Shadows in the White City (34 page)
Read Shadows in the White City Online
Authors: Robert W. Walker
“Raped by a priest? Impossible.”
Philo hadn't said a word.
“What's happened, Philo?”
“They got wind of AudraâKohler and Chapman!” Christian blurted out.
Ransom digested this, his face bleeding white. “They got their hands on Audra, didn't they?”
“They made her talk, yes.”
“Is sheâ¦is she alive?” He recalled Bloody Mary and Bosch's double.
Philo piped in. “They let her live.”
“But she's no longer the same and never will be again,” muttered Christian. “In fact, she is now a permanent resident at the asylum.”
“Those bastards!” exploded Ransom. “They tortured her until her mind snapped, didn't they?”
“Not before she led them to the feral children,” replied Christian.
Philo choked out, “That maniac Chapman made her watch as he fed those kids toâ¦to⦔
“Let me guess. Fed them alive to the senator's starved pigs.”
“Only after skinning them alive.” Dr. Fenger then tossed a small bundle tied with twine into Alastair's lap, causing him to spill his tea.
“What the hell? What is this?”
“Final payment. The two of them, Chapman and Kohler, insisted.”
“Said you took a down payment to go after Leather Apron for the senator,” Philo near whispered.
Ransom gritted his teeth. “I told you what happened, Christian, and Jane was in danger. I had no choice.”
“Well, now, it would appear you are paid in full and the senator is happy, and Kohler is the richer for it, as are you.”
“And you?” asked Alastair.
Fenger shook his head. “Not a dime.”
“You have the joy of a clean conscious, then.”
“Not that it will save me from my debts.”
Ransom threw the bundle back at Fenger. “You told Kohler about Audra, didn't you?”
Fenger lifted the bundle and shook it at Ransom. “I have no idea in hell how that got out! Do you?” The accusation hung in the air.
Again the bundle was thrown to Ransom.
“Build that damn wing you want!” Ransom threw the money back at him.
“Give it to Jane for her plans for the homeless children!” shouted Fenger, tossing the stack of bills back.
“Are the two of you blind?” asked Philo. “Don't you see? This is Kohler's idea, all of it!”
“What're you talking about?” asked Fenger.
“Giving you, Christian, blood money to give to you, Alastair!” Philo shouted. “He wants to drive a wedge between you, a permanent one. And I am left to watch this pissing contest!”
“What're you suggesting, Philo?” Ransom's nostrils flared.
“I know he gave you the impression that Chapman was running things, but no, Nathan is and has been from the start.”
“You mean he started this whole thing with Chapman in motion?” asked Fenger.
“When have you ever known Kohler to relinquish control? Either of you?”
Christian and Alastair looked across the chasm that
Kohler had created between them. Fenger finally said, “Philo's right. Giving this money to me to deliver to youâ¦it's his design.”
Alastair agreed. “Part of his goal from the outset.”
Philo Keane felt as if he could breathe again. “That sounds a proper end to itâgive the money to the fund Jane Francis has established for the homeless.”
“Aye, a fitting end to it,” Alastair poured himself another cup of tea, then raised his cup, and all three toasted this conclusion. Then Ransom asked, “Did they get the right murderous children? Tell me they didn't get it
wrong
this time.”
“They were caught while sleeping, and their own knives were used on them,” explained Christian.
“They were bred to it like animals by their own parents,” said Philo.
Fenger added, “They were children turned into Frankenstein monsters.”
“What justice is there in this end?” asked Ransom.
“Those children would've continued on, butchering other children, Ranceâwe all know that.” Philo sipped the last of his spiked tea.
“They damn near killed you, Alastair,” added Christian.
“Stillâ¦I was out there at those stables. I saw the kind of justice Chapman and Kohler meted out on Bloody Mary, an insane woman, and a complete other innocent man. I can't say any of this sits well with me.”
“Still, you've got to take the money, Alastair.” Fenger stood to leave.
