by G. P. Taylor
‘It’s like what Walpole has on his finger ring,’ Mariah said with a sense of melancholy.
‘What is?’ Charity whispered as he looked up to where Mariah was now pointing.
‘That star. I saw a design like it on Walpole’s ring. Zogel had one the same.’
‘The seal of Solomon – builder of the Temple and founder of the Society of Truth. I have seen the sign that Walpole carries, the square and compass. All part of their pinnies and party games …’ Charity said softly with an air of contempt.
Mariah continued to stare at the ceiling. A shard of glistening light had caught his eye. It was like the slither of a silver fish darting through the waves on a dark night. As he looked he could see it shine and glisten.
‘There’s something under the plaster crown,’ he said to Charity as he stood on the bed and reached up. ‘Captain Jack,’ he went on, unable to control the rising sense of excitement that swelled in his guts and took his voice away. ‘It’s … it’s a diamond!’
Without saying another word, Mariah climbed the curtains that hung from the bed frame and balanced on the thick oak beams that joined corner to corner. Pressing his hand against the ceiling to steady himself, he reached out and took hold of the nearest coronet. He poked at the crumbling plaster with his finger. There, beneath the dust, was the smooth face of a diamond. He grabbed the crown and pulled hard. Like a loosened tooth it came away easily. Mariah slipped, twisted in the air and fell to the bed in a shower of plaster dust.
‘Ghost Diamonds,’ he whispered breathlessly, with a broad smile lightening his face as he looked up at Charity. ‘You were right. Gormenberg had them all the time – right here above his bed.’
Charity took hold of the diamond in disbelief. It was the size
of his fist and perfect in every way. He cleaned the coating of plaster from its surface and held it to the dim light of the lantern. As he gazed at the faceted gem he could see his own reflection looking back. Suddenly, like a misting mirror, it began to change. Gone were his bright eyes and there looking at him was the face of an old man.
‘Ghost Diamonds,’ Charity said in a voice at the edge of a whisper.
He handed the diamond to Mariah, who instinctively held the gemstone and looked within. He could see no manifestation. There was no change in its facade and no reflection.
‘Did you see yourself when you were old?’ Charity asked as he took the diamond from him.
‘Nothing … I saw nothing.’ Mariah replied.
‘Must be the light. A trick in the way it is cut. Six more, Mariah. Six diamonds stuck to the ceiling where no one would ever dream of finding them. To think of it – Gormenberg had them near him and gazed on them as he fell to sleep. A clever man to think of such a way of disguising their hiding place.’
‘In full view, so that even Baron Hoetzendorf looked on them as he dozed,’ Mariah replied as he again climbed the large bed and clambered along the oak beams.
One by one he prised the diamonds from the plaster mouldings and let them drop to the mattress below. Soon they had all the diamonds. They nestled in the covers like a brood of eggs belonging to an extinct creature. They shone and glistened, begging to be adored.
‘What shall we do with them?’ Mariah asked impatiently as he and Charity filled a pillowcase with the jewels.
‘Take them. I will ask for instructions from The Bureau. Isambard Black will know what to do.’
‘I asked Sacha to tell Mrs Mukluk to send him a telegram,’ Mariah said, not believing that what he asked had been done.
Sensing his discomfort, Charity was quick to reply. ‘Already done. Mrs Mukluk would have sent it anyway. She is wiser than we give her credit and was told that if anything was to happen to me then she should tell the Bureau.’
‘Will he come?’ Mariah asked as a thin line wrinkled his brow for the first time.
‘I would be surprised if he is not already here. Isambard Black is a man of many faces.’
‘Then will it be over?’ Mariah asked as if he faced the hordes of Hades.
‘When Walpole is arrested and Bardolph is dead – then it will be over,’ Charity said reluctantly as he looked at the concern on Mariah’s face. ‘If anything happens to me, you are to carry on. Hide the diamonds with Mister Quadlibett and wait for Isambard Black. He will take up the fight again and see it to the end.’
‘I don’t want to be on my own. I have only you,’ Mariah said without thinking.
