With a last little squeeze of love for Bella, Jackson handed her over to Kit, then faced Mr. Coleman. “Which is another matter for us to discuss tonight. It’s best we get you to safety. It won’t be long before that woman tracks you here.”
“Unless we eliminate her altogether by taking out her employer.” Graybone whumped his big body into a chair near the hearth. “And I believe we are one step closer to that. I met with an informant today who was willing to talk as long as I greased the skids for his tongue to keep wagging.”
Jackson lowered to an ottoman and stretched out his legs. “You know if we catch this criminal, I will see you fully reimbursed. Somehow, that is. Might take a bit of creative paperwork.”
Graybone’s bushy brows lowered to a thick line. “I hope I shall be reimbursed regardless. I am, after all, doing the job of one of your inspectors.”
“You of all people know how short-staffed we are.”
“What I know is that Hammerhead is the most tightfisted superintendent on the face of the—”
“Boys!” Kit bounced Bella on her knee, fire in her eyes. “Blaming and budgets are not the purpose for tonight’s discussion.”
Jackson glanced from her back to Graybone. “She’s right. How about you fill us in on what you discovered today?”
“Quite a lot, actually.” His father-in-law laced his fingers over his belly. “Turns out our Mr. Blade had an opium addiction.”
“I knew something wasn’t right!” Mr. Coleman slapped his knee. “He’d lost a considerable amount of weight these past several months. Looked a bit yellow about the gills. I remarked on it several times, only to be reprimanded to mind my own business. Come to think of it, he grew progressively tetchy as well.”
“Regardless,” Jackson said, “there is nothing illegal about consuming opium.”
“True, but…” Graybone strolled to the mantel and reached for the cigar box. Despite the shake of Kit’s head, he retrieved one with a slight grin. “Don’t fret, Daughter. I won’t light it. Merely gives my hands something to do. Now, as I was saying”—he stabbed the cigar in the air towards Jackson—“purchasing opium from an unlicensed vendor is grounds to arrest the seller, and Mr. Bellow not only sells the drug without a permit but supposedly smuggles it in as well.”
Jackson jerked up his head. “Bellow of Bellow’s Glassworks?”
“One and the same.”
Kit swiped up Bella’s dolly from the rug where she’d thrown it and handed it to her. “Do you think Mr. Blade was involved in smuggling?”
“Good heavens!” Mr. Coleman cried. “What else was going on under my nose that I didn’t know about?” He cast a worried gaze Jackson’s way. “I won’t be tied into this, will I? I swear I had no idea that the man was into such devilries.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Coleman. All you need do is testify about the two ledgers.” Jackson swiveled his head back to Graybone. “I’ll have Baggett form a squad and shut down Bellow tomorrow.”
“No.” Once again Kit nabbed the dolly from the floor, Bella laughing at the game. “I don’t think it’s that simple. For one, we don’t actually know if he was the man who hired Carky to assassinate Mr. Blade and Mr. Coleman, nor do we know if he is a solo operator or in league with a bigger fish. You shut him down and we may never discover the answer.”
Graybone tromped back to his chair, rolling the cigar in his big fingers. “She’s right again.”
Blast it. Rubbing the back of his neck, Jackson circled the room. “We need reconnaissance. Someone on the inside to…” He stopped abruptly. “Frankie. No one would suspect a lad, and he’s always up for an adventure.”
“Bella, please!” Kit snatched the dolly once more from the floor—and apparently for the last time, judging by the tone of her voice. “Frankie’s arm is still bandaged, and I doubt very much Martha will ever allow Frankie to set foot in that place again. I’m not convinced Frankie would wish to go, either.”
Her father chuckled. “Your quick tongue could talk the two of them into it.”
Jackson grinned as he resumed his seat on the ottoman. “This time your father is right.”
“I am flattered at your confidence in me, gentlemen, but even if Martha and Frankie agree, that doesn’t solve our problem of what to do with Mr. Coleman. Carky is still out there, and she won’t give up looking for him.”
Mr. Coleman tugged at his collar. “That is not a very hopeful prospect, Mrs. Forge.”
“I wish I could offer you something better.” She sighed.
This time when the dolly landed on the floor, Kit set Bella on the rug as well. For a moment, her little lip quivered, but then she started her own game of throwing the toy and scooting on her knees at high-speed after it.
The sight stabbed Jackson in the heart. Oh, how he’d miss the antics of this little one…which immediately kindled a rage deep in his belly. This whole affair wouldn’t be settled quick enough for his liking.
“We can offer something better, Mr. Coleman.” He flung out his arms. “We will get you somewhere safer, a place that is more fortified than a four-room flat with a handful of guns.”
“Watch it, Forge,” Graybone grumbled. “This is my home you’re talking about.”
