Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly #1)(60)
“Now if anything happens,” Daniel continued, “you run—like if I ain’t back in an hour or you hear a commotion. Find a patrolman or go into a saloon if you have to. Offer money. Just get help for Joseph.” He knelt, rolled up my trouser leg, and slipped the knife in my boot. “And don’t mention he’s a Negro or that you’re a girl.”
I licked my lips. “Yes.”
He rose, and we resumed our trek. I was careful with my steps—Jie’s tiny boots were tight and had rubbed blisters along the sides of my toes. Plus, Daniel’s constant fidgeting made me nervous.
“If it works out right,” Daniel said, “then I’ll be in and out in an hour.” He pressed his palms to his eyes as if he was trying to hold something in. Whatever that something was, he looked miserable.
“Tarnation,” he swore. “What was Joseph thinkin’ by sending you with me? I can’t do this again.”
“Do what again? Please, Mr. Sheridan. Tell me.”
“Daniel. You can call me Daniel.” He slipped off his cap and ran his fingers through his hair. Then he flopped the cap on my head. “Here, you ought to wear this. It’ll cover all those lovely blond curls.”
I stuffed my hair beneath the gray wool. The cap smelled like him. “Tell me. Please, Daniel. There are so many mysteries that I can’t solve, and for once I’d like to know the truth about someone.”
He inhaled a long, hissing breath. Then he blew it out in a single puff. “I’m from Chicago, Empress. I had me a real nice setup over there. I was a darn good safe blower.”
“A what?”
“Safes. I’ve got a way with mechanics, and no lock stands a chance against me.” He grinned and wiggled his fingers at me. “I used to say, ‘If there’s a special lock that needs picking, I’m the special picker to unlock it.’ They called me Sure Hands Danny, and since I was still a kid—tiny and thin—I was perfect for jimmying my way into banks and hotels and houses.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Used to. I don’t do that low-life stuff anymore. It ain’t... well, it’s not who I wanted to be. Something I realized pretty quick after a few weeks in Eastern State Penitentiary.”
I shivered. He started to walk faster, and I scampered to keep up.
“So six years ago,” he continued, “a few thugs picked me up out of a bar and brought me to their boss’s slick black carriage. A few turns around the block, and I learned exactly what this Philadelphia boss wanted. He needed an out-of-town kid to do a job for him. Someone the local coppers didn’t know. Someone with the surest hands and a lotta grit. This boss said he needed me in Philadelphia, and that I was the only person to do it. I was flattered. Clay Wilcox wanted me to do a job.”
“Clay Wilcox?” I gripped Daniel’s sleeve. “Clarence’s father?”
“Yep.”
I drew back my hand and pressed it to my lips. “Keep going. Please.”
“Well, Clay Senior paid for my fare, so I hopped on the first train to Philadelphia and did some snoopin’ about. I wasn’t so cocky as to trust my new employer completely. But all I could discover was that he was some bigwig called a Gas Trustee. The local low-lifes referred to him and the other Trustees as the Gas Ring.
“Clay and his ring controlled just about everyone in the city, and they were riggin’ the vote for upcoming city council elections. From what I gathered in saloons and on street corners, no one liked the Gas Ring’s power. But the gas company controlled five thousand jobs, which meant the Ring controlled five thousand votes. And once Clay Senior and his fellow Trustees landed those council seats, they’d control almost every job in the city.
“Well, none of that business mattered to me. I If those rich men wanted votes, so be it. They were paying me a small fortune to do this special job for them.”
“And what was the job?”
Daniel scratched his jaw. “I broke into this same Nobel Company factory we’re going to now. I went down to the storage warehouse, loaded up my sack, and then on my way out, bang! Two guards jumped me. They’d been waiting the whole time.
“We fought and I knocked one over—hard.” He pointed to his temple. “He hit a big rock, and well...”
I cringed and tried to keep my stomach from spinning.
Daniel looked out over the river and rubbed the nape of his neck. “I realized the guard was dead. Worst moment of my life, Empress. I was stunned and... and numb.”
He took a deep breath. “I’d seen people die, but never by my hands. I didn’t realize how much... how much weight murder carries. On your soul. And the blood—oh God, the blood...”
He hung his head. “The other guard brought me back to my senses. He was going crazy and babblin’ about the plan. He kept telling me I had ruined everything, that I was gonna pay for it when Clay found out. That was when I realized they were supposed to blow it up.”
“Blow it up?”
“Yeah. Big explosion, and I was supposed to go up with it. Then my charred body would make an easy explanation for the whole nasty situation. Soon as I figured out the plan, I skedaddled, and even though I didn’t die, I was still a good scapegoat for the whole thing. Do you remember it? You’d have been young when it happened.”