Page 34

“Cheers.” He knocked back the contests of his glass and wished he could simply turn a blind eye to the horrors filling the cracks in the city’s foundation.

To do so, though, would leave the innocent vulnerable while keeping him from his sleep.

* * *

Intent on preempting Kendrick’s search of St. George’s, Samantha accompanied Adrian through the back streets they’d chosen to use to reach the hospital. This would diminish the chance of their being spotted and of anyone raising questions.

Thankfully, the night was darker than usual because of the heavy cloud cover and the lack of moonlight. Their footsteps were near silent against the ground. Just a low tap-tap and the occasional scrape of a heel could be heard.

They remained as close to the buildings as possible, melting into the shadows while moving at a brisk pace. The cool September air dampened the stench of refuse. Candlelight coming from one or two windows offered the only available light while the rest of the city slept.

Voices up ahead made them stop in their tracks. Adrian’s palm settled over Samantha’s back, the solid touch letting her know she wasn’t alone.

They edged forward until they reached an adjoining street. Looking down it, Samantha saw a group of figures moving away swiftly. Glass shattered as though they’d just tossed an empty bottle. Laughter followed, fading as the group disappeared into the darkness of night.

Something rustled to Samantha’s right. A clattering sound caught her ears. Then silence.

“Let’s go.” Adrian steered her toward the massive building that was their destination. They surveyed the hospital from the northeast corner. Only a few street lights were placed here, offering shadowy spots for them to hide as they approached.

Though St. George’s might not have as much staff on duty at night as it did throughout the day, its being a hospital meant it would not be without activity. Patients would still need treatment, possibly even emergency surgery.

To avoid the complication of running into other people, they snuck toward a series of ground level windows that sat near the rear of the building.

Having taken note of these windows when they’d been shown Mr. Booker’s body, it made sense that this particular part of the building would be vacant right now since the morgue was primarily used during the day.

When a quick check for possible lamplight confirmed this, Samantha crouched down and made a closer study of the first window which, as she’d hoped, was left ajar for the purpose of ventilation.

She felt her way around it until she found the stay, then pressed herself even closer in order to gain more access with her hand.

A slow and methodical movement allowed her to flip the stay upward. It fell away and the window nearly swung down over her wrist before she managed to catch the edge. To Adrian she said, “I’ll hold it open while you slide through.”

“I’m not letting you do all the work.” He squatted beside her and set his hand against the window. “Go on. Ladies first.”

She fought the urge to argue since that would just waste precious time. Instead, she lowered herself to her belly and slid her feet backward, under the gap her husband created. Her legs went down over the ledge, reminding her that there were at least another two yards before she reached the floor.

Scooting back farther, she kept on lowering herself until her entire body hung suspended, supported only by the forearms she rested against the windowsill. Darkness surrounded her on all sides. It almost felt as though she’d be dropping into a void once she let go.

Despite the experience at her back, she prayed there would be no obstructions beneath her and dropped, deliberately making sure her left leg took most of her weight. Relief swiftly replaced her concerns when she managed to move without pain shooting through her right knee.

Instead, she was overcome by a sudden wave of nausea thanks to the smell of chemicals and corpses permeating the air. It was somehow worse than the last time she’d been here.

“Everything all right?” Adrian asked from above.

“Yes. Your turn,” she hissed, fighting the urge to gag.

His feet produced a muted thud as he landed beside her.

Eager to get away from the bothersome smell, Samantha retrieved the candle she’d brought and lit it.

She moved her hand in a wide arc, allowing the light to fall on their closest surroundings.

It included a table upon which a human form lay, covered by a white sheet.

Samantha jerked back and suppressed a shudder, then sent the light in the direction of the hallway she recalled Ashburry leading them through. “This way.”

They started forward together, their intention to search all the rooms on this level since it seemed to be mostly unused during the night.

As such, it could have provided the very space a surgeon conducting experiments would require.

Equipment could have been smuggled down with relative ease, and since the morgue was also located here, those who died could have been disposed of with other corpses.

Although, Samantha reminded herself, Miss Griffin had been pulled from the river, not from an unmarked grave.

Everything about that suggested a hasty need to get rid of the body.

It wasn’t neat in the way it would have been had a grave-digger removed the corpse from the hospital under what he believed to be legal circumstances.

She frowned at the endless darkness looming ahead. “Something doesn’t add up.”

“What?”

“We’ll discuss it later. Since we’re here we might as well get the answers we’re after.”

They moved on, locating a series of rooms as they traversed the length of the building. Most were used for storage. A couple were entirely empty. One contained several large basins with lines strung under the ceiling for drying laundry.

