Chapter Sixteen #2
Felix huffed. “There is a Mrs. Standish in Brighton just now. She was at the wedding; a friend of my sister’s. She requires a ride back to London, and I told her you would be happy to accommodate her.” It was the least the man could do.
“Fine.” The viscount gave a terse nod. “Send a note ‘round to her and tell her we’ll bring her to Town. Hopefully in a day or two,” he said with a piercing look at Felix.
“That is the expectation,” he mumbled as he exited the drawing room with more questions in his mind than he’d had when he entered.
After tea
Damn this case!
Why weren’t the details of it coming forward as quickly as they did with others?
What was he missing? And where the devil was Mr. Knapp?
The fact of the matter was that he couldn’t keep various wedding guests at the heart of case in Brighton indefinitely.
Others had already been sent away since they were cleared of being suspects.
It boggled his mind, which was why he was out walking the shore.
Caroline hadn’t wished to accompany him, for she hadn’t slept well the night before, and she was in the middle of a bath then wished to dress for dinner properly after that.
They had been invited to share a meal with one of Brighton’s elite citizens, so that was a bit of an honor.
He let her have that peace; she needed the rest and to not feel anxious regarding the case. Surely, it wasn’t good for the babe.
The possibilities of becoming a father distracted him, which made him a bit unaware of his surroundings. When something slammed into his back and shoved him to the pebbled beach.
“What the hell?”
“I warned you off this case, Major.” The scratchy, growling voice sent icy fingers of fear playing his spine.
Felix struggled against his attacker, but being face down on the constantly shifting beach put him at a disadvantage. “Get off!” The more he tried to buck the man from his form, the more the attacker crushed a boot into his back.
“None of this concerns you,” the man continued as he dug his fingers into Felix’s shoulders and then hauled him toward the water. “Since you didn’t listen, now you’ll have to face the consequences.”
Knots of fear pulled in his belly, but no amount of clawing at the sand and pebbled beach would provide traction. “Mr. Knapp I presume?” It was a guess, of course, but perhaps he could coax the man into a confession.
“Who else, since you obviously haven’t solved this case. I truly thought you were a better investigator, Major. Perhaps Bow Street was wrong.”
The second the waves crashed over his head, cold panic filled Felix’s chest. When he attempted to kick out at his attacker, of course the other man moved out of the way.
“You won’t get away with this.” But the words were muffled due to the waves that crashed into him, for the man continued to drag him further into the water.
“I believe I already am, and then you can finally know what it feels like to be a failure.”
Pressure from the man’s hands kept Felix half-submerged into the sea. With his waning strength, Felix pushed back, had got his knees beneath him, but the attacker savagely kicked at his left one, which dislodged the prosthetic enough to render him ineffective.
“Give my regards to Lord Danforth, Major.” The other man pushed with his hands on Felix’s shoulders while he used a knee at the small of his back to keep him in the water. “Don’t worry. This should be over in a few moments.”
“Get back, you mangy cur!”
Inside his muddled brain and muffled ears, Felix swore that cry came from Mrs. Andrews. Was the housekeeper his guardian angel? That brief pause gave him the opening he needed. With effort though his lungs heaved, he managed to dislodge the attacker’s knee from his person.
“Let the major go!”
Suddenly, the pressure on Felix’s shoulders went away. As he turned over onto his back, he blinked to clear his blurry vision. Mrs. Andrews wielded a large piece of driftwood, which she used to slam against Mr. Knapp’s side.
Though darkness pressed in on him from being half-drowned, Felix managed to note a long nose and dark chin whiskers from the man.
“You think to frighten me?” Yet the man backed away with a slightly tilted grin. “You have won this day, Major, but I’ll return.” Seconds later, he loped down the beach while Felix collapsed against the wet pebbles.
As he gasped and tried to draw air into his waterlogged lungs, the housekeeper dropped the piece of driftwood. She kneeled at his side regardless of the constantly moving waves. “Go fetch Caroline.”
“I’ll do no such thing until I know you’ll live.” She raked her gaze over his person. “You’re in a bad state, Major, but I’ll try to haul you further up on the beach.”
“Leave me,” he managed to rasp out. The taste of the sea was on his tongue, and he spat it out as he turned on his side. “Or help me with the false leg.”
She nodded. Worry etched her face as it came into his blurry view. “I will try my best.”
