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Get ahold of yourself, man.
Samantha’s gloved hand tapped the tabletop. “Emmy, you have information to share?”
“Aye, about Betsy. Not good, I’m afraid.”
Samantha grimaced. “So, she didn’t run away with the beau.”
“Not according to her uncle. He was in here yesterday. Says his missus is convinced the girl bolted, but he thinks not. Said Betsy is a good Christian girl and would never shame her family like that.”
Samantha nodded. “That was always my impression of her.”
“Then what does her uncle think happened?” Braden asked.
“He doesna ken—or doesnawantto ken. Some of my other customers, though . . .” Emmy shook her head. “It’s more rumors than not, but they’re worried about the bairns. And not just the ones from the orphanage. A few others from the stews have disappeared in past months—little ones set to beggin’ on the streets by their good-for-nothin’ parents who only care about their drink.”
Samantha massaged her forehead, as if trying to rub away the horrific image. “I hadn’t realized that other children were disappearing.”
“Ye have to keep yer ear to the ground, or else ye’d miss it. Most folks ignore the wee bairns, especially the law and the nobs up in New Town.”
“But you notice them, Emmy,” Braden said. “My brothers told me that you keep an eye on the children of Old Town.”
“I do my best. I’m always hopin’ they’ll come to me if they’re in trouble.”
Samantha tapped her fingertip on the table again. “Then you must know most of the children in Old Town who run in the gangs.”
“Mostly, or I ken those who do. Old Town’s small enough to keep track of them.”
“But the children who’ve gone missing lately are not part of existing gangs, are they?”
Emmy grimaced. “That’s what got me in such a puzzle. I canna figure out where they’re goin’.”
“Is there any evidence that a new gang may be forming?” Braden asked. “One that might be lying low at this point?”
Samantha tilted her head to look at him. “Why would they do that?”
He frowned, thinking it through. “They might be preparing to move in on another gang’s territory, so they’re building up their network.”
“With children?”
“Children are useful to gangs in many ways, as we’ve already noted.”
“Ye may be right, sir,” Joe said, putting down his book. “There’s some fierce battles over turf whenever someone new moves into town.”
“Or they might be setting up for something that requires more planning,” Braden added.
Emmy snapped her fingers. “Like robbin’ a warehouse. There was a theft at one of the warehouses in Leith just a few months ago. Made off with a good haul, I hear.”
Braden had heard about that crime from Logan. Though, fortunately it hadn’t been a Kendrick warehouse, that particular company had lost a significant haul of alcohol, silk, and other goods.
“That makes sense,” he said.
Samantha looked startled. “But why use children for something so difficult and complicated? Why not adults?”
“They use the bairns to crawl up the drainpipes or the sides of the buildings, and get into the windows,” explained Emmy. “Then they let in the adults. The kiddies also keep lookout or help cart the goods.”
“I would like to kill people who use children like that,” Samantha said in a voice taut with repressed fury.
Braden briefly covered her clenched fist with his hand. “We’ll find them, lass. Never fear.”
