Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any of its characters. I do not own the Pinkerton Detective Agency (they were the first detective agency to hire women). I own Madeline, and Lillian 'Lily' Snyder.
(A/N: Persona: the mask or façade presented to satisfy the demands of the situation or the environment and not representing the inner personality of the individual; the public personality. The rules of the Pinkerton Detective Agency Lily reads are the original rules made by Allan Pinkerton in the early 1850's.)
The next morning Lily threw her blanket over her head when Madeline opened her curtains. She wanted to hide from the world, mainly her father and Alexander Busby. She had arrived at the refuge a few minutes before Noon. The moment she walked in he proposed, she had been so shocked and angry that words had refused to escape her throat. Her father had smiled and answered for her.
"Of course she shall marry you, look how happy and excited she is!" He had smiled. For the first time in her life Lillian saw what the street kids and her older sister saw of their father: a devil in disguise. When Alexander took his leave an hour later her father had pulled her aside and threatened her: Marry Alexander or be out on the streets. If you get arrested and thrown into the refuge I'll treat you as the other children. You still have a year until your an adult, until then I have full control.
"Miss? It is morning..." Madeline said softly from the corner of the room.
"I know."
"There is someone here to see you, miss."
"Tell Alexander I'm sick."
"It's a woman, from the Pinkerton Detective Agency."
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A few minutes later Lily had dressed in a white blouse and ankle length pink skirt, she had shrugged on her boots and braided her hair. She walked quickly out of her room and ignored Madeline's intake of breath at seeing she was not in the least considered decent. She was missing her stockings, her hair was not pinned to the top of her head, and the blouse shouldn't have been worn without a shawl.
"May I help you?" She questioned curiously.
The woman in front of her turned and smiled. Lily's eyes doubled in size, the woman standing before her was Pretty the newsgirl. Only she was not wearing a man's trousers, nor was her hair partially hidden under a newsboy cap. She sneer on her face had vanished replaced with a small and surprisingly gentle smile. Her amber eyes didn't show the emotion they had a day before. She wore a long dark blue dress, it's collar ending just below her chin. Holding the collar shut was a cameo with an eye on it. She wore black leather gloves and clutched a parasol's handle in her hand.
"Good morning, Miss Snyder, I thought you would have been up by now," she smiled cheerfully.
"Pretty?!"
The woman laughed, "That is my assumed newsie name. It took months before the newsies finally trusted me," her face became serious, "I took a large risk coming in here in form of my true persona, Miss Snyder."
Lily blinked, she was dumbfounded, after a moment of stammering she managed to ask, "Who are you?"
"My name is Lucinda Addams, of course Addams is not my real last name, I can't go giving that away to someone I cannot yet trust. It is the Pinkerton way. I wanted to know what you were doing sniffing around Jack Kelly."
"I...Don't...'Sniff' people."
"It's a detective term," she replied, "You seemed rather...Intent to speak with him."
Lily shrugged, "I just wanted to see if I got a feeling about him, the same feeling I had when he sold me a newspaper two months ago. I had it. But, he wanted nothing more than to be rid of me so I gave him his wish."
"Ah, I see. You're experiencing your first real attraction," Lucinda replied before she sat down on the sofa. "At first, I must admit I thought you were like all the other girls who walk past the newsies, or attempt to be...Charitable to them. But then I followed you around, I was rather surprised to see you have a secret life."
Lily shut her mouth quickly, her heart pounded. She did have a secret life, sort of. She had a job, she crocheted lace that would later be sewn onto fancy dresses and tea hats. It was her own way of having a little control over her life. Perhaps not much, but enough for a growing foundation that would hopefully one day lead to her growing a backbone. One day she would take control of her life, have her own home, and would not be forced to take orders from her father.
"Then I saw you were engaged to a man you seem to despise, do you despise Mr. Alexander Busby, Miss Snyder?"
"No, I worship at his feet every morning," Lily replied in sarcasm.
Lucinda suddenly laughed, "My, I see there is much I did not know about you. Well then, after I followed you around and saw who you really were I noticed you too had....Skills in investigating. You went behind Alexander's back and learned about a completely different side of him almost unknown to the world, and you were not caught. I have shared what I learned my employer, he is fully ready to hire you, I will train you."
"Wait...Wait...You just hire people off the streets? What about detective schooling?"
"Oh, yes, we have that but there isn't time. Dear oh dear, I am getting ahead of myself, aren't I? Do you know why you live this large apartment have a maid and butler?"
"Because my father's paycheck is somewhat large, though I suspect he is stealing from the refuge's funds."
"Exactly," Lucinda replied, "The problem is that we do not have any evidence of this. I know you love your father, however I also know you are tired of living under his thumb. I also know you are angry with him for forcing you to marry Alexander Busby. If you help us find evidence of your father's crimes, we shall help you."
"And how will you help me?"
"First, you will have a job...A real job; secondly, you will not have to marry Mr. Busby; and thirdly you will be the fifth female detective in history." She smiled, "I have taken a shine to you, Miss Snyder, do not make me regret my decision."
