“If the bullet was hydrogen sulfide, it would kill everyone below,” Xavier replied.
Ten minutes later, someone knocked on Dr. Connor’s exterior door. Casey opened the door and let Captain Meyers in. “Where’s Xavier?”
“He’s with the doctor and Stone.”
Upon hearing Stone’s name, Meyers rushed into the next room. The man he had looked up to for ten years looked as if he’d been run over with a tiller. His naked body was covered with cuts. His nose was broken. The top of his right ear was gone.
“Is he alive?” Meyer’s asked.
As if to answer his question, Stone opened his left eye. “Meyers, come here,” his raspy voice commanded.
Meyers rushed to his side and waited for Stone’s command.
“Barns wasn’t part of this.”
Meyers nodded. “I agree, sir.”
“You’ll need to train him. If he’s too much to handle, call Vic.”
“Yes, sir,” Meyers stated as tears filled his eyes. Director Stone wouldn’t be telling him this unless he knew he wasn’t going to make it.
“Be patient with the boy. He just lost his father.”
“I will, sir.” Meyers wanted to know what had happened, but Stone didn’t have much time left. He’d just listen to the finest director of Scotland Yard ever.
“If any of the men starts to give him trouble, fire them if you have to. Just keep Barns on track.”
“I will, sir.”
“You’re a good man, Meyers. The best of all my officers by far. I’d give you the post, but—”
“But I’m just a common man and the parliament would never stand for it. I’m just honored you made me a captain, sir.”
“Never has a captain earned it more.” A faint smile came to his lips, then his eyes closed.
Immediately Dr. Connors placed a stethoscope on his chest. “He’s still breathing.” He then led Meyers to the waiting room where Casey, Fagan, Samson, and Jacko waited. “Where’s Xavier?”
“He and Tubs took the carriage.” Jacko then grimaced as he spoke to Captain Meyers. “He also took the wagon and your men.”
“To where?” Meyers asked. Had anyone else taken his men, he’d be furious, but he trusted Xavier to do what is best for the country.
Samson spoke up. “Probably to the docks. Barringbarn was killed the same way his secretary was the night before.”
“By hydrogen sulfide?” Meyers clarified.
Samson nodded.
“Then he’s probably quarantining the area.”
Jacko stood up. “We may have a serious problem.”
All the men looked at him with rounded eyes.
“If Barringbarn is as potent as the other body, then it’s possible the gas might reach the unmoored ship. If the sailors die, then the ship will head out to sea, unmanned. The Parliament sits right on the river and if no one is manning the ship—”
“It could crash into Westminster Abbey or one of the bridge arches.” Samson finished.
“It’s worse than that,” Casey warned. “The shooter fired a second shot into the hull then closed the hatch. That ship is full of hydrogen sulfide.”
“We need to get over there now,” Jacko declared. “If the boat is missing, then we’ve got a poisoned crew and a deadly ship that could take out our parliament when they arrive to work in six hours.”
When they hurried out, Meyers was relieved Xavier hadn’t taken his carriage, just his men in the wagon. In five minutes, they arrived at the dock. One of his men tried to wave him off until he realized it was Meyers. He ran up to his captain. “Sir, we’ve orders to quarantine this area. Evidently there’s a body creating deadly fumes.”
Meyers counted only four ships and his chest tightened.
“The wind is whipping her tail today. We’ve been warned to find shelter if it starts blowing towards us.”
“Not good enough. I want all of you to pull back. No one is to be in the dock area. You’re not safe here. Have four men shut this road down at the first corners that lead to the road one up. Then using the exterior ladders, get six men on the roofs tallest roofs in the area to ensure no one enters the dock.”
“And if they do?”
“Try to warn them off. If that fails, then leave them to live or die on their own. Make no effort to rescue them if they fall ill. The toxin is deadly and I don’t want any officers dying tonight. Sergeant Collins, you are in charge here. If Xavier Thorn comes, allow him and his men to go wherever he wishes. I need the rest of the men to come with me, now.”
