Page 34 of Equalizer
“How likely are the Mob witches to be there? Or any witches,” Calvin asked. “They’ll spot a glamour right away. It’s a bit like walking into the lion’s den.”
“There’s always risk,” Louisa said dismissively. “But while I trust Pearl to work the room, she doesn’t fully understand the case, so she may not recognize important information. I don’t really want to bring her into the inner circle on this. Sheisa criminal, after all.”
Owen tested his sixth sense, but although he readcautionhe didn’t get a feeling of imminent danger.
“How sure are you that she won’t double-cross us?” Calvin asked.
“Reasonably,” Louisa replied. “I think that’s unlikely. For one thing, it behooves her to keep me on her good side. I’ve helped her sidestep some scrapes with the law because she’s been useful, but that stops if she goes rogue. I can’t say what she’d do if it came down to you or her, but I don’t have the sense that she’ll sell you out short of that.”
Although there’s no way to know for certain, Owen thought.Then again, we’ve worked with dicey helpers before. It turned out okay—so far…
“How do we make contact?” Owen asked.
“Let me get in touch with Pearl, and I’ll let you know. The ball isn’t until the weekend, so there’s time to make arrangements,” Louisa replied.
“Anything else?” Calvin asked.
“My friend Ida, the reporter, has an in on a doctor who can repair serious burns and injuries by taking a patch of skin from somewhere else and using it to cover the wound,” Louisa told them excitedly. “Usually, they take the skin from the person whoneeds the repair. But sometimes they use skin from a pig—or a cadaver.”
Owen raised an eyebrow. “Is that openly done?”
Louisa shrugged. “I don’t think they’re shouting that part from the rooftops, but it’s not a secret in medical circles. The technique is pretty new and came from Europe. As I understand it, the animal or cadaver grafts are meant to be temporary, but still…there’s always the possibility for more.”
“I can’t believe they haven’t had an outcry from the Church,” Calvin said.
“Maybe they have. I only just learned about the technique,” Louisa replied. “And if they did, it hasn’t stopped them. Ida is getting me in as a reporter to watch a procedure. As I understand it, the cadaver skin has to be very recent, but that isn’t a far cry from harvesting a foot or a hand—the corpse would have to be fresh and kept preserved.”
“And you’re thinking it’s not a big step to go from transplanting a thyroid or a piece of skin to something like a new arm,” Owen summarized.
“Just a matter of scale, don’t you think?” Louisa asked.
“I imagine a doctor might quibble with that, but as a layman, it would certainly seem likely.” Calvin looked as unsettled as Owen felt at the thought.
“I’ll let you know how that goes,” Louisa promised. “It’s a couple of days from now at the big hospital. I’ll also keep my eyes and ears open in case anyone else is observing and ask plenty of questions.”
“You think some of the same players might be involved?” Owen asked.
Louisa frowned. “I think the medical community is small and tight-knit. Everyone knows everyone else, even if there are professional rivalries. I also suspect that they love to gossip.Even if someone opposed the idea of transplanting skin, organs, or body parts, it’s the kind of thing people talk about.”
“To a reporter?” Calvin looked skeptical.
“Maybe, maybe not. But Ida and I agree that most of what we learn is from listening to other people’s conversations, even if they aren’t talking to us,” Louisa said.
Once the bill was paid, they parted company on the sidewalk outside.
“I’ll arrange for you and Pearl to meet,” Louisa said. “Someplace neutral so you can both size each other up. Of course, there’s no guarantee that the ball will be a source of information, but I’d lay bets otherwise. Those folks stay alive and in business by keeping up with everything that goes on in this city, and the kind of people who attend the ball have more reasons than many to be able to survive and bounce back from an attack. I think odds are good that you’ll pick up good information. Talk to you soon.”
Owen and Calvin watched her walk away. “I guess we need to break out the tuxes,” Owen said. “And figure out how many weapons we can carry in case we have to fight our way out if our cover gets blown.”
“Never a dull moment,” Calvin agreed.
Back at the Pullman,Calvin and Owen examined their tuxedos to ensure they were ready for a night on the town.
“I’m still not sure about trusting a glamour to hide us from being recognized,” Calvin fretted.
“It’s a masked ball,” Owen pointed out. “We should be able to get some fancy partial masks that do the trick. No one is going to be expecting to see us there.”
Calvin looked skeptical, but before he responded, the telegraph began to click.
