Reggiecide (Reeves & Worcester Steampunk Mysteries) by Chris Dolley

Author:Chris Dolley [Dolley, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Jeeves, Guy Fawkes, steampunk, Edwardian, Victorian, Wodehouse, Sherlock, humor, suffragettes, Reeves
Publisher: Book View Cafe
Published: 2012-10-08T00:00:00+00:00

Six

returned to the flat in a dark mood. How could we warn the police if no one believed us! And was that the reason such larger-than-life characters as Guy and Sir Roger had been recruited — to ensure any warning given to the authorities would be treated with ridicule?

And, to make matters worse, we’d run out of gin.

“Are you sure, Reeves?”

“Positive, sir. Would you like some warm milk? I hear it is beneficial for the brain.”

I eyed Reeves with suspicion, and had a good mind to conduct a search of the butler’s pantry, for I was sure I’d seen at least two bottles of the restorative nectar the previous evening.

But good manners prevailed. “Could you rustle up some kippers while you’re at it, Reeves? I think we’re going to need all the fish we can eat.”

The kippers went down a treat. I could feel their replenishing powers on my little grey cells which, up to then, had been feeling more green than grey. But what next? In less than twenty-four hours the Houses of Parliament would be opened a lot wider than people were expecting. And only Reginald Worcester stood between the Queen and a red-hot poker.

I puffed on a contemplative cheroot.

What would Sherlock Holmes do? Would he find out where Jasper Mortimer, Snuggles and Scrottleton-Ffoukes lived and wait outside their homes until they led him to the tunnel? I didn’t think there was time. And what if we followed the wrong one just as he set off for a week’s holiday in Paris?

“Perhaps if we stopped the ceremony,” said Emmeline. “I could chain myself to the gates and stop the Queen entering parliament. Then the bomb would go off and no one would get hurt.”

“They’d cut your chains and whisk you away, Emmy. It wouldn’t delay them more than five minutes.”

“I think I may have a solution, sir,” said Reeves as he cleared away the plates.

“You do?”

“Yes, sir. To create an explosion large enough to bring down the Houses of Parliament would require a considerable amount of explosives.”

“I see where you’re going with this, Reeves. Where would one buy explosives? Do Fortnum’s sell gelignite hampers?”

“Unlikely, sir. But I don’t think we need to ascertain where the explosives are coming from as we know their destination.”

“The Houses of Parliament!”

“Exactly, sir. One would imagine that a consignment of that size would necessitate a large cart or, indeed, a barge. And it would take some time to unload.”

My rejuvenated little grey cells could see it all. “And the tunnel entrance has got to be pretty close to Parliament. So if we three patrol the surrounding area looking for suspicious deliveries, we’ll have them!”

“What if they’ve already unloaded the explosives?” asked Emmeline.

“I suspect not, miss. One would think, after three hundred years of fires and rebuilding, that London would look considerable changed to Mr Fawkes. More than likely the entrance to the tunnel has been blocked or even built over, so, one would suspect, that it would take some time to gain access to it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.