The Mercy Killings: Children are going missing in Victorian England (Esther & Jack Enright Mystery Book 6) by David Field

Author:David Field [Field, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sapere Books
Published: 2018-10-18T04:00:00+00:00

‘This must be the place,’ Jack announced as he looked up at the sign above the door of the busy cafe in Oxford Street. ‘Uncle Percy knows every eating place in London, I reckon, and I’d bet money on his having been here for an hour already, eating meat pies in the course of duty.’

‘Just don’t expect me to eat one,’ Esther muttered grumpily. ‘In my condition everything I eat makes me want to throw up, and that horrible train journey in from Barking, not to mention that smelly, bumpy horse bus down from Fenchurch Street, did nothing to help, believe me.’

‘You’ve just gone soft with all that country living,’ Jack assured her. ‘Think yourself lucky you don’t have my train journey in each direction every day. Ah, as I suspected, there he is — hidden behind the meat pie collection.’

Percy was seated in a corner booth, grinning to himself as he watched Jack and Esther searching for him. He rose from his seat out of politeness towards Esther and asked if they would like a meat pie.

‘No thanks — and neither would Jack,’ Esther replied with a commanding air. ‘God alone knows what they put in those things, but these days, as a responsible wife and mother, I know the value of good, wholesome, nutritious meals. So, finish yours and we can get on with it.’

‘You’re beginning to sound like Mother,’ Jack complained, ‘and Percy and I need to catch up before we go blundering in there.’

‘Hurry up, then,’ Esther conceded as she slid into the bench opposite Percy’s in the booth.

‘So?’ Jack asked Percy, who shook his head.

‘Nothing really beyond what we suspected already. The property in Cobham was almost certainly being used as some sort of clearing house from which girls were coming in from the city to collect babies for disposal. The lady in charge was calling herself “Annabelle Grant”, as I already mentioned, and hopefully you’ll be meeting her inside the department store in her manifestation as “Frances Dickinson”, although all we have to go on is the description. “Fair hair going grey, quite tall, big bosom and a squint in one eye.” Do you think you’ll be able to spot her with that information? What have you got, Jack?’

Jack smiled. ‘I know who dumped the babies in Essex — at least, all but the one in the Thames, which is probably one of yours. It was that totty I mentioned last Sunday. She was almost certainly supplied with them by a lady calling herself either “Martha Bradley” or “Harriet Merchant”. I’ve pulled all the criminal histories under those names and got nowhere. So, I tried mixing all the first and second names into different combinations — including your Annabelle Grant — and some of their criminal histories began arriving late yesterday. I’ve taken them home to look at tomorrow, by which time I’ll be able to give you the results of our little expedition today.’

‘Beattie and I will be over at around three o’clock,’

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