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FIFTY-ONE

I ’ll wait for ye here, sir.” The driver looked down from the box. “My boy, Tom, will give ye a hand with the crate. I’ll stay with the carriage. This neighborhood looks to be on the shady side.”

Cobb glanced around uneasily. It was nearly midnight.

The darkened warehouse loomed in the foggy moonlight.

There was no one else in sight and no reason to suspect that anyone had gotten to the drugs.

His business in London had been successful, he reminded himself.

There had been only the one problem with Hubbard but in the end that had proven manageable.

Everything else had gone according to plan.

“We’ll need a lantern,” Cobb said.

“Got one right ’ere, sir,” Tom said.

He grabbed the lantern and vaulted down from the box. A wiry lad of about thirteen or fourteen, he looked strong enough to handle one end of the crate. He was eager to claim the extra tip that Cobb had promised to pay.

“This won’t take long,” Cobb said.

With Tom beside him, he started toward the warehouse entrance.

Logic told him that everything was under control but he could not escape the uneasy sensation that had gripped him all day.

But it would all be over soon. The Atlantic sailed for New York tomorrow.

He and Valerie and the crates of drugs would be on board.

One thing was certain, he was never going to pay another visit to London. He detested the damned place.

Tom stopped at the door. “All locked up nice and tight, I see. Reckon whatever you’ve got stored inside must be valuable.”

The curiosity in the boy’s voice sent another shiver of unease through Cobb. What if the boy and his father conspired to murder him and steal the drugs? It was something he would certainly consider if he were in their shoes.

He reminded himself that he had chosen the carriage at random from the long row of cabs waiting in front of the hotel. There was no possibility that Tom and his father knew who he was or what he intended.

“The crates we’re picking up tonight contain some fabric samples that I’m taking back to New York,” he said.

“Fabric, eh?” Tom’s enthusiasm faded. “Probably just as well ye locked up the goods. There’s people who’ll steal anything, even fabric samples. My pa says the world is a dangerous place for an honest man.”

“Your father is right.”

Cobb took the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Darkness and the scent of the drug spilled out of the interior. He stood back.

“You go first,” he said to Tom. “You’ve got the lantern.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tom held the lantern high and moved through the doorway. “It’s bloody damned dark in here, ain’t it? Do ye suppose there’s ghosts?”

Cobb reached into his pocket and closed his hand around the gun. He glanced warily at the crate that held Hubbard’s remains. Had he been careful when he checked the body to make certain there was nothing that could tie the dead man to him? He had been in a hurry that night.

“No such thing as ghosts, boy,” he said aloud.

“That’s not what my ma says. She went to one of those séances the other night and talked to the spirit of her sister, Meg. Aunt Meg died a year ago. Never told anyone where she hid her teapot. My ma looked all over for it. But Meg’s ghost couldn’t remember where she put it.”

“I told you, there are no ghosts,” Cobb snarled.

Tom flinched.

“Yes, sir,” he whispered. He looked around. “Smells bad, don’t it? I’ll wager there’s a dead rat around here somewhere.”

And suddenly Cobb was very certain that he ought to take a look inside the crate that held Hubbard’s body. He needed to be sure that he had not made any mistakes. But he could not allow Tom to see the corpse.

“Give me the lantern,” he ordered.

Tom handed him the lantern.

“Wait over there by that stack of empty crates,” Cobb said.

“Yes, sir.” Tom wrinkled his nose and hurried across the room. “Must have been a real big rat.”

Cobb went to the crate that held Hubbard. He would just take a quick look, he assured himself. Make sure the body hadn’t been disturbed.

He set the lantern on top of a nearby crate. He could feel the boy watching him. Probably thinks I’m crazy. But there was no help for it. He had to be sure.

He got the lid of the crate open. The odor of death abruptly got stronger but Cobb barely noticed. It was not the first time he had encountered it.

He stared down at Hubbard’s body. It was just as he had left it, he concluded. Relief pulsed through him. He started to go through Hubbard’s clothing. He heard the boy moving about behind him.

“I’ll just be a moment,” he said, not bothering to turn around. “Then we’ll take the crates and leave.”

