“You thought he wanted to start his own business?”
“I don’t know what Grover want, but he no like my answer.Got very annoyed.Said he wanted to give me chance to make money because he like me, but now he go to competition instead.Then he left.”
“Any idea which competitor he was referring to?”James asked.
“Veiled Lantern on Regent Street.Opium there not as clean as mine.Less good.”
James wasn’t sure the quality mattered.If his suspicions were correct, Grover had somehow used the opium to drug Lady Edwina, which would explain the semiconscious state she’d been in at The Gilded Lady.
He thanked the man for the information and paid him, then went to find a hackney that could take him to Regent Street.The funds Croft had provided him with were dwindling fast.He’d spent the vast majority at the last stop, so if the next person he spoke to demanded a similar sum, he’d be out of luck.
On a positive note, he did feel as though he was making progress in tracking Grover’s movements.
It was nearing seven o’clock in the evening by the time he arrived at The Veiled Lantern.Unlike The Jade Pavilion, this location looked pretty upscale.Expensive was another word that came to mind.Could be the reason why Grover had been so annoyed by the Chinese man’s refusal to sell to him.Based on location alone, coming here would require deep pockets.
James pushed out a breath and entered the building, which was indeed furnished with an entirely different clientele in mind.Where The Jade Pavilion had been dark and smoky with only wooden screens separating the patrons, this place was bright and inviting.
White marble floors offered a pristine look to the front area.Small seating arrangements stood to either side of the entrance, across from which a desk had been placed.This, along with the man who sat behind it, blocked a hallway leading straight to the back of the building.On either side of this hallway were numerous doors, no doubt leading to private rooms where the patrons could savor their opium in peace.
The man behind the desk looked up from the book he’d been reading, gave James a quick head-to-toe inspection, and frowned.“May I help you?”
Accustomed to the arrogant ways of people who liked to pretend they were better than everyone else, James met the man’s critical gaze with a cool one of his own.“I’m seeking information about a man who reportedly came here to purchase supplies.”
A snort of disdain.“We run a discreet business here, so you’ll have to find what you’re after elsewhere.”
“The man in question probably used the name Grover,” James said, ignoring the man’s reluctance to help.“Does that jog your memory?”
“I can’t say,” the man gritted and reached for a nearby bell-pull.
He gave the velvet-wrapped cord a hard yank.A faint ring sounded then a door concealed in the paneling at the end of the hallway popped open.Two burley men appeared, their expressions grim.
“Please make sure this individual leaves,” the man behind the desk instructed the pair.
James expelled a heavy sigh.He’d been hoping to manage without the most valuable tool in his possession, but it was starting to look like he had no choice if he wanted to make quick progress.
“I’m here on behalf of Mr.Croft,” he said.
The two enforcers went utterly still.The man behind the desk, however, merely hardened his expression and said, “I don’t care if you’re here on behalf of the Prince Regent.What happens within these walls is confidential.Our clients depend on our discretion to protect their reputations, and I’ll not break that trust because you want to find a particular person.Do I make myself clear?”
“Grover has kidnapped a woman whom I believe he drugged usingyouropium.If you refuse to help, you’ll be aiding his nefarious deeds.”
“Who is the woman?”
“I cannot divulge that.”
“Then there is nothing more do discuss.”
James stared at the infuriating man while imagining his hands around his throat.Eventually, he spun on his heels and left, slamming the door on his way out.How could someone be so stubbornly single-minded that they would place a scoundrel of a client above a woman in need?
It was inconceivable to James that anyone could be so desperate to follow the rules they refused to use common sense.
He stopped on the pavement and tried to figure out what to do next.Given the hour, John Adam Street would soon be bustling with activity as men finished work and started to fill up the various establishments.Returning there to question additional people might prove useful.
Even though James’s gut said it wouldn’t, he prepared to hail another hackney when a loud, “Oi” made him turn.
A stocky man stood some ten yards away, partially hidden in the alley that ran between The Veiled Lantern and the next building over.As far as James could tell, it was one of the guards he’d encountered inside.
Unsure of his motives, James stayed where he was and watched as the man jerked his head to one side, then vanished.
