Of Night and Dark Obscurity

She nodded. “Thank you. I’m sorry for barging into your office.”

His hand was on her lower back as he walked her out. “There is no need to apologize. I’m at your disposal.”

When he returned to his office, Felix was leaning against the door frame like a permanent fixture.

“You and Miss Derry seem quite close,” he said softly. “Something about last night—“ he let the question hang in the air.

“We have work to do.” He said ignoring his sergeant’s quizzing glance.

“Yes Sir,” Felix said smiling.

Chapter 5

Val entered the dark auditorium and took a seat in the back row. There were very few empty seats available and he noticed the room was filled mostly with women and a few men. An older man in his forties was on the stage in a cleanly pressed suit with muttonchops and dark hair heavily salted. He gave off an air of professionalism.

“Finally, in closing, I’d like to thank you all so much for being here today,” the man said and Val detected a hint of an American southern accent. “You must understand that I come here today to speak to good folks such as yourself because I care. Because I’m a concerned human being not just a doctor. Now is the time where I take questions from the audience. Yes

Ma’am,” he pointed to a middle-aged woman wearing a large black hat.

Val couldn’t hear the woman’s question but the man onstage repeated it.

“Ladies and gentlemen. This fine woman asked me why she should purchase Doctor Barton’s Healthy Tonic. Well that is an excellent question Ma’am and I have an answer. I stand by my tonic and the many benefits it offers my patients. You see, unlike the snake oils and elixirs that are peddled willy nilly on many a street corner, I am a doctor prescribing my tonic for the health of my patients.”

Val watched as several women nodded and another raised her hand. He listened carefully and then spoke to the audience.

“This lady asked me what was in the Healthy Tonic. Another excellent question. I must say you London women are intelligent,” Val watched several of the women eyeing the charismatic doctor. “The tonic contains natural ingredients that are cultivated on my plantation in Georgia. The recipe dates back hundreds of years to the time the red Injuns lived there.”

Several women gasped and Doctor Barton continued. “Yes. That’s exactly so. The Red Injun taught my distant relative the recipe and it has been handed down from generation to generation. But why should only American women profit from my family’s good fortune?” He smiled widely.

He held up the small bottle for all to see and Val saw there was a larger version of the bottle on a poster beside him. On the bottle cover was a vibrant young woman in a dress with a spoon in her hand about to take the tonic. In curved script it read Doctor Barton’s Healthy Tonic.

“Ladies and gentleman,” the doctor smiled to the audience. “This healthy tonic brings back the bloom and beauty of a woman and helps with headache, stomachache, bloating, life changes for women and helps rejuvenate the spirit. Now who here can say they don’t want that?”

The audience smiled in mass at him and some even clapped.

“For the men in the audience, you can give this tonic to your mothers, daughters, sisters to help their aches and pains and restore them to good health. And I’m sure the good Lord above wants all his children to be healthy,” he smiled.

“There will be bottles sold in the front of the theater’s foyer and today I am running a special for you London folk. I care so much about the health of you fine women, I will give you a free bottle for every bottle you purchase!” He said passionately.

The audience gasped and when he thanked them again applause filled the air. When it finally ended Val watched half the audience rush to purchase their bottles of tonic while a small portion stayed behind to speak to the doctor. Val waited patiently as Doctor Barton spoke to each of the women in turn.

As the audience dwindled, Val stood up and walked toward the doctor.

“Odean Barton?” Val asked, coming to stand before the charismatic man.

“I’m Doctor Odean Barton. How can I help you Sir?”

“I’m Detective Chief Inspector Pierce of the Metropolitan Police. I have a few questions to ask you,” he told the man.

“Of course,” Odean said and then nodded to two seats in the now empty auditorium. “Will this do? Or do you prefer elsewhere?”

“This is fine.”

The two men took chairs in the audience with an empty chair separating them.

“A fine rousing speech. It’s fitting that you chose a music hall for your venue,” Val smiled.

“I attract large audiences who are very interested in my medicines,” Odean side-swiped Val’s attempt to compare him to an actor.