Red Dog Conspiracy: A Noir Future Steampunk Crime Family Saga

Blitz Spadros was Tony's cousin, our night footman, and sometimes (during the day) played piano in Vig's bar. "I could ask the same of you," he said. "I'm supposed to be protecting you. But I find you here. Why are you here, Mrs. Spadros?"

"That's none of your concern."

"I must be particularly inept at speaking tonight, because you're not understanding me. My entire concern is where you are, and more to the point, why you're here."

"Why do you care?"

"I thought it would be obvious. My loyalty is to the Spadros Family." He paused. "Who is your loyalty to, Mrs. Spadros?"

I pushed past him, and he grabbed my arm. "You haven't answered me."

I turned to him, and the lamp down the hall illuminated his face. "I'm sorry you don't trust me, Blitz. I'm not doing anything to hurt my husband, or to hurt the Family. I'm only meeting with a friend."

He let go of my arm. "Meet with your friend, then."

I went to Vig's room and knocked. The brown-haired woman Vig called "Gypsy gal" answered, gesturing for me to come inside. Blitz stood outside, arms folded; she shut the door in his face.

"I have dress for you," she said, bringing out one of hers.

"I don't know your name," I said. "Vig called you —"

"Vig call me all sort of name," she said, as if irritated at him. "But I'm Natalia." She began helping me out of my dress.

"A pleasure to meet you, Natalia. Where are you from?"

"I'm of the Romani. We travel. But we're here long before the Troubles."

I frowned, not understanding.

"Ah, you call it Catastrophe." She paused, pensive. "Yes, my people say it very bad." She paused. "Like that name he call me," contempt laced her voice, "Gypsy. It be like 'Pot rag' —"

I flinched. Yes, I had heard that one enough times.

"Very bad." She tied a scarf on my hair. "There. You look like me, enough to fool cops." A shot rang out in the street behind me. "Now go."

"Thank you."

Vig's other door opened to the street, and I peered out. A figure lay several feet to my right. Sawbuck stood over it.

What the hell was Sawbuck doing here?

I ran to them; the figure on the ground was Marja. I stared at Sawbuck in horror. "Did you kill her?"

He shook his head. "I found her like this."

I knelt beside her; she still lived. "Marja, what happened? Who did this?"

She shuddered, a dark red pool spreading beneath her towards the curb. Her eyes filled with tears, then glazed over. "Ahhh ... Josie ...." She never breathed in.

I closed Marja’s eyes as grief crushed my heart. “Even dying, you loved her.” I looked at her face, vision blurring. I’ll keep Josie safe, Marja. I promise. I took Marja's hand, kissed it. “May you be dealt better cards next time.”

"We need to get out of here," Sawbuck said.

Who did this to her? Why? I searched Marja's pockets: nothing. But she held a crumpled paper in her hand, and I stuffed it into my pocket.

A gunshot. Whistles, from far off. Police hats bobbed far past Sawbuck, running towards us from beyond the front of the bar.

"Run!" Sawbuck grabbed my arm, and we ran around to the other side of the building. I noted a taxi-stand across the street, but we went round the second corner to the door I went in at first.

A shock of surprise as Morton ran up panting, eyes wide. "I saw her. The woman I told you about. She just shot at me!"

We sat in the carriage on the way to Jack Diamond's Party Time factory. Morton stared at the floorboards as he told his story.

"Zia and Frank brought me to a third-floor office with a name-plate on the door," Morton said. "Frank Pagliacci, Assistant to the District Attorney, Clubb quadrant. When we went in for the meeting, a woman with black hair sat behind the reception desk. He called her Birdie."

I stared at him, remembering Roy's story of the anonymous letter sent by a black-haired woman.

Sawbuck looked confused. "What woman?"

"Follow me." I ran to the door. I didn't know how they found me, but I had to get my dress back.

The men followed me inside. Vig's mother was nowhere to be seen, but a great commotion of police sounded to be in the front hall of the bar. Blitz leaned against the wall in the hallway, turning to face us as we entered. I opened the first door, surprising an unclothed couple, who after a glance, ignored me.

The next room was empty. "Go in there. I need to change clothes before they get here."

The men went inside. I ran to Vig's room, scooped up my dress, and hurried my way into it. After I put on my hat and veil, I shoved Natalia's dress under Vig's bed.

I sat on Vig's bed. So Tony set Blitz, Sawbuck, and Morton to follow me tonight. Why would he think I’d go anywhere?

