"Throw 'im in the monkey cage, then. I still don't believe yeh - 'e
cain't
talk ta bleedin' monkeys any more'n I kin. But 'e'll make a fine
hand, wit'
them muscles of 'is, so I guess 'e's worth the price yer askin'."
Drake O'Malley held his hand out for the pound notes he'd been
promised.
He'd sold the slimy sideshow proprietor on Joxer's animal talents,
and he
wasn't a fool. If Jett Mansfield wanted his inconvenient brother
killed,
he'd have to do it himself. The money wasn't much, but combined with
the
gold pocket watch he'd taken off the ape-man before he stripped him
down to
his shorts, it would pay for him to start over somewhere else. It had
cost
him all his savings to beat those two women and Joxer back to London,
but
gaining revenge was almost payment enough. He wasn't taking the
chance on
blowing everything by becoming wanted for murder, though. As it was
already,
he'd have to give up his dreams of winning Gabrielle Taylor for his
own.
"He'll try to convince you he's a fine English gentleman, but don't
listen.
He won't be able to help talking to those apes he really belongs
with."
Sensing the sideshow barker had lost interest, and having been paid,
the
dark man reclaimed his cart and made himself scarce. Perhaps he could
see
the beautiful blonde once more before he left ...
~**~
"Ain't none of them ever come in 'ere before, 'cept ta feed us."
Joxer woke
to the strange voice in his ears, not alert enough yet to realize it
wasn't
human English he was hearing. He moaned.
"Oh, look," another voice chimed in. " 'E's wakin' up."
"Which one of you hit me?" Joxer asked, instinctively speaking the
language
he was hearing.
"Blimey! 'E understands us! 'E's a naked ape!" The owner of the
excited
voice addressed Joxer. "Ain't none of us done it ta yeh, mate. Some
big
dark-skinned 'uman broughts yeh 'ere."
Joxer opened his eyes, and saw a number of chimpanzee faces staring
at him.
"And here is?" he managed to get out.
"We're part of a travelin' show, we are. We keep them 'umans
laurfin'! It's
our job!" came the proud answer.
"Wonderful," Joxer moaned, his head still spinning. He wanted to lie
back
down, but he knew he had to wake up. Gabby needed him. And Jett -
Jett had
done something to him. How, he wasn't sure. But he'd never find out
if he
went back to sleep.
He forced his eyes to focus but unfortunately, they were fixed on the
scarred and ugly face of the sideshow owner, whose jaw was slack with
wonder. "Corr, 'e wasn't tellin' tales - yeh *do* talk wit' th'
monkeys!
Ye'll be a bleedin' *goldmine*!" The man frowned, which made him look
even
worse. "I wonder what *other* critters yeh can talk wit'?"
"You needn't talk about me like I can't understand *you*," Joxer
snapped at
the man, his mind still a bit hazy. "I do speak the Queen's English."
And a
painful thought of what the woman who had taught it to him must be
feeling
right now drifted through his imagination. "You have to let me out of
here.
I need to get back to my betrothed."
"Aye, lissen at 'im, Mister Fancy Pants - 'is *betrothed*." The
showman
sneered. "Yer an animal, just like the rest of 'em. 'E told me yeh'd
try an'
sweet talk yer way outta 'ere. I paid good money fer yeh, an' yer not
goin'
nowheres." The fellow would have slammed the door on his way out, if
it
hadn't been a tent flap. Joxer's shoulders slumped in frustration.
One of the chimps placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Listen,
bloke -
if yeh kin talks ta them, and yeh kin talks ta us, ye're smart enough
ta
figure a way out of 'ere. Names Mooks, by th' bye." The monkey held
out his
hand, and Joxer took it and shook, with a wry snicker.
"You've spent time with humans, that's obvious."
Mooks shrugged. "T'ain't such a bad life, really. They feeds us, an'
we
gets extra if we makes 'em laurf. Th' ole' barstard keeps th' cage
clean
enough, and me an' me mates don't 'ave ta worry about getting'
killed. Could
be worse."
"For you, maybe," Joxer moaned. "If I don't get out of here, things
couldn't
get any worse for me." He looked down, and realized his fine clothes
were
gone, and with them, Gabby's ring and his pocket watch from his
father. He
rested his head in his hands and groaned again.
~**~
Gabrielle sat in the gazebo, cried out and fast reaching the point of
completely numb. Jett had refused to change his story, and the party
had
disbanded with at least half the guests believing him, while the rest
seemed
to agree with Xena, who had announced loudly and repeatedly that
something
was nasty there, and it smelled of Jett. Lord Mansfield had rushed to
the
garden to look for clues, and found in the grass the ring he had
given his
son to give to his intended. No one could figure out what that meant
to him,
however, since he keeled over right afterward and the doctor, who was
a
party guest, had made unhappy noises after examining him.
Gabrielle had gone right to the gazebo upon arriving home, and it was
late
in the evening before her father and Xena finally gave up trying to
convince
her to come inside. In between bouts of weeping, she had slept
fitfully on
the bench, and dreamed of her beautiful monkey-man as she had first
seen
him, proud and strong and nearly unclothed. After waking to watch the
dew
dry on the flowers, she now sat listlessly picking at her crumpled and
ruined gown, unable to work up the strength to go inside for
breakfast, and
not really hungry anyway. A rustling in the shrubbery made her lift
her
head, just as two figures tumbled out.
