Page 65 of Secrets in the Dark
They left the site, with Della looking back, fascinated as they did so.
“Dig, dig, dig,” Mason murmured.
“And dig some more,” Della said dryly.
“I think that means that Gary Hudson does know Jesse Miller—or, at least, that he knew that Miller was making money at a dig. I imagine he’s sure that we have no idea what he was talking about. I’m tempted to have another conversation with him,” Mason said. “He might not know the real name of the man he was committing murder with under the vampire’s tutelage, but he may know a lot more than he was telling us. Della?”
She was still looking back at the dig as they walked.
“Sorry. I was waiting for Indiana Jones to make an appearance. Honestly, though, the real thing looks like it’s a whole lot harder! But fascinating.”
“The real thing can be painstaking and tedious.”
“Of course. Still, fascinating.”
“I wonder how deeply Jesse Millerduginto this site,” Mason said.
“What do you mean?”
“He just wanted cash—he doesn’t live on credit cards, unless he’s stealing them, using them once and disposing of them so that no trail is left. And in most places, he’d have to have ID to acquire credit cards, so bizarre as it may seem in this day and age, the man knows he needs cash. But some things are easy to sell on the black market.”
“Ah, you mean the medieval souvenir badges like the one that the kid found that started the whole dig going?”
Mason nodded.
“I’ll call in this time. Angela can see what’s going on. She knows how to find her way into almost anything on a computer. She can probably find a black market,” Della said.
“If anyone can find anything, it’s Angela,” Mason agreed. “Hotel ahead—maybe Dr. Lucretia knows something!”
There was a woman standing by the reception desk when they arrived. She appeared to be about forty, hair braided down her back, wearing a denim suit that was attractive enough for a meeting—and utilitarian enough to crawl through the dirt. She had a handsome face and a quick smile and walked over to meet them.
“I’m Dr. Lucretia Mayberry,” she told him, her smile fading and her eyes taking on a worried look. “Professor Goodridge said that you had come to see him about Lucas. That Lucas is a person of interest in a murder case?” Her accent was beautiful, British and precise.
“I’m afraid so,” Mason said. “Lucas also goes by several names, but I understand that as day labor at the dig, he was exceptionally helpful.”
She nodded. “Very pleasant, always. Ready to dig in at any time.”
Mason glanced at Della.
“Dig in,” she murmured softly. “Dr. Mayberry, Professor Goodridge said that Lucas told you that he was staying in the Whitechapel area. Did he tell you anything more than that? Places he liked to go, perhaps, or things he liked to do.”
“No, not really. I didn’t get an exact address from him. Oh, he told me once that he’d been born in Liverpool. And he was exceptional with accents! We laughed one day, sharing a cup of tea during a break, because he could slip on a French accent, Irish, Scottish, Welsh—and, of course, a variety of English accents. I asked him if he’d ever gone into the theater. He smiled and said that he’d dabbled in it, but that he wanted to see the world, and—while I didn’t quite get this—odd jobs kept him moving. Of course, London isn’t far from Liverpool, but maybe he was seeing this as a launch.”
“Interesting,” Mason said.
“He seemed extremely intelligent. I suggested he continue his education and find work that paid well and allowed him to travel. He just told me that he did dream of eternal fame, but... I don’t press, you know. It’s quite rude to insist on answers from others,” Lucretia Mayberry told them.
“I understand. Of course. But, Dr. Mayberry, it’s very important that we find this man—” Mason began.
“You think that he’s the Ripper. That he will strike again?” she asked.
“Yes,” Mason said flatly. “Please—”
“Oh! One thing. Yes, he did say one thing! He enjoyed a pub in Whitechapel. He laughed and said that Ten Bells was a great pub, but he preferred something called... Daphne’s, I think. Do you know it?” she asked worriedly.
“We can find it, I’m sure,” Della said. She produced their card that time, explaining that they were a mixed team and that if she thought of anything, she could call any one of them.
She swallowed hard as she took the card. “I sat there with that man! Oh, my dear Lord, I sat there with him. And he...”
