"The Widow" Bertha

Looking at each other, Richard froze in place.

The lady standing in the distance was wearing a cold long dress, her honey-colored face had sharp and glamorous features, and a pair of eyes stared at him coldly, those eyes...

The over-light amber eyes are mixed with bright colors, almost golden, even if she looks cold, her eyes are burning because of these eyes.

Richard Mason's sister also had such eyes.

But his sister has been mad for ten years. The last time Richard saw her, she was disheveled and haggard, and she grabbed a sharp weapon and tried to stab Richard in the heart.

It had been ten years since he had seen Bertha in a clear and sharp way, and Richard Mason would never have another chance.

Because his brother-in-law Edward Rochester told him that Bertha had burned herself to death in an arson.

Richard only had time to attend his sister's funeral, and he has been grieving over the past few days.After leaving Thornfield Manor, he could always dream of Bertha. In the dream, Bertha was lucid but silent. She only looked at him with a pair of dark golden eyes, seeming to accuse, seem angry, seem to be Asking him, as a brother, why didn't he save her?Why let Rochester imprison her?

And now, Richard Mason almost thought he was in a dream.

At that moment his heart beat violently: what if, what if Bertha hadn't died, what if Bertha had only escaped?

"Ma'am...ma'am! Please wait!"

Richard strode hastily and yelled.

The lady who had turned around stopped again, and when she turned around again, her cold expression disappeared, replaced by a kind of politeness towards strangers: "Sir, what can you do?"

Richard was momentarily at a loss.

He panicked and said, "Hug, sorry, ma'am, you look...much like my sister."

The lady smiled brightly, and she curled the corners of her mouth, her brows and eyes full of coquettishness: "It's really a clumsy way to strike up a conversation, sir."

"No, it's not! It's my stepsister. We have the same father."

"is it?"

Apparently the lady didn't believe his words, she said casually: "Then you can go home and tell this interesting story to your stepsister, sir."

After finishing speaking, she left without hesitation, as if Richard Mason was really a stranger who made a conversation.

Bertha knew that he would not chase after him, such indifference would embarrass him, and what Richard feared most was embarrassment in front of women.

After entering Mr. Barclay's office, Bertha secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

This is really too thrilling!

London was such a big place that Bertha met him at the bank.

Facing that pale face, Bertha felt like she was going to forget how to breathe.

Fortunately, Richard has not seen Bertha Mason's normal appearance for ten years. A woman from 15 to 25 years old, and lived such an inhuman life in between, no matter in terms of temperament or appearance, Bertha Mason Both have changed a lot.

He didn't recognize her, thank God.

"Forgive Mr. Mason, Miss Marple."

Mr. Barclay misunderstood Bertha's complex expression, and said in relief: "He just lost his beloved sister, and he has been out of his mind for a long time."

So sad.

In fact, in Bertha Mason's limited memory, her half-brother was not bad.Richard is kind and cowardly by nature. Although he is saddened by Bertha's situation, he can't do anything about it.It can only be said that he keeps in touch with his brother-in-law Rochester and visits him regularly.

The fact that Rochester was still able to be friends with Richard after being cheated into marriage is enough to prove that the eldest son of the Mason family is indeed an impeccable person.

Even though Bertha didn't appreciate it and wanted to kill the elder brother who came to visit every time, Richard never flinched.

But this concern is really a drop in the bucket for Bertha who has been imprisoned for ten years.The original body wanted to sever ties with everything in the past, and now Bertha felt that it was better to respect the original wishes of this body.

Therefore, facing Mr. Barclay's words, she turned her head sideways: "I'm sorry."

Mr. Barclay smiled: "It's good that you don't mind, miss, why don't we get to the point? Although Mr. Holmes recommended me to you, whether you trust me or not depends on you, doesn't it?"

"Barclays Bank has a great reputation, there is no reason not to believe it."

"A small bank," said Mr. Barclay. "It's nothing more than taking advantage of my ancestors' early career as goldsmiths."