"Look what I found," Xena announced breathlessly as she knelt on Drake
O'Malley's stomach and held his wrists to the ground, effectively
pinning
him down. "Strange timing, wouldn't you say?"
The artist's lethargy dissipated, and she jumped to her feet and
leapt over
the railing to land beside the fallen man. "YOU!" she announced, her
anger
as powerful as her grief had been. "You hated him! Now you show up,
the day
after he's disappeared. What did you do to him?"
O'Malley was all innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking
about, my
dear. I just got back to England, and had to see your beautiful face.
I
apologize for skulking in the bushes, but we hadn't parted on the
best of
ter..." He was unable to finish the sentence, as the sharp-toed
slipper
slammed into his ribs, robbing him of breath.
"Shut up," she told him sullenly. Watching as her best friend used a
bit of
rope that had been on the ground to secure the dark man's hands, she
went
on. "He must have been working with Jett. It's the only way they
could pull
it off..."
"Gabrielle," Xena grunted, "I could use a little help here. There you
go,"
she directed as the heiress came closer, "Unbutton his braces in the
back,
would you?" Grabbing the two suspenders, she fastened them securely
together, tossing one end over a branch a foot or two over O'Malley's
head,
and bringing them back and lacing them through the rope holding his
wrists.
When she pulled on it, it hoisted his hands over his head, and she
secured
the whole arrangement snuggly, just as Drake's pants fell around his
ankles.
"That should keep him still 'til the Bobbies get here." Something
fell from
the man's trousers pocket and rolled a bit, catching her
attention. "Say,
what have we here?"
Gabrielle picked it up. "It's a gold pocket watch, Xena. It looks
new."
Curious, she opened the cover. "Xena," the artist gasped, "It has
*Joxer's*
name in it!"
The bodyguard turned on the now quivering man. "You have *no idea*
how much
you are going to regret this," she promised with a feral smile.
~**~
Joxer had conversed with the half-dozen chimpanzees long enough to
get a
rough idea of the daily schedule on traveling or non-show days. So
when the
show owner and a big dumb-looking lackey entered the tent mid-
morning, he
expected them to commence cleaning the cage. Instead, the showman
unlocked
the cage, and signaled to the drudge, who reached in and gracelessly
pulled
Joxer from the group. "Yeh must have more'n just monkeys yeh can
talks ta,"
the man explained.
So Joxer was unceremoniously marched from cage to cage in the
entourage, and
told to communicate with each different creature. He didn't even
refuse
verbally, just maintained his stony silence - even when teased by the
hyenas, which were rude but cowardly, and backed down at his
threatening
stare. There was a large lizard, a species he'd had some contact with
in
Borneo that communicated in eye blinks and twitches, and he got a
brief
greeting in there without his new owner's knowledge. But otherwise,
he was
not about to give this man the satisfaction.
"E's useless," the big dolt finally rumbled.
"Nah, I'm thinkin' e's stubborn," the owner said slyly. "If'n 'e
won't talk
when I wants 'im ta, I'll just force 'im. Throw 'im in wit' th' big
cat."
The cage was unlocked, and Joxer found himself sharing close quarters
with a
large male jaguar. The cat eyed him lazily, then stood and stretched
himself
all over.
"Wot if it kills 'im?" the drudge asked nervously.
His boss just shrugged. "Could 'appen."
Pride wasn't worth dying for. Joxer growled with forced
cheeriness, "Well,
hello. Fancy meeting you here. My best friend back home is a jaguar -
her
name's Chula. What's yours?"
The big jag lifted a brow. "I don't normally introduce myself to my
dinner.
It's not often I get fresh meat." Obviously not impressed with his
prey's
verbal abilities, the sleek cat moved smoothly towards Joxer, whose
fear was
quickly swallowed by his anger. He hadn't done anything to deserve
this! In
the past day he'd gone from being well dressed and about to be
married, to
almost undressed and about to be eaten, and he hadn't done anything
WRONG!
This was just too much. He started to growl, a menacing warning that
even
the big predator slowed at the sound of. Then the deep brown eyes
began to
swirl and churn as they locked on the eyes of the jaguar.
Fear. Danger. Burning heat, and bitter icy cold. He could feel his
fur being
ripped out, bit by painful bit. The big cat was swallowed up by a
terror he
only had ever seen in the faces of his prey in the past. Panicked, he
began
to whimper like an injured kitten, and curled up into a little ball to
escape that deadly glare. As the danger faded, so did Joxer's anger,
and he
took a deep breath to steady himself.
"Cheetah," the show owner was almost sobbing. "What did 'e do ta
Cheetah?"
Joxer frowned at the man. "He's a jaguar, you moron. A cheetah is an
entirely different type of animal."
But the man wasn't listening, speaking to the big worker
instead. "Throw 'im
back in wit' th' monkeys, and whatever yeh do, don't look in 'is
eyes. My
poor Cheetah! 'E was one of th' best attractions."
"Sure thing, Mr. Blimp." He grabbed Joxer and pulled his hands behind
his
back and then blindfolded him. "This'll keep yeh from using them eyes
on
me." He yanked the rope around Joxer's neck and the tall man stumbled.
"C'mon, ape-man, let's go."
