Free Only the Thunder Knows_East End Girls by Rena Mason Gord Rollo Page A

huh?”
    “Sure
is, William. Unless of course they find out what we’re up to. That might no’ go
so well for us…hear?”
    The
thought had occurred to Hare already, but it was a risk he was more than
willing to take. They’d made more money in the last month than in the entire
last year – and there was a lot more to be made where that had come from. Besides,
he wasn’t convinced they’d ever find anything other than dust and bones
in the old graves so what did it matter?
    “That
won’t happen as long as you keep your big gob shut from here on out. We also
need to stop tossing around money at the pubs, hear? Some folks are already
starting to ask questions about where we suddenly struck it rich and if the
right people start looking our way we might be—”
    A
loud banging noise echoed down the hall, cutting off William’s speech midsentence.
The noise had come from the sculptor’s room and seconds later they heard the
old man’s door swing open and the approach of his footsteps.
    In
a whisper, William said, “Quiet…he’s coming. Not a word now, hear?”
    Billy
nodded his head, his lips sealed.
    Ambrosious
Black entered the common room dressed to the nines in a brand new black suit,
wool overcoat, and a matching top hat that made him look incredibly tall. He
wore a huge smile on his face and seemed to be in a wonderful mood, especially
for this early in the day. He removed his hat and bowed to the men sitting in
front of the fire.
    “Morning,
gents…so glad you both could make it on time. Today’s an important day for us
and there’s no time to waste.”
    “What’s
so bloody important about today?” Burke asked. “Why you dressed up so fancy
like?”
    “I’m
dressed this way, Billy, because today’s the day we unveil my statue to the
city council. The Right Honorable Mr. Walter Brown, the Lord Provost of
Edinburgh himself will be there for the reveal.”
    “You
mean it’s finished?” Hare asked, partly happy to be nearly done dealing with the
frightening Mr. Black and his beastly bird but equally sad that one of their
deep-pocketed benefactors might soon be leaving.
    “Certainly
is, William, and I think you boys are going to love it as much as the people of
Edinburgh surely will. Come…we have to get moving.”
    “Where
we going?” Burke asked.
    “To
the cemetery, of course. We can’t build it here, dolt! The council paid handsomely
for a statue of Robert the Bruce to stand guard over Calton Burial Grounds and by
sundown tonight they’ll damn well have one. I’ve rented a block and tackle and
some scaffolding that should already be there waiting for us but I hope you
lads got yourselves a good night’s sleep. You’re in for a long day.”
    William
was remembering how heavy the stones were when they’d first moved them from the
docks to the back room and wasn’t exactly looking forward to that kind of
strenuous activity today, not after everything he’d been through last night.
    “Well,
at least the stones should be lighter than last time, now that you’ve chipped
away at them and such.”
    “Very
true, William. Only some of them will be much more fragile now and I pray to
all that’s holy you and Billy Boy understand how important it is to me that you
get those stones there without any damage.”
    “You
mean we won’t get any bonus wages if we break something?” Billy said, only half
joking, trying to be funny. Black’s mood instantly went darker than his name,
the smile vanishing from his pallid face. He bent down close to the men before
speaking in a quiet voice.
    “I
mean I’ll rip the hearts out of your bone cages if you so much as chip one of
the stones. Understand?”
    Both
burly men gulped down a healthy mouthful of fear.
    “Yes
sir,” they answered together.
    “Excellent!
Now let’s get to work.”
     
    *  
*   *
     
    The
day crawled by agonizingly slow for Burke and Hare, the physical labor of
moving and positioning the intricately sculpted stones not