14

“I thought you said you knew where this place was?”

“Well, it moves, doesn't it.”

“So what are we doing here then?”

“Looking for the markers.”

“And what do they look like?”

“I’ll know when I see ‘em.”

Nairo and Ridley were hunkered down on a dimly lit corner in Elmes Garden trying to be inconspicuous. Although, with their total amounts of bruises and welts sky rocketing well into the double digits that wasn’t so easy. Ridley had led her on a whirlwind tour of every urine stained gutter and alleyway in the Weasel’s section of the city. Occasionally, he would tap a bit of brickwork or eye a stain suspiciously, before moving on.

“Be patient Sarge,” Ridley muttered. “Thought you coppers were good at standing around and doing nothing.”

Nairo sighed and leaned in the shadows of two intersecting alleyways. The sun had begun setting when they arrived and now the dark of night had almost swallowed them. Glow stones slowly twinkled to life in their metal posts, but this far into the labyrinths of the city they cast more shadows than they dispelled. Some of the stones winked but never came to life, others glimmered too softly to do anything other than illuminate a small circle around them. That was fine with Nairo, as Elmes Garden was in a particularly utilitarian chunk of the city, thrown up hastily in the great expansion, and was nothing more than hunks of cinderblock and ugly grey buildings, with frightfully little to look at or do. The area sprung from the luxurious garment district on one side and the frenetic Theatre Broadway on the other, like a plain mayonnaise filling between to sumptuous fresh baked slices of bread.

“Aha!” Ridley said, tapping a brick excitedly.

“What?”

“Found it!”

“That’s a brick.”

“Not just any brick.” Ridley dug his fingers into the crumbling masonry around the brick trying to dig it out of the wall. After a couple of minutes, a skinned knuckle, and plenty of swearing, he stood back from the wall looking at the brick accusingly.

“Looks like it was just a brick,” Nairo said sardonically.

Ridley sucked his knuckle and pulled a face at her.

“Wotcher guv,” a voice spoke from the shadows.

Nairo spun, her hands raised on instinct.

“Woah easy there miss, didn’t mean to scare ya.” From the shadows, a greasy, lank haired man, in a waistcoat and crushed top hat stepped out. “Just looked like you was… looking for something.”

“Say we were?” Nairo replied.

“Well then I may be able to ‘elp with said looking.” He gave Nairo a leery, yellow tooth smile.

“And you are?”

“They call me Fillius F Fineswine the third.” He swept his hat off, revealing a balding pate, and gave her a dramatic bow. “I’m a known finder of all sorts of things down these ‘ere back alleys and gutters of our fine city.”

“Say we’re looking for a fine dining experience,” Ridley said, eyeing the strange man.

“Oooh, taking your lovely lady friend out for some top notch grub. And might I say sir, if’n I ain’t being to bold like, what a fine young lady she is.” Fillius wiggledd his thick grey eyebrows at Nairo, making her want to vomit and punch him at the same time.

“Yeah, something like that,” Ridley said. “Looking for somewhere specific.”

“Oh, spiffically what would you be looking for?”

“Garvoire’s.”

“Oooooh,” Fillius considered this for a moment. “Well sir, and again if’n it ain’t too bold of me to be sayin’ so, a gentleman like you might be better off somewhere more… ammeiniably priced.”

“Do I look like I’m cheap?” Ridley snapped.

“Well…” Fillius growled in his grating, nasally voice. “I wouldn’t like to judge sir…”

“We want Garvoire’s,” Nairo said firmly.

“Oh I see the lady ‘as fine tastes and might I say what a tasty…”

“Not if you want to keep what teeth you have left,” Nairo said.

Fillius’ slimy smile froze on his face, a flash of anger flickered across his eyes before disappearing behind the faux obsequence.

“Of course madam, no offence intended. And surely ol’ Fillius F. can take you to Garvoire’s no problem at all. In fact, it’s not too far from ‘ere.”

“And how much is that gonna cost us?” Ridley asked.

“Oooh… well, since you brought it up, I think two gold is more than fair…”

Ridley snorted so loud it echoed down the alley.

“You’ll get half a coin and be glad for it.”

“But…”

“Lead the way, Fillius.”

Fillius ran his tongue around his yellow teeth before the smile returned to his face.

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“Of course sir, you drive a hard bargain but ‘alf a coin it is. Let’s move smart now, these alleyways are no place for fine people such as yourself.”

Fillius shuffled away down the alley, his little wooden shoes clip clopping on the cobbles as they went.

Nairo hung back, looking up and down the dark alleyways, slowly following after Fillius.

“Might I inquire as to your names?”

“I’m Cartwell and this is Sharon.”

“Wonderful, and you’re not from this part of the city are ya?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Oh, once you’ve been on these streets long enough you can smell these things.”

“Bet you smell a whole lot with that beak you got.”

Fillius gave a dry chuckle.

“Good one sir. I do have quite a keen sense of smell, you’re not wrong there.”

Fillius took them left, then right and then down an alley with two large buildings towering over it.

“How far to the restaurant?” Nairo asked him.

“Oh, only another few minutes, madam. You must be famished with all this walking.”

Nairo noticed the lights were becoming more intermittent. Entire stretches of alleyways were bathed in darkness. That crawling feeling on the back of her neck had started again. The little bent over figure of Fillius dipped in and out of the lights, his weedy voice floating through the dark to her.

“Can’t be too careful in this part of town. Cut throats and bandits hide in every corner. It’s lucky you ran into ol’ Fillius when you did.”

“I’ve always considered myself lucky,” Ridley said.

