Only the Thunder Knows_East End Girls (9 page)

Chapter

14

All good
things must eventually come to an end.

Immersed
in the nefarious underworld of bodysnatching and murder in an attempt to supply
the surgeons with their cadavers – not to mention the daunting task of keeping
their golden secret hidden from Black and Da Vine – it was only a matter of
time before Burke and Hare were brought to justice to answer for their heinous
crimes.

No
matter how clever Billy and William believed they were, or how careful they
thought they were being, the net was slowly closing in on them. Despite it
being the Christmas season, public outrage was at an all-time high, and there
were eyes and ears in every graveyard and on every street corner anxious to lay
claim to the rewards the police offered for information leading to the arrest
of the ‘
resurrectionists.
’ Ironically, it wouldn’t be the cemetery
guards or the police constables who would ultimately trigger their undoing – it
would be a roomful of student doctors.

Burke
and Hare let their greed get the better of them and they ended up killing an
eighteen-year-old young man by the name of James Wilson. Wilson was a simpleton
with a deformed foot but he was well liked by the locals for telling riddles
and jokes to the neighborhood children. Daft Jamie, as he was called, was well
known throughout the Westport area, and when his dead body turned up on Dr.
Knox’s dissection table a few nights later, several doctors and members of the student
audience immediately recognized the poor boy.

It
didn’t take long for the police to become involved, and once they got their
hands on Robert Knox, he was happy to explain to them who it was that had been supplying
his surgical school with Daft Jamie and the other bodies. Naturally the good
doctor claimed he had no idea where the corpses had come from or any knowledge
of wrongdoing and promised to help their investigation all he could. The police
may or may not have believed Knox, but in the end they didn’t care – they
finally had their men.

And
Burke and Hare were suddenly in big, big trouble…

*  
*   *

Edinburgh
Prison near the top of Calton Hill was a terrible place. It was old and
crumbling, with most of the stone cell walls covered in mold or moss from the
constant moisture in the air. There were heavy iron bars on the windows, of
course, but no glass to keep the howling wind and rain outside where it
belonged, the fog rolling into the tiny rooms thick enough that the prisoners
needed to feel their way around some nights just to find their cot.

The
police had separated Burke from Hare the minute they’d been dragged here from
the pub, kicking and screaming their innocence all the way, and William had no
idea which cell his friend was being kept in. He’d tried calling out to Billy
several times that first night, but the only responses he’d gotten were from
other prisoners telling him to shut his gob and go to sleep. It had been two
full days and nights since William had seen anyone other than the same foul-mouthed
fat man who brought him a bowl of cold porridge each morning and a stale
sandwich made from some kind of greasy grey meat for supper. Eventually he’d
have to see a lawyer or judge, he supposed, but for the time being the powers
that be seemed content to just let him rot.

On
the third morning of his incarceration, William’s nasty guard forgot to bring
his gruel altogether, instead showing up hours later with the first bit of
information shared with Hare since his arrival. Unfortunately, the news was
grim.

“Hey,
Cockbreath?” the jailer said, “Just heard they’re gonna give yer neck a bit of
a stretching, they are! Soon as they can get the gallows ready, I’m told.”

“Hang
me? Without even having a trial? They can’t do that…can they?”

“They
can do any damn thing they want, mate. Who in blazes do you Irish bastards
think you are, anyway? The rope’s too good for the likes of you two animals,
they ask me. I’d just slit yer throats and be done with it.”

William
knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere by talking with this brute so he decided
to try and change the conversation.

“When
can I speak to a lawyer? Surely I’ll be allowed to—”

“A
lawyer? For a senseless prick like you? Everyone already knows you’re guilty.
Why would they give you a lawyer?”

While
William tried to come up with a suitable answer to that, the guard started to
laugh, slapping his dirty palms on the wooden part of the door and grunting
like he’d never said anything so funny.

“Just
pulling yer leg, you silly toff. ‘Course you’ll get to see a lawyer, for a’ the
good it’ll do. Before that, though, you’ve got a visitor.”

“Who?”
William asked.

“Some
woman. Probably your wife comin’ to say good riddance. Don’t know. Don’t care. I
was just told to come and get ya.”

The
guard unlocked the door and stepped into the room carrying a pair of rusty
shackles to put on William’s ankles and wrists.

“Try
anything funny and I’ll bash yer brains out right here and now and save a’body
the bother of a fancy trial, hear?”

William
nodded and let the boorish guard do his work, the whole time trying to
understand why Maggie would be coming here to see him. With all the trouble
Billy and he were in, he’d thought she was probably the last person to ever
willingly come for a visit. People might start wondering how much she knew
about the bodysnatching and the murders, and if maybe she was involved in the
crimes and deserved to be sitting in a jail cell alongside him.

“Right
then,” The jailer said. “Steady as she goes…”

William
hobbled out the cell and moved down the damp stone corridor as quickly as his
shackles allowed. The guard poked and prodded him from behind through what
seemed like a maze of tunnels, but eventually William was herded into a clean,
wooden-floored room with a desk and two chairs. Sunlight and a refreshing cool
breeze blew in through the open window set high on the outside wall. He was
roughly shoved into one of the chairs and left in irons for whatever was about
to happen.

“Sit
there and keep yer trap shut. Someone will bring her in soon.”

William
ended up having to wait nearly half an hour for his visitor, but that was fine.
He still wasn’t sure what he was going to say to Maggie and it was far nicer
here in this room than in his cold, dark cell. When the meeting room door
finally creaked open, William turned expecting to see Maggie’s angry face,
furious with him for what he’d done, but he was wrong. It wasn’t his wife
sitting down across from him after all.

