Chapter Seven
The carriage opened, and I felt a flutter of unease in my stomach. Leo would be furious to learn that I had come to this part of Lucky Town, especially without a male companion for protection. Any shady dealings, any unsavory characters could be found at the Lucky Town docks.
Scarlett descended the cab with a bounce in her stride, and looked around with a wide, expectant smile.
“Come along now, Watson. I didn’t take you for a dawdler,” Not for the first time that day, I wondered if perhaps she had suffered a head injury as a child, or perhaps a high fever that had adversely affected her brain.
“Why are we here?” I asked. Behind a stack of lobster traps, two dirty, unshaven sailors sneered, the smiles on their faces the opposite of friendly. I pulled my coat tighter around me.
“Engaging colleagues on our quest for justice.” Scarlett said. At that, Holmes inhaled deeply, and then exhaled in a shrill whistle that startled me, and sent the two men shrinking back behind the lobster traps.
A child, perhaps 7 or 8, dressed in short pants and a page boy hat came scurrying from one direction. Two more of similar age popped up from behind a giant rusty chain along a wooden pier. Another emerged from a half, submerged dingy, stretching and yawning before bounding out of the boat to join the others standing before Scarlett, looking for all the world like troops ready for inspection. Finally, the last, a little girl perhaps 2 years younger than the rest, walked briskly from a shadowy alley to take up a place beside the boys.
To my surprise, Holmes drew herself up, and then curtseyed before them, without a hint of irony. “Gentlemen” she said, with a tone of amiable respect. Something softer entered her voice when she added. “And lady.”
“Dr. Watson, please allow me to introduce you to The Baker Street Unusuals.”
The children then turned to me, and bowed and curtsied. Children they might have been, but their expressions were so sober, I got the sense that each of the 6 of them was smarter and more dangerous than their size would suggest. Especially the girl. She was adorable, but with eyes as all-seeing and suspicious as a cat. I curtsied as politely and respectfully as I might to the mayor.
“I have a mission for you.” Scarlett began, and the little faces all turned to her. “Same commission as last time. Same delivery location. I need to know everything you can find out about Pierce Drebber.”
“Drebber? The guy who just got bumped off?” said the tallest of the boys.
My mouth dropped in surprise at this street urchin’s knowledge of the murder, but Scarlett just looked at me and gave a little shrug.
“The same.” She confirmed. “Find any known associates. I am relying on your discretion.”
“You think someone else is gonna get whacked, too?” The boy asked again, excitement rising in his voice.”
At that the little girl at his elbow piped up, giving his arm a mild slap of reproach.
“Shut up and stop asking so many stupid questions. You know Miss Scarlett doesn’t like us to ask so many questions.”
Scarlett’s face spread in a warm, almost maternal smile of approval as she took out a small coin purse from one of her hidden skirt pockets, and handed the small girl a penny. Each of the boys held out an expectant hand, into which Holmes dropped a copper coin. The boys didn’t notice Holmes hand the girl a second penny, and give her wink. The girl winked back, and smiled. She was missing a front tooth.
“Off you go, now” Scarlett said, and the children scampered off, dissolving into the shadows of the docks like ghosts.
“You have some fascinating methods, Scarlett” I said.
“You’d be surprised how much they can learn. My little birds are small enough to go unnoticed, young enough to be disregarded, and smart enough to be extremely useful.” She turned to me with a smile. “There are advantages to being among the invisible people of this society.”