“What're you now, Christian? Nathan's errand boy?”
Philo leapt to his feet and placed a firm hand against Alastair's chest, trying to calm him. “You two are allowing Kohler to win if you end like this.”
Christian stopped at the door and looked deep into Ransom's eyes. “Until you lay the man low, Alastair, we all have him as a cross to bear, and we all have to work with him.”
“That's it, isn't it, Christian? He holds your notesâbought up all your debts, hasn't he? Makes a mockery of your office as impartial coroner.”
Christian's jaw twitched with the anger of this kind of information being shouted to the world where he stood at the open door. The two old friends held one another in a grim stare.
Philo determined to end this before more was said. He joined Christian at his side, shook Alastair's hand, and gave him a brief hug. “Don't you be led by Kohler, either of you! You are both better than that. Now we're going, Rance, andâ¦and wellâ¦don't be a stranger. Come round to the studio, both of you. I have some of that whiskey left.”
Ransom nodded and relaxed, bidding them good-bye and raising the money bundle overhead. He knew why Kohler had gotten his two best friends to bring the cash. Anyone else and he'd have shot them. This way, at some future date, Nathan Kohler might be able to use this blood money against him. He imagined that one of Nathan's spies was not too far from his door, closely watching everything. Unless he missed his guess, it'd be Henry Bosch.
A week later
More time had passed and Chicago returned to what most people termed “normal” and all commerce doubled and quadrupled daily, prices skyrocketing, and the homeless population, both adult and child, only increased, putting an even greater strain on the city shelters and jails. No one questioned the mystery of where Jane Francis's funds, or those of her brother, Dr. Tewes, had come from, and when asked, each was quick to reply, “A donor whose greatest wish was to remain anonymous.”
Other than a program begun by a Dr. Jane Francis to find a home for every parentless child, and a roof for every homeless child, little had changed, despite the sheer terror of a
story that was so horrendous that it would never see full play in the mainstream press. Word on the street had it that Inspector Alastair Ransom, with help from the deceased Jed Logan, and a heroic Ken Behan, had pretty much single-handedly taken on the entire family of beasts in their own lair and had wiped them out, one and all.
The legend of
Beowulf
recounted.
As for Audra, she could be found any day in the Cook County Asylumâseen daily by Gabby Tewes, and from time to time, Gabby's father, Dr. J. P. Tewes, whose phrenological exams, Audra looked forward to, although she could not voice this or any other fact. Another and final victim of the Leather Apron gang? Or Chapman and Kohler's inquisition?
As in all things he touched, no matter the twisted outcome, Alastair Ransom had landed on his feet. Most beat cops, firemen, and even most of the petty criminals and burglars and pickpockets had only more respect and greater fear of the Bear. But one man, Nathan Kohler, uneasy with all that Alastair knew of his true nature, lived now to destroy Inspector Ransom at all costs.
ROBERT W. WALKER,
a graduate of Northwestern University, is the author of thirty-six novels, including the acclaimed PSI Blue featuring FBI Psychic Rae Hiyakawa, the Instinct Series with FBI Medical
Examiner Dr. Jessica Coran, and the Edge Series featuring Texas Cherokee Detective Lucas Stonecoat and psychiatrist Meredyth Sanger. He has also recently published the serialized thriller set in India entitled
Fleshwar
on Amazon.com\shorts. Robert was born in Corinth, Mississippi; grew up in Chicago, Illinois; and currently resides in Chicago and Charleston, West Virginia. In between teaching, lecturing, and book touring, Rob is busy tackling his next two novels,
City of the Absent
and
Deja Blue
.
You can visit him at
www.robertwwalkerbooks.com
or
www.robertwwalker.blogspot.com
.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
praise
for
ROBERT W. WALKER
and his first novel featuring
Inspector Alastair Ransom
CITY FOR RANSOM
“Robert W. Walker has enjoyed a solid reputation for his unique concoctions of twisted crimes, colorful characters, dark humor, and solid plotting. The Walker brew is as bubbly as ever in
City For Ransom.