Joxer couldn't see, but his sense of smell worked almost as good, and
he
could think - he would still find a way out. His thoughts were
suddenly
interrupted by Blimp's voice.
"Wait, I got a better idea. Put 'im in wit' Killer."
His lackey turned around, nearly choking Joxer. "Killer! Blimey, Mr.
Blimp,
Killer'll tear 'im apart."
The showman looked at him. "Pity, ain't it? But 'e needs ta be taught
a
lesson. No one 'urts me main attraction and gets away wit' it.
Yeh 'ear me,
ape-man?"
Joxer stood tall and said nothing. "Ain't talkin', huh? Well, it don't
matter. Let's go. I want ta see this meself."
They dragged Joxer roughly toward another cage. Joxer could hear the
roar of
an angry animal. When they got there, Joxer was untied and
unblindfolded,
then shoved into the cage.
Joxer looked around him, slowly, and his eyes landed upon a large male
gorilla. This one should be easier. He approached the gorilla in a
friendly
gorilla greeting. "Hi, my name is Joxer. You must be Killer." Killer
grabbed
Joxer by the arm, picking him up and throwing him against the side of
the
cage. Joxer felt the impact in every bone as his body hit the bars.
Killer
came charging after him and he was too stunned to move. The gorilla
had him
now in a tight grip, squeezing the very life out of him.
Joxer looked into Killer's eyes to calm him down or else frighten him
away,
but something was wrong. Killer paid no attention to Joxer's eyes. He
squeezed tighter, and Joxer knew he was going to die. As he gave in,
his
thoughts were on his sweet Gabby. Soon he passed out, and the ape
dropped
him, having lost interest. Mr. Blimp turned to his lackey. "Get 'im
out o'
there. Don't need 'im dead, if'n we can 'elp it. Paid good money
for 'im, I
did."
The big man called for some help. The two men entered the cage with
him, one
waving a torch at Killer to keep him away. Chuck Forrest, Mr. Blimp's
drudge, picked up Joxer and threw him over his shoulder. Taking him
back to
the monkey cage, he tossed him in like a rag doll.
Mr. Blimp smiled. "That'll teach yeh, ape-man, to defy me. Come on I'm
'ungry. Let's get us som'pun ta eat."
"Wot about them?"
"Lunchtime ain't until three. We'll feed 'em then. Oh, and let's give
ape-man that stuff wot what we feed Killer. If it makes Killer crazy,
it
just might 'im. Oughtta make the show more interestin' that way."
When the two men left, the chimpanzees gathered around their
unconscious
friend. Mooks lifted his eyelid to see if there was a reaction. He
heard a
small voice behind him.
"Is 'e dead, Mooks?"
"No, but 'e needs 'elp, 'uman-type 'elp. I gots ta get 'im somebody."
"Are yeh daft? I know yeh know 'ow ta get out of th' cages, but 'ow
are yeh
goin' ta get 'im 'elp? Ain't a 'uman alive 'cept fer this'un that'll
understand a bit o' wot yer sayin'."
"Frawn, love, I'll find someone ta 'elp 'im. In th' meanwhiles, yeh
all make
sure wot the Old Barstard don't get near 'im."
Mooks turned back to his friend and sniffed him. "I got 'is scent
down now -
I just needs ta find someone who 'is scent's been 'round."
~**~
Karen "Callie" Callahan stood in front of Mr. Blimp. As his animal
trainer,
she checked in every day to find out what new charges he had for
her. "That
new ape-man'll be needin' your attention t'day, Callie."
She smiled at him wickedly. "Another big ape, hmm? Shall I give him
what I
give Killer?"
"By all means, m'dear."
He led her to the still unconscious ape-man. Callie stared at him in
shock.
"Do you have any idea who you have here?"
"Yeah, some monkey-lovin' ape-man."
"You idiot! This is Lord Mansfield's long-lost son, Joxer." In spite
of the
fact that she'd been blacklisted in the London Social circle due to
her
reputation as a loose woman, Callie kept her eyes and ears out for
information about her former associates, many of whom she now hated
passionately. "Little Gabrielle Taylor's supposed betrothed is now my
plaything. That little rich snob has everything, and thanks to her
and her
friends, I have nothing. Oh, I'm going to love this."
She took a torch and climbed into the cage. The chimps tried to keep
her
away from Joxer, but she waved the torch at them, and they backed
away,
afraid. She sat down beside him and lifted his head, putting it on
her lap.
Joxer slowly open his eyes and looked into Callie's eyes. All he
could make
out clearly was a halo of blonde hair. The rest was all hazy.
"Gabby?" he weakly said. She stroked his hair.
"Yes, Joxer, it's me, Gabby. I'm going to fix you up, okay?"
He smiled and closed his eyes, opening them again with a slight
frown. Her
voice sounded odd, but his head felt odd, too, so maybe that was it.
His
eyes slid shut again. He knew he was safe now that his Gabby was with
him.
~**~
The police came and took O'Malley away. He had refused to talk, so
they
still had no idea where Joxer was. Lord Taylor walked into the
drawing
room, shaking his head. "I have bad news."
Gabrielle went to her father. "What's wrong?" She gave a twisted half-
smile.
"Or should I say, what else?"
He smiled sadly at his daughter and sat down. "I need a drink. Could
you fix
me a brandy?" Xena brought the drink over to him, and he quickly
finished it
off.
