16
When they arrived at Katie and Jacobs they were surprised to find Michael was in town visiting. Jo greeted the each of them with a hug.
"What do we owe the honor of this unexpected visit."
"pushed her down the stairs at Cormans. I need her protected and I cannot take her to my place just encase it was my Uncle and his friends."
"Why would your uncle want to see our sweet Johanna dead?"
"Thank you grandfather at least someone thinks I am sweet."
Michael laughed at the girl after all these years he had never gotten used to her calling him grandfather, and she had been doing it since she was a wee lass. He turned his head and looked over at Jensen he wanted answers. Michael was known as Blue Beard he was a ruthless assassin for the crown. God help anyone who hurt someone he loved. He even turned his grandson over for abducting him and trying to kill Katie.
"She stumbled upon a mystery and it led to my uncle, and she wrote a few of the men looking for information but one of them placed a target on her. Othello put me on protection duty and now I need help in keeping her safe until we find out who wants her dead."
"Has someone told Wayne?"
Jo laughed.
"He will be here soon."
When Wayne and Jennifer arrived, they were not alone they had brought Simon, and Victor with them. Simon was not sure how eight of his agents were in the same place at the same time. Here they were some of the crowns finest protecting a young girl from a killer. Well their job was to protect and serve those of the crown and England it just seemed strange one young lady could cause such a stir. He remembered back a couple of years ago his wife Amy had caused a stir when she heard a plot to kill people in the House of Lords. He had put all agents out to protect her they were not even married yet, so it was not out of Love it was out of the need to protect and serve.
Jo noticed that no one bowed or greeted each other as they normally would in society. These people were more than their titles they respected each other as equals. There were three earls in the room two Duchesses and three Dukes and not one of them looked upon the other as anything but equals. If she had to be honest it seemed the earls were the ones who were directing things. It was nice to see that the nobility could think of each other as equals and not be pompous arse to each other.
Michael and Wayne seemed more agitated than the others besides Jensen who seemed to want to kill someone.
"Who do you think we might need to use my skills on?"
Katie gagged.
"Grandfather I do not think we need that skill as of right now."
"Well I will be ready if the need arises."
"Thank you Grandfather for caring. I do not know what your skills are, but Katie's reaction says it is something deadly and we are not at that stage of this game yet."
Jacob and Jensen both at the same time admonished her.
"This is not a game this is your life we are trying to save this is not a game."
"I understand that and that is why I want to give you the information I have that might help do that?"
"When did you get information that might help and did not share with any of us."
"Jensen dear I went to see Cordy for information. She has all the gossip and things people say in private because they do not notice her they think her a child."
She turned to Simon.
"Is that not right your grace?"
"Why is she not in-service Wayne?"
"Not now Simon later."
"I know that the Marquis of Newbury's wife talked with Jennifer. I do not know if you realized all that information she gave you was about me."
Jennifer looked strangely at Jo.
"Cordy overheard the two of you talking when you were in a woman's lounge."
"She told me that Moss was acting strangely and spending time in a specific guest room and going out to a specific tree on their land to make sure of something, but she does not know what. How does this deal with you dear?"
"The Marquis of Newbury was one of the men I sent an inquiry to. Did she say who came to visit him and was arguing with him."
Jennifer thought back to her conversation with Hilda and could not remember her mentioning who the man was. She was sure Hilda said she had never seen the man before.
"She said they were fighting loud enough for her to hear some of it, but she did not understand the meaning of their conversation. They said something like "You were supposed to make sure no one ever found out about our packed. If it was to be a secret how does some random young girl know?" Then the Marquis said something to him about I will do something about it I will handle it.""
"I am sure it has to be about the case Wayne, and I are working on not concerning Jo."
"What is he suspected of?"
Jo asked. Everyone turned to look at the young girl they had essentially forgotten she was even in the room they had been talking so freely. It was her uncle who answered her question.
"That is need to know only Jo do not go snooping into something that does not concern you."
"It is my life on the line I hardly think that is snooping."
"JOHANNA,"
Jensen's tone told her he was not going to take her sassiness. She flung herself back on to her seat and Wayne just laughed. He thought he was the only one to get that reaction out of her. Jensen would be good for Jo.
"Well then I do not have to give you the rest of the information I have if none of you can trust me."
She stood up and started to walk out of the room looking for Wilson but letting everyone believe she was going to leave them in the dark. She could hear her Uncle and Jensen calling her back, but she kept going she was hungry she really had not eaten since this morning because they were on the road and she was too nervous about her first ball. A few minutes later she came back in carrying a plate and Wilson carrying a tray encase anyone else was hungry. Another butler was carrying a large blackboard. Jo made Katie and Jacob get up from the couch they were sitting on and propped the blackboard on it. To all their amazements she started to give them a thorough report letting them know that she was as intelligent as anyone in the room and her deductions were correct. She started writing on the blackboard.
"One, I was given the note and a Key with and old crest for the Duke of Richmond one that is not used in modern day.
Two, I believe I know who gave me the Key and the letter. It was Pauline. I think the reason she stopped talking when she was five which was thirty-four years ago she saw something that terrified her. I think she wanted whatever it is solved.
Three, I believe after talking with the Duchess of St. Helen it is about four young girls three that went missing and one that drowned.
Four, the reason I believe this is because of the secret room I found at Jensen's London estate, and what we found in it."
Five, I believe that it is four boys at the time who are responsible. One Nesbit Everleigh I found letters written by Trudy Summers. The Duchess recognized the handwriting and had a sample to show us of Trudy's handwriting.
Six, I believe Genevieve was meant for one of the boys, there were four girls and four boys. I am not sure which of the boys did not get the girl he wanted because she died but I bet there are two others out there who kept the girls. I believe the four boys are Nesbit Everleigh as I said before, Warren Landers, Thomas Canton, and Richard Moss, the Marquis of Newbury. I also think further investigation should be made on how his brothers died and gave him the title. The Duchess comment on how they died seemed suspicious to me."
Katie was the one who asked what she thought they were keeping the girls for. Jo surprised everyone except for Jensen who already knew and came to the same conclusion.
"Jensen and I both think they were to be used in Amorous congress for the pleasure of each boy. The last thing Cordy heard that a contract was to be taken out during a meeting at Jensen's place Madam Ransom's tonight."
"What do you know about Madam's?"
Jensen and Wayne both asked. She only laughed after all she said she talked with Cordy who else could it have been since she did not have any of that information before she met with her. Simon and Victor looked dismayed but for totally different reasons. Simon because this young girl cracked a case that was thirty-four years old and she could point to why her theory was sound. Victor because this girl had done what some of their top agents had not done she was amazing, but he would never tell Jo that not in a million years. Wayne commented not believing his niece could have done all that investigating.
"Should we call Themis in to investigate what she has found?"
"You do not trust your niece's assessment?"
Simon asked him.
"I think we need to have a professional look in to this can we accuse a Marquis without completely investigating?"
"I think she has done enough investigating Clara could not have done better. I do think perhaps we should send her to Clara for more training and use her talents for the crown?"
"I said we would discuss this later Simon."
Simon turned to Jensen.
"I think you need to go to work tonight to see who the Marquis of Newbury may have talk with at Madam's?"
"Can I go?"
Everyone in the room turned and looked at Jo and in unison they all told her No. In the back of her head she was sure she would figure out a way to get there after all no one would recognize her in her breeches and a cap. That night when everyone was gone, and Jo knew it was safe to go back to Hartford house she slipped out of Katie's home and went to get dressed for an interesting night. She knew she did not have to disguise herself for the establishment woman were allowed in Madam's, but it was Jensen she was disguising herself for.