Chapter Thirty-Two
“IF YOU KNEW THEY WERE in town, why didn’t you warn us?” Mr. Davis directed the accusation at Graham, but he hadn’t stopped glaring at Ezekiel from his chair in the parlor.
Graham paced the length of the room, his hands as agitated as his gait.
“Until Thursday, I thought they’d left town with their troupe.
Once I discovered the truth, I went straight to your office, but they said you were traveling and hadn’t returned yet.
I should have known to stay closer to Nora, but I searched the city for them instead. It’s my fault they got to her.”
“They wouldn’t have known we were here if it weren’t for this Mr. Beaumont seducing my girl with promises of music and an operatic life.”
Ezekiel’s temper flared, and he worked hard to keep his tone even and his words in check.
As much as he didn’t like the man so far, he did hope to somehow earn Mr. Davis’s approval for Nora’s sake.
“I am no seducer, sir. I have the greatest respect and admiration for your daughter and care for her deeply. I would never intentionally place her in harm’s way.
You cannot blame me for talking to Adler when I did not know the circumstances. ”
“I can and I do.”
Graham stopped his pacing between Mr. Davis and Ezekiel. “Be angry all you want with me, Marcellus, but not him. The boy is innocent of everything but a persistent interest in your daughter.”
“And I can confirm he’s been an absolute gentleman to our Nora and has made her smile more often than I’ve ever seen.” Mrs. Jerden’s voice of approval didn’t lessen Mr. Davis’s scowl, but he at least stopped glaring at Ezekiel.
The front door burst open without so much as a knock.
Ezekiel and Mr. Davis shot to their feet, ready to defend if necessary, but it was only Miss Gibson returning with the other Guardians.
Miss Pelton didn’t even pause to remove her coat and gloves before launching into rapid fire.
“I was with Abraham when he got the summons. By the time we reached the station, Nora had already been carted off to Longview. The detective on duty claimed it the most obvious case of insanity that he’d seen in his career.
” She yanked off a glove and slapped it down on the table like she wished it were the man’s face.
“Abraham’s doing what he can to take over the investigation and reexamine the evidence against her.
Father has promised to reach out to his contacts in Longview first thing in the morning to discover what he can of Nora’s condition. ”
“We have a few ideas on how to get Nora out of there, but it’s probably best if Abraham doesn’t know them.
” Miss Plane spotted Tristan curled up in an empty hat box and swooped him into her arms. When Tristan hissed and swiped at her, she dumped him back in the box.
“Have it your way, but you’ll not be getting fish from me any time soon. ”
“We already missed our window to free her during transport to Longview,” Miss Gibson argued. “And breaking her out of there isn’t as simple as sneaking through halls and unlocking a door. That plan will fail before we even make it past the foyer.”
“We’re not breaking her out of anywhere.” Miss Pelton draped her coat over the back of an unoccupied chair, then sat. “That will make her a wanted criminal, and we’re trying to prove her innocence, not give them more cause to throw away the key.”
Miss Plane crossed her arms and dropped into Ezekiel’s former spot. “You’re a lot less fun since you became engaged to a detective.”
“Abiding by the law doesn’t make me less fun. This isn’t about fun anyway.”
The pot on the table in front of the window crashed to the floor. Tristan yowled, like he reprimanded them for squabbling. He jumped from the table and strutted over to Nora’s yarn basket and swatted a ball across the floor with another yowl.
Miss Gibson picked up the ball and replaced it. “The beast is right. We need to focus on how to get Nora out of this mess, not fight over which plan is best.” She turned her attention to the room shocked into silence at their tornadic entrance. “What have you come up with?”
“The furthest we’ve made it is who should be blamed for not informing Mark about the arrival of Mr. Adler and Mrs. Reed. Oh, and how Mr. Beaumont is only guilty of making Nora happy.” Mrs. Jerden’s smile challenged Mr. Davis to contradict her.
Mr. Jerden coughed next to her. “Whatever plan is made, illegal methods are out of the question. The Davises have suffered enough scandal. They don’t need more.”
“Agreed.” Mr. Davis rubbed his forehead. “I only wish I knew where to begin.”
As far as Ezekiel could determine, there was only one place to start. “If we want to prove her innocence, we have to prove her story is true. The only way to do that is to discredit Mrs. Reed’s version of events.”
“Abraham can get me a list of the neighbors whose statements were taken,” Miss Pelton volunteered. “We can interview those who aren’t on that list to see if they saw anything different.”
