Chapter 35
IT WAS A couple of hours after midnight when Gabriel stood outside the door to Miss Hawthorne’s chamber, preparing himself for what might await him inside.
His clothes and hair were still damp from his foray into the nighttime air in search of Bauer, and the rugged scent of horses and the forest still clung to him. He and two footmen had ridden to the village. The woods. Over every bit of meadow and field within several miles of Keatley Hall.
They’d found nothing. Not a single trail or trace of Bauer.
Gabriel would not waste time being frustrated or questioning the decisions he’d made up until this point. He had to stay calm, rational, and focused, for he had to stay ready for anything that might come next.
Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck and shook out the tension gathering in his shoulders before he tapped his knuckles against the door to announce his presence before entering Miss Hawthorne’s chamber.
Before Gabriel could say a word, Mr. Hawthorne jumped from his chair near the fire, his finely tailored coat askew on his torso, his eyes wild. “Well? Did you find him?”
Gabriel quickly assessed the firelit room. Mrs. Chatterly and Mr. Parker sat on the far side of the canopied bed. Ella was seated beneath the window. Mr. Wilde was absent. Gabriel shook his head and closed the door. “No. How is Miss Hawthorne?”
Ella stood and tightened her shawl around her shoulders. “No change.”
His gaze fell to the bed where the normally vibrant, energetic young woman now lay motionless, her paleness emphasized by the dried blood on the bandage over her forehead.
Mr. Hawthorne forged ahead, the pitch and volume of his voice unusually high. “Are you aware that Miss Sutton has vanished? Her chamber is completely empty! Every single item is gone. Gutt, also, is nowhere to be found.”
Gabriel glanced toward Ella to gauge her response, and she nodded slightly. It made sense to him that Gutt was gone. But Miss Sutton?
Hawthorne continued, “Also, the magistrate has arrived. A fellow named Moore. He’s in the great hall speaking with the servants and Wilde.
He said he wanted to wait to go through the boxes and trunk Bauer left behind until you were here to give a statement since you were the last to see him.
We should head down there as soon as you’re ready. ”
After a brief discussion, it was decided that Mrs. Chatterly and Mr. Parker would stay with Miss Hawthorne, and the others made their way down to the great hall.
Once introductions had been made to Mr. Moore and a constable by the name of Jones, they continued down to the basement-level storage area.
Candle lamps had been deposited around the chamber that Bauer had apparently been using for storage.
Blood still stained the stone floor—an eerie, uncomfortable reminder of what had occurred just hours earlier.
Nothing had been disturbed. The other two boxes were still where they had been positioned, and the trunk, which Gabriel presumed belonged to Bauer, remained.
Gabriel explained everything he knew about the man calling himself Thomas Bauer to the magistrate—including his client’s interest in Bauer, the belief that Bauer intended to make money while at the symposium, the purchase of personal information to use in demonstrations, the discrepancy of his eye color, and, finally, the obituary.
The room fell painfully silent.
Hawthorne was the first to add his thoughts. “If you were aware that Bauer was a threat, you should have informed us immediately.”
“As a licensed solicitor I have a duty to my clients to maintain confidentiality. I was concerned that he might be targeting the Society, but initially I had no proof. Miss Wilde and I spoke briefly of our concerns in London, which led to my attendance here. I did attempt to speak with you on this matter in the breakfast room, but, if you recall, you refused to receive it.”
“And you.” Hawthorne turned the brunt of his frustration to Ella. “Shame on you. Phoebe is your friend. How could you not speak up?”
Ella jerked. “I’ve been very vocal about this to anyone who would listen!”
“She’s right,” Gabriel added. “This is hardly Miss Wilde’s fault. No one is at fault here except for Bauer. Or whatever his name is.”
“And the other two people who were mentioned?” inquired the magistrate. “A Mr. Gutt and a Miss Sutton?”
Gabriel nodded. “It appears they are likely accomplices. I know for a fact that Gutt has made purchases on Mr. Bauer’s behalf in the past. Manipulations of this degree are rarely done alone.”
The magistrate motioned toward Gabriel and Ella. “You two witnessed Bauer causing physical harm to Miss Hawthorne, which is enough to warrant an arrest, but what are the other crimes?”
“Bauer stole a substantial amount from our members, and he lied about his identity! What more is needed?” Hawthorne cried.
Gabriel folded his arms over his chest and nodded to the boxes. “Miss Hawthorne might be able to share more information when she wakes, but I assume that whatever is in those crates might tell us more.”
When no one protested, Gabriel knelt and opened the first box. As he did the light fell on a mixed jumble of silver items, from cookery to utensils to an array of pieces.
“Those are from Keatley Hall!” Ella cried. “Did he intend to steal them?”
Gabriel let the lid fall once again and moved the entire box aside to uncover the one beneath it. No one spoke as the second box was opened to reveal several small, rare paintings and leather-bound books that had been stolen from the library.
Gabriel turned to the trunk and popped it open. This was the trunk with Bauer’s clothing, a few personal items, and a handful of letters.
“The money. Where is the money? Look again!” demanded Hawthorne.
Gabriel pressed his lips together and exchanged glances with the magistrate.
“There’s nothing else here, Mr. Hawthorne,” Gabriel said in a stronger tone.
“I’m sure the magistrate will agree with me when I urge you to remain calm.
We can track down the addresses on these letters and see what Miss Hawthorne can add, but we need to turn our attention to locating him. ”
The magistrate looked at the constable and then motioned to the door.
“It’s late, and we’ll search more tomorrow to see if we can find tracks or find out if anyone in the village saw anything.
If three people left, someone likely saw something.
Notify me when Miss Hawthorne wakes and can talk. We’ll be back then.”
“That’s it?” cried Hawthorne. “That’s all you’re going to do? This man just deceived every single person in this house! We told them he was a legitimate man of knowledge and education. He took their money! We’ll be laughingstocks!”
Mr. Wilde stepped toward Hawthorne and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Rowe and Moore are not the enemies here, Hawthorne. We’ve been deceived, but not by them. Come, let’s get some air.”
They all exited the basement chamber, and after the door was secured and locked, the rest of the men dispersed, leaving Gabriel alone with Ella.