Red Dog Conspiracy: A Noir Future Steampunk Crime Family Saga

After dinner, Tony read in his study by the fire, while I sipped sherry and thought.

There were too many questions.

Why were people so interested in my activities? Morton practically confessed to following me. Mrs. Clubb had lookouts for me. Jack had the map room watched.

Although … Jack Diamond didn’t know it was I in his map room, or he wouldn’t have stopped searching so soon.

I smiled, wondering what he did think. Some woman from Hart quadrant sneaking around, pretending to be an outsider, asking about a building next to his Party Time factory.

Oh, dear. Sooner or later he'd make the connection. I hoped Jack didn’t increase the guards around the factory.

Having the blueprints would help a great deal. But even assuming Morton was serious about accompanying me, we knew nothing about the guards and their number.

These blueprints fascinated me, yet I knew nothing about the mechanisms they held. This led me to a second question, which perhaps Tony might answer. “How is Party Time made?”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s a series of chemical steps.” Tony put a bookmark in his book, then went to his desk for paper, taking a fountain pen from his vest pocket. “It begins as a plant: its leaves are crushed and treated.” Using his book as a base to write upon, he began to draw, and I peered over his shoulder in excitement.

But he began speaking of things I didn’t understand. He drew lines and letters as he talked, making many shapes, and arrows which went from one shape to another. I wanted to know, so I felt discouraged and frustrated at not understanding his words, which gave me little insight. Neither Roy nor Molly gave me this information, or even knowledge of the notations Tony made.

“I’m impressed with your knowledge.” I felt mortified by my ignorance of something so vital to the Business. Perhaps Roy considered a Pot rag too ignorant to learn this.

My eyes stung at that thought, but I took a deep breath and forced the feelings away, keeping my voice light. “It looks quite complicated.”

Tony put the paper aside, then capped his pen and returned it to his vest pocket. “I’ve never made it myself, but I must know how it’s made, so I can oversee the workers and give advice if needed.” He paused for several seconds. “A few of these reagents can be explosive if mixed in large amounts.”

“Why do you mention that?”

“If the men who attacked intended to kill me, they could have set the factory to explode when we entered. Or shoot me in that ambush, now that I think of it. Six men, aiming at me … one of those bullets would have hit true.”

I felt horrified. “So why attack with pipes instead?”

“That is the question. To distract us?”

To distract us. From what? What were they really doing?

The fire crackled. It struck me how quiet Roy had been these past weeks. “What has your father been doing?”

“I sent him to find our missing guards,” Tony said, “with strict instructions to torture no one, but to bring any suspects to me.”

My heart began pounding in fear at the prospect of speaking to Roy in that manner. “You have courage.”

Tony shook his head. “I almost died the other day.” He paused, then spoke slowly, gazing at the floor. “I can no longer allow my life to toss in the wind, as if I had all eternity.”

He straightened, staring straight ahead. “And I refuse to be dictated to by a man who holds neither love nor respect for me, but enjoys finding ways to cause me pain.” He turned to me with determination in his eyes. “If my father wants me to become his heir, he must pay me heed. Otherwise I will take you and leave Bridges, and he can find another heir. I will no longer be treated like a child in my own home.”

Tony risked his life … confronted Roy Spadros … for us?

A burden lifted from my heart, and I felt as if I saw my husband for the first time. Tony was no longer a boy frightened of his father, who I must protect out of fear for his life. Somehow, without my knowing it, he became a man, with the strength to stand up to a man who terrified an entire city.

I took his face in my hands and kissed him, my heart full. Then I gazed into his eyes; this was the first time I felt real love for him. “I have never felt such pride in you. You are truly a man worthy of respect.”

Tony took my hands and drew me to sit upon his lap, and this night, I don’t recall thinking of Joseph Kerr once.

* * *

When I woke, I regretted that. I felt I had betrayed Joe.

It made no rational sense. Yet I wasn’t happy. Joe wasn’t happy: I could see it in his eyes.

I didn’t want to love Tony.

I never wanted to love Tony, and when the servants left me alone for a moment, I wept in frustration at the cage I was in through no fault of my own.

Why couldn’t Tony be repulsive, or cruel, or evil? Why couldn’t I hate him for what his father had done to me?

* * *

There were two notes in my mail. The first read:

Mrs. Helen Hart presents her compliments to Mrs. Spadros, and will have much pleasure in accepting her kind invitation to luncheon at the Spadros Women’s Club on the 30th of January.

Which was two days from now.

The note was, again, not quite Mrs. Hart’s writing, so I took it to be from Morton and Zia.

The second note had no return address and read:

Dock 21

This appeared to be in Morton’s handwriting, on the same paper as the first note. I put the notes in my dresser and locked it, then returned to my seat and pretended to read the newspaper.

So we were to rescue David Bryce, if possible, in two days.

This was bigger than any case I had ever done, and much more dangerous. I took a deep breath and put the paper down, trying to stop my hands from shaking.

Morton planned to sail across the river to the Diamond quadrant. Putting on Zia’s uniform would be a good disguise. Getting to the Party Time plant would be easy, once I was in the Diamond quadrant proper. Getting into the plant itself would be more difficult.

David Bryce might be injured, or afraid, and we had not met since he was two years old. How might I win the child’s trust? How would I get him out of the building if he couldn’t walk? What doctor could I bring him to — if he needed medical attention — that would be discreet? What would I say to Mrs. Bryce if he were dead, or so badly hurt that his life was in question?

Not knowing Morton’s true motive frightened me. Could I trust he merely wanted to rescue the boy? What if his goal was to put me in a compromising situation?

Jacqueline Spadros, captured infiltrating the Diamond Party Time plant. That would send ripples through the city even Roy wouldn’t be able to solve.

“Your bath is ready,” Amelia said.

I let Amelia undress me. “Do you remember the first time I was brought here?” Amelia was a scullery maid then; I suppose she never thought she would rise so far.

“Yes, mum.”

“I had never taken a bath. I thought you tried to drown me.”

Amelia’s eyes widened. “Well, that explains why you fought.”

It was a revelation: I fought, and I was right to. This made me feel strong.