“I’ll bet Mr. Gallagher is amongst those who saw something but wasn’t interviewed,” Mr. Jerden offered. “He can’t maneuver steps anymore, so anything he saw would be from his kitchen window. I doubt he had it open with the cold, but he likes to sit and watch the chickens.”
“Even with it dark outside?”
Mr. Davis shook his head. “Unless he heard something, I doubt it. The old man may have a keen eye and an insatiable curiosity, but his hearing is near useless.”
“It doesn’t hurt to ask,” Mrs. Jerden reprimanded. “I’ll make tomorrow an occasion I bring him breakfast and visit. The old dear is always appreciative when he doesn’t have to cook.”
“If the man weren’t nearing eighty and truly struggling, I’d be worried.
Then again, you’ve always had a big heart.
” Mr. Jerden squeezed his wife’s shoulders from where he stood behind her.
“I share the morning horsecar ride with several of the neighbors. I’ll ask them as well and let you know if anything useful arises. ”
“Didn’t Nora say there was another couple on the street who witnessed her interaction with Mr. Adler?” Miss Gibson asked. “Maybe we could put an ad in the paper to ask them to come forward.”
The idea would hold merit if the odds of it succeeding weren’t so small.
Ezekiel gripped the back of Miss Pelton’s chair with all the strength of frustration he felt.
“I’m fairly certain Adler paid them to pretend they didn’t see him.
Even if they were willing to come forward, they’d have to see the ad, and I doubt a court would accept a witness testimony obtained that way. ”
“We can let the lawyers sort that out,” Mr. Davis said. “If it even has the slightest chance of freeing my girl, then I say we do it.”
Graham took up pacing again. “Our best chance is to discredit Winston’s and Ursula’s characters. We need to prove that they are criminals, not upstanding citizens.”
“Wasn’t there a police report filed when Nora was kidnapped in New York? One that held their descriptions?” Ezekiel asked.
“Yes, and there would be a report with Scotland Yard.” Graham stopped walking, excitement taking hold.
“I’m certain members of the Soldene Opera Company would also verify their true identities as Winston and Ursula.
The members wouldn’t have spoken of their previous scandal to their faces, but I assure you it would have been a subject of private conversations. ”
Miss Pelton caught his excitement and scooted to the edge of her seat. “Abraham could request a copy of the reports. Mr. Adler’s and Mrs. Reed’s previous malicious intent toward Nora and her family might be enough to bring Nora justice.”
Smiles abounded in the room. Even Mr. Davis was looking more hopeful.
Ezekiel hated to squash it. “Even with the use of telegrams, it will take time for New York and London to receive the requests, find the reports, and send them back. Then we have to convince those in charge to release Nora. Until then, she’s stuck in Longview as a ward of the state.
” He shuddered at the thought of the treatment she would endure in that time.
“I’ll pay for Nora to have better care, just as I do for Constanza.” Mr. Davis’s scowl was back but not specifically directed at Ezekiel. “I’ll have to let Lily go for the time being, but I can hire her back once Nora’s home.”
“I hate to bring up another problem, but what if Adler recovers before we can convince anyone he and Mrs. Reed are the true villains?” Miss Gibson shared a look with Miss Plane.
She responded. “By that time, they’ll know what we’re doing. They’ll either find a way to silence Nora and her mother, or escape and bide their time for another attack.”
“Will my family never be safe?” Mr. Davis slumped onto a stool.
“Yes, if it takes to my dying breath, I will see to it that Nora, you, and Mrs. Davis are safe from them,” Ezekiel vowed.
“And we will help too,” the Guardians agreed.
“Don’t forget us, Mark.” Mrs. Jerden rose and patted Mr. Davis on the shoulder. “You’re not facing this alone anymore. It’s time to stop keeping people out, and perhaps you could give a certain young man a chance? He’s good for Nora, and he’s willing to work with you.”
Mr. Davis scrutinized Ezekiel before giving a curt nod. “Fine, but no more sneaking about with my girl once she’s free. I want to know about every instance of meeting between you.”
“So long as you promise to stop matching her with different suitors.”
Mrs. Jerden barked a laugh. “See? He’ll be good for you and Nora both.”
“Now about this problem of Adler and Mrs. Reed.” Miss Pelton rose from her seat. “My father can monitor Adler’s recovery while the Guardians and I follow Mrs. Reed’s movements.”
“Follow?” As in tail a woman who had already proven clever and dangerous?
“Oh, don’t look so horrified, Mr. Beaumont. We have plenty of experience with such activities. We’ll be safe.”
This must be why Detective Hall recommended soda mint tablets. Before everyone parted ways, assignments were made, and a prayer was lifted up for Nora’s safety and protection.