A sentence may seem modest, but Mr. Barclay is extremely proud.

The so-called goldsmiths, as the name suggests, were craftsmen who made and sold gold and silver tableware, polished and repaired gold coins at the very beginning.However, with the development of the commodity economy, goldsmiths have started to store gold coins and credit loans since the 17th century. This is the early banking activity.

In the Victorian era, the United Kingdom, which experienced two industrial revolutions, was close to global hegemony. The capitalist economy gradually rose, and the financial industry also prospered.These goldsmiths naturally became the early private bankers.

Therefore, Mr. Barclay said that his ancestors were goldsmiths, which is equivalent to saying that he is from a banking family with experience, financial resources and confidence.

Bertha understood, and it was Mycroft Holmes who had introduced Barclays, and if that was unreliable, there would be no reliable bankers in all of Great Britain.

"Since I come from a family of goldsmiths, I have nothing to say," Bertha said with a smile. "Then may I introduce myself—"

"Oh, Mr. Holmes has already entrusted me with instructions on this point."

Mr. Barclay straightened the frame of the glasses, and then took out a file from his desk: "I'm sorry for what happened to your father in the United States, miss. But living in the American countryside, even if you have money, you can't buy anything." Stuff. Country Louisiana isn't as good as London after all, it's a good choice to go back to, isn't it?"

"..."

Fine.

Bertha had thought herself quite bold enough to tell nonsense, but Mr. Mycroft was far superior.Orphaned lady who came back from Louisiana, can the banker in London still find the countryside of the American continent?You must know that this is not the 21st century, and bank accountants have to do calculations by hand.

"In that case, I will not waste my time," Bertha climbed up the pole, "let us get straight to the point."

"No problem, miss. If Mr. Holmes remembers correctly, your hometown is St. Mary Mead, isn't it?"

"Yes."

A few days ago, Bertha had handed over the contract of the fancy house to Thomas, and it was his third trip between St. Mary Mead Village and London that finally bought a property in the village.

Unexpectedly, this property will come in handy now.

"That's great," Mr. Barclay said with a smile. "With a real estate certificate, your credit score will be much better. As for other matters, what payment certificates did you bring back from the United States?"

Of course she didn't.

Mr. Barclay asked this question because there are also transactions between banks.If Bertha has an account in a local bank in the United States, she can apply for a payment certificate, and with this certificate, she can also conduct loan business at Barclays Bank.

The key is that Bertha is not really from the United States, where can she get any certificate.

"I don't need a loan right now," Bertha said bluntly, "I want to save some money."

"No problem at all."

Mr. Barclay paused for a while, but did not show any surprise: "How much do you want to save, Miss?"

Bertha: "It's about three thousand pounds, just this year. A friend of mine still owes me a lot of money, and there will be more in the future. Besides, I am also slightly interested in bonds and stocks, sir."

Bertha had already spent £[-] on the purchase of two lands, plus the property in St. Mary Mead Village.In addition, Rochester sent another thousand pounds later, and Bertha still had more than five thousand checks and cash left in her hand. She felt that it was good to keep one thousand pounds in her hand, which was enough for her to continue to squander.

Mr. Barclay nodded: "I will send someone to accompany you to the White Horse Hotel to withdraw money, Miss Marple. As for investment, if you are interested, I have some news to share with you."

"That would be best."

Financial matters touched Bertha's blind spot of knowledge a little bit, and I only hated myself for not following up and reporting financial cases when I was a reporter.But this is not a big problem. You don't want to make a fortune, just invest in an orderly manner according to the banker's advice, and guarantee a small income.

Besides, Bertha's ambition was not in this.

Her ambition...

The first meeting with Mr. Barclay was quite successful. After Bertha successfully "opened an account" in the bank, she returned to the White Horse Hotel, handed over the check money to the bank accountant who followed, and then wrote a letter.

"What are you doing, Bertha?"

