Page 83 of Molly Boys

“Baxter has done irreparable damage to his body, so much that he no longer needs the serum. He has no control over when he shifts into his alter, the one he calls Mr Smith. In fact, I doubt he even has any recollection of the change at all.” Elias glanced over to the far wall underneath the overhanging platform, his gaze lingering on a huge silver-framed mirror.

“It doesn’t give you the authority to take him. I don’t even know who you are.”

“I’m sorry, Inspector, but this is no longer a matter for the police.” Elias turned to the others. “Get him to the boat.”

Archie frowned again when Lucien and Dante nodded and lifted the giant easily between them, as if he weighed no more than a regular man.

“Wait, no! Stop!” Archie tried to get up but he still had Everett’s unconscious form in his arms, and his head pounded from the gash at his temple. “He has to be punished.”

Elias followed his companions as they hauled Baxter away, but at Archie’s words he paused and turned back. “Inspector, if it brings you any comfort, I give you my word that he will be punished for the lives he’s taken. We’re going to take him somewhere he can’t harm anyone else.”

“Where are you taking him?”

Elias’ mouth curved into a slow smile. “To The Underside.”

“Wait!” Archie struggled to get up again. “The what?”

But it was too late; with Baxter’s prone form being carried between the two men Lucien and Dante, all of them headed into a corridor leading from the corner of the room and disappeared from view. Given that Elias had mentioned a boat, Archie could only conclude it led to some kind of concealed dock.

Archie shifted, prepared to move Ev to Dr Shaw’s care and haul his tired, aching body off the freezing floor to pursue the strange group, of people but Shaw’s words stopped him.

“Let them go,” Shaw said tiredly, his voice laced with pain.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, trying to absorb the enormity of what they’d both witnessed.

“I could really use a drink,” Shaw muttered and Archie huffed out a quiet laugh.

“Inspector!” A voice called out. “Inspector!”

Shaw and Archie turned their heads to watch as Merritt and Kips appeared at the top of the platform, followed by several other constables, all of them filing down the narrow spiral staircase.

“What happened?” Merritt rushed over as they reached the bottom of the steps, taking in the bleeding and unconscious lord wrapped up in Archie’s coat, then the wreckage in the room.

There was utter devastation everywhere. Tables and surgical trolleys were overturned and broken. Laboratory equipment lay smashed to pieces and scattered across the floor, puddles of strangely coloured liquids streaked across the floor, and in the corner lay the dead body of Edmund Baxter’s father.

Slowly, Merritt turned back to Archie, his expression slightly hurt. “You didn’t whistle.”

Shaw and Archie looked at each other and began to laugh before wincing in pain at the same time. Despite the instructions Archie had given his men upon entering the building, neither Shaw nor himself had been equipped with a whistle. Even if they had been, Archie wasn’t sure either of them would have had time to call for assistance.

Besides, given the strange events of the night, it was probably best that the two of them had been the only witnesses.

“Merritt, Kips, get Dr Shaw transported to the infirmary and be careful. He has a broken leg.” Archie was exhausted down to his bones but he knew his men were looking to him for instruction.

In the end, they had to winch a rather disgruntled Dr Shaw to the top of the platform using the cage and crank. He was taken to the nearest hospital to have the bone of his leg set, no doubt grumbling all the way.

Richard Lowcroft had been called to the scene in the absence of Dr Shaw to remove the body of Harold Baxter to the mortuary. Lowcroft had been shocked at first, which then transformed to anger. Archie wasn’t sure if he was cross his mentor had been injured or that he’d been excluded from the whole incident.

While the rest of the scene had been documented by several of Archie’s more seasoned constables in attendance, Archie had had no choice but to relinquish his grip on Everett to two of his senior constables who would see he was delivered safely back to his home to rest. He would have rather carried him out of that miserable place himself, but he couldn’t treat him different from any other victim without raising suspicion.

That left Archie standing amid the wreckage of Edmund Baxter’s laboratory, wondering how the hell he was going to explain all this to his superiors. For one moment, he really wished for that drink Shaw had mentioned.

24

Archie stared at the piece of paper in front of him, his hand poised above the blank report. Beyond tired and frustrated, he set his pen down and raked his hand through his hair, wincing when he caught the fresh, barely sealed cut at his temple. He still hadn’t managed to see Everett. He’d been torn the night before between having to let Everett out of his sight and not being able to show his concern, knowing he’d come so close to losing him. It was a stark reminder of how untenable their situation really was.

Henry had sent word that his lordship was home safely and resting. That at least had given Archie some measure of comfort. With no other choice, Archie had locked down his worry and frustration and turned to the most pressing matters. Like how he was going to explain the events of the night to his superiors when he barely understood them himself.

He looked up as the door to his office opened and Shaw appeared. He looked exhausted and was leaning heavily on a pair of crutches, his leg splinted and bandaged to the knee.