortably hard chairs, she told him about her current case and her fear that if she did not rescue the servants tonight, she might lose them entirely.

  The sergeant scratched the back of his neck. “We need to tell this to Inspector Stone.”

  “Can you not help me? I really don’t want Inspector Stone involved.”

  “But there’s not a finer mind on the force.”

  “I know, but he has a more important task to handle. I don’t want him distracted.” She wanted his entire focus on finding Xavier.

  Sergeant Meyers smiled. “He does have a lot on his plate, but he’s used to working on many cases at once. It’s why he’s chief inspector.”

  The door opened and Inspector Stone and Jacko entered. “You’re correct, Jacko. You did indeed see Victor.”

  Meyers stood. “Inspector, we were just about to come to you. Mr. Hamilton has uncovered a major prostitution ring with unwilling participants. Only it involves a member of gentry.”

  “And timing is dire or it will be too late to save them,” Vic added.

  “The gentry need saving?” Stone asked in surprise.

  “No, the victims. The young men and women who applied for honest work at a good house then were forced to become sex slaves.”

  Stone frowned. “I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable telling this story in my office.” When he turned and left the room, Vic had no choice but to follow along with Jacko and the sergeant. She knew Stone’s frown meant he had no interest saving servants from gentry. If only Xavier were here to bully Scotland Yard along.

  Once everyone took their seats in Stone’s office, he asked Victor to tell the story again for his benefit.

  “Mr. Robinson and his butler have run a prostitution business out of his house for at least eighteen years, possibly longer.”

  Stone rubbed his temples as if he had a headache. “What precisely do you think he does?”

  “Jonston hires a plethora of beautiful young maids and handsome gardeners. Presently, they have sixteen such maids, and ten young gardeners.”

  “There is no law against having too many servants.”

  “True, but forcing them into prostitution against their will is against the law.”

  “Can you prove that?”

  “Do you consider the testimony of the twenty-six victims as proof?”

  His finger rapped his note pad in agitation. “The number of claims will help, but the law favors the gentry’s word over the poor.”

  Victor slammed her hand down on the arm of her chair. “Well, if we had time, I would suggest you send a policeman undercover so he could be one of the fifty gentlemen who visit every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during business hours.”

  Stone frowned further.

  “The neighbors across the street can attest to the quantity of visitors,” Vic added and then lost patience with him. “Inspector Stone, if you do not do something soon, my cook’s niece will end up in some Sultan’s harem. Now stop frowning and help me!”

  Jacko laughed. This time at least, his amusement was at Stone’s and Meyers’ expressions of shock.

  Vic reined in her temper and continued. “Yesterday, Jonston took two of the maids with him to New Royal Exchange. I believe he visited Macroni and Salem. They claim to be a livestock agent, matching buyers to sellers, but to my understanding they actually sell human flesh.”

  Jacko choked and looked at Vic.

  Stone glanced at Jacko. “You disagree?”

  “No, Vic’s right. I just don’t know how he came upon the information.”

  Vic glared at her useless pirate. He knew and never said a word! “Well, thankfully, I don’t have to depend upon JB Goodnow for the total sum of my knowledge!”

  Jacko shook his head and laughed behind the hand that covered his mouth.

  Vic returned to Stone, before he lost focus of the problem at hand. “When Jonston left New Royal, he did not return the girls to the house where they might tell the others. Instead, he took them up an alley to Dragon’s Cloud, where, I believe they still remain.”

  That caught Stone’s attention. “You are certain they are unwilling participants?”

  “Yes. I wrote their words down verbatim if you wish me to retrieve my notes. The one named Laura begged me to save her from the hell her life had become.”

  Stone’s fingers rapped excitedly on his desk. “That is helpful, Victor. Would you happen to know this girl’s background?”

  Vic smiled. “I took down the background of all of the victims. Laura had recently left St. Mary’s orphanage. She is a devout catholic and was a favorite of the nuns. She joined the Robinson household expecting a hard but decent life. Even though she has been raped and defiled in every way imaginable, she remains strong in her faith and believes God will save her from her tribulations.”

