Stalking Jack: The Hunt Begins... (Madeline Donovan Mysteries Book 1) by Madison Kent Page A

long jowls.
    “I’d like a lovely glass of absinthe please, and the same for my friends.”
    “That’d be fine, Miss, iffen we had such things, but we only have hard liquor here, none of that fancy-pants Parisian stuff.”
    “Oh…well then…a bourbon and soda please.”
    Anna and Helen agreed also to sip on bourbon so they might not be so conspicuous.
    “If I may ask, Miss, what brings you to this establishment? If you don’t mind me saying, yous not the type of girl I usually see here.”
    “Sir, we are here in a quest of our own. We have some news for our niece of some importance, and we heard she might frequent the Ten Bells. Her name is Polly Nichols.”
    “Polly you say her name is. She’s a jolly sort, if I know the lass you’re speaking of. She does come in here, but not during the day. Sometimes ‘round the midnight hour, if I’m on duty, I see her. I heared her say sometimes she goes to the Ten Bells in the day cuz she tells me, '“Joe, don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I likes it better than here.”’
    “I hope you’re right, and it is her. We have a place to start now. Thank you for your help,” said Helen.
    They left, beginning the short walk to the Ten Bells.
    “I feel my heart racing. I have not been down these roads in many years, not since James passed away. We would go to the pub sometimes on a Saturday. It may not have been glamorous, but it was not like this, not fit for anyone,” said Anna.
    “These are hard times, in Chicago, too, but I have not seen streets such as these that exist there. It will not be an easy task to find her,” said Madeline.
    As they wandered down Commercial Street, they asked as many people as would listen to them about Polly. The weathered picture of her probably did not resemble her anymore, but they still produced it in the hope that someone might recognize her. Most people did not seem interested in their plight and answered quickly “no”.
    When they entered Ten Bells, it was a little cleaner and had some semblance of order, even a few interesting pictures hung on the walls.
    “A bourbon and soda please and…I have a picture of a young lady. She is my friend’s niece, and I am trying to locate her,” said Madeline.
    “She in some trouble, is she?” said a younger, handsome man, dressed well with a rugged, muscular physique.
    “No—not at all—we have some good news for her and, we are hoping to find her soon.”
    “As you might expect, there are a hundred girls that come in here that could fit that description. I don’t remember all their names, but I’ll keep a look out for her if you want to leave your contact information.”
    Madeline hesitated, then thought that he looked like a fine young man, and she would have to       trust him. She might have to trust many people if they were going to have a chance at finding Polly.
    “My name is Madeline,” she said as she scrawled her contact at the Hotel George.
    “I’m Patrick, Patrick Rooney,” he said.
    “Thank you for agreeing to look for her. I know it’s an imposition, but we feel an urgent need to find her, especially with this murderer in the area. I thought I would see that the people would be frightened by the news of Jack, but they seem to exhibit no fear of him.”
    “Mum, the people that come here, they have no hope. Their life scares them more than their death.”
    “What an awful thought, but I see the look on their faces as if they are all wandering in a desert with no purpose.”
    “I wouldn’t like to be a woman in these parts right now. I promise you, I will try to help you.”
    “Madeline, I think we are ready to return. We made a good start. If you decide to join us, we will go again tomorrow,” said Anna.
    “I agree, but I don’t think there is any time to waste. We should go back at midnight to the Ten Bells. Phillip lives on Stoney Lane. Is that anywhere near here?”
    “Yes, it is near Petticoat Market, but what are your