Bluegate Fields - Anne Perry [99]
“Rozzer come ter take a look atcher,” the old woman said maliciously. “ ’E’s lookin’ fer Abbie. I tell’d ’im she ain’t ’ere, but ’e wants ’er that bad ’e’s come ter look fer ’isself. ’E don’t believe me!”
He did not bother to argue. He had believed her, but he could not afford to take the one chance in a hundred that she was lying. For his own sake, he had to be sure.
“There now!” she said triumphantly at the end. “Believe me now, do yer? Owes me an apologizement, Mr. Rozzer! She ain’t ’ere!”
“Then you’ll have to do instead, won’t you!” he said acidly, and was pleased to see the start of surprise in her face.
“I dunno nuffink! Yer don’t fink no toff comes ’ere and lies wiv me, do yer? Toffs ain’t no diff’rent to no one else wiv their trousers orf! They likes ’em all sorts, ’ceptin’ old.”
Pitt wrinkled his nose at her crudity. “Rubbish!” he said sharply. “You’ve never seen a real gentleman in your life—and certainly not here!”
“It’s wot Abigail said, an’ I ’eard ’er,” the old woman argued, looking at him closely. “An’ said in a court o’ law she did, too. I was read it out o’ the newspapers. Got a girl ’ere wot can read, I ’ave. She was in service till she lost ’er character.”
An idea materialized in Pitt’s mind, suddenly and without warning.
“Did Abigail say it to you before she said it in the court, or afterwards?” he asked quietly.
“Afterwards, the thievin’ little cow!” The old woman’s face creased with anger and outrage. “Wasn’t goin’ ter tell me abaht it, she wasn’t! Goin’ ter keep it all fer ’erself—when I provides ’er room and lodgin’ and protection! Ungrateful bitch!”
“You’re getting careless.” Pitt looked at her with contempt. “Letting a couple of well-heeled gentlemen in here and not collecting your share. And you must have known men dressed like that could pay—and well, too!”
“I never saw them—you fool!” she spat. “Yer fink I’d ’a let ’em walk past me if’n I ’ad, do yer?”
“What’s the matter—fall asleep at your post?” Pitt’s lip curled. “You’re getting too old—you should give it up and let someone with a more careful eye take over. You’re probably being robbed every night of the week.”
“No one comes through this door wivout I knows it!” she shouted at him. “I got you quick enough, Mr. Rozzer!”
“This time,” he agreed. “Any of the other girls see these gentlemen you missed?”
“If they did and didn’t tell me, I’ll ’ave their thievin’ ’ides!”
“You mean you haven’t asked them? My, but you are losing your hold on the game,” he jeered.
“O’ course I arst ’em!” she shouted. “An’ vey didn’t! Nobody takes me for a fool! I’ll ’ave my boys beat the skin orf any girl as takes advantage—and they knows it!”
“But still Abigail did.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or did you have your boys beat her for it already—maybe a little too hard— and she ended up dead in the river? Maybe we should have a better look for Abigail Winters, do you think?”
Her skin went white under the rime of dirt.
“I never touched the thievin’ cow!” she shrieked. “An’ neither did the boys! She gave the ’arf the money and I never touched ’er! She went into the country, I swear on the muvver’s grave! You’ll never prove I ’armed an ’air on ’er ’ead, ’cause I never did—none of us never did.”
“How often did these particular toffs come and see Abigail?”
“Once—as I knows of—just once—that’s wot she said.”
“No, she didn’t. She said they were regular customers.”
“Then she’s a liar! You think I don’t know the own ’ouse?”
“Yes—I’m beginning to think so. I’d like to talk to the rest of your girls, especially this one that can read.”
“You got no right! They ain’t done nuffink!”
“Don’t you want to know if Abigail was stealing you blind, and they were helping her?”
“I can find art the own ways—I don’t need yer ’elp!”
“Don’t you? Seems like you didn’t even know about it at all before.”
Her face narrowed with suspicion. “Wot’s it to you anyway? Why should you care if Abigail cheated me?”
“Nothing at all. But I do care how often those two came here. And I’d like to know if any of your other girls recognize them.