Miss Jane Eyre was a little surprised to see Bertha writing vigorously at the desk.You must know that Ribertha is not a person who loves to write and read.

"Write to Thomas Thames."

After speaking, she had put down her pen and stuffed the note in the envelope.

Bertha had racked her brains these days to remember what Sikes was in Oliver Twist.It is nothing more than one of the gangster villains in the book, the dregs of society who have died without guilt.

But it was the scum that Bertha needed now.

Hit her idea?The corners of Bertha's mouth curled up, and soon everyone in the Whitechapel District would know what would happen if Mrs. Thames' idea was taken.

***

A week later, at 23 South Bank Street, early in the morning.

Before daybreak, Bill Sykes and his accomplice Toby Cricketer called to their door with a handy boy named Larry whom he had hired from the street for a few pennies.

Toby looked at the dilapidated and desolate mansion, just the lifeless image surrounded by fog made people feel chills in his heart.He couldn't help muttering: "Are you sure that what, Mrs. Thames, lives here?"

Sykes replied very violently after hearing the words: "I didn't say that she lives here. What I said is that she will wait for construction workers here today. Right now, she's the only one. It's a good opportunity to start."

Toby: "But...but it's too risky."

Although they did a lot of stealthy things, house theft is also considered handy.But the nature of kidnapping and extortion is completely different!If it was an ordinary family, it would be okay to be a robber once, but the description of "unable to catch" came alive. This Mrs. Thames was clearly a very rich lady.

Who knows where she came from?In case they get into trouble with big shots, each of them can't afford to go around.

"It takes audacity to make money, and besides," Sikes drew a handful of irons from his pocket, "I have this."

Staring at the gun in his hand, Toby shuddered.

"But I hear she is the sister of Thomas Thames."

"Don't tell me about Thomas Thames!"

Sykes interrupted Toby roughly: "A kid who was kicked out of the gang, what is there to be afraid of? Besides, he is not here today, what are you afraid of?"

Toby thought so too.In the past, mentioning Thomas Thames was a little bit shy, but now he is no longer the guy who is so successful, what are you afraid of him?And Sykes had a gun.

"Go ahead." Toby made up his mind.

"Walk."

Several people climbed over the wall and entered the house at No. 23 Nan'an Street, and walked around the main entrance through the kitchen window on the first floor. The wind whimpered through the cracked door and the wall, this... is even more haunted than a haunted house.

The young Larry took a few steps back: "This is too scary."

Sykes slapped him on the back of the head: "Don't scare yourself."

That being said, he also felt that the atmosphere in the whole mansion was weird.The "can't catch" on the old Jew's side swore that Mrs. Thames would be waiting for construction workers in the house today, but they scouted carefully, and there was no one on the first floor.

"No one, let's go?" Toby urged.

"What's the hurry? I haven't read it yet."

Seeing that the two accomplices really couldn't get on the stage, Sykes had the courage to step up the stairs first.

From the lobby to the second floor, a long corridor first fell into view. The moldy curtains at the end of the corridor fluttered in the wind, and the gloomy sky outside the window appeared and disappeared.Such an environment was so strange that Sykes couldn't help beating his heart.

"Check one by one."

They searched from house to house, but there was no one there.This made Sykes, who was still a little apprehensive, couldn't help but suspect: They were not deceived by "unable to catch", right?

Only the last master bedroom remains.

The double doors were tightly closed, and there were no windows.After much deliberation, Sykes decided to force his way in.

The closed door has been left unattended all year round. Sykes pushed it, but it still wouldn't open.In the end, he and Toby worked together to slam the door open.

"do not move!"

The two men staggered to their feet, and before they could raise their heads, Sykes drew his gun and shouted, "Give it to me, and I promise you won't be hurt—my God!"

After two adults and a boy stood firm, they almost peed their pants at the same time.

Blood, blood everywhere.

On the furniture left in the master bedroom, on the walls, and on the blackened floor, there were bloodstains all over.If such a large amount of blood came from the body of the same person, they might have been squeezed dry.

