Free Avery & Blake 02 - The Infidel Stain by M. J. Carter

argue?’
    ‘I never seen any fighting or nothing. They just like to sound off about each other. Think of ways of doing each other down. But Nat never did anything like that.’
    ‘What sort of thing?’
    She looked over at me. ‘Here, Captain whatever your name is, I’m doing a lot of work here, I want a plum duff and a hot elderberry wine.’
    ‘Tell you what,’ said Blake. ‘We’ll give you the money for it when we’ve finished. You can go and get it then. I promise.’
    She pursed her lips. I put some coins on the table and pushed them towards her. ‘Take it now, Miss Horner. And my name is Captain Avery.’
    She picked up the coins and squirrelled them away in the folds of her shawl. ‘My thanks,
Captain Avery
.’
    ‘So how did they do each other down?’ said Blake.
    ‘Oh, I doan know, always looking to get ahead of each other. Copying each other’s stuff and undercutting prices. Bad-mouthing each other. Dugdale’s prime on that.’
    ‘Ever met Mr Woundy?’
    ‘Dunno anyone by that name.’
    ‘He’d be a big man, fat. Flash dresser. Ever see anyone like that?’
    ‘Well, a fat man did come sometimes. Didn’t catch his name.’
    ‘What do you remember about him?’
    She thought for a moment. ‘Lots of chins. Reminded me of … what’s it called, a great frog or toad, with a big throat and small brown eyes. Flabby red cheeks. Green suit, silk waistcoat. Not a sight you forget. Another time a big brown greatcoat with a dark fur collar. Very particular about his hair. Sideburns round his face till they turned into a little beard. I remember because he and Nat were chalk and cheese. He was big and loud and looked like money. Nat was thin and quiet and a bit worn. Might have been him?’
    ‘How many times did you see him?’
    ‘Three, maybe four times.’
    ‘Was he a client?’
    ‘Dunno.’
    ‘Did Nat have regular customers, anyone you’d recognize?’
    ‘I was working when his customers came. But sometimes one or two would pull up in carriages – quite the swells. Couldn’t say I knew a face, and none of their names.’
    ‘All right, Matty, I want something else of you,’ Blake said. ‘I want you to go to the shop with us, take us through what you saw. You are the only one who can tell me. I will make it worth your while. More than you’d earn in a day.’
    ‘Blake,’ I said, ‘do you really—’ His fierce look silenced me.
    ‘I doan have a key,’ she said. ‘I did, but I doan have it today.’
    ‘I can fix that,’ he said curtly.
    ‘Well then,’ she said, just as curt, ‘all right. Today is three weeks to the day it happened. I know because I mark off the days, keep a record. My dad taught me. Like he taught me to read. And I’ve a very good memory. I’ll do it for two shillings. I’ll meet you round the side, under the Wedderburns’ steps, in a few minutes. I’ll go first. You come after.’
    ‘Don’t want to be seen with us?’ said Blake.
    ‘Got my reputation to think of,’ she said archly. ‘Doan want people seeing me go in.’
    She stood up and I saw her feet were bare. Blake did not seem to have noticed. She picked up her bonnet, shawl and basket, shouting thanks to Kravitz, and struck out through the milling idlers. A few minutes later we joined her under the Wedderburns’ steps.
    She pointed to a small door in the wall. ‘This is how I used to get in, round the side so no one could see. I’d walked to Hackney for winter lettuce.’
    Blake bent down on his heels and took out his tools.
    She smirked. ‘House-breaker, eh, Captain?’ she said. ‘Very respectable.’
    The light was not good, but the door sprung open after a few minutes and she edged in with us following behind. We crawled through a dusty cavity and then out into the back room itself. As she stood up, she braced herself.
    ‘Tell me everything you remember,’ said Blake, taking out his pocketbook and pen, ‘however small.’
    ‘It was before six, not quite light. The room was really