Twincy Quinn and the Eye of Horus Part One Read Online Free Page B

I
possessed, it would rattle the inspector.
    He coughed,
that bristly moustache of his shifting over his top lip, twitching
like a cat's tail. ‘Urchins,’ he said dismissively.
    He left it at
that.
    I knew enough
of how to keep my job not to challenge him further.
    Yes, urchins.
Regardless of the fact they had no money and class and certainly
could not ensure the inspector remained wealthy and popular, they
were people. And in this case, they were also victims. They were a
fact of this crime, an important clue into these ongoing
kidnappings, and one that should not be ignored just because the
inspector could not see past his nose long enough to stare down
into the mud that covered his shoes and the rest of the city.
    ‘ How is Miss . . . ?’ The Inspector
began.
    My nonchalance
slipped away from me. In fact, I stiffened. However imperceptibly,
my fingers clutched tighter at my glass. ‘Miss Stanton?’
    The Inspector
nodded firmly.
    ‘ Well,’ I forced myself to answer.
    The Inspector
raised an eyebrow. A bushy mess, it reinforced the mental image of
the man as a twitching cat. ‘Daughter of the respected scientist
Alan Stanton, I heard that she has a lot of suitors.’
    I offered him
a stilted smile, bringing my glass up, shifting my jaw around as I
took another sip, and nodding. ‘Elizabeth is well.’
    ‘ It would increase your standing in this town if you were to
solve these kidnappings,’ the inspector said, almost
conspiratorially as he took half a step towards me.
    What the
inspector left unsaid, was that it would increase his standing
exponentially. As the head of my division, he would be the one to
most benefit from such an accolade.
    Benefit.
    Because that
was what a man like Inspector Coal was after.
    He didn't want
to solve the kidnappings for the sake of protecting the inhabitants
of the city. He wanted to use it as a ladder to further his career.
Perhaps a part of him cared that children were disappearing, but
that part only cared when the children came from the far more
genteel part of town.
    I wasn't
always a cynical man, but as I glanced down at my wine and raised
my own eyebrow, I realised today had certainly got the better of
me.
    Clearing my
throat, I gave what I hoped was an affable smile, and took a step
backwards. Patting at my jacket, and finding a small table to my
right on which to place my glass, I nodded at the inspector. ‘You
have reminded me, sir, I must be pushing on. Unfortunately I had a
prior engagement for tonight.’
    The Inspector
gave a slight laugh, and I knew what it meant. It was no secret
that I was courting Elizabeth Stanton, and though the inspector was
humouring me now, I would imagine the man thought she was far too
good for the likes of me. Though I was a twice-decorated soldier, a
detective with many commendations, and an authority when it came to
crimes involving any new modern-day machines, I had not been born
into money. Well not the kind of money that men like the inspector
would like to see.
    Yet, still,
Elizabeth Stanton didn't seem to care.
    Bringing my
watch out, I flipped it open, made a point of looking at the time,
and placed it back in my pocket with a distracted pat. ‘As I said,
I must be going.’
    ‘ It is important we put on a good show tonight,’ he said in a
low voice, flicking his gaze over and through the crowd into the
centre of the room. ‘We must show Lord Ridley that we are capable
of protecting his exhibition.’
    I didn't
reply. ‘I do not believe Lord Ridley will care if one detective
goes missing from this event.’
    ‘ Lord Ridley is bringing the greatest of his treasures to the
London Museum, and financing the entire affair himself. His wealth
is inestimable, and the artefacts he will have on display are
beyond value. It is essential that we assure him we will do
everything we can to protect his assets.’
    I raised my
eyebrows, scrunched my lips up into something that resembled a
smile, and nodded my head. ‘Which we will.