“What do you mean, save the Yard?”
“A majority in Parliament has been trying to close the Yard for over a year, since that scandal with those four corrupt inspectors. Every failure wins more MPs to their side. They want to send the detectives back to the separate divisions—a decision that would hamper the entire enterprise! The detectives need to be in the same building, talking among themselves, because crimes in London don’t stay confined to Mayfair or Bethnal Green or Whitechapel. Criminals cross those boundaries, which are wholly artificial, as any fool knows.”
“This matters to you,” I said, surprised by his ardent tone.
“It should matter to anyone who gives a damn about keeping our citizens safe,” he said shortly.
He was prickly, but I rather liked him.
James reached over and squeezed my hand. His expression was encouraging. After a moment, I nodded.
“You did me a great kindness once,” James said to Mr. Fuller. “It made all the difference. We have a favor to ask, but we also have information that could lead straight to arrests.”
“In exchange for what I’m telling you, I will need something from you in return,” I said, “and unfortunately, I can’t tell you much.”
A snort flared his nostrils. “You haven’t told me anything yet.”
“I’m about to,” I retorted. “I have a younger sister who is fourteen. She recently took a position as a scullery maid in Mayfair, not a quarter mile from the Fairleigh house. On the night of the murders, she was walking back to Elephant and Castle to spend the night with me, when she recognized two men walking on the other side of the street—”
“Two?”
“Yes, two,” I said firmly. “Castle men, dressed as gentlemen.”
“So as to appear they belonged,” Mr. Fuller said and sat back. “What are their names?”
I gave him a look.
He spread his hands. “I can’t use any of this without confirmation, and neither can the Yard—”
“Because it’s hearsay,” I interrupted. “I know. But my sister can bear witness.”
“Then why isn’t she here?”
“Because she’s been kidnapped.” My hands knotted in my lap.
His jaw sagged with dismay. “By the Castle men?”
“No. By someone else, for a different reason. They’re separate matters. The people who took my sister want me to do something for them, which I will. Once it’s reported in the newspaper, they will let her go. Then, she can be your witness. She can come to the Yard, so you get the goodwill.”
“I see.” His expression softened. “How old did you say she was?”
“Fourteen.”
He groaned. “Damn. Poor girl.” He drew a long breath and blew it out in a huff. “So I write the story, your sister is released, and she gives me the names of the men she saw. But how do you know she’ll talk to me? To the Yard?”
“She will, if she understands that you’ve helped me free her.”
“I know her,” James interjected. “She’s a sensible girl, with courage. She’ll do it.”
I sent James a grateful look.
Mr. Fuller cocked an eyebrow. “Will it be true? The story I print?”
“What I tell you will be true,” I said. “What you write is up to you.”
He looked wary. “But I’ll have only your word.”
“And mine,” James said. “I’ll be there, too.”
