Bric-a-Brac: A Haunting and Fantastical Collection of Bittersweet Supernatural Tales by Croft J. T

Author:Croft, J. T.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elmfire Press
Published: 2023-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘That was some performance,’ said Perry as he watched the outside world go by in the cab. Charlotte remained still beside him, engrossed in a newspaper they had picked up from a vendor in Whitechapel. A brief stop at her elegant townhouse to collect a few personal items and change into a new set of clothes was all that Perry would allow before they continued their journey.

‘Perhaps a lifetime of stage fright had prepared me for that moment. I confess my insides were somewhat at odds with my outward appearance. It seems rumours of my death did not make the early edition.’

‘I call it bravery,’ said Perry, ‘but I still think the price may be too high – what you are about to do may set off unforeseen consequences.’

‘You have the name of the killer, so you had best make the best use of it,’ she said, steadying herself as the cab rode a pothole. ‘After I return to the undertaker’s, my unpleasant part is over, and what happens at sunset with Flynn becomes your problem. In the meantime, it is up to you to apprehend him before or during my last performance.’

‘You still mean to go on?’ said Perry turning to see her resolved face. ‘That, Miss Bloom, is bravery.’

‘I do. It’s all I ever wanted, and I hope that I have time for one final encore.’ She pointed to a line in The Times newspaper. ‘I know the exact moment I will die – sunset is eight minutes past five o’clock this evening.’

Perry struggled internally; he had the information which could bring her life back, but how could he tell her there was still hope?

But at what cost to justice and the others whom Lord Kempton had cruelly taken? There was also the problem of having the Nightingale alive and seemingly without a murder victim from the night before. He looked long at her before she glanced away to see a crowd gathering around a young boy rapidly distributing pamphlets. In the short time in her presence, Perry had grown in admiration for the woman herself, and not the actress, distant and out of reach on a stage far away. His resolve wavered.

‘Charlotte, there’s something…’

At that moment, the cab slowed, allowing a large horse-drawn wagon to pull into the street. A small hand thrust a crudely printed pamphlet through the window. ‘News travels quickly when you know the right people,’ she said, handing him the flyer for her final career performance. ‘Let’s hope it reaches Kempton before he scurries off to France and escapes justice. I’m sorry, you were saying?’

The cab jolted forward with an apology from the driver, causing Perry’s umbrella to slip out of his hand. Whether he had been gripping it and its secret latch too firmly or not, the blade became free—much to Charlotte’s surprise.

‘You are full of secrets Mr Perry,’ she said.

Perry’s indecision passed, and he clicked the dagger back into its unassuming sheath. ‘I meant to say that I think you should have this, as a last means of defence, in case you are in danger.

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