I raised a hand. "I think we’re rapidly approaching the point of too much information. How do you feel about the Droods? Or this new resistance group, Manifest Destiny?"
Digger shrugged again. "The names change, faces come and go, but there’s always someone in charge. I’ve yet to see any hard evidence that Manifest Destiny would be any kinder or more just than the Droods…But it doesn’t really matter to me. Whoever’s running things, there will always be work for me and my kind."
I turned, just a little reluctantly, to Mr. Stab. He was drinking a Perrier water with his little finger crooked, every inch the calm and cultured gentleman. I once helped fish a victim of his out of the Thames, down by Wapping. She’d been gutted, cut open from crotch to throat and all her internal organs removed. He’d done other things to her too, before he finally killed her. The only reason I wasn’t tearing him to pieces right now was because it might upset Molly, and I needed her on my side. For now.
"I hear you got shot with an arrow," he said calmly. "Right through your celebrated armour."
"News does travel fast, doesn’t it?" I said, careful neither to confirm nor deny. "But I doubt you’ve got anything that could touch me."
"You might be surprised," said Mr. Stab. "But you really should try to relax, Edwin. You’re in no danger from me, as long as you’re with Molly. Dear girl. She’s an old friend, and I’d hate to upset her."
"You said you’d done some work for my family," I said. "What did you do for the Droods?"
"Sometimes people can’t just be killed," Mr. Stab said smoothly.
"Sometimes it’s necessary for them to disappear completely. No trace of what was done to them, or why. No body, no clues, just a gap in the world where someone important used to be. Someone who thought no one could touch them. I’ve always been able to make people disappear. The world only gets to see a small fraction of my many victims. The ones I want seen, to keep my myth alive…to maintain my reputation. Vanity, vanity, all is vanity; but my legend is all I have left, and I will not have it tarnished or diminished by my many inferior imitators."
"How did you get to meet Molly?" I said.
"She tried very hard to kill me," said Mr. Stab, smiling fondly at the memory. "She was part of a coven in those days, still learning her trade, when I found it necessary to kill one of her witchy friends. After we’d exhausted ourselves trying to kill each other, we fell to talking and discovered we had more in common than we thought. Certain people we detested, and with good reason. People of power and influence that we couldn’t hope to reach on our own, but together…Ah, those were happy times, teaching her the ways of slaughter."
"But did she ever forgive you for killing her friend?" I said.
"No; but she’s a practical soul. She knows that sometimes you have to go along, to get along. I like to think we’re friends now. You can’t do the things we did and not grow…close. And in all London, she is perhaps the only woman I have no desire to kill. I still remember her friend, whose death brought us together. Her name was Dorothy. A dainty little thing, and she screamed so prettily under my blade…Don’t, Edwin. Don’t even think about calling up your armour. You can’t kill me. No one can. That’s part of what I bought, with what I did in Whitechapel, all those years ago."
"I’ll find a way," I said. "If I have to."
Girl Flower moved quickly in to put a gentle hand on my sleeve.
"Boys, boys…lighten up, darlings. We’re all friends here, and we are very definitely not at home to Mr. Grumpy." She rubbed her shoulder up against Mr. Stab, like an affectionate cat, and he nodded briefly to her before giving all his attention to his Perrier water. Girl Flower batted her overlong eyelashes at me and pouted with her dark lush mouth.
"Why do men always have to talk about such awful things? Life contains much that is good, and much that is bad, and there’s nothing we can do that will change it. So why not just choose to celebrate all the wonderful things in life? Like me! I am the lovely Girl Flower, created just so that men might have the pleasure of adoring me! If they know what’s good for them…Honestly, darlings, if everyone just had sex a lot more often, the world would be a far happier place." She beamed at me. "Would you like to undo the buttons on my blouse and play with my boobies, Edwin?"
"You know you shouldn’t drink, Flower," Subway Sue said kindly. "It goes straight to your petals." She considered me thoughtfully. "I have to say, Edwin, you’re a more interesting sort than most of the specimens Molly drags in here. For such an intelligent woman, she has remarkably bad taste in men. I can’t help thinking the two are probably connected. You should choose men with your heart, not your head. Not that I’ve had much luck with either approach. Men! If there was an alternative that didn’t involve ending up living alone with too many cats, I’d sign up tomorrow."
There didn’t seem any obvious answer to that, so I changed the subject. "Would I be right in thinking you’ve also done work for my family?"
"Certainly not!" Subway Sue drew herself up proudly, bristling at the very thought. "I have my principles, you know."
Perhaps fortunately, Molly chose that moment to come back and rejoin us, and I turned to her with a certain amount of relief. I’ve never been very good at talking to a woman’s friends. "Did you get through? Will they see me?"
Molly nodded curtly. "I had a lot of trouble getting through to anyone that mattered, but once I made it clear I could deliver the new rogue Drood, they couldn’t wait for me to bring you in. We can go right now, if you want. The head man himself is waiting to greet you with open arms. They’ll offer you anything you want in exchange for the inside secrets of your family and a chance to examine your armour in their laboratories."
"I don’t know that I’m ready to commit myself to their cause just yet," I said carefully.
Molly snorted loudly. "I should think not, in your position. This is just a meet and greet, a chance for you and the head man to feel each other out, see if you can work together. But do yourself a favour, Drood; drive a hard bargain. Take them for everything they’ve got. Because once you’ve given up your secrets, you can’t sell them again."
"There’s more to me than just secrets," I said.
"Good bargaining position," said Molly.
"If you’re going to meet the actual leader of Manifest Destiny, I think I might come along too," Mr. Stab said suddenly. "Although I have performed some small services for them in the past, in return for very generous recompense, I have to say I’m a little irritated that they have never tried to recruit me. I would like to ask them why."
"If he’s going, I’m going too," said Girl Flower, clapping her soft little hands together delightedly. "I never get to go anywhere."
I started to object, but Molly cut me off quickly. "Oh, let them, or they’ll both sulk. Besides, it’s always easier to negotiate when you’ve got some serious backup."
She had a point. I looked inquiringly at Digger Browne, but he shook his head. "I’m afraid I have a previous engagement. My family and I are having an old friend for dinner."
"And you couldn’t get me one inch closer to Manifest Destiny if you used a whip and a chair," Subway Sue said very firmly. "I don’t trust any of these big organisations. There’s never any room in them for the private entrepreneur. And anyway, I’ve heard things about Manifest Destiny…Yes, yes, I know, Molly; you won’t hear a word said against them. But I’ve been around a lot longer than you, and there are those who’ll talk to me who won’t talk to you. I can’t help feeling there’s a lot more to Manifest Destiny than just bringing down the Droods." She looked at me with cold, piercing eyes. "Ask them all the awkward questions, Drood. Make them tell you everything, before you give them your trust."