The Night of the Victorian Plot – Part 2

Welcome to America

Chapter 14

The Prisoner

On arrival at the Traveller, Artie and Jim escorted Loveless to the cell in the stable car and locked him in.

"You can't leave me here," Loveless complained.

"It's not for long," Jim said. "We'll let you out once we find a way to stop you running off, though I don't suppose even you would be mad enough to jump from a fast-moving train."

"Why must you always use that word 'mad' in connection with me?" Loveless asked angrily.

"Maybe you should take the opportunity to make me change my mind on the journey to Washington," Jim said.

Loveless scowled.

Jim went into town to find Otis and Nate while Artie sent a telegraph to Colonel Richmond. There was quite a lot to tell him. While Jim was in town he took the time to visit the local sheriff and inform him of his status and mission. The man was happy to let him have a set of leg irons and handcuffs.

The first thing Nate did when he returned was arrange a schedule for the Traveller to take them back to Washington that would be acceptable to the railroad company. They finally set off just after two in the afternoon.

Artie had made lunch for everyone, which Loveless ate in his cell.

During lunch the two agents had a chance to catch up.

"What did Washington have to say?" Jim asked.

Artie swallowed the mouthful of food he had been chewing. "The Colonel sent his congratulations of course," he said. "He wants a full written report by the time we reach Washington, so I guess that's down to me." He looked meaningfully at Jim who grinned back at him. There was a tacit agreement between them; Jim handled the brunt of the fighting and Artie took care of the paperwork. As Artie pointed out from the beginning of their partnership, back in London, he was the senior by fifteen years. It helped that Jim loved the adrenaline high that combat gave him.

When they had finished a nice cup of coffee the two men went to visit Loveless in the stable car and unlocked his cell. He didn't complain when they fitted the restraints on him. He would do just about anything at that point to get out of the tiny cell and find somewhere more fitting for a man of his stature.

Jim took Loveless to the parlour car and sat him down in the armchair. Artie followed.

"Now then," Jim began, "we have a few questions for you."

"I shall answer your questions," Loveless replied "but only if you answer mine first."

Jim sighed and then said, "Go ahead."

"Why have you come all the way from England to capture me? Is there no-one in this vast country who could have done that job as well as if not better than you?"

Jim saw no problem with telling the diminutive doctor the truth. "Colonel Richmond of the US Secret Service asked for us specifically as we had dealt with you before over the attempted assassination of Queen Victoria and we had encountered a similar situation in England to the one you were causing in New Mexico. That is why our head of department agreed to send us. We didn't choose this assignment; we're here under orders."

Loveless grinned.

"It's your turn to answer our questions now," Jim said.

"Of course," Loveless said, "what do you want to know?"

Jim looked at Artie, who frowned back at him. He hadn't realised they were going to interrogate Loveless. Jim gave him a look that said trust me and then turned back to their prisoner.

"Why did you leave Nueva Atenas and travel to Oklahoma?" he asked.

Loveless' grin grew wider. "What would you say if I told you I was never in New Mexico?"

Jim's eyes narrowed. "I'd say you were lying because President Grant himself said you were and he wouldn't make a statement like that unless his sources were sure of the fact."

"Oh, Mr West," Loveless said, shaking his head ruefully. "You are altogether too trusting."

Artie couldn't help interrupting at this point. "What you are saying makes no sense. If there was not a problem, then why would the US Government request our help and bring us all the way here from England?"

"Perhaps it will help if I answer Mr West's question," Loveless said. "I was in Oklahoma waiting for you because I knew that your train would be travelling through that particular territory and at that particular time. Now ask yourselves how I knew that."

The two agents looked at each other. Their questioning had taken a strange turn somewhere. Artie beckoned to Jim and they moved to a corner of the carriage where they could not be heard by Loveless.

"That's a good question, Jim," Artie whispered. "How did he know the train's route and timetable?"

"The only people who knew were you and I, Nate and Otis, and Colonel Richmond of course."

"Well it wasn't us and I can't believe it was any of the others," Artie whispered.

"Do you think Loveless bribed one of the Government clerks in Washington who had access to the information?"

"We could ask him," Artie said sotto voce.

"Yes, but would he tell us the truth?" Jim asked.

"Surely he has nothing to lose now."

"Unless he's relying on that person to help him when we get back to Washington."

"Perhaps, but it's at least worth a try," Artie said.

"All right," Jim agreed, "but I still want to get to the bottom of why he insists he was never in Nueva Atenas and that we were brought to America for a different reason than the one I gave him."

"You're right," said Artie, "There's something going on that we don't know about. We need to get Loveless to talk before we get back to Washington."

They both nodded in agreement and turned back to their prisoner.

"Now then Loveless," Artie began, "Who told you our plans? Which clerk did you bribe?"

Loveless laughed out loud. "You still don't get it do you?" he said. "And I thought you were so clever."

The two agents looked puzzled.

"Allow me to enlighten you, gentlemen. After what happened in London I lost the substantial fee I would have been paid to assassinate Her Majesty Queen Victoria. On top of that I left the torpedo behind so no doubt your government will have been able to produce a copy of it. I can never return to my beloved Germany again and neither could I stay in England, so I was forced to come here to the United States of America. The first thing on my mind was to take revenge on you but I also wanted revenge on the country that denied me sanctuary even though I was a son to her and a genius son at that – Germany. At first, I spent time blending in, changing my name and learning to speak with an American accent. Then I realised that the people of this country were fools as well. They refused to take me seriously; they saw only my height and treated me with disdain because of it. so I developed the shrinking powder to cut them down to size."

"And how were you going to take revenge on Germany?" Jim asked.

"That took a lot of planning. News of my crime had not followed me across the Atlantic thanks to the British Prime Minister not wanting news of any threat to the monarch getting out and so I could gain entry to select parties and I made sure to make the acquaintance of the daughter of the German Ambassador to the United States. At the beginning, I thought if I could separate her from her father I could kidnap her and hold the Government to ransom. But it was easier than I thought because she fell in love with me – well with the fact that I was an evil genius; she readily came with me. You have met her."

"Antoinette!" Artie exclaimed. "But you said she was your cousin."

"I could hardly tell you who she really was now could I?"

"So why did you send her away last night?" Jim asked.

"Because I made a deal with Colonel Richmond to return her in exchange for you, you dolt!"

"What!?" Artie exclaimed. He found he was doing that a lot recently.

"Let me spell it out for you," Loveless continued. "It was Colonel Richmond and President Grant's idea to make up the tale about Nueva Atenas after Richmond found out about the case you dealt with in the north of England. The similarity of the situation and your knowledge of me was enough for them to persuade your boss to send you over here. They then sent me details of your itinerary; you have been duped, gentlemen." He laughed again.

To be continued