I returned to the room and double-knocked. Blitz opened the door. "Come on in."

Sawbuck pointed a gun at Morton, who sat in a chair by the wall, an alarmed look on his face. "It seems Master Rainbow hasn't been entirely truthful. He knows Frank Pagliacci."

I went into the room. "Don't be ridiculous, there's no need for pointing guns. Master Rainbow told me this earlier. He's yet another of Frank Pagliacci's victims."

Morton looked dismayed at my analysis, as if he hadn't considered it that way before.

Sawbuck didn't budge. "When were you going to tell us this?"

"Come on, Master Hogan. Think. We have a bigger problem."

Sawbuck holstered his gun. "What?"

Blitz said, "Getting out of here, for one. It won't take long before the police start searching rooms."

I laughed in spite of myself. "Well, since the mayor's in the room next door, I hope they do. But that wasn't what I meant. I came to meet a friend who warned me my life was in danger," I told Blitz, "and Master Hogan here found her outside, shot dead."

Blitz was no longer smiling.

"Whoever shot her might still be out there," I said, in case they hadn't figured it out yet. Sure, it was Ma that Marja warned me about, but I didn't want to tell them about her.

Blitz said, "Why'd you come here to meet her? We could've had her brought to Spadros Manor."

I hadn't considered this, so I had to think fast. I remembered the taxi-stand across the street. "She was in Hart quadrant. Could you still have had her brought here?"

"Good gods," Sawbuck said. "I knew it was a mistake for Mr. Anthony to speak for Hart the night of the dinner." He twitched, then glanced at me. "Sorry, mum."

Somehow I felt unsurprised at his knowing this.

Blitz had been listening at the door. "I think they're gone; this might be our chance to escape." He opened the door a crack, then his hand jerked towards his revolver.

Natalia's face came into view. "Ah! There you are. The police are searching rooms. You," she gestured at Sawbuck, "take the lady. Come with me."

Sawbuck offered his arm to me and the others followed.

Natalia brought us back through the kitchen. But instead of leading us out of the side door, we turned left down another long hallway with windows to the right. Police filled the street, rushing to and fro. At the end of the corridor she pressed on a wall panel on the left, which clicked, opening onto a hidden door. I thought the door might lead to the lobby, instead it revealed a long flight of stairs headed down. "Go there, then right. At the end of the hall, go up. Knock three times. Tell them I sent you."

I handed her a dollar. "Thank you."

She winked. "You were never here."

We went down the stair; the panel clicked behind us.

The stair was narrow, yet well-lit, as was the corridor, which more than crossed the street. After going up the stair, Sawbuck knocked three times. The door opened; a man stood with a gun pointed at us. Sawbuck turned to me, face filled with alarm.

"Natalia sent us," I said. The man put away his gun.

I smiled to myself at the sighs of relief around me.

The man gestured for us to follow. We went through an ordinary-looking pantry, ending up in the back alley.

Once to our carriage, Blitz held out his hand, as Honor usually did, but I stopped, speaking quietly so the driver might not hear. “You men did your duty, and I’m grateful. But I’m worried about my husband's distress should he learn of this meeting. Is it necessary to tell him?”

Blitz looked to Sawbuck; apparently Morton had no say in the matter.

Sawbuck hesitated. "We'll say nothing for now. But if he finds you dressed in this fashion, or anyone comments on your absence, all bets are off."

I smiled. "Fair enough."

After helping me into the carriage, Blitz took his place in the back as our footman. Sawbuck and Morton sat silent.

Someone must have seen me leave the house: it was the only way they could've found me. I hoped it was one of these three.

Amelia claimed she never told Roy about my business or the times I went out at night. Tony claimed Sawbuck hated Roy; Morton (as far as I knew) never met him. That left Blitz Spadros. Who did he report to? "Should I expect a meeting with Mr. Roy?"

Sawbuck glanced at Morton. "A footman who betrayed his mistress would soon be out of a job. They report to me."

They reported to Sawbuck. And he didn't trust me. "I only want what's best for my husband."

"Then we're in perfect agreement," Sawbuck said.

At my insistence, Sawbuck stopped the carriage a block away so I might get in the house without notice. As I hoped, Tony wasn't home yet, only much later slipping into bed beside me.

I lay pretending to sleep as Tony tossed and turned, paced and mumbled to himself, yet I could only think of one thing: Marja was dead. And I couldn't help but feel I had something to do with it.