Whispers of Bedlam Asylum (Sigmund Shaw Book 2) by Mark C. King Page B

distractions plaguing him, Sigmund could ignore the cold for only so long.
     
    Parking his carriage at the back of the building, the side that faced the river, Sigmund tied up Ham close to the main loading area. Opening the cab door, he bowed and said in a formal voice, “Your destination, sir.”
     
    Zachary stood on one of the seat benches and looked at Sigmund with a puzzled expression. Sigmund straightened, smiled and said, “Come on, you animal.”
     
    With a small screech, the monkey jumped down from the bench, took a few steps to the doorway, and then jumped from the floor to Sigmund’s shoulder. Hurrying through the rain, the pair entered the building through the man-sized door, as the giant loading entrance was closed.
     
    Inside, Sigmund felt the usual sense of awe. The space was huge. Hundreds of yards long, over sixty feet high, and filled with desks, work tables, crates, and all manner of experiments. It wasn’t organized, exactly, but it wasn’t chaos either. Among all of this were many people at work and moving about, but they were so focused that most didn’t even notice the man with a monkey walking passed them. A few caught sight of him and waved – probably more to Zachary than Sigmund, as Zachary had spent much time here when he was cared for by Sutton. The distractions of the place helped with the chill as much as the warmth did.
     
    Both Sigmund and Zachary jumped at a loud pop and the violent hiss from the release of steam. It came from a far corner of the space. No one else jumped, Sigmund noticed, giving evidence that this was a pretty typical occurrence on the work floor.
     
    The far wall, opposite the large receiving doors, was also vast in size – wide and multi-storied. There were many doors embedded along it and three iron stairways that climbed its face. The stairways led to platforms that ran the entire length of the wall. The first platform was at least two stories up and was followed by two more above it at similar intervals. Each walkway allowed entrance to the many doors found on each level.
     
    Climbing to the first level, they headed to the middle door and knocked. From inside, they heard a man ask, “Yes, what is it?”
     
    Sigmund opened the door and walked in, answering, “It is quite a spot of bother, if you ask me.”
     
    Before either could say more, Zachary jumped down from Sigmund’s shoulder, ran across the floor and jumped into Sutton’s arms with a happy screech. “Well,” Sutton said, “it is nice to see you too, Zachary!” Then looking at Sigmund, “Come in, Sigmund. What brings you two out on this beautiful day?”
     
    “Hello, Richard. How is the research going?” Sigmund knew that Sutton was working on a heat source that could replace coal. It was an invention that two brilliant German scientists had already created, but they were both assassinated and the process was destroyed during the Grimkraken affair. If Sutton was ever able to reproduce their work, it would change the world.
     
    “Not much progress I’m afraid,” responded Sutton. “Those German scientists were either incredibly brilliant or incredibly fortunate. Maybe both. In any event, the going is slow. There are so many process variations that stumbling across the correct one is like finding a needle in a haystack.”
     
    “Well, if anyone can do it, you can,” Sigmund said sincerely.
     
    “Thank you. How is your family? All well, I hope.”
     
    Nodding and smiling, Sigmund answered, “They are doing well. Outside of one little item, they haven’t a care in the world.”
     
    Sutton cocked his head, “One little item?”
     
    “Yes, and that is why I’m here. I wish I could tell you that this was just a social visit, but I need your help.”
     
    A serious look came over Sutton’s face. He knew Sigmund to be a very capable person, so if he was asking for help, then it probably wasn’t good. “Of course. Anything I can do, just ask. You need help building something,