“Your hired killer had a card from your hotel tucked into his shoe.”

The voice came out of the shadows, startling Cobb so badly he dropped the lid of the crate. He yanked the gun out of his pocket and whirled around.

At first he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. The boy had vanished. Then he heard harsh, frightened breathing coming from behind a stack of crates. Tom was hiding. Not that the boy mattered now. It was the voice in the shadows on the far side of the warehouse that rattled Cobb’s nerves.

“Who are you?” he grated. “Where are you? Show yourself.”

“I trust you are not going to panic.” The figure moved out of the darkness, pausing at the very edge of the glary light cast by the lantern. “I came here to discuss a business venture with you. Now that Fulbrook is no longer involved, I am hoping that you will be interested in a new partner.”

Cobb struggled to make sense of what was happening. “Who are you?”

“Roxton.”

“So you’re the bastard Valerie told me about—the one who took an interest in the stenographer’s death. What do you want?”

“Yours is a simple, straightforward business plan. You intend to build a monopoly based on the ambrosia plant drug. You came here to close down the British end of the business. You will return to New York with everything you need to cultivate, harvest and concoct the drug in all its various forms. All you required are some specimens or seeds and an expert gardener who knew how to obtain the drug from the plant. Lady Fulbrook.”

“You seem to know a great deal about my business affairs.”

“I did my research.”

“How did you discover Hubbard’s body?” Cobb demanded. “There were no witnesses that night. I’m certain of that.”

“London is my city. I know my way around.”

Cobb gave that some thought. “I notice that you did not go to the police with your discovery.”

“Why would I risk losing what promises to be a golden business opportunity? I will admit that I’m curious about why you got rid of Hubbard. He was, after all, the only person you could trust in London.”

“Hubbard became a liability after he failed to get rid of you,” Cobb said.

“I thought that might have been the case. He was useful, though, at least for a time. He took care of the people who knew about Fulbrook’s connection to you. But with Hubbard gone, you had to take care of Fulbrook, yourself, last night.”

“You know far too much about my private affairs,” Cobb said. “Are you one of Fulbrook’s associates from the club?”

“Fulbrook and I were not friends and we did not do business together. But, yes, I know a great deal about your affairs.”

“And now you want to take his place as my British business partner.”

“I don’t see why we can’t double our profits with greenhouses and distribution routes in both countries. I can handle the Continent and the Far East. You will have all of America under your control.”

“Where are your enforcers?” Cobb asked. “I saw no sign of them outside and you seem to be alone in here. Except for the boy, of course.”

“You’re here on your own, are you not? You murdered the one enforcer who could have covered your back.”

“So you came here alone.” Cobb snorted softly. “You bloody English. So damned arrogant.”

“You’re the stranger in town, Cobb, not me. We both know that from this distance and in this poor light, there is very little chance that you could even nick me, let alone get off a killing shot.”

Cobb tightened his grip on the gun. If only the bastard would step into the circle of light.

“Let’s discuss this bargain you’re suggesting,” he said. “You do realize that you lack what you will need to cultivate the plants successfully?”

“A few packets of seeds and the horticultural knowledge of how to grow the plants and process them into drugs? You’re wrong, Cobb. You see, Lady Fulbrook was not the only person who possessed that knowledge.”

“Yes, I know. The Clifton woman contacted me, or should I say, Mr. Paladin. Told me that she had observed Valerie for months and acquired the skills needed to cultivate the plants. She claimed to have packets of ambrosia seeds. Wanted to establish a partnership of sorts. But she is dead and the information died with her.”

“That is not true. Miss Clifton was a very fine stenographer. Do you know what that means?”

Cobb felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. “She was just a secretary.”

“Anne Clifton recorded every detail of how to grow and process the plants in her stenographer’s notebook. You may be interested to know that notebook is now in my possession.”

“Even if you’re telling the truth, you’d need the seeds or several specimens to grow a large quantity of the herb.”

“Ah, yes, the seeds. Presently they are in safekeeping along with the notebook.”

Cobb thought of Valerie na?vely allowing her secretary to observe her in the greenhouse and the stillroom.