It
was Magenta Da Vine.

Out
of the frying pan…into the fire
, William thought, his heart leaping
into his throat.
Why would she be here?

Da
Vine sat in silence, a slight smile on her ruby-red lips, but her eyes were
dark and brooding, perfectly relaying her mood to William without having to say
a word. Outwardly she appeared calm and in control, but inside she was mad as
hell. The actress had toned down her sexuality for today’s visit, wearing only
a touch of makeup and a simple brown dress buttoned all the way up to her
collar. She was still a beautiful, full-figured woman, but just not as boldly stunning
and noticeable as usual. William tried his best to meet her gaze but found it
nearly impossible to do. Instead, he asked the question he’d had on his mind.

“What
are you doing here, ma’am? Not exactly the kind of place for a refined lady
such as yourself.”

“I
could ask you the same, William. What are
you
doing here?”

“Well…it’s
not like the coppers gave me much of a choice, did they?”

“How
could you have been so bloody stupid? Even I had heard about Daft Jamie…did you
really think he wouldn’t be missed?”

William
didn’t see any reason to lie or make up stories around Da Vine so he answered
her honestly. “The simpleton was Billy’s fault, no’ mine. He was dead before I
even got home. I just helped take him to the surgeon.”

“You
were
supposed
to be out digging in Calton Cemetery for me, or had you
forgotten about that?”

“‘Course
not. We didn’t…”
need to
William nearly said, but caught himself. “We
just didn’t want to, I guess. Dr. Knox was paying us a lot more than you, see,
and I had a sore back from a’ the digging and umm…” He was rambling and
couldn’t think of anything else to say so he stopped right there, unable to
look at the actress’ face.

She
gasped, seeing through his lie in an instant.

“You
found it, didn’t you?”

This
time he did look up. “Found what? We didn’t even know what we we’re supposed to
be looking for.”

“But
you found it anyway. Where is it?”

“I
don’t know what you’re on about, lady. Billy and I haven’t found anything but
old dried-up bones. That’s a’ there is in those fields.”

Da
Vine looked at William long and hard. “Well then…I suppose there’s no sense in
us continuing this relationship, is there? Consider yourself fired. I can
always find other men who know how to work a shovel.”

William
couldn’t help but to laugh at that one.

“Fired?
Ha! If you hadn’t noticed, being unemployed isn’t exactly my biggest worry these
days.”

“That’s
true, but seeing as you’ve no interest in digging for me anymore I’ve really
got no reason to stop them from taking you to the gallows. Enjoy your day, Mr.
Hare. Sorry things didn’t work out between us. I had such high hopes…”

The
actress stood up and started heading for the door.

“Hold
on…don’t be running off like that. You’re saying you can help Billy and me? You
can stop them from hanging us?”

“No…not
both of you. Someone has to pay for what you fools have done; the crown will demand
it, but I’ve always thought you had more brains than the rather vile Mr. Burke,
so I’m giving you the option. One of you can walk away from here, William.
Who’s it going to be?”

Billy
had been the best friend he’d ever had, but William didn’t even feel the need
to answer that last question. It was obvious who he was going to choose.

“How
can you get me out of here? It’s impossible.”

“Do
you honestly doubt me? If I say I can do something, it will be done.”

“Yeah…for
a price.”

“Of
course. There’s
always
a price to pay, silly. Give me what I want and
you’ll get your life back. Simple as that.”

“But
I don’t know what you want? I already told you—”

“You’re
wasting my time,” Magenta said, taking another two steps toward the door. “You and
your mate can rot in Hell together. Goodbye, William.”

“
WAIT!
Don’t leave. I…I might be able to help you.”

“Might’s
not good enough. Do you have what I want? Yes or no?”

“Yes.”

“Prove
it. Tell me what it is?”

“It’s
a cup, but not just any cup, right? The carpenter’s cup. The golden chalice. The
Holy Grail!”

Da
Vine looked shocked. “How do you know about the Grail?”

“I
may be a fool, ma’am, but I’m no’ an idiot. Mr. Black mentioned the Templars in
his sleep one night. He also mentioned the death of the carpenter. When Billy
and I found the golden cup cradled in the arms of a Templar Knight I put it all
together. The blood of Jesus was supposedly collected in a golden cup, and the
Templars are the protectors of the Grail so what else could it be?”

“Oh
you’re a smart one, William. At least you
think
you are. One question
though. Who’s Mr. Black?”

William
knew he’d slipped up by mentioning the sculptor but what did it matter now?
Things couldn’t get much worse than they already were. “Ambrosious Black. He
rents a room off Maggie and me. He’s looking for the Grail too.”

“Ahh…and
what does this Mr. Black look like?”

“He’s
an old man but strong as a bull. White hair, white beard. Hell, even white eyes
on the bugger. For a while Billy and I were afraid of him and his beastly white
owl.”

“As
you should be,” Da Vine said. “He’s a dangerous man. I knew it! I just
knew
he was here. So that’s what he’s calling himself these days, huh? Interesting.”

“You
know him?”

“Trust
me, Mr...
Black
and I go back a long ways together. Never mind him,
though. Where is it?”

“Where’s
what?”

The
smile was back on the actress’ face, but the hunger in her eyes had never
burned brighter. In a hushed voice she said, “Don’t toy with me, boy. My patience
is at an end. Where’s the Carpenter’s Cup?”

“Hidden
somewhere you’ll never find. Get me out of here and it’s yours. My life for
your precious Grail…deal?”

The
raven-haired actress looked William up and down, trying to determine if there
was any way he was lying to her. Satisfied he had to be telling the truth, she
walked back to the table and sat down.