The extremely horrifying scene caused the young Larry to sit directly on the ground.Not to mention him, even Sykes almost lost his grip on the gun in his hand.

"B, Bill?" Toby said tremblingly.

"What are you still doing?"

Sykes took a few steps back: "Run!"

As his words fell to the ground, the heavy door behind him slammed shut.

"Haha, hahahaha—"

Outside the gate, two women, one big and one small, laughed softly and enchantingly, and then ran away stepping on their shoes.

In normal times, such a charming voice would be enough to tickle one's heart, but in an old house covered in blood and dimly lit, the sudden laughter would make one's spine shine.

Even Sikes could bear it now.

He and Toby almost forced the door open, and as soon as they walked out of the blood-stained bedroom, the flowing air made them feel relieved.

But that peace of mind didn't last long.

The two men raised their heads one after another, and saw that the curtains that had just been blown by the wind suddenly turned into a woman's dress.

The skirt hanging on the window fluttered in the wind, and the skirt was empty, but looking up, it seemed that there were faintly black hair and...

"Hold!!!"

No one dared to continue staring at the window.

Larry, the more flexible boy, almost immediately left the two adults who were stunned in place, staggered down the stairs, and left the mansion.This made Sykes and Toby also react, the two of you pulled me and I pulled you, for fear that the woman hanging on the window would chase after me.

They scrambled back to the hall, but before they had time to stand still, a petite black figure came towards Sykes like the wind.The weird girl's laughter sounded again.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha--"

"You, don't come here!"

Sykes drew his gun immediately, and he fired several shots at the shadow, but under the dim light and nervous mood, these shots completely missed the position.The invisible black figure rushed directly in front of him, raising the sharp blade in his hand high.

"Bill!!!"

Until the light of the dagger flashed, Sykes and Toby said badly at the same time.

The sharp dagger stabbed Sykes' abdomen fiercely, and then Toby rushed up.But before he grabbed the black shadow, the charming laughter sounded again.

The dagger fell to the ground with a bang, and the shadow disappeared.

"Bill, are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, she's not hurt..."

Before Sykes could finish his sentence, he lowered his head and saw a large bloodstain on his abdomen.

Bloodstains?

But he was not injured?

There was no pain, no tactile sensation, and Sykes even lifted his clothes to see that the skin on his abdomen was intact.But the crimson blood spread round and round, so it couldn't be his and Toby's hallucination, right?

"Go," Sikes' heart sank suddenly, "this place is too wicked, we have to hurry."

"——Why, I finally came here, so I'm leaving now?"

A hoarse female voice suddenly appeared in the hall, taking Sykes' words.

The two men raised their heads in shock.

A tall woman stood in front of the gate of the mansion, and Bill Sykes and Toby Cricket hadn't noticed her existence at all before.

The light was dim, and the tall and thin woman was hiding in the shadow of the gate, her face obscure.All they could see was the corner of the woman's blood-red skirt, and they could hear her hoarse and lazy voice.

"The door is here," the woman knocked on the door behind her, and the wood made a heavy thumping sound, which made the heart numb in the dead silent room, "If you want to go, just go, it's just Bill, you go out of this door , no one will take care of the abdominal injury."

Sikes was startled.

The woman standing at the door is alive.

This consciousness came to him, and his first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief—at least it was a living person.

But then he also realized: he was cheated.

"Damn it, I can't catch it," Sikes cursed in a low voice, "if you lie to me, I'll make him go all the way!"

"It's strange that I can't do anything."

The woman at the door laughed out loud: "Didn't the old Jew nod, would he dare to tell you these things?"

Sexton felt bad: "Who are you?"

Knowing him, knowing the old Jew, and even knowing "can't catch" Jack, the woman's words undoubtedly told Sykes a fact: she has mastered everything.

The woman at the door turned her head sideways: "No way, Bill, you don't even know who I am, so you dare to concoct a plan to kidnap me?"

This woman is Mrs Thames.