  “Perfect.” Stone said and wrote a few notes. “Anything else?”

  “This morning, Mr. Robinson received a ransom note for the exact amount of a bond coming due this Friday. The note said to acquire the money and they would contact him then.”

  “Now that has teeth. A jury would convict the butler based on that evidence.”

  She rolled her eyes. In the first case, they had victims’ testimony, and in the second, nothing more than circumstantial evidence, yet the second had teeth because the gentleman was the victim rather than the perpetrator.

  Vic glared at him and continued. “The ransom note concerns me greatly. It suggests Jonston is breaking his longtime partnership with Robinson. He plans to sell all twenty-six servants and however many he holds in Dragon’s Cloud into slavery. This means we have only a few days to act if we are to save these young men and women. By Friday, Jonston will have collected his money, sold all the servants, and disappeared from London.”

  Stone’s eyebrow rose. “I believe the count is twenty-four since two maids did not return.” He seemed very pleased at finding a flaw in Vic’s story. She rewarded him with another glare.

  “Naturally, I took the ransom event as an opportunity to return to Robinson’s house. Jonston had already acquired and abused two new young maids. The girls were shaken to the core and frightened for their lives.

  “The last girl I interviewed was Sara. I confirmed she was indeed the niece of my cook, Mrs. Yarrows. I told her to have the girls ready to escape at four in the morning.”

  Stone frowned again and wrote on his pad.

  “Then I interviewed the boys and told one of them the same.” Vic sighed. “As I left, I felt I had made an error in doing so, which is why I came here.”

  Stone looked up at her in surprise. “Never ignore your intuitions, Victor. They will save your life on many occasions. You almost certainly erred in telling the victims to expect a rescue. At least one girl and one boy will report to Jonston regularly for special favors.”

  Vic grabbed her head and groaned. God, she needed Xavier! She looked up at Stone. “So I have moved up Jonston’s time table?”

  “Possibly. It depends upon his opinion of your skills. From what you said, he might just plan to capture you when you arrive to rescue them and add you to his harem.”

  “Thank God.” Vic sighed with relief.

  Everyone stared at her in confusion, so she explained her response. “He does think I’m a fool, so I am very hopeful he won’t move up his plans.”

  Jacko laughed. “For a minute, I thought you wished to see the inside of Dragon’s Cloud.”

  “I would, actually, but I’d like Sergeant Meyers and twenty police accompanying me.”

  “We’ll need more than that,” Stone said. “We’ll need an army regiment. However, if this maid Laura has the pristine background she told you, I believe she could inspire unusual intervention.”

  Stone rose and looked at Jacko and Meyers. “If you’ll give me a moment with Victor, we’ll get to work.”

  Once they left, he sat on the edge of the desk before her and met her eyes. “I apologize that I did not tell you t
he truth when you asked about Xavier. I am glad Jacko told you what I could not.”

  “Well, for the record, Jacko didn’t tell me. You did—with your evasive answers. Had you actually found Xavier in a jail muttering curses, you would have laughed and said yes. Instead, you looked pained when I made a joke about him resting while I worked so hard.”

  “You are most amazing.” Stone paused. “I am forbidden to tell you about our search efforts. However, let me say, I will make it a top priority to raid the Dragon’s Cloud with a well-armed regiment and tear the damn place apart searching for anyone held there against their wishes. I am very grateful you have brought to my attention such a poignant young heroine whom we can use to explain why the Queen chose to send army intervention onto English soil.”

  As his words sunk in, Vic realized he had just told her they believed Xavier was in Dragon’s Cloud and she had given them the excuse to rescue him. Her heart fluttered with hope. She smiled from ear to ear until she remembered the Queen was reputed to detest the Catholic Church. “Would an Anglican be better? The other girl, Rachel, attends the Church of England.”

  “Actually, a young catholic girl works to perfection. The Queen will jump at the chance to prove she cares for her Catholic subjects dearly, and her issues are solely with the Pope. You could not have brought forth a better heroine for our cause.”