"Father, please tell me what's wrong," begged the artist, as she
knelt down
beside his chair.
He put his hand gently on her, trying to soften the blow. "Lord
Mansfield
suffered a heart attack last night and died."
Gabrielle gasped for air. She couldn't believe what she had just
heard. "No.
It can't be true. Joxer's father can't be dead. He barely got to know
him!"
"I'm sorry, Gabrielle. "
She ran from the room. Xena shared a concerned glance with Lord
Taylor.
"This is too much for Gabrielle. I'll go talk to her."
He nodded his head, and then got up. "We need to get away for a
while. I'll
arrange everything. Go to the country house for a bit."
Xena nodded her head. "I think that's a good idea. Why don't you and
Gabrielle do that?"
"You *are* coming, too."
"No, sir. I need to find Joxer for Gabrielle."
He nodded his head. "I understand."
Xena went out to the garden and found Gabrielle in her usual place.
She was
crying her heart out. Xena said nothing but gave her support as the
blonde
artist cried on her shoulder.
~**~
Joxer was cowering in the corner of the cage. His eyes were unfocused.
Whenever one of the chimps would come near him, he would scream
out, "Stay
away from me!" He wrapped his arms around his legs, and began to
rock to
and fro, muttering to himself, "Danger, danger."
Frawn shook her head. The same thing that happened to Kongo, who was
now
Killer, was happening to Joxer. "Oh Mooks, please hurry - before
Joxer is
lost completely, like Kongo."
~**~
Mooks knew that monkeys weren't common on the streets of London, so he
traveled in the dark shadows, slipping stealthily from alley to
deserted
doorway, his nose on duty at all times. At one point, he smelled
someone who
had been near Joxer, and he was excited, until he realized that the
smell
was coming from between the window bars of a place even he, with all
his
skills, couldn't find a way into. Still, he clung to the bars for a
while,
and picked up the scent of the man that also wore Joxer's scent.
Perhaps he
could follow that to find someone who knew his friend.
Unfortunately, the scent of the man in the room led only to a big
cage on
wheels in back of the building. But the horse there was able to give
Mooks
passable directions, although his chimpanzee was a little rusty. He
only
knew the language because he'd been acquainted years earlier with an
organ
grinder's sidekick, and Mooks was impressed he remembered at all, and
told
him so. The horse did inform him that the Gardens would be a good
shortcut
to the place he was heading, and Mooks took to the trees.
As he swung toward his destination, he thought about his hairless
friend.
How would he convince anyone to come help him? He spoke of
this 'Gabrielle,'
and had explained that they had plans to mate, which struck Mooks as
an odd
concept - one either mated or one didn't. In his admittedly limited
experience, planning was not involved. He worried about Frawn, his
own mate,
and how she would manage to keep the Old Barstard away from Joxer.
Soon he
was where the horse had directed him, and his nose would do the rest.
~**~
"NO!" Gabrielle stomped her foot, and her father sighed. "I will
*not* go to
the country! I want to be *here* in case Joxer comes back." They had
just
returned from the service for Lord Mansfield, and she was still
dressed in
black, with the veiled hat on. Her father had mentioned his plans in
the
carriage on the way home.
"I promise to look for him, and send a message as soon as I know
anything at
all," Xena cajoled her friend.
"You've been extremely worked up ever since you came back from
Borneo," her
father said, soothingly. "There's been so much going on."
The artist's voice dropped almost to a whisper, and rose in volume as
she
spoke. "My fiancé's father just died, he's been taken God-knows-where
by
God-knows-who, *he* could be dead for all we know, and you want me to
go off
on *holiday*?" She finished in an angry shout. "NO!" She brushed past
them
and ran up the stairs to her room.
Xena lifted a brow at her guardian. "You aren't going to tell me
you're
*surprised* by this?" The elderly man just blew out his breath and
shook his
head, starting up the stairs after his distraught daughter. His ward
stopped
him with a hand on his arm. "I *will* find him, you know. You can
tell her
that." Lord Taylor smiled faintly and continued up the stairs.
Xena headed for the door with determination. She had a promise to
keep. If
she could implicate Jett Mansfield in his brother's disappearance,
all the
better.
~**~
Mooks stared from the tree in awe. This place smelled a *lot* like
Joxer,
and it even had two copies of him there! Although they were
different, too.
Both were dressed in black suits, and had shorter hair. One had cold
and
nasty eyes, like he was made of the stuff the cage bars were made of.
The
other looked nicer, and moved in a smooth and delicate way, like
Callie the
trainer did when she was putting on a show, just before she'd go into
Cheetah's cage. For some reason, even the biggest men in the audience
were
frightened when she did that, although once she got Cheetah worked
up, she
moved just like the real Callie. She was mean and tough, and never in
any
real danger. Mooks didn't understand.
He didn't understand the conversation below him either, although
there were
a couple of human words that he knew. He heard the delicate one
say "Kill"
in a scared and questioning way, and the hard one laughed coldly. That
wasn't the kind of laugh Mooks liked. But the hard one said, "No,"
and then
something more, which made the delicate one look happier, although
not much.
Then a dark woman, who looked tough like Callie but not so mean, came
into
the garden, and seemed to scare the hard one. She even gave a mean
look to
the delicate one, who didn't look happy again. For some reason, Mooks
liked
the dark woman. He would follow her - she had Joxer's scent, too.
cain't
talk ta bleedin' monkeys any more'n I kin. But 'e'll make a fine
hand, wit'
them muscles of 'is, so I guess 'e's worth the price yer askin'."
