Free Steampunk Carnival (Steam World Book 1) by Cassandra Leuthold

journal. He might’ve been trying to get rid of the evidence against him.”
    Katya leaned closer to Magdalene and Brady. “Why doesn’t Mr. Warden recognize you?”
    Brady sighed a dry, short sound. “My appearance isn’t what it used to be. I used to keep my hair trimmed, my beard trimmed. It’s amazing what losing your family and everything that means something to you will do to you. He’s never recognized me by voice or any other way. I never gave him my real name when I approached him about the job.”
    “And that was good enough for Mr. Warden?” Magdalene guessed, her sad tone revealing her lack of surprise.
    Brady shrugged. “He didn’t want to know the workers he managed before. This is the way I wanted it, Miss Harvey. I kept to myself as much as possible. I didn’t start calling myself the Mick to gain friends. Everybody has kept their distance except the two of you.”
    “I saw you with the boy,” Katya admitted. “The one who stole a stuffed bear from your game stall. You were so pleasant to him. Even if you did threaten Mr. Warden, I didn’t think you’d hurt us.”
    The trio fell silent. The homeless lay still in their pews, either straining to listen or dead asleep.
    Magdalene’s voice cut into the silence. “What are we going to do now?”
    Brady shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve thought of every possible plan.”
    Katya broached the crux of the problem. “We can’t even go to the police. They’d never believe us. Mr. Warden has too much influence over every corner of the city.”
    “I know. If I accused him of anything, they’d pin the death threats on me, and I’d never see the light of day again except on a chain gang.”
    Magdalene peeled her gloves off and laid them in her lap. “We have the journal as proof. There’s enough of your handwriting in it that experts would be able to link it to you. Mr. Warden obviously hasn’t looked at it in a long time, or he might have recognized your handwriting in the letters.”
    “It’s not enough,” Brady insisted. “Unless I get a public confession out of Warden, the police will never believe me. People have to see him for what he is, a cheat who got lucky off other people’s work.”
    “Is that what you want us to strive for, Mr. Kelly?” Magdalene asked.
    Brady rubbed a smudge on his hat brim with his thumb. “I don’t want to drag you ladies into it. Lieber’s as dangerous as they come, and Warden would do anything to hold onto the carnival.”
    Katya revolted against the idea of leaving Brady to take care of things himself. She struggled to keep her voice low. “We’ve worked at the carnival longer than you have. We’ve been in the city longer. We know everybody better. I might not have much pull with Mr. Warden, but I do have some. Where do you think you’d get by yourself? It’s too important to tell us to go on our way. It’s all we’re going to be thinking about anyway.”
    Brady hesitated, pressing his thin lips together.
    “Mr. Kelly,” Katya tried again. “Let us help you. Please. The carnival means everything to me. It’s the only job I ever wanted, the only place I’ve ever loved with every bit of my soul. You designed it that way. If the carnival is a lie, how can I feel good about helping the patrons spend their money when it all goes into Mr. Warden’s pockets?”
    Brady nodded reluctantly, his grey eyes preoccupied and darkly shaded. “All right. You can help me. We just need to figure out what to do.” He ran his fingers through his thick, unkempt hair.
    Magdalene rested her hand on his arm. “We’ll think of something, Mr. Kelly. I don’t think we should threaten Mr. Warden anymore. Any additional security might make it harder for us to take action.”
    “I won’t do anything unless we decide on it.”
    Magdalene stood up. “It’s been a long night. We should all get some sleep.”
    Katya and Brady rose to their feet.
    Brady met their eyes intensely. “I appreciate this. I do. I