â¦I can't wait for the second Ransom bookâI'm hooked!”
Raymond Benson
“Lovers of historical thrillers will be shocked, stunned, beaten to hell, and, most importantly, riveted to this page-turner of peerless quality. Robert Walker is a master craftsman and this is the series he was born to create.”
Jay Bonansinga, author of
Frozen
“Vivid and passionate.”
Barbara D'Amato
“
City For Ransom
is crime-noir at its finestâ¦. In an era of high-tech crime-fighting, this novel is an old-fashioned but fresh surprise.”
David W. Ellis, author of
In the Company of Liars
“Walker writesâ¦entertaining stories filled with surprises, clever twists, and wonderfully drawn characters.”
Daytona Beach News-Journal
“This is historical mystery with teeth, and Ransom is the best new hero in period fiction. I can't wait to be Ransomed again.”
J.A. Konrath
“Walker's taken on Caleb Carr's territory, with a superb haunted protagonist with a graveyard on his back. Ransom your soul for this one; it's that mesmerizing.”
Ken Bruen, Macavity Award winner for
The Killing of the Tinkers
“Walker's characters are razor sharp in intensity, while his plot unrolls seamlessly as he captures the politics and atmosphere of late nineteenth-century Chicago and its police force. Inspector Alastair Ransom is a fascinating study in the dynamics of human behavior. If the book only offered one such intriguing character, it would fail. Walker offers a solid contingent whose interactions fuel the plot and their own personal agendas. This captivating book rises above its peers.”
Jana Oliver, author of
Sojourn
and
Circle of the Swan
“Fans of Erik Larson's highly successful and in many ways similar
The Devil in the White City
will recognize Chicago's grittinessâ¦complex and multifaceted, [this series] challenges the readerâ¦. The novel succeeds both as a mystery and an interesting read. It is an intelligent, absorbing, satisfying novel.”
The Historical Novels Review
“
City for Ransom
explores the darkest corners of the White City, merging history with bone-chilling suspense. Robert W. Walker takes readers on an engrossing journey through Chicago by gaslight, uncovering corruption, deception, and unspeakable evil in the city's smoldering past. Rich with period detail, complex heroes, and remarkable twists and turns, Walker is at his masterful best.”
Brian Pinkerton, author of
Abducted
and
Vengeance
“
City for Ransom
is a superb, dark, skillful, hypnotic work. Calling it a mystery, or crime noir, or thriller, or work of suspense or horror would be short-changing this masterful creation. Yes, it's a gripping dark suspense-filled story but always, always, it's Chicago that marches proudly through these pages, breathing life into them as only a master like Robert W. Walker can accomplish.”
Pat Mullan, author of
Blood Red Square
“Walker has upped the bar for solid historical mysteries. With twists and turns galore, this is one story that earns its keep in the genre. Ransom is a character as smooth as Doyle's Holmes, as bold as Stout's Wolfe, and as vivid as Hammett's Charles.
City for Ransom
puts the reader right where they should be, in the thick of things. Outstanding!”
Alexis Hart, editor, publisher, and author of
Child of Hope
“Key elements make the who-done-it intriguing but what comes alive from these components are insights into a bygone era such as the early days of the science of criminology, and the role of women during an investigationâ¦with a strong cast, especially Ransom and J. Phineas Tewes. Robert W. Walker is at his lofty best with this terrific historical mystery.”
The Midwest Review of Books
“Inspector Alastair Ransom's Chicago is brutal and violent, cloaking mysteries and intrigues in a façade of propriety as spectral and illusory as the grand and gleaming buildings of the vanished âWhite City.'”
Richard Lindberg, author of
Chicago by Gaslight: A History of Chicago's Netherworld, 1880
â
1920
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
SHADOWS IN THE WHITE CITY
. Copyright © 2007 by Robert W. Walker. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub © Edition NOVEMBER 2008 ISBN: 9780061979507
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