Detective Murdoch arrived at the constabulary later than usual. Inspector Brackenreid approached him, his face blistering red and Murdoch knew he was in for it.
"Murdoch! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, taking your bloody sweet time to get here?! We have a new lead on Gillies, we need to get on it immediately." He strode past Murdoch with intent and the Detective's heart froze. Trying not to seem too concerned, he asked the Inspector,
"What new lead would that be, sir?" The Inspector glanced back at him and pushed the door open. He leaned in closer to Murdoch once they were on the street, keeping his voice down.
"We've got word from an anonymous source that Gillies has been spending his down time in a room over a local boxing ring. It's called the "Gusher.""
"A quite fitting name I'm sure." The Inspector laughed at that comment, and leaped into the carriage, Murdoch following behind. They lurched into motion. Murdoch was concerned, though. He knew Gillies should still be in his room, but was worried that maybe he had slipped out early and was actually in this room that the Inspector spoke of. His mind wrestled with his emotions as Murdoch contemplated why he was so concerned. He should be hoping to catch Gillies. He should be relieved that Gillies's harassment could soon be over. However, he felt almost lonely thinking about the possibility. Shoving the thought to the back of his mind, he focused on the task at hand since they had just arrived at the boxing ring.
It was a rather large space, with a bar and an inground ring that kept the onlookers at a safe distance from whatever fight was occurring at the time. Behind the bar, a wooden staircase led up into the attic space. This was the area that Gillies was supposed to be at. The Inspector motioned for Murdoch to follow him quietly up the staircase, his pistol in hand. Murdoch's heart pounded heavily in his chest as he shadowed the Inspector. He almost prayed to his God that Gillies would not be in the room. The Inspector came up to the door and pressed an ear to it. He shook his head, indicating he couldn't hear anything. Bracing himself, the Inspector moved back to bust open the door. Murdoch held his breath. Brackenreid kicked the door open.
****
Sorry for the cliff hanger! Hope you enjoyed this.
Rachel