At this time, Sykes was shocked and angry: he was actually tricked!And Sikes had no idea whether he was being tricked by the old Jew or the hoarse, mocking Mrs. Thames.

But he didn't dare to get angry, recalling the bloodstains all over the room, and the deep redness of his abdomen... Sikes shuddered.

Although he didn't know what it was, Sykes was sure that it was this woman who did it.

"What did you do to me?" he asked forcefully.

"It's nothing."

Mrs. Thames smiled and said: "You came down from the second floor, did you see the hanged woman upstairs? It's not a coincidence, she died here for many years, and the resentment has not dissipated. As for me, there happened to be so Be able to chat with the dead. She just wants to find someone to accompany her, and I hope I can fulfill this wish before I move in."

Toby's legs beside Sykes were weak: "W-what..."

"I came here so early today because I wanted to burn a paper man to accompany her on the road before the construction workers arrived, but at this moment you broke in," Mrs. Thames continued, "She thinks you are a scapegoat, Bill. She refuses to leave, she can't be persuaded, she has to drag you to accompany her. The bloodstains left on your body are a mark, and when the right time comes, you will die as she did."

"You bullshit!"

Sykes' back was drenched in cold sweat, he took out his gun and pointed at Mrs Thames: "Don't try to scare me with such things."

Mrs. Thames: "Did your bullet hit that shadow? Is the magazine empty?"

Sykes: "..."

With a cruel heart, he aimed at Mrs. Thames at the door and pulled the trigger.But the rifling clicked and clicked, but no bullets were fired.

"If you don't believe me, just go," said Mrs. Thames indifferently. "I won't stop you. What's the use of stopping a dead man?"

"This……"

The terrified Toby finally reacted.

Although he is now in two wars, even peeing his pants, but relying on the instinct of being greedy for life and fearing death for many years, he has concluded one point - that is, the mysterious and unpredictable Mrs. Thames in front of him has a way to communicate with ghosts.

"You, you, you," Toby stammered, "do you have a way, a way to save Sykes' life?"

"of course."

After Mrs. Thames replied firmly, she asked back: "But why should I save him? I don't look like a saint. I have to save even those who try to kidnap me."

At this point, even villains like Bill Sykes have completely surrendered.

He gloomily stared at the woman staying in the shadows, wishing to kill her with his eyes, but there was no practical way to hurt her: "What benefits do you want?"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Thames laughed again.

Only this time, she took a step forward.

The morning dawned quickly, and after such a failed kidnapping, the sun had already risen.

Before that, both Sykes and Toby believed that the mysterious Mrs. Thames must be an ugly and evil old woman, but the woman who came out from the shadows to the light was tall and beautiful, with noble clothes and a straight spine. It marks that women do not belong to the same world as them.

It is true that Mrs. Thames was indeed a lady.

But I didn't tell Sykes that this Mrs. Thames had a pair of dark gold eyes like a witch.

After going through an extremely terrifying scene, even these eyes made Bill Sykes feel particularly captivating, as if he could be stared dead in place by looking at them twice more.

"Don't be so nervous," Bertha looked at Sikes with a golden face, deliberately slowing down her voice, "Shall we sit down and talk slowly?"

—The hanged woman and the blood all over the room are naturally Bertha's frightening tricks.

Of the criminals she worked with as a reporter, while they weren't afraid to break the law, most were superstitious.Especially a gangster like Bill Sykes, who was actually more afraid of death than anyone else.

Bertha before the time travel was often exposed to these superstitious methods because of social news. In fact, these nagging witches, witches, and gypsies have more scientific methods than anyone else.The so-called "blood" is nothing more than the chemical reaction between turmeric and edible alkali.

Bertha wrote to Thomas asking him to hire the two gypsy girls to help him again.

They smeared turmeric on the floor, walls and furniture of the master bedroom in advance, and then melted the edible alkali with warm water and poured it on, and it turned red like blood.

