Chapter 14

The next thing I knew, Cecil was waking me up, which never happened. He usually knew better than to arouse me from sleep. Many surprises from Cecil today.

“Forgive me, m’lord,” he said, “but you’ve got guests.”

“Avalon and Victor?” I said groggily. “Are they back already?”

“It is after five o’clock, m’lord,” Cecil said, pouring a cup of tea on the bedside table.

Nearly twelve hours asleep. I need to feed, I thought. I watched Cecil put ten drops of blood in my tea before stirring it.

“I’ll need more than that,” I said to him. “Bring me some of the pigs’ blood we keep on ice in the cellar. I’ll need my strength, and it will have to do for now.

“You do have two humans downstairs, m’lord,” Cecil said cheekily.

“That will be all, Cecil,” I said, smiling.

“Very good, m’lord. Oh, and you have a letter from Lady Bainbridge as well. It’s on the tray.”

“Thank you, Cecil.”

He left the room and closed the heavy door behind him.

After I drank my tea, which gave me a minor boost, I read the letter from Emily. It read: Charming time at tea. Perhaps another cup?

Emily

She had been quite delicious, but I had to distance myself now that I was getting closer to Avalon. I was beginning to realize that what I had originally felt for her was more of an infatuation, obsession with the unattainable. Shock of the resemblance to Catherine, perhaps. But I truly was falling for her now. It had been so long that I felt anything besides obsession and desire, that I forgot the pure agonizing joy of true love. I decided not to respond to Emily right away. I had to give it some thought and play this just right. Awkward position, this. Her being Avalon’s aunt and all.

Cecil returned with the blood, and I drank it quickly, grimacing. Horrible stuff, pigs’ blood, but drastic measures and all that. I dressed in the clothes Cecil had laid out for me and went downstairs to meet my guests. They were already in the parlor, enjoying tea of their own.

“Good morning,” Avalon said with a smile in her voice. She emphasized the word ‘morning’

to comment on my sloth.

“Yes. I guess I slept rather longer than I had expected,” I replied. “And you two? Did you sleep well?”

“Surprisingly, I slept quite well. I suppose sheer exhaustion trumps fear in the end. Victor here didn’t sleep at all!” Avalon said.

I could’ve figured as much. The man looked awful. He had dark bags beneath his eyes and he hadn’t shaven. He was still in the same clothes as the previous night. Even his hair was disheveled.

“Victor?” I said. The man was staring into the distance, absently tapping his teacup against the saucer. I could almost see the tiny spiderweb cracks forming up the sides of this teacup. Must mark a cup just for Victor in the future lest he ruin the entire set!

“Two more,” he growled.

“What?” I asked.

“Two more murders,” Avalon explained, her expression losing all of its light.

“And there will be more tonight,” Victor spat in anger. “They’re multiplying.”

“It’s not your fault,” Avalon said, trying to reassure him She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked at it with revulsion. Something was amiss here. Granted, I had only known these people for a few days, but Victor had been nothing but warm to Avalon before. This coldness was new. Yes. Something was going on here. He just ignored her reassuring words and continued.

“We have to stop this,” he said directly to me. Man to man, as it were.

Avalon removed her hand from Victor, hurt at his disregard. She, too, felt that something was off with him.

“But how can we? We don’t know where they’ll strike tonight. Any clues from the last two?”

I asked.

“I’m hoping to find some at the brothel. That’s where we’re going,” Victor said, rising.

“Now?”

“Yes. Before dark. We must get a head start.”

“Why the brothel,” I asked, nervous about the daylight. This morning had been so sunny, and the light coming in from the parlor window still looked quite bright.

“It’s where last night’s murders were.”

“Whores or johns?” I asked, trying to prolong the conversation. Had to buy some more time.

“Whores. Young ones. Can’t be older than thirteen, poor girls.”

I thought that this fate was less cruel than the one they had been living. Death isn’t by far the worst fate that can befall a person.

“But the cops will be swarming the place,” I said, stalling. “How can we investigate with those blokes about?”

“I have a plan,” he said.

He proceeded to tell us how he had used every contact he had, while we had slept, and procured three constable uniforms. We would each don a uniform and blend in with the assumed chaos over at the brothel. He also had it on good authority that the girls had been engaged with some very prominent men when the attack had occurred. So there were witnesses. The men were quite distraught and apparently traumatized by the event.

