Disclaimer: Ditto

A/N: sorry, just got back from central America and had no comp, no internet, no nothing.

Chapter 7:

Skittery had a headache, one that would not go away any time in the near future. He groaned pushing open a door marked "The Sun".

"I'm here to see Bryan Denton," he told a man wearing a vest and coke bottle glasses that was sitting at the front desk.

He looked Skittery over and then stood up. "Wait here," he said. Skittery watched him disappear into a room nearby. A minute later, the door opened again and both the man and Denton stepped out.

"Skittery, nice to see you. It's okay Paul. He's a personal friend of mine." Paul gave Skittery one last disapproving look and then settled back behind his desk while Denton beckoned Skittery inside.

"Please," he said. "Sit down."

"Denton, I need to ask you a favor."

"Before you do that, I wanted to show you something. I did a lot of research since our last visit…" his voice trailed off as he moved to his closet and pulled down a box filled to the top with old newspapers. He set the box down in front of Skittery. "If my boss finds out about this, I can get into a lot of trouble."

"I don't even know your boss, Denton."

"Good point. Here, let me show you what I found." He laid an article in front of Skittery. "Turns out your friend Jacob has a very long criminal record."

Skittery scanned the article briefly. "Why ain't he in jail for this?"

"There's a rumor that the judge in charge of his conviction was running in his circle. Whether or not that's true, I'm not sure." He pulled out a handful of articles and handed them to Skittery who leafed through them.

"He supposedly led his gang on a crime spree that spanned the course of six years, using the name John McLaughlin. They did it all, Skittery. Murder, robbery, everything."

"So how come the bulls don't just throw him in the slammer now?"

"Its all about evidence, Skittery. Sadly, our justice system has its faults…look at this. After Jacob's trial, when he was released, that was when his family was murdered. His daughter, apparently his pride and joy, married a poor Irish immigrant. When their first child was born, Jacob went mad. He never stopped harassing his son in law, ordering his daughter to leave him and marry someone suitable. When the boy, I think his name was Kingsley, was eight or so, the entire family was found murdered in their own home, the one Jacob resides at today."

"You found all of that in these papes?"

"Most of it. I had to do a little research elsewhere. See, most papers aren't given all the details of a story, so some of the history is a bit sketchy."

"Who murdered his family? Him?"

"No one knows. There were people lined up to prove that Jacob was away on a business trip when it happened, and he came home to see his daughter, that was when he found them."

Skittery leaned back in his chair. So much new information to think about.

"There is one more thing, Skittery." Skittery looked up. "According to some accounts, Loffstetter's daughter had another son, who went missing. They never found a body, or any evidence that he perished as well."

"So he could still be alive then."

Denton nodded. "There really wasn't much information on him, and most of the papers left him out of the story completely."

"How would you go about looking for someone?"

"I can talk to my boss, explain the situation. We can put an ad out maybe. I don't know how effective that would be considering this is a large country and for all we know, he could be holed up in the mines in California. Besides that, we have no idea what his name is, or how old he was."

"I guess it's a start though."

"Skittery, I'll help you any way that I can. If you come up with something, let me know."

"I will. Thanks Denton." Skittery stood up to leave.

"What was that favor you wanted to ask me about?"

"Oh…"

…

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Snoddy looked over the dilapidated building in front of them.

Blink nodded. "The lodgin' house is in better shape than this pile of junk."

"And he calls us uncivilized."

"Which window d'you reckon is his?"

"I ain't sure. But I don't think it's either of those. That'd put his room in the front hall."

"I ain't sure this place has a front hall."

Snoddy pulled on Blink's sleeve and tugged him toward the side of the house. "Let's go 'round back."

Blink followed him to the back of the house, which matched the front, decrepit and dirty.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Snoddy shrugged and then pulled a pebble out of his pocket, and chucked it toward a window on the upper floor of the house.