They rounded a corner only for Samantha to leap back while grabbing Adrian’s arm and pulling him with her. She snuffed out the candle and pressed herself back against the wall. “Shush.”

Footsteps clicked as the person she’d spied came toward them. She sucked in a breath and held it, heard Adrian do the same at her side, and prayed whoever was coming this way was unaware of their presence.

The footsteps paused. “Henry, is that you?”

It sounded like the voice belonged to a young woman. The footsteps recommenced with greater hesitance than before.

“Stop teasing me, will you?” The woman’s voice trembled just enough to convey alarm. “You know I don’t like it down here on my own, so if it is you, please show yourself to me.”

Adrian’s hand caught Samantha’s, drawing her farther away from the corner. Something made a soft scraping sound and then she was being pulled backward, through a doorway and into an even darker abyss.

A soft tap followed as Adrian eased a door shut. Neither uttered a word for what felt like endless seconds. Her heart thumped heavily against her breast. Afraid of making the slightest sound, she didn’t so much as move a muscle while waiting to see if they would be followed.

“I think we’re safe,” Adrian eventually whispered.

Samantha expelled a deep breath and proceeded to relight the candle. She struck the flint and a flame burst to life, illuminating the space they were in: a stairwell with heavy stone steps leading deeper underground.

* * *

The surgeon glanced toward the patient. Mrs. Hughes was an older woman who’d been referred by Doctor Jobkin, one of the last remaining physicians in play, though there was a good chance even he had gone into hiding.

The letter the surgeon received from Jobkin that morning had said he intended to withdraw from medicine for a while.

He suggested the surgeon do the same. With Wentworth arrested, chances were he’d take the fall as intended.

Best not give Bow Street a reason to question whether or not they’d caught the right culprit.

The warning echoed Islington’s. By continuing, the surgeon put all of them at risk.

His being caught could lead to the group’s collapse as other names tied to the surgeon’s became the focus of a criminal investigation.

England could be set back decades in terms of medical advancements.

All because one person kept insisting they’d almost discovered medicine’s holy grail.

The only question was how many more people would have to die before that happened?

Meticulous records taken by the group’s members filled a collection of thick notebooks.

Careful preparations had been made before these findings were applied to people.

Of course there would be casualties. Such was the necessity of great discoveries.

But in time, with the right quantity of ingredients, fewer people would have to perish.

A quick review of the notes assured him he’d made the right adjustments since the previous attempt. The wary look in Mrs. Hughes’s eyes, however, was cause for some concern.

The surgeon turned to her with a friendly smile that would hopefully put her at ease. “You needn’t worry. The procedure you require won’t take long and will also be painless. I recommend you take a seat on the edge of the table so we can begin.”

“I, um…” She clutched her reticule with both hands but did as he asked.

“Yes?”

“Doctor Jobkin said I’d have no legal recourse should anything go wrong. On account of this not being done at a hospital.”

“Nothing will go wrong.” Damn Jobkin for putting doubt in the woman’s mind. “Rest assured, I know what I’m doing, Mrs. Hughes. And I’m only able to do it so cheaply because the hospital isn’t involved.”

“I just don’t understand what you stand to gain. Why you’re willing to help people like me for such a low fee.”

Another warm smile was directed toward her. “Because doing so is of greater value to me than money.”

This comment seemed to appease her. She offered a smile in return and relaxed her hold on her reticule. “You’re a good person. A pity there aren’t more like you.”

“Indeed.” The surgeon offered her the tincture that had been prepared. “Drink this. It will make you more comfortable.”

She took a deep breath and set her reticule aside so she could accept the glass. A sniff of the contents made her scrunch her nose. She thrust the glass toward him. “I’d rather not.”

Maintaining an amicable expression became a challenge. “It’s for your own good.”

“Smells like it contains cannabis. I’ve never reacted well to that.”

“I can assure you it won’t have the same effect when combined with the other ingredients.

In fact, it will aid me in my work by calming your nerves.

In other words, I won’t be able to do the procedure unless you agree to drink the tonic.

” The surgeon stepped back in order to give her space.

“Of course, if you’re having second thoughts, you’re welcome to take additional time to think this through, though I should warn you that this will place you at the end of the waiting list.”

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.” She took a deep breath. “I’ll drink so we can get this over and done with.”

She swallowed the contents of the glass. It would take a few minutes to work, upon which she’d be secured to the table. If all went well, the kidney stones she suffered from would be pulverized without her notice within the next hour.

This would confirm that the tincture used on Mr. Booker worked and that the process could be repeated. This time, however, the surgeon would make damn sure there was no risk of Mrs. Hughes telling anyone what had occurred here today.