With her assistance, they wrangled up the leg of his breeches enough that he could guide her into manipulating the buckles and straps that held his prosthetic into place.
“How did you know I was in peril?” His lungs ached and his head pounded, but at least he wasn’t sucking in water.
“I spied you from the drawing room windows as I was tidying. Your wife was dressing as I flew from the cottage.” Her fingers were nimble with the buckles while his were cold. “You are a good man, Major. No scoundrel will harm you on my watch.”
“It’s fortunate for my you are the housekeeper in the cottage I chose.” Spent and winded, he collapsed back onto the beach while she finished with the buckles.
God, I need to solve this case. But he was fairly certain the answer lay with the mysterious Mr. Knapp.
By the time Caroline joined him, he’d had a bit of a rest. His clothing was still wet, obviously, but he hadn’t the strength to return to the cottage yet.
“Good heavens, Felix!” Concern and panic trembled in her voice.
He held out a hand. “Don’t ruin your gown; just give me a tug up.”
“Are you well?” She used both her hands on his to haul him to his feet. “Mrs. Andrews told me that man was trying to drown you.” Fear and hysteria shadowed her eyes. “To think I nearly lost you…”
“Stop.” It hurt to speak, to draw breath, but he was alive. He met her gaze. “He didn’t succeed, thanks to our plucky housekeeper.” When he cupped her cheek, she shivered. “I’d embrace you, but I don’t wish to ruin your gown, for you are a vision in the pink color.”
She nodded. “Let’s bring you inside and into dry clothes.”
“Right.” Clinging to her hand, they walked up the beach.
Near the fences, and several cottages down from where his was located, he rested a hand on one of the wooden slats in order to catch his breath.
Additionally, the sand that had gotten between his thigh stump and his prosthetic made walking painful.
“I’m heavily thinking about asking Mrs. Andrews to relocate to London and be our housekeeper there. ”
The lilting sound of her laughter acted as a balm for his ruffled spirit. “As much as I would like that, she no doubt has a life here.”
“Yes.” But he frowned as his gaze fell to the flowers and plants in the garden on the other side of the low wooden fence. “Why is much of the plant life wilting here?” he asked in a soft voice, mostly to himself. “It hasn’t been exceedingly hot…”
“Perhaps an animal came by and had a wee or perhaps dug them up.”
“No.” Felix shook his head. He kneeled on his good leg. “Look here. There is a broken slat on the fence as if someone crashed into it.”
She shrugged. “A drunk no doubt.”
“Mmm.” Upon further inspection as he poked about with his cane, he discovered that a whole panel was broken, propped up with a few largish rocks and plants so no one would know. “The ground is a bit disturbed and dark here. Why?”
“Dear heavens, let it alone, Felix. Come home and clean up for dinner.” When she put a hand on his shoulder, he nodded. “You’ve been through a traumatic experience.”
“It’s something, though.” The earth was loose and easily dug through with his fingers. When he brought a handful up to inspect, he caught his breath. “There is blood here in this damp soil.” As she gasped, he nodded. “This is where Danforth died. I’ll wager everything on it.”
“Are you certain? Perhaps a bird was killed…”
“No.” Yanking out his wet handkerchief, he put the soil in it and bundled it up. Then he stood and peered toward the sea. “It’s not far from the shore, obviously. Perhaps fifty yards from where Danforth’s body washed ashore. Which doesn’t leave much time for the corpse to make its way down there.”
“And that means our timeline is even more tight.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Danforth was killed en route to your parents’ townhouse.”
“But why?” As she looked at the broken fence panel, she frowned. “The killer could have used this part of the fence to help transport Danforth. It would make quick work, and at that time of the morning, not many would be about…”
“Right.” Felix pressed his lips together as he looked about the area.
The curve of townhouses stood as silent sentries against the sky.
Each one hosted a garden of sorts. A grim handful of wooden wagons dotted the beach in both directions left for ladies to use in order to sea bathe without being seen, for women going into the water in full view of everyone was quite scandalous.
“This new information put with my attack just now…” He brought his gaze to hers.
“Shit.” Anyone could have used a bathing wagon to hide in…
or to change everything about themselves.
“I’m getting a clearer picture of who the murderer might be and why. ”
Surprise jumped into her expression. “Tell me.”
“Not here. While I clean and dress.” If the man was indeed wearing a disguise, it was no wonder why the wedding guests hadn’t a clue and why no one had truly seen him.
I hope to God I’m wrong.