Only the Thunder Knows_East End Girls by Rena Mason Gord Rollo

the freedom you enjoy today.”
    When
he was done, the small gathering of city officials and onlookers politely
applauded and Black stepped to the side to allow Mr. Brown, the Lord Provost to
begin his own speech about how excited the city council was to bring this statue
to fruition after years of planning and how he hoped the people of Edinburgh
would appreciate this tribute to the great man every proud Scotsman owed a massive
debt to.
    There
was more applause followed by a round of handshaking; none of which interested
Burke or Hare in the least. As Irishmen, it was all just useless political talk;
they didn’t give the slightest damn about Robert the Bruce or any of these
fancy toffs’ boring history lessons. They just wanted to get this ceremony over
with, get paid, and make their way to the nearest pub for a stiff drink or two.
As far as they were concerned, they’d earned it.
    The
chairman of the council thanked Black for all his efforts (naturally failing to
make mention of all the back-breaking work William and Billy had just done) and
signaled for the tarp to be removed. With great fanfare, several members of the
crowd grabbed hold of the edge of the canvas and began to pull. Inch by inch
the cover slid off the wooden scaffolding and soon dropped to their feet on the
grass. Even William gasped when he saw what was revealed.
    “Look
at that , Billy!” he said.
    Both
men stood to their feet, suddenly just as interested in the statue as the rest
of the excited crowd obviously was. Everyone was clapping and yelling and slapping
Black on the back, congratulating him for his incredible work. The statue of
King Robert stood close to twelve feet tall to the tips of his crown, the
details in his handsome face, intricate armor, and the huge sword strapped to
his hip all so realistic it nearly took the uncultured workers’ (along with everyone
else’s) breaths away. Burke and Hare had known the sculptor’s skill was top-notch
and without equal as they’d watched the statue slowly take shape today, but the
stones had still been covered in dust and grime and even they’d been unprepared
for the beauty of this final product.
    “How’d
he get it so shiny?” Billy asked, but William wasn’t much help.
    “Don’t
know, mate. Had to be whatever that stinky liquid was in the bucket. Looks like
he’s been polishing it for months. That’s no’ possible…is it?”
    Billy
could only shrug.
    They
had to wait around for another half an hour, waiting for the crowd to disperse
but eventually the excitement died down and the members of the city council took
their leave, more than pleased with the magnificent statue they’d commissioned.
Black eventually came over to speak with them, handing William a heavy stack of
coins.
    “You
lads did good work today. Better than expected, truth be told.”
    “Are
we getting that bonus, then?” Billy said, always the clown.
    Black
looked at him sternly for a moment but then burst into laughter. “Why in blazes
not, huh? You’ve caught me in a rare mood, Billy. Here you go.” The sculptor
dropped another few coins in Burke’s outstretched filthy hand. “Now get out of
my sight. I want to have a few moments of peace with King Robert if you don’t
mind.”
    “Of
course not, sir,” William said. “Just one question, gov’nor. What was in the
bucket that made the stone polish up like that?”
    The
smile on Ambrosious Black’s face faltered a little at the question but he
recovered quickly and said, “Just soap and warm water and some good ol’
fashioned elbow grease.”
    “Soap
and water? That’s it? Impossible!”
    “Nothing’s
impossible, William. You’d be surprised what can be accomplished with hard
work. And speaking of which…you lads need to get crackin’ on your other job
for me. Time is short and I’m expecting results, not excuses, hear?”
    William
said the only thing he could.
    “Yes
sir.”
      

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter
    12
     
     
     
     “Soap