had introduced a notion that would snag and grow. That I was to be relieved, that confederates would be arriving soon.
Lassiter’s sensitive ears would be twitching.
Every cat padding over a garden wall or tile falling off an ill-made roof would sound like evidence of a surrounding force to our rider of the purple sage.
‘Algy wants to see Rache ’utterflee dance now,’ announced the girl.
She fluttered dramatically about the room, trailing ribbons, inflating sleeves and lifting skirts. One of her stockings was bagged around her ankle.
‘’Utterflee ’utterfly, meee oh myyy,’ she sang.
Lassiter’s face was dark and heavy. I was quite pleased with myself.
I snuck a peek at the clock on the mantel and made sure I was noticed doing it.
‘’Utterfly ’utterflee, look at meee...’
Lassiter chewed his moustache. Jane-Helen seemed greyer. And I was almost starting to enjoy myself again.
Then the front window smashed in and something black and fizzing burst through the curtains.
I saw a burning fuse.
VII
Lassiter got his boot on the fuse, killing the flame.
‘That’s not dynamite,’ I said, helpfully. ‘It’s a smoke charge. They want you to run out the front door. Into the line of fire.’
I didn’t mention that I’d thought of something similar.
‘Jim, they’re out there,’ Jane said.
‘Asty mans,’ Rache said, peeved by the interruption.
There was a crack. More glass broke behind the curtains. A ragged hole appeared in the velvet. I’d not heard the shot. Another shattering and the curtain whipped with the impact. And again.
‘Untie me and I can help,’ I said.
Lassiter wasn’t sure but Jane fell for it. She did my hands while Rache unpicked the knots at my ankles. I took my Webley from the floor, shaking off the flakes of plaster. Of course, it was empty.
The curtain rail, rope still attached, fell off the wall as another silent fusillade came. Cold wind blew through the ruined window. More panes were shot out.
The neighbours would be around again soon. This was not the thing for a respectable street.
Bullets ploughed into the floor, rucking the carpet, and the opposite wall. Our sniper had an elevated position.
I waved my gun, to attract Lassiter’s attention.
He dug into his pocket and brought out a handful of bullets, which he poured into my palm. I loaded and closed the revolver. I noticed Lassiter noticing how practiced I was. Algy Arbuthnot, VC, was an old soldier and daring detective so that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.
‘Where is the gunman? Top floor of the house on the corner?’
Lassiter shook his head.
‘Tree on the other side of the road?’
Lassiter nodded.
I’d been behind that tree earlier. It had been twilight when Lassiter conked me and was full dark now. No one was about when I took my watching spot; now, there were armed hostiles.
‘How many?’
Lassiter held up four fingers, steadily. Then another three, with a wriggle at the wrist. He knew there were four men – Danites? – out there, and felt there might be another three besides.
I’ve come through scrapes with worse odds. From Moriarty’s background check, I knew Jim Lassiter had too.
‘This might be a moment for one of your famous rockslides,’ I ventured.
Lassiter cracked a near-smile.
‘Yup,’ he said.
As Drebber had mentioned, Lassiter was once chased up a mountain by a mob and precipitated a rocky avalanche to sweep them away. His history was studded with such dime-novel exploits.
Was Drebber out there? And Stangerson? With other guns?
My suspicion was that, weighing up their contract with Moriarty & Co., the Danites decided £205,000 was a mite steep for an evening’s work. They had come to us in the first place not because they were leery of doing their own murdering but because this wasn’t their city and they didn’t have any idea how to track Lassiter and his women to their hole. The Professor had come straight out and announced where they were to be
Lassiter’s sensitive ears would be twitching.
Every cat padding over a garden wall or tile falling off an ill-made roof would sound like evidence of a surrounding force to our rider of the purple sage.
‘Algy wants to see Rache ’utterflee dance now,’ announced the girl.
She fluttered dramatically about the room, trailing ribbons, inflating sleeves and lifting skirts. One of her stockings was bagged around her ankle.
‘’Utterflee ’utterfly, meee oh myyy,’ she sang.
Lassiter’s face was dark and heavy. I was quite pleased with myself.
I snuck a peek at the clock on the mantel and made sure I was noticed doing it.
‘’Utterfly ’utterflee, look at meee...’
Lassiter chewed his moustache. Jane-Helen seemed greyer. And I was almost starting to enjoy myself again.
Then the front window smashed in and something black and fizzing burst through the curtains.
I saw a burning fuse.
VII
Lassiter got his boot on the fuse, killing the flame.
‘That’s not dynamite,’ I said, helpfully. ‘It’s a smoke charge. They want you to run out the front door. Into the line of fire.’
I didn’t mention that I’d thought of something similar.
‘Jim, they’re out there,’ Jane said.
‘Asty mans,’ Rache said, peeved by the interruption.
There was a crack. More glass broke behind the curtains. A ragged hole appeared in the velvet. I’d not heard the shot. Another shattering and the curtain whipped with the impact. And again.
‘Untie me and I can help,’ I said.
Lassiter wasn’t sure but Jane fell for it. She did my hands while Rache unpicked the knots at my ankles. I took my Webley from the floor, shaking off the flakes of plaster. Of course, it was empty.
The curtain rail, rope still attached, fell off the wall as another silent fusillade came. Cold wind blew through the ruined window. More panes were shot out.
The neighbours would be around again soon. This was not the thing for a respectable street.
Bullets ploughed into the floor, rucking the carpet, and the opposite wall. Our sniper had an elevated position.
I waved my gun, to attract Lassiter’s attention.
He dug into his pocket and brought out a handful of bullets, which he poured into my palm. I loaded and closed the revolver. I noticed Lassiter noticing how practiced I was. Algy Arbuthnot, VC, was an old soldier and daring detective so that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.
‘Where is the gunman? Top floor of the house on the corner?’
Lassiter shook his head.
‘Tree on the other side of the road?’
Lassiter nodded.
I’d been behind that tree earlier. It had been twilight when Lassiter conked me and was full dark now. No one was about when I took my watching spot; now, there were armed hostiles.
‘How many?’
Lassiter held up four fingers, steadily. Then another three, with a wriggle at the wrist. He knew there were four men – Danites? – out there, and felt there might be another three besides.
I’ve come through scrapes with worse odds. From Moriarty’s background check, I knew Jim Lassiter had too.
‘This might be a moment for one of your famous rockslides,’ I ventured.
Lassiter cracked a near-smile.
‘Yup,’ he said.
As Drebber had mentioned, Lassiter was once chased up a mountain by a mob and precipitated a rocky avalanche to sweep them away. His history was studded with such dime-novel exploits.
Was Drebber out there? And Stangerson? With other guns?
My suspicion was that, weighing up their contract with Moriarty & Co., the Danites decided £205,000 was a mite steep for an evening’s work. They had come to us in the first place not because they were leery of doing their own murdering but because this wasn’t their city and they didn’t have any idea how to track Lassiter and his women to their hole. The Professor had come straight out and announced where they were to be
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