“Have they contacted you, the other three Aprons?” demanded Alastair.
“No, no!” she blurted out, and between sobs, she added, “I-I came to f-find Miss F-Francis f-for help!”
“I’m going to get you admitted for observation,” said Jane, “and we’ll take one day at a time, Audra. All right? All right?”
“All right.” Audra wiped her tears with a hanky Jane handed her. “Thank you, Miss Francis.”
But as soon as Jane relaxed her hold on Audra, the child fled out and down the corridor, past people Jane shouted at to stop her. With the speed and agility of a sewer rat, Audra was out of the hospital in moments. Out front of the hospital, Jane gave chase, but it was no use. Audra had disappeared back into the streets. Jane scanned every direction. Nothing. She wondered if she’d ever see Audra again.
News of Audra’s visit and her betrayal spread among all of Jane’s closest friends. Gabby, of course, took the news the hardest, disbelieving. Alastair retold the story to Philo, Christian, and to the man who purportedly saved his life down in that black hole-Ken Behan-when he came to visit at the hospital. Soon everyone in officialdom knew to be on the lookout for this poor child, and in the meantime, Jane remained angry at Alastair for frightening the child off as he had. “You big…bear,” she’d spoken her last to him as she stormed away.
A few weeks later, Alastair had arrived home from the hospital, and an hour into a nap, someone rang his doorbell. He made his groggy way along on his cane to the door, and when he opened it, he found Philo Keane and Dr. Christian Fenger looking stern and grim on his doorstep.
“We have a matter to discuss,” said Christian, “you and I, Alastair, and I brought your best friend along to…well, frankly, to keep you from killing me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Doctor. Come in, the both of you. I’ll put on water to boil, and we’ll find some tea.”
“That would be good.”
Philo shot Alastair a look that only puzzled him.
Once everyone was seated with a cup of tea, the three old friends stared from one to another, until Ransom said, “Well, what’s this about?”
“The good news, Ransom, is that those three feral children, the ones who got away, will never again feed on human flesh.”
“Then they’ve been caught? Great! When…by whom?”
“Not caught-killled.”
“Killed? How? What happened? A manhunt uncovered them, and they came out swinging, heh?”
“Not exactly.”
“How did they die, then?”
“Kohler’s involved.”
“Kohler? Damn the man. He’s taking credit for it all, isn’t he? No public release of this information.”
“Actually, no one else knows, and it’s to stay that way.”
“Christian, will you stop talking in cryptic code and tell me what the hell you’re driving at?”
“It began with that girl Audra’s confessing in your room. Seems she tried confessional at a church, but all she got from the priest was raped-according to her.”
“Raped by a priest? Impossible.”
Philo hadn’t said a word.
“What’s happened, Philo?”
“They got wind of Audra-Kohler and Chapman!” Christian blurted out.
Ransom digested this, his face bleeding white. “They got their hands on Audra, didn’t they?”
“They made her talk, yes.”
“Is she…is she alive?” He recalled Bloody Mary and Bosch’s double.
Philo piped in. “They let her live.”
“But she’s no longer the same and never will be again,” muttered Christian. “In fact, she is now a permanent resident at the asylum.”
“Those bastards!” exploded Ransom. “They tortured her until her mind snapped, didn’t they?”
“Not before she led them to the feral children,” replied Christian.
Philo choked out, “That maniac Chapman made her watch as he fed those kids to…to…”
“Let me guess. Fed them alive to the senator’s starved pigs.”
“Only after skinning them alive.” Dr. Fenger then tossed a small bundle tied with twine into Alastair’s lap, causing him to spill his tea.
“What the hell? What is this?”
“Final payment. The two of them, Chapman and Kohler, insisted.”
“Said you took a down payment to go after Leather Apron for the senator,” Philo near whispered.
Ransom gritted his teeth. “I told you what happened, Christian, and Jane was in danger. I had no choice.”
“Well, now, it would appear you are paid in full and the senator is happy, and Kohler is the richer for it, as are you.”
“And you?” asked Alastair.
Fenger shook his head. “Not a dime.”
“You have the joy of a clean conscious, then.”
“Not that it will save me from my debts.”
Ransom threw the bundle back at Fenger. “You told Kohler about Audra, didn’t you?”
Fenger lifted the bundle and shook it at Ransom. “I have no idea in hell how that got out! Do you?” The accusation hung in the air.
Again the bundle was thrown to Ransom.
“Build that damn wing you want!” Ransom threw the money back at him.
“Give it to Jane for her plans for the homeless children!” shouted Fenger, tossing the stack of bills back.
“Are the two of you blind?” asked Philo. “Don’t you see? This is Kohler’s idea, all of it!”
“What’re you talking about?” asked Fenger.
“Giving you, Christian, blood money to give to you, Alastair!” Philo shouted. “He wants to drive a wedge between you, a permanent one. And I am left to watch this pissing contest!”
“What’re you suggesting, Philo?” Ransom’s nostrils flared.
“I know he gave you the impression that Chapman was running things, but no, Nathan is and has been from the start.”
“You mean he started this whole thing with Chapman in motion?” asked Fenger.
“When have you ever known Kohler to relinquish control? Either of you?”
Christian and Alastair looked across the chasm that Kohler had created between them. Fenger finally said, “Philo’s right. Giving this money to me to deliver to you…it’s his design.”
Alastair agreed. “Part of his goal from the outset.”
Philo Keane felt as if he could breathe again. “That sounds a proper end to it-give the money to the fund Jane Francis has established for the homeless.”
“Aye, a fitting end to it,” Alastair poured himself another cup of tea, then raised his cup, and all three toasted this conclusion. Then Ransom asked, “Did they get the right murderous children? Tell me they didn’t get it wrong this time.”
“They were caught while sleeping, and their own knives were used on them,” explained Christian.
“They were bred to it like animals by their own parents,” said Philo.
Fenger added, “They were children turned into Frankenstein monsters.”
“What justice is there in this end?” asked Ransom.
“Those children would’ve continued on, butchering other children, Rance-we all know that.” Philo sipped the last of his spiked tea.
“They damn near killed you, Alastair,” added Christian.
“Still…I was out there at those stables. I saw the kind of justice Chapman and Kohler meted out on Bloody Mary, an insane woman, and a complete other innocent man. I can’t say any of this sits well with me.”
“Still, you’ve got to take the money, Alastair.” Fenger stood to leave.
“What’re you now, Christian? Nathan’s errand boy?”
Philo leapt to his feet and placed a firm hand against Alastair’s chest, trying to calm him. “You two are allowing Kohler to win if you end like this.”
Christian stopped at the door and looked deep into Ransom’s eyes. “Until you lay the man low, Alastair, we all have him as a cross to bear, and we all have to work with him.”
“That’s it, isn’t it, Christian? He holds your notes-bought up all your debts, hasn’t he? Makes a mockery of your office as impartial coroner.”
Christian’s jaw twitched with the anger of this kind of information being shouted to the world where he stood at the open door. The two old friends held one another in a grim stare.