The Spying Cat (ONC 2023 Shortlister)

Chapter 17

Another child of the slums showed Leroy the way to the upstairs flat where Rebecca waited. Two thugs stood guard, who relieved Leroy of his gun belt. Past the squeaky door lay an empty room with bare floorboards and only two rickety chairs for furniture.

Rebecca sat in one of them. "Welcome."

Leroy scoffed. He stalked towards the chair, glancing at the window, then at the door.

"I am impressed," he said. "You've planned this very well."

Rebecca smirked. "And you walked straight into it. Did your copper tell you what a destitute harlot I am? Or Gilbert?"

Leroy laughed. "Bumbling halfwits, the both of them."

"Yet you wasted a fortune on getting them to find me. Who's the bumbling halfwit?"

Leroy balled his fists. "I always get what I want."

"Is that it? You've nurtured a decade-long obsession because a woman said no to you once? My God."

Leroy glanced again at the window. The little light that fell into the room came from the lantern suspended just outside.

"Since this is probably the last time we will ever see each other," he said, relaxing in his seat, "I do have some questions."

Rebecca nodded. "I'll allow it."

"When did you know that Gilbert was my agent?"

"When the idiot wouldn't stop talking of immigrating to America."

"He's not dead, is he?"

"No, not yet. I still need him."

"Need him for what?"

Rebecca shrugged, smiling.

"Why are you doing this?" Leroy recalibrated. "You've been hiding from me for a decade. What's gotten into you now?"

It was Rebecca's turn to laugh. "What's gotten into me? You asinine man! You've been hunting me down like a prize and now you wonder what's gotten into me?" She shook her head, sighing. "You should have left me alone. And you should have never dragged my brother into this."

"Your brother?" Leroy snorted. "That whoring degenerate? He was more than happy with the opium he could buy with my money!"

Rebecca leapt from her seat and slapped Leroy. He retaliated fast, tackling her to the ground. His fat hands choked her neck, but she worked her blade free and drove it below his ribs, straight into his heart. His monstrous grimace contorted into a mask of shock that froze onto his features.

Through her tears, Rebecca screeched. "You bastard!"

She sobbed on the floor as her two associates dragged the dead man off. His blood soaked through her tattered dress and glued it to her body like a second skin. Her eyes devoid of light resembled the dull grey of thunderclouds above the sea.

Rebecca sat up and spat on Leroy. "You did get what you wanted," she muttered to herself. "You ruined my life."

*

Kitty found workman's clothes to change into at the temporary hideout they were holed up in and hung up her gown. She caressed the smooth velvet, tainted in places.

"This is a House of Worth dress," she said, more to herself. "Something I never thought I'd wear."

Mo looked up from the piece of wood he sharpened with a pocketknife. "I don't know what that is, but it sounds expensive."

Kitty chuckled. "It is. And General Hawkins gave it to me as a present."

"He must be very fond of you."