‘And I you, but we shall keep these thoughts for another day,’ Charity replied as he took a diamond from the embroidered pillowcase and looked at it again. ‘We still have to find the killer and the reason why Zogel has come to the town. Our task nears its end but is not yet complete.’
‘Light?’ A sudden, sharp and unexpected voice from along the corridor. ‘There can’t be a light,’ the voice said, the words almost lost in the shuffle of heavy boots against the carpet. ‘The place is empty.’
‘Walpole said he saw something in suite 217 – better check,’ said another man who followed on.
Mariah looked at Charity. There was no way of escape. They were trapped. The brusque footsteps drew closer. A shadow was cast across the open doorway. Two men stepped inside the room.
‘No one here,’ one said as he cast the light of his lamp across the room. ‘Walpole’s seeing things. When did he say he was coming?’
‘Tomorrow. Things to do, he said. Back in the morning, first thing,’ the other man replied as he looked at the ruffled bed that by now was covered in dust and plaster. ‘No point looking for evidence, not now that Charity is dead. Can’t hang a dead man.’
‘Not too sure about that – look.’ The man pointed to a set of footprints edged in white powder that went from the bed towards the window. ‘Someone’s been here,’ he said as he looked up at the ceiling and saw the plaster crowns had been torn from their place. ‘He was right – a lamp.’
Hidden by the long sideboard was a smouldering lamp. A spurt of spiralling smoke twisted upwards to scent the room.
‘Just been snuffed,’ the man said in a sudden whisper as he looked about the room. ‘Could still be here.’
The drapes at the window moved slightly and caught the gaze of both men. The older of the two pulled a short cudgel from his belt. He gripped it in his hand, ready to strike.
‘Best be coming out,’ he said as he raised his arm. ‘Best be coming out as quick as you can.’
The drapes moved slowly as the breeze streamed in through the window. The man hesitated and then nodded to his companion as they both prepared their attack.
‘Never give another chance, whoever you may be,’ the man said softly as he took a step towards the covered window.
In a flash the man was on the floor holding his face. His companion jumped back, startled. The thud came again, even quicker than before. The crack of the diamonds in the pillowcase as they hit him echoed in the room.
‘Run Mariah!’ Charity shouted as they leapt from cover and dashed towards the door.
Mariah leapt the two groaning bodies that writhed on the floor. He jumped over the bed as if it were a horse fence. As Charity turned Mariah caught the smile on his face.
‘Onwards!’ Charity screamed as if he were leading a charge in the desert, the pillowcase stuffed with diamonds held close by his side.
The shrill sound of a police whistle came from the room. It blasted the alarm over and over seeping into the street below.
‘They’re on to us!’ Mariah shouted as they ran together along the corridor and down the stairs.
‘A copper on every door,’ Charity replied, thinking as he ran. ‘They’ll be on us before we know it.’
‘The cellar – the sea doors,’ Mariah said breathlessly as he tried to keep pace. ‘It’s our only chance.’
‘The balcony by the restaurant and then to the sea,’ Charity said as he turned the corner of the landing. Far behind the sound of heavy footsteps followed them. They were relentless, evenly paced like the beati
ng of army drums. As they came closer they gathered in number until they pounded as one.
‘They’ll catch us,’ Mariah pleaded as he lost pace.
‘Keep with me,’ Charity shouted desperately in reply. He stopped and turned.
Mariah was gone. He had vanished. It was as if he had been snatched by the night. Something or someone had taken him. Charity ran back along the passageway. It was empty. There were no doors, no way of escape. Mariah had to be near, Charity thought as he searched for him. He pressed the walls for any sign of a secret place, knowing there were many passageways hidden in the walls that were still undiscovered. He looked back and forth in disbelief. It was then that he smelt a sweet scent of apples and roses. It came like a fleeting cloud and then was gone.
‘Mariah … Mariah!’ he pleaded hopelessly for the missing boy.
All he could hear was the sound of the beating footsteps coming closer. Charity waited, hoping that Mariah would reappear as quickly as he had vanished.
‘Mariah -don’t play tricks,’ he said for the last time as the footsteps broke out from the twisting staircase and into the passageway.