After Sykes and others entered the door, they were completely frightened by the scene in front of them. They didn't notice the two gypsy girls sneaking around, closed the door and ran away with a smile.

The same goes for Sykes' "stab" in the abdomen.Relying on her flexible figure and the dimness of the room, the small Gipps girl swayed a few times in a safe area, and approached Sykes boldly when she emptied the bullet. The daggers of the past were nothing more than cover-ups.

As for the hanged woman by the window, it was actually old clothes and dirty rags, but Sykes and the others couldn't help scaring themselves, couldn't they?

Such a trick could have fooled many people in the 21st century, let alone the Victorian era when modern science was just in its infancy.

Now Sikes put on a gesture of resignation, which was exactly what Bertha wanted: she was not planning to get back at Bill Sikes, who was still useful.

Revenge meant nothing to Bertha, and Bill Sikes meant nothing to her.It was too easy to frame a gangster, let alone send him to Scotland Yard. Even if Bertha sought revenge, no one would investigate the specific cause of Bill Sykes' death.

But he himself is still a bit of use value, so Bertha doesn't mind "raising tigers for trouble".

"For trying to kidnap me, I can let it go. Maria recognized you—"

"Maria?"

"It's the name of the hanged woman."

Sitting on the clean sofa in the living room, Bertha said unhurriedly: "I can help you not die, but from now on, you have to help me with things."

Sykes: "What did you say?"

Bertha: "Don't worry, I will not be a feudal lord who oppresses and exploits. Since you have heard the words that you can't be caught, you should know that I am rich and I never treat my own people badly. If you don't believe me, you can inquire about it yourself. How much does Thomas get paid for doing things for me?"

After such a threat, what Sykes cares most about at this time is not money. He looked at the opposite woman for a long while, and then said: "You said I will be hanged?"

Bertha: "Huh?"

Sikes: "That woman wasn't hanged?"

Sure enough, for criminals, what is more terrible than death is to be hanged after being caught by the police.

Unexpectedly, her random tricks also caused a double shadow of Sykes-reasonably, the reason why Bertha is so frightening is because she thinks of Bill Sykes in the original book "Oliver Twist". He just hanged himself.

"How can a ghost who died by hanging stay at home?" Bertha opened her eyes and said nonsense, "Don't worry, you won't die if you listen to me. You can do something for me first, and if I am satisfied, I will give it to Ma on your behalf." Leah's soul intercedes. She won't hurt my friend, as long as you do things for me, you won't die."

"What do you want me to do?"

"The old Jew's child stole from me," Bertha said coldly. "The child is useful, but the old man himself is useless. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Understand."

Sykes nodded, and said bluntly: "You want me to be him?"

Bertha: "..."

So crisp and neat!Bertha couldn't help but slander in her heart. In fact, what she wanted was to reveal the old Jew's address to the police.But when the words came to her lips, Bertha thought for a second, "I can't catch" Jack is so afraid of the police, this should be their bottom line.

They can betray each other, use each other, and harm each other, but this is their own business.

To stab the police and be a complete "traitor" is another matter.There are rules of conduct, even if you do evil, you must pay attention to the rules of doing evil.

"Do everything by yourself, aren't you afraid of causing trouble?" Bertha put on a soothing tone, as if admonishing, "If you hadn't come here in person this time, how could you have been targeted by Maria's ghost?"

"What the hell do you mean?"

"The old Jew has been around for so long, and there are always people who offend him," Bertha pointed out, "You have a good relationship with him, why bother to be the murderer yourself?"

After finishing speaking, Bertha added: "You can still sell favors to the old Jewish enemy."

Sykes was silent for a moment, and then said: "If I do something for you, I won't die?"

"Will not die at the hands of Maria's innocent soul."

Bertha laughed and said, "God can't save you if you're looking for other ways to die, Bill. Go ahead, be efficient, and you'll be paid when it's done. But don't hurt those guys." boys, I'll keep them useful."

