At first he was not sure where to look or even where to begin. His heart pounded as images of Norah, hurt, crossed his mind. He couldn't get the police involved, as they already looked down on his job. They didn't care he helped bring in the bad guys. He was a rat beneath their feet and to them that is all he would ever be. They wouldn't help, even if he was to ask for help.
He fell ill in a back alley way, the thought of him not able to protect her and having the possibility of being dead. He wiped his mouth carrying on as if he hadn't needed to stop. He headed towards the orphanage. He bit his lip, hoping to sort through them all and figure out which one's parent it was.
Yes, all those kids that were in that orphanage were due to him. There was really know winner if he ever brought in the bad guy. The kids were the ones who suffered. Friends and family normally disowned the children and wanted no part of them. They had their own mouths to feed and couldn't possibly take care of another.
Gabriel closed his eyes, growing ill once again. He however didn't stop this time. The rain started as Gabriel walked. He quietly opened the door to the orphanage and peered inside. Thirty or more children of all ages looked up at him in curiosity.
"Gabriel? What are you doing here?" Rosemary asked, standing up to look at the male. "You just sent some back with food not too terribly long ago."
Gabriel walked over to her. Pale as a ghost he looked at her and said but two words. "Norah's gone."
"Gone? Gone where?" Rosemary asked.
"Good. I 'id like 'er one bit." a voice rang out. "Bet she thought us lot was to messy for 'er to 'andle. Why I bet she's back at 'ome drinkin' tea and 'ave a good old laugh. My Papa wouldn't do that. If he was 'ere"
Rage filled his eyes as he swept around looking for the boy. When he finally spotted him, among the other boys his age, he walked up to him. Gabriel clenched his fist and James looked up at Gabriel with bored eyes, he held on with bravado while the other boys scrambled to get out of the way.
"You goin' to hit me now?" James asked starring up at Gabriel. "Cause I said a few words?"
Gabriel felt him being pulled away from the boy just as he was beginning to unclench his fists. He looked over seeing Emily and Rosemary tugging him away from the boys into a secondary, smaller room. It was empty he vaguely noted as he was shoved into a chair.
"I wasn't going to hit him."
"I know," Emily murmured. "But the Ms. Bitters was coming. And you know how she hates you."
Gabriel didn't look up. "Aye." He murmured.
Rosemary stared at Gabriel. "Where is Norah?"
He took out the note that he stashed in his pocket. "Someone's got her. And I don't know where he's taken her." He murmured hollowly as Rosemary looked over the note. She studied it from all angles.
"There's something scratched into the parchment." she muttered curiously, "Emily could you hand me some graphite or something." The other girl handed it over to Rosemary. "I . . . think. . . . Got it!" Rosemary's eyes lit up as she showed Gabriel the hidden message that he had failed to notice before. Perhaps he was getting too old for this crap. He'd retire from it and find a safe job once he had Norah back.
His heart leapt at reading the address. It wasn't to far from where they were. Though there was something among the address that worried him. It read 'Be prepared to die.'
Gabriel bit his lip and Rosemary and Emily studied him with worried looks. He wanted to tell them he'd be fine, but he doubted it. A lump formed in his throat.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"My my, aren't you a pretty little thing, No'ah."
Norah screamed again for help, but the cloth gagging her, prevented much noise. Her eyes watched the man, fearfully as he ran a knife across her bare flesh. Her skin crawled as he peered at her, like a piece of meat. "And still a virgin? Tsk tsk, Gabriel. I suppose I could fix that." Norah screamed again, tears flooding down her face.
