CHAPTER 4 #2
“Ummm . . .” Quincy shuffled his feet. “Since Balliol’s copy is now missing, I pressed the under-librarian on what other collections might also possess one. He suggested checking the King’s Library, which is currently located at Buckingham House.”
“Thank you.” The young man had the instincts of a good sleuth. “That was excellent thinking.”
“D-Do you think it will help us catch the cold-blooded fiend who murdered Mr. Greeley, sir?”
Von Münch went very still and regarded the earl with an expectant look.
A good question. Wrexford pocketed the slip. “As to that, perhaps you should go to the Radcliffe Library and search through the alchemy collection for instructions on how to brew a potion for good luck.”
For I have a feeling that we are going to need all the luck we can muster to solve this crime.
* * *
Raven put down the platter of ginger biscuits that he had filched from the kitchen, and after gobbling two of them, he began to strip off his shirt.
“It’s dark enough for us to move unseen through the streets, and m’lady is working on a drawing, so let us head off to make some inquiries among our friends near Maudslay’s ruined laboratory. ”
Peregrine watched Hawk hurry from the schoolroom into one of the adjoining rooms and begin rooting around under his bed for his sack of ragged clothing.
“I’m coming with you,” he said.
“Absolutely not.” Raven kicked off his moleskin breeches and wriggled into a pair of foul-smelling canvas pants.
“Fawwgh.” Peregrine held his nose. The odor also woke Harper, who gave a canine sneeze. It was truly disgusting.
“Why not?” demanded Peregrine.
“Because of the new house rule,” replied Hawk as he adjusted the brim of his filthy hat.
“After your new guardian gave his permission for you to stay with us this month, m’lady gave strict orders that you aren’t to accompany us into the stews.
She feels a responsibility to your family to keep you safe from scandal. ”
“Your lordly reputation would be in tatters if you’re recognized dressed as a filthy gutter rat,” pointed out Raven, “and Eton might give you the boot.”
“I hate being a lord,” retorted Peregrine, eyeing their rags with longing.
“Life isn’t always fair,” observed Raven. He looked at his brother. “Ready?”
A nod.
“Actually, there’s something very important that you can do here,” said Hawk after scrambling out to the window ledge. The night breeze rustled through the twines of ivy.
Peregrine squared his shoulders. “Just name it.”
“Keep Harper from eating the rest of the ginger biscuits.”
* * *
A short while later, the Weasels had made their first discovery.
After asking around among their urchin friends, they had learned that Billy Bones and Carrot-Top, two lookouts for a gambling ring from Seven Dials, had been keeping watch on a dice game behind Maudslay’s laboratory on the night of the fire.
Another inquiry allowed them to track down the two boys in an alleyway near Cockpit Yard.
“Oiy, I saw da fella wot smashed a window and tossed the firebomb into the building,” said Billy Bones in answer to Raven’s question.
“Can you describe him?” asked Raven,
A shrug. “Naw—wuzn’t lookin’ at him.”
“Wot I can tell ye is that wuddever was in the bottles that he lit wiv da fuses, it weren’t no ordinary lamp oil,” piped up Carrot-Top. “When he tossed dem through da broken window, the place exploded in a holy hell o’ flames.”
Raven and Hawk exchanged a sharp look.
“Which window of the building did the man break?” inquired Hawk.
“Not sure,” said Carrot-Top.
“Perhaps this will help you remember.” Raven held up a gold guinea.
Eyes widening, the urchins put their heads together and began a fierce exchange of whispers.
“If yer facing the back o’ the building from Cesspool Alley, it’s the second one in from the left,” said Billy Bones.
“You know that you’ll never get another farthing from us if you ain’t telling us the truth,” cautioned Raven.
“Oiy, we know,” said Carrot-Top. He held out his hand.
Raven tossed him the coin and then nudged his brother. “Let’s be off.”
They gained entrance to the ruins of Maudslay’s laboratory by crawling through a tiny gap beneath a shutter that had come loose on the undamaged back office.
“Sshhh,” warned Raven as Hawk took a step and a shard of burnt wood crunched under his boot.
“I’ll light the candle for just a moment, so we can pick a path through the rubble,” he whispered, opening the small folding metal lantern he had brought with him.
“It’s best we don’t keep it lit in case a night watchman walks by. ”
Steel struck flint, and a tiny flame flared to life. Raven studied the jumble of collapsed beams and tumbled brick, then blew it out. “Follow me.”
The half-collapsed roof let in a dribble of moonglow. Jagged shadows gave the interior a menacing look. Wraithlike shadows loomed in the vaporous murk, setting off ripples of dark and light. Moving stealthily, they made their way to the charred hellhole where the fire had started.
“Careful,” said Hawk as Raven sidled closer to the back wall. A glance up showed that the beam above them was tilted at a precarious angle. “What are we looking for?”
“You heard Carrot-Top. Whatever flammable substance was used to start the blaze, it was far more powerful than lamp oil. If we can find the bits of bottle glass, Wrex and Tyler may be able to identify the chemical residue on them. And that might give us a clue as to who is behind the arson.”
Hawk crept around a slew of broken bricks and crouched down beside his brother. They both began poking through the debris.
“We should hurry,” added Raven. A gust shivered through the dangling shingles, dislodging a crumbling of ashes and burnt bits of tar. From deep in the gloom came the groan of iron hinges swinging in the wind.
“Before what’s left of the building comes crashing down around our ears.”