It was a small meeting but all included were important men. The Mayor, the Honorable Joseph V. Guillotte, State Treasurer Edward Burke, Alternate NEM Exposition Commission and acting Master of Ceremonies the Honorable W.I. Hodgson and Phoebus Buckroe of the Bufton Buckroes all gathered in the sitting room of the gentleman’s club known for its high quality service and its ability to not overhear conversations, The Velvet Conundrum.
Drinks and cigars had been brought in and left on the silver serving trolley for the men, the rail-like servant with thinning grey hair and pointed nose closing the doors behind him as he left the room. The men poured either brandy from crystal decanters into oversized snifters or deep maroon wine in crystal glasses and sat in large wingback chairs, the leather creaking under their silk trousers as they settled. The Mayor turned to the Master of Ceremonies of the World’s Fair and spoke.
“Hodgson, why has this delay happened? Edward tells me you have some knowledge of a conspiracy.”
“No, Your Honor,” the chubby man muttered, glaring at the thin man who ran the state treasury. “I have concerns about money that has disappeared. I have young ladies checking the numbers a third time now to make sure that I shall not accuse anyone except for the guilty parties.”
“Women?” asked Burke, his pinched face becoming even more distorted and his voice rising to a shrill nasal tone. “Why would you have women working with figures? We all know that their soft brains do not work as well when it comes to the sciences like mathematics. You may as well bring some of the Rokairn freedmen in to do it. Why would you ever choose something so inferior to do such an important job?”
“Because no one would suspect them and they cannot be bought by petty bribes,” the heavy man huffed, wiping his sweaty brow with a kerchief. “I have brought in a new girl, a well-educated one from a good house. It seems the one I had working on it before has disappeared. She left the workhouse one night and was never seen again. I would give a pretty coin to find out what happened to her. Not even her family knows where she went.”
“Was it young Miss Remington you brought in?” Phoebus asked as he held his brandy to the light and swirled it around the glass, coating the sides with the amber liquid.
“Yes, how would you know that?” the Master of Ceremonies asked.
“Because, I just returned from speaking to Master Christopher Roosevelt about his missing sweetheart. It seems she was kidnapped last night. He mentioned some bookkeeping work she was doing, said she was all aflutter about something she found.”
“Kidnapped?” The Mayor asked, sputtering on his wine.
“Probably ran off; you know how flighty women can be,” Burke said with a dismissive tone.
“Another one?” Hodgson cried.
“Yes. I will accept your coin to investigate this and Mayor, if I may be so bold, this may be something to which you would like to add a reward. If I find out where this young woman has been taken I would deserve something extra.”
“Indeed, you would. I will match what Hodgson shall pay. This is quite the scandal! The Telestic Krewe is already breathing down my neck about the upcoming parade. They are the oldest Society in the festivities and are very concerned about this investigation the Commissioner has begun.”
“We should worry about the planning,” Burke chimed in, “and not some women who wander off.”
“Yes, perhaps you have the right of it Edward,” said Joseph.
“Oh yes, I couldn’t agree more.” Phoebus smiled. “I will do all the work, quietly and discreetly. No one shall know except the four of us and my serving man that assists me. I will begin immediately, if I could just have some money for expenses from you gentlemen and I will submit my bill for the remainder after this task is complete.”
Buckroe looked at the Mayor and Master of Ceremonies as he stood. They hesitated for a moment before reaching into their coats and drew out money.
“Very good, and you wouldn’t mind if I took a few of these excellent cigars to help me with my investigation, would you?”
Aetheric Elements: The Rise of a Steampunk Reality Page 19