Drake O'Malley held his hand out for the pound notes he'd been
promised.
He'd sold the slimy sideshow proprietor on Joxer's animal talents,
and he
wasn't a fool. If Jett Mansfield wanted his inconvenient brother
killed,
he'd have to do it himself. The money wasn't much, but combined with
the
gold pocket watch he'd taken off the ape-man before he stripped him
down to
his shorts, it would pay for him to start over somewhere else. It had
cost
him all his savings to beat those two women and Joxer back to London,
but
gaining revenge was almost payment enough. He wasn't taking the
chance on
blowing everything by becoming wanted for murder, though. As it was
already,
he'd have to give up his dreams of winning Gabrielle Taylor for his
own.
"He'll try to convince you he's a fine English gentleman, but don't
listen.
He won't be able to help talking to those apes he really belongs
with."
Sensing the sideshow barker had lost interest, and having been paid,
the
dark man reclaimed his cart and made himself scarce. Perhaps he could
see
the beautiful blonde once more before he left ...
~**~
"Ain't none of them ever come in 'ere before, 'cept ta feed us."
Joxer woke
to the strange voice in his ears, not alert enough yet to realize it
wasn't
human English he was hearing. He moaned.
"Oh, look," another voice chimed in. " 'E's wakin' up."
"Which one of you hit me?" Joxer asked, instinctively speaking the
language
he was hearing.
"Blimey! 'E understands us! 'E's a naked ape!" The owner of the
excited
voice addressed Joxer. "Ain't none of us done it ta yeh, mate. Some
big
dark-skinned 'uman broughts yeh 'ere."
Joxer opened his eyes, and saw a number of chimpanzee faces staring
at him.
"And here is?" he managed to get out.
"We're part of a travelin' show, we are. We keep them 'umans
laurfin'! It's
our job!" came the proud answer.
"Wonderful," Joxer moaned, his head still spinning. He wanted to lie
back
down, but he knew he had to wake up. Gabby needed him. And Jett -
Jett had
done something to him. How, he wasn't sure. But he'd never find out
if he
went back to sleep.
He forced his eyes to focus but unfortunately, they were fixed on the
scarred and ugly face of the sideshow owner, whose jaw was slack with
wonder. "Corr, 'e wasn't tellin' tales - yeh *do* talk wit' th'
monkeys!
Ye'll be a bleedin' *goldmine*!" The man frowned, which made him look
even
worse. "I wonder what *other* critters yeh can talk wit'?"
"You needn't talk about me like I can't understand *you*," Joxer
snapped at
the man, his mind still a bit hazy. "I do speak the Queen's English."
And a
painful thought of what the woman who had taught it to him must be
feeling
right now drifted through his imagination. "You have to let me out of
here.
I need to get back to my betrothed."
"Aye, lissen at 'im, Mister Fancy Pants - 'is *betrothed*." The
showman
sneered. "Yer an animal, just like the rest of 'em. 'E told me yeh'd
try an'
sweet talk yer way outta 'ere. I paid good money fer yeh, an' yer not
goin'
nowheres." The fellow would have slammed the door on his way out, if
it
hadn't been a tent flap. Joxer's shoulders slumped in frustration.
One of the chimps placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Listen,
bloke -
if yeh kin talks ta them, and yeh kin talks ta us, ye're smart enough
ta
figure a way out of 'ere. Names Mooks, by th' bye." The monkey held
out his
hand, and Joxer took it and shook, with a wry snicker.
"You've spent time with humans, that's obvious."
Mooks shrugged. "T'ain't such a bad life, really. They feeds us, an'
we
gets extra if we makes 'em laurf. Th' ole' barstard keeps th' cage
clean
enough, and me an' me mates don't 'ave ta worry about getting'
killed. Could
be worse."
"For you, maybe," Joxer moaned. "If I don't get out of here, things
couldn't
get any worse for me." He looked down, and realized his fine clothes
were
gone, and with them, Gabby's ring and his pocket watch from his
father. He
rested his head in his hands and groaned again.
~**~
Gabrielle sat in the gazebo, cried out and fast reaching the point of
completely numb. Jett had refused to change his story, and the party
had
disbanded with at least half the guests believing him, while the rest
seemed
to agree with Xena, who had announced loudly and repeatedly that
something
was nasty there, and it smelled of Jett. Lord Mansfield had rushed to
the
garden to look for clues, and found in the grass the ring he had
given his
son to give to his intended. No one could figure out what that meant
to him,
however, since he keeled over right afterward and the doctor, who was
a
party guest, had made unhappy noises after examining him.
Gabrielle had gone right to the gazebo upon arriving home, and it was
late
in the evening before her father and Xena finally gave up trying to
convince
her to come inside. In between bouts of weeping, she had slept
fitfully on
the bench, and dreamed of her beautiful monkey-man as she had first
seen
him, proud and strong and nearly unclothed. After waking to watch the
dew
dry on the flowers, she now sat listlessly picking at her crumpled and
ruined gown, unable to work up the strength to go inside for
breakfast, and
not really hungry anyway. A rustling in the shrubbery made her lift
her
head, just as two figures tumbled out.