Lily paused, the new information ran around her head quickly. She paused and pinched her arm then winced, she was awake and alive. She flicked a lose strand of hair out of her face and questions began forming in her mind.
"Why me? Why not someone who works in the refuge, or Madeline even?"
"Well every employee in that refuge is cruel and crooked. Secondly, Madeline is the third female detective in the Pinkerton Agency. We hired her when she was about your age, since then she has been gathering information, but the warden never speaks to her unless it is to tell her to do something."
"Madeline is a detective?" Lily's eyes widened.
"Oh yes, one of our best," she smiled, "She must be to have put up with your father for all these years."
"It is a tough job," Madeline exclaimed while walking out of the kitchen carrying a metal tray with a coffee pot and three cups and saucers on it. Her accent had changed from plain to British. "I'll give ye that, even tougher when Mrs. Snyder died. Just about broke my achin' heart to watch yer poor sister bein' married off to a man she hated. Then to see the same thing happen to you."
"Madeline and I met at Tibby's last night and discussed your attitude, disposition, and trustworthiness before even speaking with our employer," Lucinda replied.
"I had no idea..." Lily paused, "How do I know this is not some elaborate prank?"
"I told ye, she's always suspicious, this one," Madeline chimed.
Lucinda reached into her small black purse and took out her badge. Madeline reached into a hidden pocket on the inside of her apron and took out hers. The badge was like a police officer's, only it was silver and had the words: Pinkerton National, then a line with a star in the middle of it followed by the words, Detective Agency.
"You are telling the truth," Lily whispered in shock, "What...What do you want me to do?"
"Well first of all we need to spend the morning training, you will be needing a whole new attitude. Basically you are about to become an entirely different person."
"What do you mean?" Lilly frowned.
Lucinda leaned forward, "It is time to grow up. I know for a fact you look just like your mother, which is the reason your father is marrying you off rather early. It is time that you became close to your father, gather all the evidence you can of his crimes, and then you will simply....Disappear."
"It's a hard job, dearie, you have to pretend to be many different people, are you ok with it?" Madeline questioned.
Lily paused, then nodded, "Anything is better than having to be the person my father is forcing me to be."
"Wonderful," Lucinda beamed, "You shall become a grown woman now. Use larger words, and for heaven's sake, until we say it is safe to, do not go around The World Distribution Center, or Jack Kelly."
She reached into her purse, "Read these over."
Lily blinked and read the list out loud. "Accept no bribes; never compromise with criminals; partner with local law enforcement agencies, when necessary; refuse divorce cases or cases that initiated scandals of clients; turn down reward money (detectives are paid well); never raise fees without the client's pre-knowledge; and apprise clients on an ongoing basis."
"It is the Pinkerton Code of Ethics and the rules, you must live by them from now on."
"Wait, if I can't compromise with criminals, then how can I speak to one and live with one?" Lily questioned, part of her felt uneasy about going behind her father's back. He had fed, clothed, and cared for her....For heaven's sake he was her father! But he was not the man she remembered when her mother was alive. He was greedy, cruel, and self centered. When her mother was alive he was kind, sweet, and a hard working man who believed in justice for all, children included.
She put herself in the mind frame that she was working with the two detectives for her father's own good as well as her own.
"Oh no, dearie," Madeline said, "It just means you cannot accept money from them and turn your back on his misdeeds and crimes. It also means you can never reveal your true identity to him from now on."
"How do I know you both will keep your end of this? I want evidence."
"Spoken like a true detective," Lucinda smiled, "I will be by your house this evening to bring you to my employer."
"What's his name?"
"You'll know when he introduces himself," Madeline replied, "It is best that way," she stood and her form lost its confidence as she slightly slumped again. She took the tray and scurried out to the kitchen, once again becoming the shy and skittery maid Lily knew her to be since she was 12.
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Pulitzer, Hearst, and all the other newspaper giants had jacked up their prices. The information had been a shock to Jack, after learning it was true he, with Davey's help, began a strike. However there was not enough newsies yet for there to be an actual strike, they needed Brooklyn, Harlem, Midtown, Queens, Long Island, and Little Italy.
"So is this....Spot Conlon really dangerous?" David questioned as he walked with Jack and Boots across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Jack laughed, "Oh yeah, he's dangerous when he wants ta be. But me and Boots heah ah good friends of his."
"Spot and Jack are best friends," Boots replied, "Sometimes I'se t'ink deys bruddas."
Jack glanced over at David, surprised he didn't have another barrel full of questions. His thoughts returned to Sarah Jacobs, the tall and sweet older sister of David and Les. She reminded him of a porcelain doll. Then, for some reason Sarah's face left his mind and that Lily girl's face took its place. Unlike Sarah she was not tall, but short. She only reached up to his shoulders. She was a freckled face girl who didn't seem to yet realize she wasn't an adult yet.
"Think Brooklyn will help us?" David asked.