Charity looked back. He could see the dull and distant shapes of several policemen getting closer.
‘Ahead!’ one of them shouted as they saw the man they chased for the first time.
The pursuers began to run. Charity ran, gaining speed with each step. He pushed through the doors and onto the balcony that skirted the Prince Regent above the cliff and the sea below.
‘Take him!’ a man shouted as the pursuers ran towards him, his voice almost lost in the gale.
Charity looked back. He had nowhere to run. Far below was the full tide. It beat against the sea doors. Waves broke upon the rocks. He gripped the diamonds tightly as he stood on the low balustrade. One of his pursuers reached out for him and grabbed Charity by the sleeve of his coat. Charity pulled against him as the waves ripped against the beach.
In an instant he was gone – falling faster and faster.
‘No!’ screamed the copper as he clutched a torn piece of fabric in his hand.
They watched as Charity fell towards the sea. A large wave rolled in towards the cliff face and swelled the water high against the rocks. Charity was gone – consumed by the darkness and the tide, lost without a trace.
‘He’s dead now,’ said the peeler as he shrugged his rain-drenched shoulders and shone his lantern to the wind-blown sea far below. ‘Twice drowned in the day,’ he smirked. ‘It was Charity for sure. Best be telling Walpole.’
[ 24 ]
The Irenzee
‘IT won’t be long before you can see me,’ Zogel said as Mariah felt himself moving slowly from side to side. ‘The chloroform should wear off within the hour.’
The words seemed distant. It was as if he had heard them in a dream. Mariah tried to open his eyes and lift his head from the hard pillow, but he could do nothing. His body was like lead. It was cold and numb. His hands ached from where they had been held in a tight spasm-like grip. When he breathed his lungs burnt. Slowly, very slowly, his heart beat in his chest and his neck pulsed nervously.
‘Jack …’ he said, asking for his friend.
‘Quite safe,’ Zogel went on in his Carolina drawl. ‘He made a dramatic escape. Leapt from the balcony of the Prince Regent like a bird. My men were on the beach. They followed Captain Charity to the Golden Kipper. Well, after he had swum to the shore and struggled from the waves. I watched it myself. I have the most amazing telescope, it makes the night as clear as day. I’ll take you on deck and you can see it. Tell me – why should he go to see a Mister Quadlibett before going to the Golden Kipper?’
‘What happened to me?’ Mariah muttered, his tongue parched like an old sole.
‘Poisoned … Well, I should say anaesthetised. I have always had an interest in chloroform. It has become quite a habit.’
‘Sacha, I saw Sacha …’ Mariah said, stumbling over his words.
‘She is here. My guest. Just like you. Some people were going to do her harm. I had to bring her here.’
‘But you drugged me – you said you would help,’ Mariah said, still unable to open his eyes.
‘You wouldn’t have come here freely, Jack Charity would have seen to that. The Bureau and I have never seen things the same way. He thinks I’m a thief.’
‘Why kidnap me?’ Mariah asked as he again tried to open his heavy eyes.
‘I needed to talk to you alone. Ask you a question that I know will be answered truthfully.’ Zogel shuffled closer to Mariah and whispered in his ear. ‘The Ghost Diamonds – I believe you have them.’
‘Is that why you came here?’ Mariah asked, his hand beginning to shake as the blood rushed to his fingertips.
‘Not at first. Shall I say I stumbled upon them?’ Zogel replied as he sat in the high-backed chair next to the bed. ‘I had some business with a few people. Unpaid debts to be recovered, that sort of everyday thing.’ Zogel paused then leant forward. ‘Did you find the diamonds?’
Mariah thought for a moment. He didn’t know how to answer. His head was split with pain as his body came back to life. It was hard to think as he drifted between waking and sleeping.
‘I don’t have them,’ he replied hesitantly.
‘Captain Jack – did he find them?’ Zogel asked.
Mariah didn’t reply. He knew he should keep silent. Painfully
he lifted his hand to his forehead and brushed away dried, crusted sand.
‘I take it he did,’ Zogel said as he rubbed his beard.
‘Will you let me go?’ Mariah asked.