"Look what I found," Xena announced breathlessly as she knelt on Drake
O'Malley's stomach and held his wrists to the ground, effectively
pinning
him down. "Strange timing, wouldn't you say?"
The artist's lethargy dissipated, and she jumped to her feet and
leapt over
the railing to land beside the fallen man. "YOU!" she announced, her
anger
as powerful as her grief had been. "You hated him! Now you show up,
the day
after he's disappeared. What did you do to him?"
O'Malley was all innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking
about, my
dear. I just got back to England, and had to see your beautiful face.
I
apologize for skulking in the bushes, but we hadn't parted on the
best of
ter..." He was unable to finish the sentence, as the sharp-toed
slipper
slammed into his ribs, robbing him of breath.
"Shut up," she told him sullenly. Watching as her best friend used a
bit of
rope that had been on the ground to secure the dark man's hands, she
went
on. "He must have been working with Jett. It's the only way they
could pull
it off..."
"Gabrielle," Xena grunted, "I could use a little help here. There you
go,"
she directed as the heiress came closer, "Unbutton his braces in the
back,
would you?" Grabbing the two suspenders, she fastened them securely
together, tossing one end over a branch a foot or two over O'Malley's
head,
and bringing them back and lacing them through the rope holding his
wrists.
When she pulled on it, it hoisted his hands over his head, and she
secured
the whole arrangement snuggly, just as Drake's pants fell around his
ankles.
"That should keep him still 'til the Bobbies get here." Something
fell from
the man's trousers pocket and rolled a bit, catching her
attention. "Say,
what have we here?"
Gabrielle picked it up. "It's a gold pocket watch, Xena. It looks
new."
Curious, she opened the cover. "Xena," the artist gasped, "It has
*Joxer's*
name in it!"
The bodyguard turned on the now quivering man. "You have *no idea*
how much
you are going to regret this," she promised with a feral smile.
~**~
Joxer had conversed with the half-dozen chimpanzees long enough to
get a
rough idea of the daily schedule on traveling or non-show days. So
when the
show owner and a big dumb-looking lackey entered the tent mid-
morning, he
expected them to commence cleaning the cage. Instead, the showman
unlocked
the cage, and signaled to the drudge, who reached in and gracelessly
pulled
Joxer from the group. "Yeh must have more'n just monkeys yeh can
talks ta,"
the man explained.
So Joxer was unceremoniously marched from cage to cage in the
entourage, and
told to communicate with each different creature. He didn't even
refuse
verbally, just maintained his stony silence - even when teased by the
hyenas, which were rude but cowardly, and backed down at his
threatening
stare. There was a large lizard, a species he'd had some contact with
in
Borneo that communicated in eye blinks and twitches, and he got a
brief
greeting in there without his new owner's knowledge. But otherwise,
he was
not about to give this man the satisfaction.
"E's useless," the big dolt finally rumbled.
"Nah, I'm thinkin' e's stubborn," the owner said slyly. "If'n 'e
won't talk
when I wants 'im ta, I'll just force 'im. Throw 'im in wit' th' big
cat."
The cage was unlocked, and Joxer found himself sharing close quarters
with a
large male jaguar. The cat eyed him lazily, then stood and stretched
himself
all over.
"Wot if it kills 'im?" the drudge asked nervously.
His boss just shrugged. "Could 'appen."
Pride wasn't worth dying for. Joxer growled with forced
cheeriness, "Well,
hello. Fancy meeting you here. My best friend back home is a jaguar -
her
name's Chula. What's yours?"
The big jag lifted a brow. "I don't normally introduce myself to my
dinner.
It's not often I get fresh meat." Obviously not impressed with his
prey's
verbal abilities, the sleek cat moved smoothly towards Joxer, whose
fear was
quickly swallowed by his anger. He hadn't done anything to deserve
this! In
the past day he'd gone from being well dressed and about to be
married, to
almost undressed and about to be eaten, and he hadn't done anything
WRONG!
This was just too much. He started to growl, a menacing warning that
even
the big predator slowed at the sound of. Then the deep brown eyes
began to
swirl and churn as they locked on the eyes of the jaguar.
Fear. Danger. Burning heat, and bitter icy cold. He could feel his
fur being
ripped out, bit by painful bit. The big cat was swallowed up by a
terror he
only had ever seen in the faces of his prey in the past. Panicked, he
began
to whimper like an injured kitten, and curled up into a little ball to
escape that deadly glare. As the danger faded, so did Joxer's anger,
and he
took a deep breath to steady himself.
"Cheetah," the show owner was almost sobbing. "What did 'e do ta
Cheetah?"
Joxer frowned at the man. "He's a jaguar, you moron. A cheetah is an
entirely different type of animal."
But the man wasn't listening, speaking to the big worker
instead. "Throw 'im
back in wit' th' monkeys, and whatever yeh do, don't look in 'is
eyes. My
poor Cheetah! 'E was one of th' best attractions."
"Sure thing, Mr. Blimp." He grabbed Joxer and pulled his hands behind
his
back and then blindfolded him. "This'll keep yeh from using them eyes
on
me." He yanked the rope around Joxer's neck and the tall man stumbled.
"C'mon, ape-man, let's go."
Joxer couldn't see, but his sense of smell worked almost as good, and
he
could think - he would still find a way out. His thoughts were
suddenly
interrupted by Blimp's voice.