Sergeant Collins bellowed in what might be the loudest voice in London. Soon only six men remained on top of the buildings surrounding the dock. The rest followed in a wagon struggling to keep up with Captain Meyers’ carriage.
As they passed alleys that opened to the river, they would slow down as Jacko searched for any signs of the ship.
Once they reached the alley by Westminster Abbey, Jacko yelled, “I see Tubs.”
Tubs stood at the waterfront waving to get their attention.
The officers wanted to run to him, but Jacko stopped them. “Unless you can hold your breath for twenty minutes, you need to stay here,” Jack warned them. Noticing a ladder to the roof of a nearby building, he added, “Actually, some of you can follow me up the ladder. A scientist assured me the gas is heavier than air, so we should be safe on tall buildings.”
Meyers called off the names of the men to join Jacko. They wasted no time following their order. A few minutes later, one of his men returned to report.
“The ship appears to be taking on water sir. Jacko gives it five hours at best before it sinks. He is also worried it might crack up or damage the bridge if it hits the arches.”
“No sign of the crew?” Meyer asked.
“No, sir.”
Just then he noticed Jacko climbing down the ladder. He ran to him. “We need our best minds,” he said. “Any idea where Xavier and Vic are?”
“I expected them to be here,” Jacko admitted.
Just then Jacko spied Marybell and Davy rushing towards them. The carriage had barely stopped when Vic leapt from the carriage and David followed a few moments later. “It is vital we don’t allow the boat to sink. Besides being an impediment to naval traffic, the gas inside will turn into hydrosulfuric acid. It could eat out the bridge and the protective water barrier of Westminster Abbey.”
“And how do we stop that from happening?” Meyers asked.
Vic focused on Jacko. “We need you to strap this oxygen tank to your back, then put on this very large dive suit. “Tubs will either need to pull the boat to the side so you can jump on or find a row boat. Once you get on the boat, you’ll need to steer it through the bridge arches then send it out to sea where it can safely sink.”
“Do you want me to retrieve the diamonds?” Jacko asked.
“No! You are not to open the door of the cabin. You are worth far more than three diamonds.” Knowing his love of shiny things, Vic gripped his arm. “Do not risk your life beyond what is needed to save hundreds of people’s lives. Xavier was very firm on this point. Leave the diamonds alone. You have a fabulous wife and four sons now. You have to choose the risks you take with care.”
By this time, Tubs had run up the alley and assured Vic, “Not to worry. I’m coming with him.”
“Why?” Jacko asked.
“You’ll need help lowering the mast and stabilizing the ship. It’s tilting too much.”
“You just want to stop me from taking the diamonds,” Jacko yelled.
Tubs huffed. “It’s not as if you could keep ‘em. Ain’t that so, Captain Meyers.”
Meyers frowned at Jacko. “That is correct. If someone risked their life to get those diamonds, they’d just have to give them back to the Queen.”
Vic added her two cents. “And she’s cheap on her rewards. I didn’t even get to keep the sword she knighted me with.”
Jacko threw up his hands. “Fine. Tubs, you stay here and I’ll behave.”
***
“Do you think Jacko will leave the diamonds alone?” Meyers asked.
“I hope so, because he’ll die if he opens the door. He thinks that suit has made him safe, but it hasn’t. It will just give him more time to hopefully get the ship out to sea before it sinks. I’m still worried it won’t be enough though.” Tears welled in Vic’s eyes.
Meyers looked around. “Where’s Xavier?”
Vic kicked a rock on the pavement. “He’s called the parliament members somewhere away from the Thames so he could explain the situation. However, he asked me to get Jacko on the ship and move it to the ocean before the parliament members arrive and understands his plan. He fears they might value the diamonds over the lives of ‘common’ men like Jacko and Tubs.”
“They are far from common,” Meyers stated and gripped Vic’s shoulder. “Those are amazing men — worth more than the whole lot of parliament.”
Vic nodded as she smiled at Meyers. “I agree.”
“They’ll be fine." Meyers assured her.