  Vic laughed. “She is a bit more inspiring than a smelly old beggar man, I suppose”

  “You understand me then. Good. In return, I want your solemn word you will not go to Dragon’s Cloud tonight.”

  “I promise. What about the Robinson’s servants?”

  “We will address them tomorrow. Today, we have someone more important to save.”

  She nodded.

  Satisfied, Stone called Jacko and Meyers into his office, yelled out a few other names, then ushered Victor from the office.

  “May I not stay and help you plan? Jacko says I’m good at it.”

  “I have no doubt. However, you cannot stay. Go home and get some rest, Victor. You look exhausted.”

  Chapter 14

  When Vic climbed from the carriage, she waited for Davy, his expression beyond haggard from worrying over Xavier…and her. “Let’s close the office, Davy. We both need rest.”

  His eyes narrowed in mistrust. “Are you really planning to sleep, or is this just a trick to get me out of the way?”

  “I have no designs but a night of rest. I’ve canceled my plans for the night due to a mistake I made.”

  “Good!” After a pause, he added, “Sorry about your mistake, but I’m glad you’re staying put.”

  Vic patted Davy on the back. “Hopefully, what I did right will reap rewards.” She refrained from sharing her hopes that by tomorrow morning, Scotland Yard would have recovered their lost employer. She didn’t want Davy crushed if they didn’t find him. Stone only said they thought Xavier was in Dragon’s Cloud. His rescue wasn’t a certainty by any means.

  Still it was enough to bring a smile to Vic’s face as she laid her head upon Xavier’s pillow and breathed in his scent from the last time her one-eyed beggar man had laid in bed. She fell asleep to thoughts of rat-infested garbage filling the streets of Lower Thames.

  ***

  Victor bolted upright and stared about the dark room. Her blood rushed through her veins as her senses heightened. Something had woken her. Xavier? She rushed to the door, opened it and listened. She heard metallic scratching on the front door downstairs.

  Damnation! Some rascal is trying to break into our office!

  Thankfully, she had fallen asleep in her clothes. She preferred to meet this intruder man to man. She grabbed her pistol and stormed downstairs.

  Having lost all her patience with people, she was tempted to open the door and shoot whoever chiseled at the lock. She might have done so, if not for the memory of a prior client who had broken into their office just so he could place his name in the appointment book and bypass the twenty-four hour rule. While she did not wish to encourage clients to break in and set their own appointments, she did not think the behavior warranted a death sentence.

  So she waited…and waited. As the minutes passed, she grew angry at the intruder’s incompetence. Now, she was tempted shoot him for professional reasons. If a person is going to pick the lock, then they should at least have some skill. The door handle would probably look like it was ravaged by an iron-billed woodpecker by the time this fool finished the job.

  She sighed and set the gun on the desk as she rubbed her eyes. “There should be a competency law,” she grumbled.

  A chuckle alerted her someone else was in the room. Xavier? As she turned toward the noise, someone shoved a dirty rag in her mouth, and threw a large canvas bag over her head.

  While the idiot at the door might be incompetent, this person proved very skilled at abduction. He had her muted, trussed, and bundled in less than a minute.

  He tossed her over his shoulder and opened the door. “Got him, let’s go.”

  “How’d you get in there? You were supposed to be the look out!” She recognized Jonston’s irritated voice. Damn it all! Her one mistake had risen to bite her in the buttocks.

  “Well, it’s all clear, so let’s go,” the competent, broad-shouldered, and incredibly strong man replied.

  She grunted in pain as he tossed her into the corner of the carriage. The carriage dipped heavily to the side as the man climbed in and took a seat across from her. Then the squawking Jonston followed. His continued scolding reminded Vic of the blue jay that used to torment their big black cat, Mr. Tubs.

  Claire had always complimented the cat for his patience with the silly bird, but Vic insisted patience was not the virtue that restrained the feline from action. He simply waited for the perfect moment to kill it.