"Wait, I got a better idea. Put 'im in wit' Killer."
His lackey turned around, nearly choking Joxer. "Killer! Blimey, Mr.
Blimp,
Killer'll tear 'im apart."
The showman looked at him. "Pity, ain't it? But 'e needs ta be taught
a
lesson. No one 'urts me main attraction and gets away wit' it.
Yeh 'ear me,
ape-man?"
Joxer stood tall and said nothing. "Ain't talkin', huh? Well, it don't
matter. Let's go. I want ta see this meself."
They dragged Joxer roughly toward another cage. Joxer could hear the
roar of
an angry animal. When they got there, Joxer was untied and
unblindfolded,
then shoved into the cage.
Joxer looked around him, slowly, and his eyes landed upon a large male
gorilla. This one should be easier. He approached the gorilla in a
friendly
gorilla greeting. "Hi, my name is Joxer. You must be Killer." Killer
grabbed
Joxer by the arm, picking him up and throwing him against the side of
the
cage. Joxer felt the impact in every bone as his body hit the bars.
Killer
came charging after him and he was too stunned to move. The gorilla
had him
now in a tight grip, squeezing the very life out of him.
Joxer looked into Killer's eyes to calm him down or else frighten him
away,
but something was wrong. Killer paid no attention to Joxer's eyes. He
squeezed tighter, and Joxer knew he was going to die. As he gave in,
his
thoughts were on his sweet Gabby. Soon he passed out, and the ape
dropped
him, having lost interest. Mr. Blimp turned to his lackey. "Get 'im
out o'
there. Don't need 'im dead, if'n we can 'elp it. Paid good money
for 'im, I
did."
The big man called for some help. The two men entered the cage with
him, one
waving a torch at Killer to keep him away. Chuck Forrest, Mr. Blimp's
drudge, picked up Joxer and threw him over his shoulder. Taking him
back to
the monkey cage, he tossed him in like a rag doll.
Mr. Blimp smiled. "That'll teach yeh, ape-man, to defy me. Come on I'm
'ungry. Let's get us som'pun ta eat."
"Wot about them?"
"Lunchtime ain't until three. We'll feed 'em then. Oh, and let's give
ape-man that stuff wot what we feed Killer. If it makes Killer crazy,
it
just might 'im. Oughtta make the show more interestin' that way."
When the two men left, the chimpanzees gathered around their
unconscious
friend. Mooks lifted his eyelid to see if there was a reaction. He
heard a
small voice behind him.
"Is 'e dead, Mooks?"
"No, but 'e needs 'elp, 'uman-type 'elp. I gots ta get 'im somebody."
"Are yeh daft? I know yeh know 'ow ta get out of th' cages, but 'ow
are yeh
goin' ta get 'im 'elp? Ain't a 'uman alive 'cept fer this'un that'll
understand a bit o' wot yer sayin'."
"Frawn, love, I'll find someone ta 'elp 'im. In th' meanwhiles, yeh
all make
sure wot the Old Barstard don't get near 'im."
Mooks turned back to his friend and sniffed him. "I got 'is scent
down now -
I just needs ta find someone who 'is scent's been 'round."
~**~
Karen "Callie" Callahan stood in front of Mr. Blimp. As his animal
trainer,
she checked in every day to find out what new charges he had for
her. "That
new ape-man'll be needin' your attention t'day, Callie."
She smiled at him wickedly. "Another big ape, hmm? Shall I give him
what I
give Killer?"
"By all means, m'dear."
He led her to the still unconscious ape-man. Callie stared at him in
shock.
"Do you have any idea who you have here?"
"Yeah, some monkey-lovin' ape-man."
"You idiot! This is Lord Mansfield's long-lost son, Joxer." In spite
of the
fact that she'd been blacklisted in the London Social circle due to
her
reputation as a loose woman, Callie kept her eyes and ears out for
information about her former associates, many of whom she now hated
passionately. "Little Gabrielle Taylor's supposed betrothed is now my
plaything. That little rich snob has everything, and thanks to her
and her
friends, I have nothing. Oh, I'm going to love this."
She took a torch and climbed into the cage. The chimps tried to keep
her
away from Joxer, but she waved the torch at them, and they backed
away,
afraid. She sat down beside him and lifted his head, putting it on
her lap.
Joxer slowly open his eyes and looked into Callie's eyes. All he
could make
out clearly was a halo of blonde hair. The rest was all hazy.
"Gabby?" he weakly said. She stroked his hair.
"Yes, Joxer, it's me, Gabby. I'm going to fix you up, okay?"
He smiled and closed his eyes, opening them again with a slight
frown. Her
voice sounded odd, but his head felt odd, too, so maybe that was it.
His
eyes slid shut again. He knew he was safe now that his Gabby was with
him.
~**~
The police came and took O'Malley away. He had refused to talk, so
they
still had no idea where Joxer was. Lord Taylor walked into the
drawing
room, shaking his head. "I have bad news."
Gabrielle went to her father. "What's wrong?" She gave a twisted half-
smile.
"Or should I say, what else?"
He smiled sadly at his daughter and sat down. "I need a drink. Could
you fix
me a brandy?" Xena brought the drink over to him, and he quickly
finished it
off.