They watched in silence, waiting with abated breath for any sign of life on the inside. Snoddy looked at Blink and then pulled out another stone.

"Maybe you should try the other window, Snoddy."

"I was gettin' to that. You gotta learn patience, Blink." Blink frowned, dug into his own pocket and threw a rock at the second window.

Skittery's face appeared just as Blink was prepping to throw another one. Snoddy and Blink watched his surprised expression. He motioned for them to wait a minute.

"Well at least we know it's the right place," Snoddy said.

It didn't take Skittery long to appear on the back step. He didn't say a word as he closed the door behind him. He reached into his pocket, a pulled out a cigarette, which he lit.

"Haven't had me one a these in weeks," he said simply. "What are you guys doin' here?"

"We want you to come back to the lodgin' house, Skittery," Blink said.

Skittery laughed. "Why? So you guys can murder me in my sleep?"

"We wouldn't do that and you know it."

"You guys go on back. I got me a nice set up here, hot food, soft bread, warm blankets…good company."

"You can't seriously like hangin' around that scum!" Snoddy said, a little louder than he had meant to.

"It's a lot better than getting' soaked every day, sellin' to grumpy customers, all that good stuff that comes with bein' a newsie."

"You like bein' a newsie."

"I did. When I was foolish. Blink, Snoddy, I appreciate it, but you wasted your time comin' here."

He turned to leave. "Just uh…watch your backs, guys."

"Spot and Jack are plannin' somethin'," Blink said, suddenly. Skittery paused and then turned around to look at him.

"What are they plannin'?"

"We ain't sure yet. Some kind o' attack."

There was a slight hint of a smile on Skittery's face, but he caught himself and turned it into a frown. "You don't know what you guys are doin'. Jacob and his guys are…well, you're no match with them."

"We can take 'em," Blink said, defensively.

Skittery laughed. "Just be careful, awright?" With a fleeting smile, he turned and went back through the door.

"Well, that went good," Snoddy said.

"At least we're still alive." Blink started back through the side entrance and Snoddy followed close behind.

"For now."

…

Snoddy and Blink pushed their way into the lodging house, bursting at the seams with newsies from all over the city.

Jack and Spot stood in the front of the group, David just behind them, trying to quiet the noisy crowd.

"Listen up!" Jack shouted, while Spot used the quieter approach of glaring at his own boys. The crowd quieted.

"That's better," Jack said. "Look. I know we ain't the best of friends all of us, but sometimes we need to stick together when all our lives are at stake. Look what happened to Spot's boys. They ain't got a place to live no more, and it's all thanks to this guy that thinks he has the right to kill anything he don't like. We hafta do somethin' about it!"

"Like what?" asked a boy in the front, dressed in blue. It was unclear what borough he belonged to but neither Snoddy nor Blink had seen him before. Mush motioned them to join him near the front and Snoddy and Blink pushed their way to the front just as Spot began to answer the boy's question.

"Ain't nothin' for us to do 'cept fight back! Hit 'em where they ain't expectin' it, just like they do us."

The meeting went on for another half an hour and then when Kloppman started to scold and lecture, the boys dispersed. Snoddy and Blink approached Jack, who was exchanging last words with Spot.

"Where have you two been?"

"We've been to see your 'guy on the inside'," said Blink. "We don't think he's so on the inside."

"What are you boys talkin' about?" Jack looked amused.

"We followed you today," Snoddy admitted. "We heard your talk with Spot. We know you think Skittery's gonna help us, but he ain't. We were just there."

Jack grinned. "I'll let you boys in on a little secret. We already talked to Skittery, and we already know where and when the next attack will be."

"What? But…why would he—"

"Lie to you? Because I asked him to. Skittery ain't safe. That group he's with won't hesitate to slit his throat if they think they're bein' double-crossed. You two need to stay away from there, and away from him." Jack placed a hand on Snoddy's shoulder. "He hasn't left us," he said. "Not really."