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UPON SEEING DR. CONNORS and Stevens off, she returned upstairs and removed her wig and changed her clothes. Then she entered her bathroom and sat next to Arroo, gently petting her precious dog’s head. “I am very sorry for your injuries.”
Arroo licked her arm before returning to his paws.
“In the future, if someone hurts you, you have permission to bark loudly, and if that doesn’t stop them, then you may nip them.”
Arroo licked her hand.
“May I touch your puppies?”
Arroo nudged her to the largest of the blind puppies.
Vic picked him up and laughed. “He’s twice as big as the other puppies. Nor does he look like a hound. Are you certain he came out of you?”
Arroo howled and the largest pup answered her call.
Vic laughed. “You have convinced me he’s yours? But why is he so big?”
Arroo just cleaned her pups with loving care. So, Vic picked up the giant pup, went across the hall, and knocked on David’s door. She then remembered they were hiding out in Vivian’s house. She had just turned to leave when David opened his door.
“Vic. Did you need something?”
“I had a question about why one of the pups is twice the size of the other pups, but then I realized you were at Vivian’s house. So why are you here?”
“I’m headed out to care for my dental patients.”
“Is that a good idea?” Vic challenged. It’s likely Claire is stalking your office.”
“My clients need me, so I’ve no choice. I’ve left Maddy with Charlotte. Maddy seems to have bonded with her. However, I brought Danny back here. And I have hired a guard to protect me and my customers while I’m working.”
“Good idea. Where do you plan to sleep at night?”
“I’ll be staying here from now on.”
“And you are feeling safe to travel to your business?”
David chuckled. “Safe, no. But I am wearing both a bulletproof vest and a bulletproof hat, made with sixteen layers of silk, in addition to my new carriage driver who will have a vest as well. He also possesses a gun.”
“Who made your protection?” Vic asked, knowing the lesser silks could not stop a bullet.
“I don’t actually know. Xavier acquired them for me.”
“Ah, then it would be Francis Darwin. To the public, he’s a botanist specializing in plant physiology. However, much of what he does can never be shared with the public. That includes the making of the bulletproof vests and, evidently now, a fine hat as well, all from Madagascar spider silk, the strongest in the world. You should be safe as long as Claire doesn’t burn your office down.”
“If she tries, my guard is to secure her, and fortunately, the fire service happens to be across the street.”
Vic chuckled. “Now I know why Claire hasn’t attempted to burn your office. They would be on her at once, and then she’d be returned to the asylum as a loon.”
Vic hugged David. “I can now cease to worry about you. You’ll be fine.”
“Thank you. But if I die, I believe Maddy should live with Charlotte.”
Vic nodded. She doubted Maddy would ever get along with Danny. It would be better for all, if Maddy lived with Charlotte. She hugged David one more time and sent him on his way, but then called him back.
“Before you go to work, can you tell me why this puppy is twice the size of the others?”
David returned and studied the pup. “Any male dog will try to mate a female dog when she is ovulating. While most of the pups were mated by a smaller dog, a rather large dog, possibly a German shepherd, frightened away the little dog and mated her. Evidently, Arroo had the sense not to argue.”
“Thank you. That perfectly explains matters,” Vic replied and hugged him once more. Now get on your way. We both have busy days.”
When she returned to their suite, she placed the big pup next to Arroo so he could have more milk. Xavier came up to her and wrapped his arms around her.
“Where were you?”
“Talking to David.”
Xavier frowned. “Shouldn’t he be at Vivian’s house?”
“No. David and Danny have returned here. And he’s headed to his dental office.”
“Is he wearing the suit and hat I ordered for him?”
“He is. Thank you for thinking about him.”
“But you are still worried,” Xavier observed.
“I’m just worried about what Claire might do. I don’t believe David could ever shoot her. I know I couldn’t, and David loves her just as much, if not more, than I do. Do you think there is any chance that Claire might return to her husband?”
Xavier sighed deeply. “Frederick Block has assured me that won’t happen. If she returns to the asylum, evidently they have orders to shoot her.”
“But why? Dr. Block declared her sane,” Vic reminded him.
“Well, abandoning her husband after a week evidentially was a red flag to the supervisor. In fact, I expect Dr. Block is in danger of being fired himself, given he’s shown poor judgment on at least two situations.”
Vic met Xavier’s worried gaze. “Letting the woman mesmerist walk out the gate and now letting Claire return here to kill us.”
Xavier nodded.
Honestly, he probably should be fired,” Vic admitted. “Or at the least not be allowed to work with the women inmates.’
Xavier ruffled her hair. “That was the Supervisor’s conclusion as well. Only problem is that Frederick’s patients were all females. He is no longer to work with women, so I expect he will leave soon on his own accord.”
Vic’s brow furrowed. “Do you think he’ll find Claire?”
“I have no idea. I find no logic in Claire’s behaviors.”
“Well, I’m not too happy with Block either,” Vic grumbled. “He evidently places his love of crazy women over the need to protect sane people.”