Nairo quickened her step and tried to get Ridley’s attention.

“Oh you must be, sir. I always say life’s just a game of chance. A roll of the die and you might be a rich man, but if that die should be cast the other way? Well you might just live out your days scrounging a living in these alleyways.”

“That what happened to you?” Ridley asked, lighting a smoke. “Dice rolled the wrong way?”

“Oho,” Fillius chuckled as he disappeared into another pool of shadows. “Ol’ Fillius prefers to hold the dice than roll them.”

That was when Ridley pounced. He flew into the darkness, hands outstretched and then disappeared.

“Oi gerroff!”

Nairo heard scuffling of feet in the shadows. She made to jump in when a hand grabbed her from behind. Before she knew it, she was being pulled backwards by her hair, a thick, clammy hand closed over her mouth.

“Scream and I’ll… ahhh!”

Nairo bit down on the hand with such ferocity she tasted blood. She rammed her elbow back and caught her assailant in the gut. She felt the blunt side of a blade jab into her ribs as she thrashed and twisted in his grasp. He was a heavy lump but more fat than muscle. He tried to jab her with the blade but they had gotten so tangled in the cramped alley that he skimmed past her side. Nairo butted at his jaw with her head and then scrabbled free of his grasp. Something whizzed by her head and clattered off the wall. A second man, as skinny as the plank of wood he was swinging, flashed into view in the murk of the alley. Nairo ducked his second swing and aimed a kick at his kneecap. He cried out and staggered to one side.

“Enough!” Nairo barked, yanking her badge out of her jacket. “I’m a police officer!”

The two men froze as her badge twinkled in the half flight.

“She’s a copper?” the fat man mumbled.

“No way,” the thin man sneered.

“That badge looks real.”

“You can get them down hokey lane for a copper coin.”

“I dunno, she looks serious.”

“I’m Sergeant Nairo and I do not want to have to hurt you!”

The two men looked at each other and guffawed.

“‘Urt us? I’d like to see you try,” the thin man said, advancing on her.

Nairo crouched and readied herself when Fillius came tumbling back into view. Ridley had him around the throat from behind, a wild look in his eye.

“Take another step, stick man, and I’ll snap his neck in two!”

“Aaargghhh,” Fillius garbled, waving his hand at the two men.

“So is this the game then, Fillius?” Ridley growled in his ear. “Find unsuspecting tourists and lure them into the backalleys to rob ‘em? That’s so fucking unimaginitive.”

Fillius made a strained choking noise, his face turning purple.

“Ridley, let him go! You’re choking him!” Nairo said.

Ridley looked at her and then reluctantly loosened his grip. Fillius took a deep wheezing breath before coughing violently.

“You nearly killed me!” Fillius squealed in outrage.

“Serves you right,” Nairo snapped at him. “Now you two fools drop your weapons and be thankful I’ve got better things to do than arrest you both right now!”

The two men looked at each other and then at Fillius.

“I think she might be a real copper,” the fat man said.

“Yeah, I ain’t tryna go back up the river. You’re on your own Fil.”

The two men dropped their weapons and then melted back into the gloom of the alleyway.

“Now you are going to show us where this restaurant is,” Nairo said.

“Or I’m gonna choke you until you shit yourself. Understood?” Ridley hissed in his ear.

Fillius’ head bobbed up and down. Ridley let him go and pushed him against the wall. Fillius cowered and rubbed his bruised throat.

“Fancy tryna rob a copper, you mug.” Ridley said, shaking his head.

“‘Onestly, I never would ‘ave if I knew!”

“No, you would have just robbed me if I was a sweet, defenceless young woman.”

“Yeah exactly! I mean… oh no, course not…” Fillius licked his lips and then offered her a weak smile. “Fella’s gotta eat.”

“Be pretty hard without any teeth,” Ridley growled at him.

“Please! ‘Onestly, I’m sorry I swear! It ain’t me fault. Life’s been a cruel mistress to ol’ Fillius. Never stood a chance. Been dragged up in these gutters me whole life.”

“Yeah yeah,” Ridley said, waving his hand dismissively. “Now where’s Garvoire’s?”

“Promise you won’t ‘it me again?”

“Maybe.”

“You was round the corner from it when I ran in to ya… ow!”

“Ridley!”

“Asshole,” Ridley growled, rubbing his sore knuckles.

“I’m sorry!” Fillius whined, rubbing the side of his head. “I’ll take ya right back there, right now! I swears!”

“You better.” Ridley grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pushed him in front of them. “Make a wrong move and this time I’ll hurt you in ways a man can never recover from.”

“O’ course sir, you won’t get no more trouble from ol’ Fillius.”

“Shut up and walk.”

They followed Fillius back through the criss crossing alleyways as he shuffled as fast as he could. In half the time it had taken previously, they arrived back at the alleyway they had started at.

“It’s just through ‘ere, sir. They’re using a couple of those little terrace ‘ouses this time. Number 42 and 43.”

“Good now scarper, and don’t let me ever see your ugly face again.”

“O’ course sir. You’ll never be troubled by Ol’ Fillius again!”

He turned to walk away when Nairo placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sending a pack of bobby’s here tomorrow night,” she growled. “They’ll be looking for you and your mates. If I were you, I would disappear. Tonight.”

Fillius swallowed dryly and then melted away into the shadows, the heels of wooden shoes clopping away into the darkness.

“Ready to get something to eat?” Ridley asked her.

“I’ve lost my appetite,” Nairo muttered as she stared into the darkness behind Fillius.

“Good, probably can’t afford anything in there anyway. Let’s go, Sarge.”