Remembering David’s advice to remain positive, she smiled at Meyers. “Of course, they will!”
She and Meyers climbed a ladder on the side of the building across the street from Westminster Abbey. This would give them an excellent view of Jacko’s and Tubs’ progress while keeping them safe from the poison.
When they finally reached the top, they found a secure place they could watch from. “It’s odd that there is no traffic crossing the bridge,” Vic said.
“The carriages are being stopped and told to cross further upstream.”
“Excellent. Are all the crossings below being blocked?”
“No, but if Jacko can get the ship through the arches of this bridge, then I’ll signal the men to block off the next bridge.”
He grinned and held up a small contraption.
Vic smiled. “Wireless Morse Code! Henricht Hertz discovered information could be transmitted in waves that transmit out like ripples in a pond. He called them Hertzian waves.” She studied the simple device. “Did David give you this? It looks like the device he made for a case we had last year.”
“Xavier gave it to me at the doctor’s office. He assured me even my men would be able to use it, since it only uses two signals. One with two beats and the other with one beat. For today, one means leave the bridge open and two means close the bridge.”
Vic grinned. “I’m glad Xavier thought of it. While Marconi is working on one with a signal for every letter of the alphabet, that probably won’t be ready for another couple of years. Still, I’m more impressed with Hertz. He was the brilliant fellow who discovered the invisible waves that the signal travels on. That was an extraordinary discovery. It could not have been easy to conceive something that is completely invisible.”
“And what inspired David to create this simple device?”
“We were trying to figure out how roulette players were cheating on Samson’s wheels. David suggested someone might have a small device that could transmit simple signals over a short distance. But to send a signal for miles away… David has either discovered those waves can carry simple data far longer than he originally thought, or he has figured out a way to strengthen the signal.”
Meyers nudged Vic. “While the ship is low in the water, Tubs has cured her listing and the mast is down. She looks good to go through.”
Vic agreed. They made it look so easy but she was certain it wasn’t. She studied Jacko in his thick rubber suit. She imagined it was hot as hell. To fight with a rudder in heat exhaustion…she hadn’t added that problem into her probabilities of success. Next, she watched Tubs doing a subtle dance back and forth to keep the ship floating upright all the while holding his breath. Soon he would need to depart the ship. His twenty minutes was nearly over.
Once they cleared the bridge, Jacko pointed at Tubs and then the rowboat. Tubs climbed over the railing and disappeared. A moment later, Tubs rowed upstream to a low section where he could stand and pull himself on shore. He even pulled the rowboat out of the water and carried it with him.
Vic smiled with joy and hurried down to greet Tubs.
By the time she reached him, he was rubbing charcoal on his arms and chest. His brow furrowed with worry. “I’m not sure Jacko will make it,” he whispered and coughed.
Dr. Connors was there at once demanding he swallow his charcoal.
Tubs tossed the charcoal to the back of his throat then quickly followed it with water. All the while, Dr. Connors checked his vitals, then dusted his skin with more charcoal dust.
Tubs thanked him for the latter. “I don’t know how Jacko will survive another half-hour. The ship is sinking fast. The gas must be eating away the bottom timbers. He’s got five more bridges. Between the sweltering suit and the poison on the deck, I don’t think he can do it alone. I need some men to lower me and the rowboat onto his boat as he crosses beneath the next bridge. That way we can take turns steering the four hair-pins turns.”
His eyes focused on Vic. “He’ll never make it by himself. I have to go back and help him.”
Vic couldn’t argue with his logic. “I’ll agree under one condition.”
“What?” Tubs replied.
“If you make it past the populated area, and reach the marshlands, and you don’t think you can make it to the sea alive, then run the boat onto the marshland, and escape with the rowboat.”
Tubs grinned. “That’s a far better plan. I will try my hardest to make it there.”
Dr. Connors joined them in the carriage. He gave Tubs another dose of the charcoal and powdered him again by the time they reached the next bridge.