"Father, please tell me what's wrong," begged the artist, as she
knelt down
beside his chair.
He put his hand gently on her, trying to soften the blow. "Lord
Mansfield
suffered a heart attack last night and died."
Gabrielle gasped for air. She couldn't believe what she had just
heard. "No.
It can't be true. Joxer's father can't be dead. He barely got to know
him!"
"I'm sorry, Gabrielle. "
She ran from the room. Xena shared a concerned glance with Lord
Taylor.
"This is too much for Gabrielle. I'll go talk to her."
He nodded his head, and then got up. "We need to get away for a
while. I'll
arrange everything. Go to the country house for a bit."
Xena nodded her head. "I think that's a good idea. Why don't you and
Gabrielle do that?"
"You *are* coming, too."
"No, sir. I need to find Joxer for Gabrielle."
He nodded his head. "I understand."
Xena went out to the garden and found Gabrielle in her usual place.
She was
crying her heart out. Xena said nothing but gave her support as the
blonde
artist cried on her shoulder.
~**~
Joxer was cowering in the corner of the cage. His eyes were unfocused.
Whenever one of the chimps would come near him, he would scream
out, "Stay
away from me!" He wrapped his arms around his legs, and began to
rock to
and fro, muttering to himself, "Danger, danger."
Frawn shook her head. The same thing that happened to Kongo, who was
now
Killer, was happening to Joxer. "Oh Mooks, please hurry - before
Joxer is
lost completely, like Kongo."
~**~
Mooks knew that monkeys weren't common on the streets of London, so he
traveled in the dark shadows, slipping stealthily from alley to
deserted
doorway, his nose on duty at all times. At one point, he smelled
someone who
had been near Joxer, and he was excited, until he realized that the
smell
was coming from between the window bars of a place even he, with all
his
skills, couldn't find a way into. Still, he clung to the bars for a
while,
and picked up the scent of the man that also wore Joxer's scent.
Perhaps he
could follow that to find someone who knew his friend.
Unfortunately, the scent of the man in the room led only to a big
cage on
wheels in back of the building. But the horse there was able to give
Mooks
passable directions, although his chimpanzee was a little rusty. He
only
knew the language because he'd been acquainted years earlier with an
organ
grinder's sidekick, and Mooks was impressed he remembered at all, and
told
him so. The horse did inform him that the Gardens would be a good
shortcut
to the place he was heading, and Mooks took to the trees.
As he swung toward his destination, he thought about his hairless
friend.
How would he convince anyone to come help him? He spoke of
this 'Gabrielle,'
and had explained that they had plans to mate, which struck Mooks as
an odd
concept - one either mated or one didn't. In his admittedly limited
experience, planning was not involved. He worried about Frawn, his
own mate,
and how she would manage to keep the Old Barstard away from Joxer.
Soon he
was where the horse had directed him, and his nose would do the rest.
~**~
"NO!" Gabrielle stomped her foot, and her father sighed. "I will
*not* go to
the country! I want to be *here* in case Joxer comes back." They had
just
returned from the service for Lord Mansfield, and she was still
dressed in
black, with the veiled hat on. Her father had mentioned his plans in
the
carriage on the way home.
"I promise to look for him, and send a message as soon as I know
anything at
all," Xena cajoled her friend.
"You've been extremely worked up ever since you came back from
Borneo," her
father said, soothingly. "There's been so much going on."
The artist's voice dropped almost to a whisper, and rose in volume as
she
spoke. "My fiancé's father just died, he's been taken God-knows-where
by
God-knows-who, *he* could be dead for all we know, and you want me to
go off
on *holiday*?" She finished in an angry shout. "NO!" She brushed past
them
and ran up the stairs to her room.
Xena lifted a brow at her guardian. "You aren't going to tell me
you're
*surprised* by this?" The elderly man just blew out his breath and
shook his
head, starting up the stairs after his distraught daughter. His ward
stopped
him with a hand on his arm. "I *will* find him, you know. You can
tell her
that." Lord Taylor smiled faintly and continued up the stairs.
Xena headed for the door with determination. She had a promise to
keep. If
she could implicate Jett Mansfield in his brother's disappearance,
all the
better.
~**~
Mooks stared from the tree in awe. This place smelled a *lot* like
Joxer,
and it even had two copies of him there! Although they were
different, too.
Both were dressed in black suits, and had shorter hair. One had cold
and
nasty eyes, like he was made of the stuff the cage bars were made of.
The
other looked nicer, and moved in a smooth and delicate way, like
Callie the
trainer did when she was putting on a show, just before she'd go into
Cheetah's cage. For some reason, even the biggest men in the audience
were
frightened when she did that, although once she got Cheetah worked
up, she
moved just like the real Callie. She was mean and tough, and never in
any
real danger. Mooks didn't understand.
He didn't understand the conversation below him either, although
there were
a couple of human words that he knew. He heard the delicate one
say "Kill"
in a scared and questioning way, and the hard one laughed coldly. That
wasn't the kind of laugh Mooks liked. But the hard one said, "No,"
and then
something more, which made the delicate one look happier, although
not much.
Then a dark woman, who looked tough like Callie but not so mean, came
into
the garden, and seemed to scare the hard one. She even gave a mean
look to
the delicate one, who didn't look happy again. For some reason, Mooks
liked
the dark woman. He would follow her - she had Joxer's scent, too.