"I'se hope so," Jack replied. The long walk to the docks was boring and quiet. He had no doubt that David was probably shaking in his boots, but most new newsies had the same reaction when it came to the mighty King of Brooklyn. But what not many newsies knew was that the mighty king had fallen for a mere messenger girl; who, in turn, was clueless to the fact the newsie king even noticed her.
As they walked past a small clothing shop Jack did a double take.
"What is it?" David asked.
"Nothin'," Jack replied. He backed up and peered inside the window, she was standing in front of a mirror trying on a light violet dress. It was modest and only slightly fancy, but very dignified at the same time. Beside her stood a woman with blonde hair that was coiled in a bun at the nape of her neck. The blonde looked familiar, but he couldn't place her. His focus went back to Lillian Snyder, she looked happy. Hell, she was glowing with happiness. It was as if she had stepped out of her old life and into someone else's. Then a woman brought out a long white gown followed by a veil. Jack's stomach crashed, the dress was a wedding dress, and the moment Lily saw it she frowned.
The blonde was quickly talking to her, trying to calm her. Jack had practiced reading lips, though he couldn't read them overly well, he was able to somewhat make out that the dress was just 'for show' until 'the job was finished.' Whatever that meant.
"Jack, youse comin'?" Boots asked.
"Yeah, I'se comin'," he replied. He forced his thoughts to return to the matter at hand: the strike. And decided that if he wanted any woman in his life, it would be Sarah Jacobs.
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"Are you sure it's only for show?"
"I swear I would not lie to you," Lucinda replied as she paid for the clothing.
Lily was wearing her new dress, it was made from a golden colored fabric with light yellow flower pattern on the sleeves. The sleeves were tight, as were all her dress's sleeves. However, the dress did not have a collar, instead it had a sharply pointed 'v' that ended just before her it revealed too much. The bodice of the dress was tight with a row of glass buttons that ended at her waist. The bodice ended with a 'v' like the collar, only it was wider and slightly curved. From there the skirt began and ended at the tips of her new light brown boots. Atop her head she wore a golden hat with different types of flowers around the top of it.
"Open your parasol, you are an adult now, show your stature by keeping the sun from your face," Lucinda chided as the male clerk loaded the dresses into the carriage. Three (including the one she was wearing) would be given to Madeline to put into her closet. The rest would be new wardrobe when this job was over.
Lily opened her parasol and held it above her head, the ivory handle slipped a little due to the soft silk gloves she wore. She glanced around the street and her eyes widened at seeing Jack Kelly, but his back was turned to her. David and another newsboy were walking away.
"Probably to the Brooklyn Docks to see Spot Conlon."
"Who?"
"Spot Conlon, Brooklyn, he is the newsie king," Lucinda replied, "You need to learn this things. One day you'll be working with us on another case we had to put on hold."
"What case is that?"
Lucinda paused, "All I can say is it deals with Francis Sullivan's father, and I know you know who Francis Sullivan is."
"The boy my father keeps chasing, that is all I know," Lily shrugged.
"Francis Sullivan is Jack Kelly," Lucinda replied, "Not a word about that knowledge. Not even the newsies know."
"How do you know?" Lily's eyes widened in surprise, was there anything Lucinda didn't know?
"It's my job to know, as it is now yours," the other woman replied, "I shall drop you off at the street corner, give the dresses to Madeline, then return to my life as Pretty. You know I will have to return to being....Snide with you. I apologize for this, but my persona as Pretty is that I must despise all upper class ladies. You see my history as Pretty is her mother was a lady who went insane and attempted to kill her family. Pretty and her mother were the only survivors. The only reason Pretty is still on the streets and her mother is not is because she turned her mother into the police, which is the only contact she has ever had with the 'bulls' as the newsies and other working children and adults know the police as."
"Will I need to develop a persona?"
"On future assignments, you will," Lucinda replied, "And whenever choosing a name and history for that persona: Always, Always, Always, use at least three letters of your first name throughout the entire name."
"Why?"
Lucinda paused, "There have been...Times when detectives are so stressed and so undercover they forget who they truly are. They live by their made up identity and history, convinced it is real. Keeping three letters of your name is enough to help us know who they are. Also if it were more than three criminals might be able to place two and two together and know your real name. Alright then, off you go."
"Lucinda, thank you."
"You are welcome, oh and do you recall how I said to stay away from Jack Kelly?"
"Yes, and the newsies," Lily replied.
"Stay away from the distribution center, but not the newsies," she replied, "They know things about Snyder that we don't. I know a few of the things, but I think Blink has taken a shine to you. He may be willing to tell you more than you tell me."
"The newsies are saying they are going on strike, is there any way I can support them?"
"I think that would marvelous, you'd make your father think you were trying to make the high class see him as being a rich and charitable man, do it." The dectetive paused, "And one very important rule: An Effective Detective Never Falls In Love!" She said before waving out the window of the carriage. The driver flicked the reigns and the carriage, along with Lucinda were out of her viewpoint a few minutes later.
"Well then, let's get this over with so I can start with a new life," Lily muttered to herself. It was time to have lunch with her father.