When Jacko’s ship came around the hairpin curve, Tubs had already been lowered down by a group of officers and sat in the row boat. The moment Jacko collapsed to his knees, Tubs released the rope and paddled hard to meet the ship. He quickly climbed aboard and brought the rowboat with him. He then waited for Vic to throw down a rope from the bridge they neared. Surely, Vic realized Jacko needed saved.
When the rope didn’t arrive as they floated beneath the bridge, his heart sunk. But the moment the bow poked out the other side, a rope fell from above. He quickly secured Jacko to the rope then tugged it to let them know to lift Jacko.
They successfully pulled Jacko up before he crashed into the steering wheel or cabin as the ship headed downstream.
Tubs had less than twenty minutes to get this slug down to the marshlands. Fighting the wheel took all his strength. He had no idea how Jacko had managed the prior curve. The ship was so low in the water, she barely responded to the rudder. Not breathing proved to be impossible as he desperately fought the wheel. He just hoped all the charcoal he swallowed would keep him alive.
Chapter 11
Jacko was ported to the carriage and moved to safer ground further down the road. Dr. Connors stripped off his dive suit. When he pulled the tank from his back, he realized Jacko had run out of oxygen. He grabbed a small tank and ordered Vic to cover his mouth and nose with the attached mask.
Connors checked for a heartbeat, but could not find one. Instead of giving up, he pressed his hands over Jacko’s heart and pushed in a steady rhythm, hoping to restart the pumping of the heart. Jacko had not been poisoned, he’d just run out of air, which he now received. Connors had never tried this before, but it seemed possible. His heart had not been harmed, it had just stopped. If he could restart the pumping process, it should continue to function.
Vic’s presence caused him to continue to push, even as hope dwindled. Then without warning Jacko gasped and tried to push Vic and the tank of oxygen away. Connors sternly ordered him to be still. “You were very close to dying from asphyxiation. Vic has a new tank of oxygen. You will recover much faster if you accept it. I need to ask you questions
. You may answer by raising one or two fingers. One for yes. Two for no. Does your throat burn?”
He raised one finger and wagged it about, no doubt to express his pain.
Connors asked Vic to remove the oxygen, then helped Jacko sit up. “Toss the charcoal as far back in your throat as you can get it and down the water quickly.”
Jacko followed his orders then laid back down and placed the mask over his nose and mouth.
“Well done, Jacko,” Connors said.
Once Jacko got his voice back, he yelled at Vic. “Why did you let Tubs get back on the ship? There’s no way we’ll accomplish this mission. The ship is riding too low! It was stupid of us to even try.”
Vic nodded.
“If you know that, then why did you send Tubs back?”
“Because hundreds of people will die if that ship sinks in this populated section of London.”
Jacko sighed heavily. “So, you saved me, but we are going to lose Tubs. Bad choice, Vic. You’ll be dead in a week.”
Vic glared at him. “I’m not going to lose anyone. I told Tubs to forget about reaching the sea, just run it ashore in the marshlands. Then all that will die is a bunch of rats and noisy sea gulls.”
“That’s bloody brilliant.” Jacko pushed himself up, ignoring Connor’s request to remain lying down.
“I need to put that miserably hot dive suit back on and be lowered down off the next bridge the ship passes under. Turning the ship is nearly impossible to do now. Tubs will need my help.”
“There’s a chance you could both die trying,” Dr. Connors warned.
“I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try. I suspect Tubs feels the same way. So it’s all or nothing.” He then smiled at Vic. “Thanks for shortening our final designation by half. It gives us a chance.”
Desperate to give them even more of a chance, she asked Meyers to ask for two volunteers to help run the last part of the trip. Dr. Connors could give them charcoal in advance and dust their skin and clothes.
***
Tubs had gone through three bridges by the time they caught up to him. The only bridge remaining was the massive Tower Bridge. However, there were three sharp hair pins directly after it and honestly, Tubs didn’t think he had sufficient strength to wrangle the stubborn ship through those hairpins.
Toxic Diamonds (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 8) Page 8