Murdoch and the Chimney Sweep

3.

Later that afternoon Stephanie, Henry and Alex were standing outside the back of the house. She told her brothers what happened and her plan to get the boy to talk. The boys nod once she finishes her plan and run off to find the pick-pocketing, food stealing Tom. Her brothers emerge from the small alleyway between houses with Tom being roughly handled. She walks over to them and pushes Tom up to the cold brick wall.

"You only have one chance, Tom" Stephanie begins as her brothers let Tom go and she takes charge. "Tell me why you're pick-pocketing" she calls roughly and Tom looks away, "Tell me!" she calls louder and forces Tom into the cold brick wall again, forcing him to look at her,

"Please!" he calls holding his hands up in surrender, "It's an extra job" he speaks,

"An extra job that could land your arse in prison" she speaks letting her grip on Tom's collar loosen, "I was approached by two constables. You're lucky we don't sell out our own Tom, or guess where you'd be right now." she finishes and steps away from him, giving him some room to breath however her brothers don't move from beside him. "I know you're stealing food" Stephanie speaks and he looks up at her shocked, "The constables told me that too. Tom, please understand. These people" she speaks gesturing to the building behind Tom, "Have taken you under their wing, they're giving us all a roof to live under and food to eat. Even though they give us hefty tasks to complete. They are doing us a favour while we do one for them." she finishes and looks between her brothers for support, "The next time I hear about you stealing anything, Tom. Anything. I wont hesitate to tell one of the caretakers or turn you into the police myself" she speaks and her voice rises slightly, Tom backs into the wall knowing what the caretakers would do to him in an instant, let alone if he was handed to the police.

"It's time to go" speaks Alexander looking up at the now blackened sky, "We have work to do" he finishes and Henry steps aside to let Tom pass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So why were you late the other night?" questions Henry as, he, Stephanie and Alex run over rooftops towards their section of houses for the night.

"Knock it off, would you, Henry" Stephanie speaks and disappears down a chimney and appears moments later with the boys still looking at her for an answer, "We have work to do, you said so yourself, Alex" she pushes further and both boys shrug it off and go to the other chimneys nearby. After reappearing the three moved on to the next block of houses.

"You're the most efficient chimney sweep there is in Toronto" speaks Alex as the three jump to another rooftop, "Yet you come home so late" he finishes as the three children jump down a chimney each and wriggle back up ready to move on.

"If you must know, I'm a female and had to have a longer wash off" she speaks giving them both the same look, they always seemed to forget that she was a female, especially when wearing her chimney sweep overalls and shirt. They look away and both apologised thinking it best to finally move on from the subject.

She told them a complete lie. What else should she of said, 'Hey I met an interesting Detective while climbing through chimneys...' she knows how that would go down. If anything was filtered to the man in charge of this small organisation, which takes children off the streets and has them trained to do all sorts of small jobs, he would have them killed on the spot. Especially if the person befriended was a member of the police.

On their way home, while Alex and Henry bantered, while walking back atop houses she thought back to the Detective. His kind and friendly manner once he realised his mistake of coming two close. How he had blind faith in the unnamed chimney sweep who helped on one of his cases. She also thought of the Constables, how they had blind faith in her, to do their job for them. As Stephanie separated from the boys to wash off in the stream outside of town, she wondered what she would tell the constables.