‘Will you tell me the truth?’ Zogel replied.
‘I saw Lucius at the Towers – you’re helping Bardolph.’
Zogel laughed loudly. ‘You are a wild one, Mariah Mundi. Lucius said he’d been followed … It was you. We help no one – especially Bardolph.’
‘But you’re a part of the Society of Truth,’ Mariah replied.
‘Did Charity tell you that?’ Zogel asked, smiling to himself wolfishly.
‘I saw the ring on your finger. It is the same as the one Walpole carries and he works for Bardolph.’ Mariah groaned as he managed to open his eyes and looked at the room for the first time.
‘Skull and bones, young Mariah, that is all I am. The Society of Truth isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. They think they control the world, but who controls them? I work for myself. Skull and bones … That’s all you need in this life for real power.’
‘They want the diamonds,’ Mariah said.
‘I know. That’s what the deal was all about. I came to this place because of people who owed me money. I then heard about the diamonds. Bardolph thought that it was the Ghost Diamonds that brought me here. He wanted to strike a deal. Told Lucius all about them.’ Zogel stopped speaking as Mariah tried to sit up. ‘I love diamonds – don’t you, Mariah?’ He pulled the cuff of his crisp white shirt and twisted the gold linking chains.
The door to the state room opened and Lucius stepped inside. Mariah looked at him through eyes half closed. He sensed he was in a large, shadowy room. He could make out only the shapes of those around him and the burning light far to his left.
‘Dedalus,’ Lucius said softly. ‘I think you have told him too much.’
‘Not in the slightest, Lucius,’ Zogel said with a grin. ‘I wish to tell him everything, every sordid detail of why we are here.’
‘Would that be wise?’ asked the dwarf.
‘Not at all. Wisdom is for the foolish,’ Zogel replied.
‘But the exchange? I have already sent word to Charity.’
‘Has he replied?’ Zogel asked as his eyes widened in anticipation.
Lucius didn’t speak. He looked at Mariah and then to Zogel. He gave a gruff cough as if to clear his throat and then turned and left the room.
‘Perhaps I’ll get a chance to tell you more before you leave,’ Zogel continued.
‘I can go?’ Mariah asked.
‘There was never
any doubt. You are to be traded for the diamonds. You are the one thing that Charity will not give up. It was when you said, “It’s a family business” – the day we met – that’s when I knew I had you. Thought then that Charity had a weakness and the weakness was you – his godson. Once I have the diamonds, then the Irenzee will be gone.’
‘Do you always get what you want?’ Mariah asked.
‘Always,’ Zogel replied as he curled his moustache with the tips of his fingers. ‘That’s why I’m the richest man in the world. The Society of Truth will have to wait for their money. To think – they expected me to take the diamonds to Notre-Dame in Paris on their behalf. Now I’ll just take them for myself.’
‘So that’s what Sacha’s father was going to do – allow the ship to leave without a warrant,’ Mariah said as he focused his eyes. Above him he could make out the faint shape of a vaulted roof. He felt sick to the stomach and breathed deeply.
‘You are one step ahead,’ Zogel replied as he stood up to
leave. ‘I didn’t like the idea of them being killed. Pointless, really. I’m going to take them with me and let them go when the heat is off. She’s a good girl – told me all about you. In fact, without her I would never have known where to look. She led us straight to you and told us how to get in the passage without being seen. Sacha has been working for me for quite a while.’
‘Working for you?’ Mariah asked incredulously, his words sharp and half shouted.
‘Don’t be so surprised. It’s not a bad thing. How else did we know so much about the hotel? Can’t blame someone for taking care of themselves, can we? I trust you would have done the same.’
Zogel began to walk from the state room with his arms folded behind his back. Mariah watched his every step.
‘So when can I go?’ he asked.
‘As soon as we hear that Charity is prepared to exchange the diamonds for you. I have had to tell him that I will kill you if he doesn’t do what I want. And he has been led to believe that it is Bardolph who is asking. So I do think he’ll agree.’
‘Won’t Bardolph stop you?’ Mariah asked. ‘He wants the diamonds.’