Good.

They were being held for questioning down at Scotland Yard.

“We had better get moving. Dusk is fast approaching,” Victor said.

“Is there a place where I could change?” Avalon asked.

“Of course,” I said. “Victor, you can change in the library. I’ll join you there shortly. Avalon, you can change in the privacy of my chamber.”

She smiled and blushed slightly.

“Thank you, Arthur,” she said.

“Follow me.”

We all went up stairs, and Victor broke away from us on the second story, headed to the library . He shot me a mistrustful glance as Avalon and I continued up to the third floor. I showed Avalon to my chamber. Cecil had already made the bed and pulled back the curtains. I was pleased to see the grey skies outside, and although it wasn’t yet dusk, it was getting darker by the moment as more cloud cover moved over the city. I’d be safe venturing out. I looked back at sweet, innocent looking Avalon as I was closing the door on my way out.

The next time she’s in my chamber, I thought, there won’t be anything innocent about it. An automatic thought to a woman in my bedchamber, but something about the flippancy of it felt vulgar. And not vulgar in a good way. I think more of Avalon than just for a toss and giggle. Still, the thought of bedding her was not distasteful either. Quite the contrary. Making love to Avalon would actually mean something, though. I was rather surprised at myself. Bravo, Arthur. Your heart wasn’t completely dead after all.

I rejoined Victor in the library, and he was already dressed as a copper.

“How do I look?” he asked, turning around with his arms held out.

“Very convincing,” I replied. Gesturing for him to leave, I continued, “Do you mind?”

“Bashful, are you,” he said, amused. “All right then. I’ll be waiting downstairs.”

I dressed quickly and went downstairs to be with Victor. He looked at me with suspicion for a moment before remembering himself. He smiled, “Suits you,” he said cheekily, indicating the copper uniform.. There was definitely something about him I didn’t trust. Something had changed. Plus he’d not hidden the fact that he did not trust me either. That coupled with his jealousy over Avalon made things quite tense between us. Still, we’d keep up appearances for her, and to solve this mystery.

Avalon joined us, and she looked perfectly edible in the police uniform. The trousers showed off the shapeliness of her legs, something that full skirts hid altogether. Scandalous, really, if anyone knew she was actually a woman. Although in her thirties, her smooth skin and lack of a beard would betray her disguise. A fine woman like Avalon couldn’t easily pass for a man, even a young man.

“Put this on,” Victor said, handing her a mustache. “You, too,” he said to me. “You both look too young. Got a mirror?” Victor asked me with a gleam in his eye.

“Don’t find much use for them,” I said calmly. “Vanity and all.”

“I see,” he said, skeptically.

“Still I could have Cecil dig one up for you.”

“No need,” he said, then turned to Avalon. “Let me help you with that.” Victor went to her and helped glue it into place. He did the same for me. When he finished, he looked me deeply in the eyes. There was definite suspicion there, and I returned it in kind. He adjusted his sleeve and, with a twist of his wrist, squirted me directly in the face with what I can only assume to be holy water. Hadn’t we already done this dance?

“Victor!” Avalon exclaimed.

“Sorry old chap,” he said, offering me a handkerchief. “Faulty trigger.”

“You must tend to that, Victor,” I said, not hiding my own annoyance at the display, “One needs to have reliable equipment when dealing with the supernatural.”

“Indeed,” he said. He never took his eyes off of me.

So. He did suspect me again. No question about that now. I wiped my face dry with the proffered handkerchief and stuffed it into Victor’s breast pocket with a little more force than necessary.

“Shall we?” Victor motioned us toward the door. He wanted me ahead of him, so he could keep an eye on me.

“What about weapons?” Avalon asked. “Are we not to be armed?”

“I have everything we’ll need here,” he said, picking up a black satchel I hadn’t noticed before. “It would look rather suspicious to be armed with these weapons while dressed as police.

We’ll just keep them with us until we find out what we can from the crime scene. We’ll be hunting tonight.”

“Thomas!” I called, as we entered the foyer. But he didn’t come down the stairs; rather, he opened the front door.

“M’lord. The carriage is ready, m’lord.”

