Page 38

chapter thirty-eight

“James, Jerome has a message for you from me.”

James stared at the neatly-written note stuck to Gabriella’s door, and turned to knock on the door opposite. There was no sound from within, and so he walked down the stairs and out into the chill autumn evening, wondering what his next step should be.

He heard talking coming from the small private garden to the right, and felt a surge of relief as he followed the sound and stepped into the well-kept space.

“James!” Jerome leaned back in the cast iron garden chair and gave him a wave.

“Good evening, Jerome. Mr. Rodney.” James always had the sense he was addressing Gabriella’s grandfather when he interacted with Mr. Rodney.

“Mr. Archer.” Mr. Rodney scraped back his chair and stood. “Would you like some tea?”

“No, thank you. I’m looking for Gabriella. Apparently Jerome has a message for me from her?”

Jerome nodded. “She waited for you for a bit, but she was invited over to Mrs. Everett’s house for dinner and says if you are able to, you’re welcome to join them.”

“Thank you.” He hesitated, wanting to ask Jerome about Tanner, but as if he had read his mind, Jerome shot a quick glance at Mr. Rodney and gave a minute shake of his head.

“Well, I’ll be off to Mrs. Everett’s. Thanks for the message.” He’d have a chat with Jerome later and get the full story. He was looking forward to it.

He drove the five minutes to Ruby’s house, and as he parked beside the front gate, he saw the house was lit up, but the curtains were drawn.

As he reached the front door, he could hear Teddy Roe’s gravelly voice from within.

He rang the bell, and Ruby came to answer it, wiping her hands on an apron.

“James.” She gave him a warm smile. “We hoped you’d get away in time to join us. Come in.”

He stepped inside, suddenly aware that he had never been invited to dinner at anyone’s house in London until he’d met Gabriella. Nor had he been invited to tea, as he had just been at Mr. Rodney’s.

“I should have stopped to buy something,” he said, belatedly realizing he was empty-handed. “Can I go out and get you anything?”

“No.” Ruby led him into the kitchen, and turned to look at him over her shoulder. “I know you’ve come straight from New Scotland Yard, and that you didn’t know about this dinner until you got to Gabriella’s. Your company is enough.”

“Thank you.” James decided next time, he would be sure to buy flowers and whatever drink Ruby favored.

He stepped into the kitchen after her, and there was Gabriella, crouched beside Teddy Roe in a wheelchair, drawing on his plaster cast.

“It’s your copper,” Teddy Roe said, elbowing Gabriella gently, and she rose to her feet with a smile.

“I’m glad you got off in time,” she told him. She took a step in his direction and then paused awkwardly.

He moved to her, leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Me, too. It was a busy day.”

“But you got him?” Gabriella asked.

“I got him, and I got Tanner.” Ruby handed him a drink, and he took a sip, froze, and darted her a look.

“Gin and tonic,” she said.

He had never had one. He took another sip and realized he liked it.

“Well, dinner’s ready, so let’s sit down and you can tell us everything you’re allowed to tell us.” Ruby pulled a pie dish from the oven with big oven mitts, and set it on the kitchen table.

Once they were all dished up, Ruby leaned forward. “How did you get Tanner, what with everything going on? That’s what I’m dying to know.”

“His car was found parked near Gabriella’s house this morning, with him tied up and gagged inside.” James savored the tenderness of the meat from the beef and mushroom pie.

“No?” Teddy Roe crowed. “Someone trussed him up and left him for you to find?”

“They did.” James tried to keep a straight face. “A bobby found him this morning on his rounds.”

“Really?” Gabriella frowned. “Who would . . .?”

He saw the moment she figured it out.

She threw back her head and laughed. Then sobered up. “He didn’t see who it was, did he?”

“No.” James had also been a bit worried about that. “They wore masks.”

“Well.” Ruby looked from one to the other. “You know who, by the looks of things?”

“Maybe.” Gabriella smiled. “I’ll thank them later.”

“He wasn’t there when you got home from the hospital?” James had only thought about the fact that Tanner could have been waiting for her when she got home from the hospital after he had the call about Tanner being found tied up.

“His car was parked near the house, but we didn’t think he was in it. Ruby was at the hospital to sort out Teddy Roe’s paperwork, so we took a taxi back to my flat together, and even the taxi driver helped check to make sure he wasn’t lurking inside the house,” Gabriella said.

He should have considered the possibility, but he didn’t say anything. His apology needed to be a private one.

“What about Blythe? Can you tell us anything there?” Gabriella asked.

“He went to the garden shed, Gabriella tells me,” Teddy Roe said. “I was right, weren’t I?”

“I’m recommending you for a commendation, Mr. Roe.” James had submitted the paperwork that afternoon. “Without your information, another woman would be dead, and the killer would not have been caught.”

“Well.” For once, Teddy Roe was speechless.

“I think that’s a wonderful thing to do.” Ruby was a little teary-eyed.

Gabriella glanced at him, and he saw a sheen in her eyes, too.

“It’s very justified, Mr. Roe.” Gabriella reached out and patted the old man’s hand. “Your information was a life-saver.”

“Makes up for what happened in the war, a bit.” Teddy Roe brushed his cheek, and James realized that Teddy was crying, too. “They didn’t listen to me, and I was too messed up in the head to be believed. But you believed me, all of you. But especially you.” He looked over at James. “You’re the law, and you took me serious, you did.”

Ruby cleared her throat, and they all started eating again.

“We found evidence at Blythe’s house that links him to the Blitz murders, and to the more recent deaths.” James worded his comment carefully. “I can’t say more than that, and I’ll ask you to keep what I’ve said confidential, but we have a strong case for prosecution.”

“What did he have to say for himself?” Gabriella asked.

James shook his head. “Not much. His lawyer tried to keep him quiet, but he said a few things under caution that show a . . . disturbed mind, and a hatred for women.”

“He didn’t tell you why he did it?” Ruby asked.

“He said the darkness gave him permission. There were no eyes on him, and he could be himself.” James wasn’t sure whether to believe that, but he was afraid that might be the clearest reason they would get.

James couldn’t see the man he’d spoken to for hours that afternoon ever explaining the dark fantasies that drove him. He was too much of a coward.

“What about Katie Brompton, his victim?” Ruby asked. “We tried to find out how she’s doing but they wouldn’t tell us.”

“She came through surgery in a stable condition, but she’s still in a coma. They need to wait for the swelling to go down before they can see whether she still has brain function.” And James thought it would be a miracle if she did. Her skull had been indented by Blythe’s hammer strike.

“What news do you have about your father?” Ruby turned to Gabriella, skillfully changing the topic.

“Ben’s boss has sent him a letter. He reckons my father will pass it on to his lawyer, and we might hear from them as early as next week.” Gabriella twined her fingers together, and he could see the thought of a response made her very nervous.

They finished dinner, ate a light and airy mousse for dessert, and then James offered Gabriella a lift home.

As they waved goodbye and drove away, James realized he wanted this to be a permanent thing.

Him and Gabriella. On their way home. Together.