It was obviously written in some sort of code. The question was, what was it?
I had neatly organized Dr. Bennett’s latest notes, according to the date at the top of each— the man was quite orderly in his thoughts, and now waited.
Brodie had been forthcoming in the matter, to a point. But I needed to know more. I continued to wait, then looked up and caught that dark gaze. He really was being quite obstinate this morning, which I had learned in the past required a different tactic.
I rose from behind the desk. I was not given to the usual woman’s methods I had heard about from my sister, what I considered to be somewhat pathetic. Cajoling a man from some ill humor with what my sister referred to as“feminine persuasion?”
Not yet, at least.
Instead, I went to the coal stove where he had set the coffee pot earlier, seized his mug, battered and chipped as it was, and poured the steaming brew. I handed him the mug, then stood there where it was impossible to ignore me and waited. There was another curse between sips of coffee.
“Ye’re like a dog with a bone,” he muttered, which of course brought up images of Rupert with some disgusting object that he had managed to find in the back alleys off the Strand.
“Ye’re not goin’ to let this go, are ye?”
“We do owe it toourclient to pursue every piece of information.” I emphasized once more that Mrs. Bennett had engaged both of us.
“She hired ye to find her husband,” he pointed out. “Ye’ve done that…”
“And to determine what happened to him,” I emphasized. “I will not leave her without answers, and neither would you. She deserves that in the least,” I continued. “And as for anything dangerous, I believe we have already had that conversation. You must get over that part, as I am not finished with this inquiry.”
It did occur to me that I was poking the bear, so to speak. However, this was something that I was very determined about.
He set the empty mug down on the desk rather sharply and I wondered if it didn’t crack further. There was only a small amount spilled over the edge. He then stalked— that was the only word for it— to the coat rack, retrieved his long coat, and put it on.
“I learned that a man resembling Soropkin arrived some weeks ago from the continent,” he shared. “Through other sources I learned that he made inquiries about Dr. Bennett… regarding someinjurythat he apparently needed tending.”
He had told me about the murder of Father Sebastian and the tailor.
“And the doctor’s office in the tenement at Aldgate?” I prompted when it seemed he thought that was sufficient information.
“I was also given information from Mr. Brimley regarding a young boy who was horribly injured. The lad was poor and couldna afford the care he needed. It seems that particular care was beyond what Mr. Brimley or physicians at St. James could provide. It was suggested that the boy’s father take him home…”
Home, to die. Too often a horrible fate.
However, it seemed Mr. Brimley, who provided care to the poor in the East End, was of a different mind. I knew quite well that he would not simply let the boy suffer and die.
“Brimley contacted Dr. Bennett,” Brodie went on to share. “It seems that the good doctor had him take the boy to Aldgate as his methods would not have been approved otherwise.”
“And he was he able to help the boy?” I asked.
Brodie nodded. “The procedures the doctor performed were successful. It seems that in time the boy will recover almost completely, with only a few small scars.”
A boy who might otherwise have been left to die for want of treatment that Dr. Bennett had provided.
I wondered if it might be possible to see the boy. What might we learn from that?
“What of Soropkin? Is there no word where he might be?”
“It’s as if the man is a ghost and Alex hasn’t been able to decipher that intercepted message. What are ye thinkin’?” he asked as I gathered the notes and Dr. Bennett’s book and put them in my travel bag.
“There could be something we might learn at the doctor’s office in Aldgate. Some bit of information before Chief Inspector Abberline becomes involved.”
“And ye intend to go back there.”
“It could be beneficial to your part of the investigation as well,” I replied. “And you would do the same.”
I highly suspected that was where he was going. In the relatively short time we had been pursing inquiry cases, I had learned a thing or two about Angus Brodie.