“Thank you, Thomas. To Gray’s Inn by that brothel. You know the one? In the papers and such,” I said, making it clear he wasn’t to let on that he’d been there before.

“I think I know where it is, m’lord,” he replied. He didn’t give any indication that he had taken me there numerous times. Good man.

“But a few blocks away, Thomas,” I said, helping Avalon into the carriage. “We mustn’t be too conspicuous. After you,” I said to Victor.

“No, I insist,” he replied.

Yes. Suspicious.

I climbed in and sat quite close to Avalon. For such a small carriage, it was a pleasant necessity. Victor sat opposite of us, and he didn’t take his eye off me for the entire trip to Gray’s Inn. A few blocks from the brothel, as instructed, Thomas stopped the carriage.

“It will likely be disorganized there, so if we get separated, meet back here in two hours.,”

Victor said, looking at his pocket watch. “That gives us until eight o’clock. Agreed?”

Avalon and I nodded. After all, Victor would take the obvious lead with Avalon being a woman and me, I always prefered to fade into the background anyway.

We got off and walked to the brothel where we blended in with the bustling about. Avalon stuck close to me, to my great delight, and we were separated from Victor shortly after arrival.

He was right. It was chaos here. Police everywhere one looked. Twice the number that was here a few nights ago when I had first run into Victor and Avalon in the alley across the street.

They’ve stepped up their investigation. I caught sight of a few newspaper reporters. No surprise.

The press was milking these “vampire” killings for all they were worth. I heard the price of garlic had quickly escalated over the past week. Leave it to the press to incite panic and control the free market.

“Never seen nuthin’ like it.” I heard to my left, so I guided Avalon over with me. We stood nearby and pretended to be going over some notes of our own as I listened in.

“There’s hardly nuthin’ left to ‘em,” the same voice said.

“They were quite small to begin with,” another voice added, “just children, really.” He was older than the first. Big man. Overweight. Thick mustache. Hair greying.

“It’s disgustin’,” the first voice said. “It’s they that shoulda been killed, not them girls.”

“I somehow think they’re at peace now. That was no life for them.” My thoughts exactly.

Perhaps I wasn’t so inhuman after all. Perhaps it's just the cynicism of old age.

“Did ya hear? That one girl was daughter t’Theodore Cadman,” the younger said. He looked new. Shiny badge. Perfectly pressed uniform. And there was a kind of excitement mixed with the horror in his eyes.

“The magistrate?”

“The very same. Kidnapped righ’ from her room, the parents say. Been lookin’ fer her fer weeks. And all that time she’s been up’n here. Criminal. That’s what’t is. That Jeffries woman, that’s who we need t’arrest.”

“Sure, if we could find her.”

“Why don’ we close this place down?” the first asked. The young are so idealistic. They see everything as a simple fix.

“Good question. Something political, no doubt.” Yep. Cynicism. Or I prefer to call it wisdom.

“It jus’ ain’ righ’.”

That’s for sure.

A third man joined them.

“Heya Sarge,” the first voice said. “Any news?” The young copper stood a little straighter when ‘Sarge’ approached. The older man didn’t bother.

“Nothing we didn’t already know. The inspector has been from one end of the place to the other. He’s in there now questioning them who’s left. They’re all pretty shook up, as one could imagine.”

“How long we have to be here, Sarge?” the older officer asked.

“Get comfortable, lads. This’ll be an all-nighter.” ‘Sarge’ strode confidently toward the brothel.

Avalon began to follow him into the building, and I followed her. She slipped in without a glance, and before I knew it, we were in the same room I had been just a few nights ago. The same old woman sat in the same old chair, now opposite a thin man with a bushy mustache. I could only assume he was the inspector to whom the constables were referring. Across the room, three older prostitutes cowered together, crying. By older I mean in their twenties and thirties.

“As I told you before, Inspector, we get all kinds in here. Young and old. Rich and the not so rich. Everyone has their vices. Young girls is it for many a gent. I tell you now. Many a gent,” the old woman said. No judgment, just the acceptance of a rather sick truth.

“Two, well three murders in as many days. This is no coincidence. Not even a little. Who came in last night? Anyone look suspicious?”

“They’s all look suspicious, Gov’. Most don’t even show their faces. Same stuff I told you the other day, Inspector. All due respect, but this is no ordinary man doin’ this. He’s a monster, he is.”