He wanted to crush someone—preferably Valerie.

But if he got out of this situation he would need her, at least until he had established the plant in his New York greenhouse and set up the laboratory.

“The stupid woman,” he said. “I should have known better than to get involved in a business arrangement with a female.”

“Your hotel kindly informed me that the American businessman staying with them intends to leave tomorrow. I knew that you would not be able to resist returning here tonight to check on the body and pick up the crates.”

Cobb got a cold feeling in his stomach. “How could you know that?”

“You’re a crime lord operating on unfamiliar territory. That makes your actions astonishingly simple to predict.”

“You son of a bitch. You can’t prove any of it.”

“I don’t have to prove a thing, remember? I’m not from Scotland Yard. I’m just a businessman.”

The situation had deteriorated into a disaster, Cobb thought.

He should have cut his losses yesterday.

Coming here tonight for the crates of processed drugs had been a mistake.

Roxton was right—he was operating on unfamiliar territory and that was dangerous.

He had to get out of London. If he could just get on board the ship he would be safe.

He glanced toward the door. The carriage was waiting outside. He started making plans. The boy knew too much now. He would have to die. But meanwhile he would serve as a hostage long enough to force the father to drive him to a safe neighborhood.

Yes, that strategy would work. But first he had to get rid of Slater Roxton.

“You’re serious about a partnership?” he said.

“Why else would I be here? I could have taken the crates of drugs. You would never have known the identity of the thief.”

“Yet here you are, offering a partnership. I’m starting to believe that what Fulbrook said about you is true—you are a little mad. Something to do with having spent a year stranded on an island, they say.”

“I’ve heard those rumors about me, as well. Might be something to them. After all, how does one know if one is mad? But when it comes to arrogance, you take the prize, Cobb.”

“What are you talking about?”

Slater walked out of the shadows, moving a short way into the light. His hands were empty. Cobb breathed a sigh of relief.

Very casually Slater reached out to grip one of the hoist ropes that dangled from the loft.

“Some would claim that murdering a high-ranking gentleman like Fulbrook requires a breathtaking degree of arrogance,” he said.

Cobb smiled. “Killing Fulbrook was very easy.”

“Was it?”

“I waited for him outside his house in Mapstone Square. When he came down the front steps I followed him and cut his throat.”

“I see. Can I ask why you are telling me this now?”

“Because I am not looking for a business partner.”

Cobb raised the gun and prepared to pull the trigger.

But Slater was already tugging hard on the length of rope that dangled from the loft.

Cobb was focused on the kill. He never saw the heavy rope net fall out of the loft until it landed on top of him. The weight of it took him off balance and off his feet.

He yelled, reflexively pulling the trigger. The revolver roared but the shot went wild. Cobb struggled in the snare. He succeeded only in becoming more entangled in the web of thick rope.

The warehouse was suddenly filled with constables who appeared from the interiors of several crates and descended from the loft. One man in a suit and tie walked toward Cobb.

“Did you hear enough, Detective Inspector?” Slater asked.

“More than enough,” the detective said. He reached through the netting and collected the revolver.

“Plenty of witnesses heard this man’s confession, as well.

Mr. Cobb, I am placing you under arrest for the murder of Lord Fulbrook and the American named Hubbard.

There will be other charges, as well. Someone’s got to answer for the deaths of Rosemont, Wyatt and Anne Clifton. ”

There was a sudden disturbance in the doorway. A light appeared.

“What’s going on in here?” the cab driver shouted. “Tom. Tom, are you all right? Where are you, son?”

Slater went to where he had hidden Tom a few minutes earlier.

“You can come out from behind the crate, Tom,” he said. “You’re safe.”

Tom jumped to his feet. He took in the scene with an awed expression. Then he ran to his father.

“That man, the one that was going to pay us so much to haul the crate to the ship, I heard him say he cut someone’s throat,” Tom said.

The driver pulled Tom close against his side. “There, there, son, looks like the police have him in hand.”

Slater walked across the floor through the lantern light and stopped a short distance from Cobb.

“Bastard,” Cobb hissed.

“Welcome to London,” Slater said.