  Three weeks and two days later, Mr. Tubs silenced the annoying bird forever. And he showed no repentance when Claire found him in a circle of sky blue feathers.

  Vic wondered why this Mr. Tubs didn’t snap Jonston’s neck. God knows the butler was a hundred times more annoying than the blue jay.

  Jonston continued to harp about the ‘ruined’ abduction. “I assigned you as look-out. Do you not understand the basic concept of the job?”

  Vic could not believe her ears! If not for Mr. Tubs, Jonston might be dead now. Assuming the incompetent fool had ever managed to open the door, Vic would have gladly shot the bastard to save twenty-six young men and women.

  Yet, this Mr. Tubs said nothing. Just like the furry Mr. Tubs, he waited in stoic silence. If Vic didn’t have a dirty rag crammed in her mouth, she would have rallied him to action.

  Instead, she had to endure a half-hour of squawking before the carriage stopped. She actually sighed with relief when Jonston left the carriage. However, her rough removal reminded her she had greater concerns than annoying blue jays and dirty rags in her mouth. She could smell the stench of the River Thames nearby. Worried the filthy water might be her destination, she relaxed only when Mr. Tubs carried her into a building filled with bad singing to an off key piano, riotous noise, stale smoke, the stench of body odors and sex, plus the overwhelming scent of something similar to, but not quite pigeon poop.

  Mr. Tubs carried her upstairs and down a hall with creaky boards. He entered a room with low moans and then climbed more stairs to a second room. He tossed her onto the floor and yanked the bag off her, taking a handful of her hair with it.

  She squealed in pain.

  “Sorry about that.”

  Blinking several times, she took in the giant behemoth. He looked more bored than sorry, but at least he didn’t seem angry.

  Every inch of his massive body was a testimony to violence. She suspected he could kill a person with the swat of one hand. His shoulders had to be almost four feet wide.

  He shook a giant finger in her face. “No screaming. I’ve had enough squawking today.”

  When he removed the foul-tasting rag, Vic nodded and spit profusely.

  Fro
m a pitcher on the table, he poured her a glass of water and held it to her mouth. She took a mouthful of the cloudy water, swished it about, and then spit it out on the floor. “Thanks,” she said, hoping to soften his reaction to her bad manners of spewing the water on the floor.

  Mr. Tubs’ face shifted into either an evil grimace or a defective smile with very bad teeth. “I like you, kid. Sorry I didn’t just follow orders tonight.”

  Vic grimaced. “Me too. The world would be less one incompetent blue jay if you had.”

  Mr. Tubs ‘hoofed’ a few times, which Vic interpreted as laughter. “That’s a good name for him. However, don’t tell anyone else that. It’ll get back to his wife and she’s a bad one to cross.”

  Just then, the blue jay in question fluttered into the room and after a brief glare at Vic continued his attack on Tubs. “I told you to put him in the other room. Are you incapable of following the simplest order?”

  Tubs rose so he towered two feet over Jonston and huffed, causing a small breeze to unsettle the butler’s hair. “The other room is occupied.”

  “By whom?”

  “By a special guest of you know who.”

  Tubs said this with great emphasis, making Vic suspect he was talking about Xavier. “Am I in Dragon’s Cloud?”

  Both men stared at her in shock.

  “How do you know that?” Jonston asked.

  With his unintentional confirmation, Vic smiled. “I didn’t until now. I’ve always wanted to know what went on here, but everyone keeps telling me to stay away from the place.”

  Her answer calmed the bad butler into thinking her nothing more than a harmless fool. However, Mr. Tubs’ brow furrowed.

  Jonston approached her and stroked her face. “Well, you’ll learn all about it when I return. I plan to personally break you into your new occupation. And believe me, I am far more exacting than your annoying Mr. Thorn.”

  Vic remained quiet until the man stopped threatening her and left the room. The moment the door closed behind him, both she and Mr. Tubs sighed in relief.

  Vic gave Mr. Tubs a look of commiseration. “I don’t know where you get the inner strength. You must be the strongest man in the world.”