Xavier stared at her in shock. “That is a very good point. Both women could get him to do whatever they wished. I had thought it was just the mesmerist who could control him, but Claire is by no means a mesmerist, and she managed to get him to declare her sane.”
Vic growled. “And then he married her, knowing damn well that she’s crazy. Then when David called to see if Claire remained at the asylum, Block was most cavalier that she had no doubt returned to London to kill him and Danny and kidnap Maddy.”
Xavier jumped up and stormed downstairs bellowing for Gregory.
“What has happened?” Gregory demanded as he entered the hallway.
“I need your phone. It is not just Claire that is mad. Her doctor/husband is a loon as well!”
“If you will tell me the number, I will dial it,” Gregory offered.
Once the call went through, he handed it to Xavier.
“I need to speak to Superintendent Lasser.”
A moment later, an angry superintendent answered. “What?” he demanded.
“One of your doctors is as crazy as the loons!” Xavier declared.
“If you are referring to Frederick Block, then I agree. In fact, I dismissed him this morning.”
“You dismissed him? Why the hell didn’t you put him in your institution as a loon?
“Who is this?”
“I’m Xavier Thorn.”
“Well, Mr. Xavier Thorn, I am under no obligation to tell you anything. However, if you will calm, I will explain my logic in this matter.”
“Give it a try,” Xavier snapped.
“While Block is a superb doctor, it has come to my attention that his subjects of study can convince him to break our rules, which is why I fired him this morning. End of matter.”
“No, sir, it is not the end of this matter. Frederick Block is also insane. And thus, you should have put him in a cell block. But no, instead, you let him go free. Now he could be anywhere!”
“Nonsense, he said he would return to his wife and help her in her endeavors.”
“Bloody Hell! Did you ask him what her endeavors were?”
“No, I really didn’t care.”
“Then allow me to enlighten you. He plans to assist his insane wife in killing me, my partner Victor, and our youngest son.”
“Are you certain? Frederick Block is not a violent man.”
“He doesn’t have to be. I’ve no doubt he will happily carry Claire’s box of explosives and Claire will ignite them. In our last conversation, he made it very clear that he expects his wife can and will kill us. And now, she’s even got him helping.”
“Sir, I regret your situation, but the fault is not mine. Frederick Block has been a superb doctor in this facility for many years. However, recently, he had begun to falter, so I let him go. I saw no signs of insanity, just poor judgment on his part.”
Xavier sighed knowing that was all anyone would have done.
“If he survives his attempt to kill us, do you want him returned to you as a patient, or shall I dump him in Bedlam? I believe this change in Frederick occurred when he worked on a mesmerist.”
“I agree with that conclusion, and yes, if he lives, I would like him returned here. I had not realized a mesmerist had tampered with him. In fact, I will send a message and see if I can make him believe I’ll give him his patients back if he’ll return.”
“I hope you are intending to cure him as a patient when he arrives.”
“Yes, of course. I thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
Xavier handed the telephone to Gregory so he could disconnect the line.
Gregory looked at Xavier. “Sir, I am worried what Claire will do next. While Vic wishes to ignore the danger, I would prefer to anticipate it in advance. Could you share what the Superintendent said?”
“The fool failed to realize that Block had been mesmerized and needs mental care. Instead, he just fired the fellow for his misbehaviors. And while he’s going to try and lure the fellow back to the asylum, I don’t expect it to work. I expect Block will find and help Claire rain hellfire down upon us.”
“I see. What should we do to ensure our safety to survive their hellfire?”
“Well, let us start with fire. Since Claire burned down her house, it is most likely that she will target our home next. To catch this house on fire will not be easy, given a layer of Roman concrete was poured inside a five-inch space between the outer walls and inner walls. And while the outside wood planks could burn, we do have access to the roof, allowing us to shoot those trying to set the house on fire.”
“What if Claire brings ruffians to help her cause?”
“Good point. I will call and acquire more soldiers to guard our house. Hopefully, one of them can kill Claire as well,” Xavier whispered.
“Let us pray it does not come to that!” Gregory stated.
Xavier frowned at Gregory. “I don’t see how matters can go any other way. If she attacks our home and tries to kill us, the best we can do is to have a soldier shoot her. What I don’t want to happen is for Vic nor David to attempt this. Even if they succeeded, they would never survive the guilt.”
“I see your point. And for the same reason, it should not be any of our extended family,” Gregory declared.
Xavier pulled a small card from his vest pocket. Then dial the number on this card so I can order more men and grills for the windows.”
Vic spoke behind Xavier. “We’ll also need to ensure the roof doesn’t catch fire. However, given we have a source of water on the roof, that should be doable as long as no snipers are on different roofs shooting at us.”
“I doubt that will happen,” Gregory insisted.
“In war, anything can happen,” Vic declared in a flat, sad voice.
Xavier pulled her to his chest. “You can sit this out if you want.”
“No, I will fight the men she brings with her, but I will not kill my baby sister. That I cannot do.”
“We know that,” Xavier whispered and kissed her temple. “In fact, if you wish, you can stay with Danny and David inside, I will not fault you.”
Her eyes met his. “I will try to be a good soldier but thank you for giving me a better offer if I fail.”