Free Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders by Kate Griffin

what’s happening to Lady Ginger’s girls.’
    Lucca leaned forward and prodded the coals. His hair flopped forward and I couldn’t see his face as he muttered something in Italian. Ah, he’s thinking it through, I thought. Lucca was a clever one, like I said.
    ‘There must be something. You must have seen something from the cage? Maggie – tell me again, who did she serve, who did she speak to?’
    I looked into the flames and pictured the hall. The Gaudy was packed that night. My act was attracting punters from all over the city so it wasn’t a surprise to see that several tables served by Maggie were occupied by toffs. Usually their sort wouldn’t be seen dead at a place like The Gaudy – it was better than The Carnival, mind, which was little more than a gin palace with a hall attached, but it wasn’t as smart as The Comet neither. It didn’t matter, though, people were so wild to see The Limehouse Linnet – and tell their friends all about it – that they were willing to park their tails in the cheap seats with the lesser sorts.
    The air had been thick with smoke and with the smell of ale and gin. I remembered seeing Maggie’s scrawny arms as she strained to carry the tray. I’d watched her pick her way between the tables and I’d seen the men who didn’t budge or give her a second glance as she tried to get by. Maggie Halpern was a colourless creature, her face, her hair, her clothes – they was all a faded shade of brown. No one noticed her except me – and maybe someone else?
    I shook my head. ‘There’s nothing. It was business as usual. No one spoke to her, no one even knew she was there. You know what she was like.’
    Lucca leaned forward, resting his forehead in his hands. It was his thinking position.
    ‘And Jenny? What about her? Tell me again, what you saw.’
    I went through it all – Jenny in the box . . . her head going up and down . . . the man behind the curtain – Lucca held up his hand. ‘Yes! The man she was with – what do you remember about him?’
    ‘Nothing. I couldn’t see him proper, remember? And, anyway, how was I to know that was the last time I’d catch sight of her? After that set-to in the dressing room, I wasn’t exactly feeling warm towards the old rantipole.’ I grinned. ‘Mind you, I was going to tell you all about it – how he didn’t even have to look at her mug while she was on the job. And how – all the while – he was beating time to Professor Ruben and the boys. I kept seeing the ring on his little finger on the box rail catching the light – up and down, up and down, like Jenny’s yellow head.’
    Lucca just stared at me. ‘There you are, Fannella, you have your first clue – he wears a signet ring.’
    I rolled my eyes.
    ‘And so does half of London. Even Joey wore a ring.’
     

Chapter Nine
    ‘The Lady is not happy, so she isn’t.’
    Fitzy smoothed the sheet of paper on the desk in front of him and squinted down at the looping black writing through the pair of wire-framed glasses he normally hid in his top pocket. The writing was old-fashioned, very neat, very elegant like, with flourishes and elaborate curls. Even though it was upside down in front of me I could see it was an educated hand – a lady’s hand, I thought.
    I watched as he traced down the page with a fat finger until he found the bit he was looking for and began to read aloud:
    Remind Miss Peck of her obligations. It is almost two weeks now and she is yet to provide anything of use. Moreover, it seems that the mother of the Lidgate girl has approached the constabulary. I need hardly tell you, Fitzpatrick, the consequences of investigation into my business affairs. Fortunately, I have dealt with this as I have had to deal with much else, but it is a source of disappointment to me that, despite providing our songbird with unparalleled access to my halls – at no small expense, I must add – she has offered little more than general tittle-tattle of the most tame and