In the original novel "Oliver Twist", Sykes and the old Jew are inextricably linked, which can be regarded as friendship for many years.But right now his life is under the control of others, and for these villains, no matter how important friendship is, it is not as important as his own life.

That was what Bertha saw.

Thomas Thames is a shrewd young man, he is neat and clear-headed. Although it seems that Thomas has been kicked out of his gang by hearing the discussion when Sykes and the others entered the door, Bertha firmly believes that a young man like him, even if he does not help him Such a hand can also become a character.

Because of this, it is really overkill to let such potential stocks do these "dirty jobs".

In this, too, Bertha needs Bill Sikes and his friends.

The two thugs leave, and the gypsy girl who played tricks before reappears.

The older gypsy girl gave Bertha a hard look: "You say I'm a female ghost?!"

Bertha laughed out loud, "Didn't you pretend to be the female ghost, Maria?"

Another young gypsy girl couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing.

"You did a good job, Abby," Bertha nodded to the young gypsy girl, "Since we have cooperated twice, why not sign a contract, what do you think?"

Abby: "Maria, I feel good."

The real Maria, the older gypsy girl, sneered.

She gave Bertha a cold look: "I won't work for the gang."

Bertha raised her eyebrows: "Thomas has left the gang, hasn't he?"

Maria: "I'm not talking about him, but you. Mrs. Thames, you have done so much, isn't it just to form your own gang in Whitechapel?"

Bertha laughed but did not answer.

Yes, she does!

Before coming to London, Bertha didn’t have any specific ideas—in fact, even if she did nothing but throw the dowry into the bank to earn interest, the huge sum of [-] pounds was enough to ensure her well-fed and luxurious life. permanent.

But when she got off the train and encountered "out of reach", Bertha already had an idea.

London has a long history of gang culture, why can't Bertha carve out a place where it belongs?

It doesn't matter even if it can't be done, she still has money, so she can go wherever she wants.As for Bertha, it was good luck that "Can't Catch" Jack found a suitable helper like Thomas Thames for her at the beginning.

Bill Sykes' side was done, and she had to make arrangements for Thomas' side.

In the afternoon, Thomas Thames arrived late with the construction workers, and the "blood" in the master bedroom shocked the workers. Thomas even explained and apologized, and finally went to Bertha dumbfounded. : "Ma'am, why do I think you are addicted to pretending to be a ghost? Isn't it just to deal with the old Jews, I have a lot of ways."

She believed Thomas could do it, but Bertha never let him do it for her.

Regarding this, she just joked with great interest: "Why, are you still jealous of Bill?"

Thomas froze for a moment, then laughed loudly: "You mean Bill Sykes? If he doesn't look so sorry, I might really feel a sense of crisis."

"So what are you afraid of? You've been busy enough helping me fix the mansion and the bar. This kind of thing will naturally have to be done by others," Bertha said, "and I have other things for you to do."

"Go ahead, ma'am."

"Take me to see the other Thames boys."

"..."

Thomas' relaxed smile suddenly froze on his face.

So far, Bertha knows two things about Thomas. First, he used to be a member of a gang. Judging by his ability, he should have done well, but he left his organization for some reason; The younger siblings are all orphans.

Taking a bold guess, Bertha had a faint feeling that there might be a connection between these two events.

"Their surname is Thames, and I am also surnamed Thames. You said we were all one family, didn't you?"

Bertha's tone was easy-going, and her sharp eyebrows rarely showed some warmth: "I have no malice, Thomas, and I will not hurt the children. Since we are a family, please let me do something."

In the face of Bertha's almost sudden attack of kindness, Thomas did not show any emotion.

He just looked at Bertha for a long time with those icy blue eyes, and then said, "Before that, madam, I want to ask you a few questions."

"Please."

"You didn't do to me what you did to Sikes, because I'm worth more than he?"

"Yes."

"So instead of holding me hostage, you hope to use a safer method to win me over."

"Yes."

"The purpose is to exchange my trust."

"Yes."

"What will happen to you if I refuse?