“All due respect, madam, anyone who comes into this establishment as a customer is a monster.”

She set her jaw and didn’t respond. Acceptance.

A scream down the hall made the inspector look up at us.

“Don’t just stand there, lads. Go check that out!” he ordered us. Avalon and I rushed down the hall to find Victor and a woman in tears standing next to a body mostly covered by a sheet.

Victor had her roughly by the arm and was holding up one end of the sheet forcing the woman to look at the bloody mess beneath it.

“What’s going on?” Avalon said, deepening her voice slightly. How delightful.

“It nothing. She doesn’t know anything,” Victor replied. Then a light went on somewhere inside Victors head, and it reflected in his features. He spun the woman around roughly and ripped off my mustache.

“Ow!” I said.

“Do you know this man?” Victor asked the girl, already traumatized now looked quite horrified at Victor’s rough use of her.

“Victor!” Avalon said. “How dare you!” She grabbed Victor’s arm and tried to pry his hand off the girl, but he wouldn't budge.

“No, m’lord. I don’t know him. Never seen him.” Victor looked again defeated. He pushed her and Avalon away roughly. The girl took the opportunity to run back toward the sitting room, probably to join the other cowering whores.

“What are you playing at, Victor?” I said, snatching my disguise back from him. “Do you want us all to get arrested? Convicted, more like, for impersonating police?” I put the mustache back on, and Avalon straightened it, smiling at me. An apologetic smile. Victor was a handful.

“Something’s not right with you, York. I’m going to find out what it is,” Victor said, jamming his finger into my chest.

I took a step toward him menacingly until we were nose to nose. “I could say the same about you, Dawson,” I hissed.

Avalon physically pushed us apart and stepped between us this time, putting a hand against each of our chests. “Stop it!” she said. “Stop it now. Victor,” she continued, turning to him,

“don’t you think we have enough to worry about. Whatever personal problem you have with Arthur can wait until after these things are caught. All right?”

Victor’s expression went from anger to defeat to embarrassment, and then circled back to anger. Poor guy didn’t know what to feel. Or what to do. His behavior was that of a desperate man. Desperate to stop these murders, but also desperate because he knew he was losing Avalon to me. Losing her. Of course, he had never had her, not in that sense. But she was his best friend.

He must have felt very lonely since I had come into their lives. Add to that his suspicion of me.

Yes. I’d say he was desperate.

“You’re right, Avalon. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me,” he said, and then he stormed past us both and down the hall.

“I apologize for his behavior, Arthur. I’ve seen a different side to Victor these past days. I’m not quite sure who this new, angry person is. Before this case, he was so gentle and understanding. Funny even.”

There was sadness in her eyes. The concern for a friend. I hadn’t had one of those for so long. I mean, there was Nicholas, but that was more two men sharing conquests. There was no true affection between us. But her look reminded me of what it was like. The helplessness that comes with the realization that one cannot help.

“Oi!” Victor’s voice came from an adjoining room. We followed the sound.

“What is it?” Avalon asked when we found him two rooms down. Another body covered in a bloody sheet lay on the bed. Victor was on his hands and knees reaching beneath the bed.

“This,” he said. He held up a strange mechanical device that looked as though it was supposed to be strapped to one’s wrist or perhaps forearm. Clockwork-like gears intricately fitted together made up the bulk of the mechanical part. The thing was also wrapped with wire that connected one piece to another. It all was quite strange to me, although it did remind me a little of Cecil’s bloodletting device. Then all this new technology did, as I knew so very little about it.

Turning it over, Victor examined every part of the bizarre cuff. Beneath the mechanical parts was a leather band with buckles and leather straps to affix the thing to one’s forearm. One of the straps had pulled loose from its stitching, likely why it was under the bed. Perhaps its owner didn’t even know he had lost it until after he had left. Too busy decimating these bodies, I’d say.

“What is it?” she repeated, referring to the strange device.

“I recognize this work. At least, it’s similar to what I’ve--never mind.” Victor pocketed the piece and looked under the bed for more. He found nothing else.

“What, Victor? Tell us,” Avalon said.

“Not until I’m sure,” he replied, standing. With that, Victor left us alone in the room again.

Quite strange.