Twenty-four: Leaving

Ned looked away. Although half of Martin's features were covered, the hooded gaze of his green eye made Ned think of a spider; deadly, and unnaturally patient.

He reconsidered his own words, but the thought of Annie escaping redoubled his resolve. "I th-think you understand what I'm s-saying. She might have lied. No one was with her when she t-talked to Burns. Your boss isn't in this for the money. Kennard may n-not even find her," he protested.

Erik held Ned's gaze. His voice was low and level, "Why should I waste my employer's money on a trip to Paris?" Tell me. Give me something more.

Ned licked his lips. "I picked up a package right before Kennard showed up. Stern's sent me a Bible and a key. Three of the pages were marked."

Excellent. With a lift of his eyebrow, Erik indicated the man should go on.

Ned raised a hand, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's still at my apartment. I never got any letter form Sterns. I thought when he called for the bust of the Egyptian woman to be delivered, he'd tell me what it meant. Maybe it was supposed to point me where I should go. I never found out."

Erik made a show of sighing heavily; best not to look too eager. He rubbed a hand across his jaw, a frustrated man who was coming to a decision. He walked to the small table across the cabin and hooked his foot in the bottom of the stool, pulling it out. Sitting down, he rested an arm on the table and examined Ned in the flickering light of the lanterns hung about the cabin. "Why didn't you tell Kennard about this?"

Darlington returned his steady look. "It might have been all that kept me out of jail. If Sterns didn't know that the Pinkerton caught up with me, we might have intercepted the letter he would have sent about the trip to Paris and where to deliver the bust."

It was sound reason for a man whose nervous impatience was growing. "Why didn't you play that card when Annie showed up?"

Ned snorted, a self-deprecating sound. "I would have, if she had swayed Kennard. But she's already gone and bolted hasn't she? I wasn't going to do it with her here. She knows someone, Martin."

Erik kept his face impassive. Convince me.

"She must have got in with someone. Maybe she was planning to back-stab Sterns all along. I wouldn't put it past her. It's the first thing she's ready to point fingers at Joe for. A guilty dog barks first they say."

It would be a superb gambit, if it worked. Erik sat, following a line in the grain of the table's top with a fingernail. Silence was a wonderful interrogation tool. People often got nervous and gave away more than they had planned to. When nothing else seemed to be forthcoming, he told Ned, "You understand that if anything goes wrong…."

Ned nodded, feeling pins and needles creeping over his flesh. Someone just walked over my grave. If I double-cross Martin, they might never find my grave.

Emily had only just started up the stairs of the De La Shaumette house when there was a knock at the door. Etienne headed towards it at a stately pace. He stopped before it a moment, then swung it open. Two men stood on the stoop, Henri Capegon and Chase Kennard.

"Pardon, we are looking for Monsieur Fernandez. Is he in?" Henri asked. Chase spied Emily on the stairs, tipping his hat to her with a lazy smile.

"Monsieur Fernandez should be back by four o'clock. Do you wish to leave a message?"

Emily stepped off the stairs and joined Etienne. "Good afternoon. Is there anything wrong?"

Chase removed his hat and switched to English, "We're moving Annie to Paris."

It's about time. Emily's conscience attempted to quash her elation. "Have you found the rest of the gang?"

Chase pursed his lips. "No."

Emily recognized the blank look she was receiving. She got the same look from Erik when he refused to elaborate. Shooting a glance at Henri and Etienne she spoke in English. "No as in 'no I'm not telling'?"

Chase had the grace to look embarrassed. "Now, Miss Griggs," his Texas drawl slowed his speech like molasses.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Oh, all right. Be like that. I suppose you'll say you can't tell me because of the nature of your work." Her mind raced as she stood getting no further reply from Kennard. "You want Javier to take you, isn't that it? Where will Martin be?"

"I'm really not at liberty…."

Emily made a disgusted sound. "I know. You can't say," she groused. "Well, you'll just have to come back at four when Javier returns. Good afternoon, gentlemen." She turned and headed for the stairs once again. With each step her mind worked on how she could go about getting the information she needed from Javier.

Annie sat on her bed, dealing out cards. Laying them in neat piles, she turned over the first card in her hand. A knock sounded at her door. She lay her cards down and straightened her skirt before she opened the door.

Chase Kennard stood in the hall, his hat in his hands. "Get packed. We're leaving for Paris. I've already paid the bill and told the concierge to have someone come up for your trunk."

"Have you found Sterns?"

"No, but sitting here is not helping the search."

"All right. It will take me a few minutes." She turned and scooped up her cards. She'd unpacked very little, what few things she had were inside the wardrobe. Taking the dresses off the hangers, she folded them back into the trunk. "Are we going by train?"

Chase stood on the threshold. "No. We're taking a boat."

"With that Martin fellow?" She fumbled a shoe, but caught it.

"No. The Spaniard."

She made an inelegant snort. "Good."

"What's wrong, Annie? You couldn't get Martin to warm up to you?" he asked glibly.

She wished she'd held her tongue. Instead, she looked up at Chase. "I don't trust him. He's too…cold."

"You mean you've met a man whose head you can't turn and that bothers you?"

She snapped the trunk lid down. "I've done confidence work for years. To be any good at it you have to read people." She picked up her bag and faced him. "I can't get a handle on him, Chase. It's like there is nothing there, nothing inside."

"An empty shell?"

"Exactly. The man isn't normal."

"No, I expect he isn't. Did you get a look at the patch he wears and what it barely covers? Maybe his life was taken away from him. A lot of the men who came out of the war alive are like that. All that destruction scoured it out of them."

She turned to take one last inventory of the room. It gave her time to suppress a niggling worry. Maybe Kennard was right. She dropped her trunk key into her bag and headed for the door.

Emily found a way to re-arrange her schedule. She hurried back to the De La Shaumette house in time to see Javier Fernandez arriving. She climbed quickly out of the cab and handed the driver some money.

"Javier!"

He turned on the stoop. "Emily. Stopping by for a chat?"

"Kennard will be here soon. He may even be inside. He wants you to take Annie to Paris."

"When did this happen?"

"He stopped by earlier. I'm not sure if Martin will stay or not."

Javier pushed open the door. "Come in."

After greeting Etienne, they proceeded up the stairs. Javier held the door to the study for her. He closed it and waited until she was seated. "I did get word that they are going up river. Martin will take Ned. Neither Ned nor Annie will know the other is there." He made an open handed gesture. "Other than that, they have no plans except to wait it out in Paris."

"Did they find where the newspaper clipping came from?"

"Kennard has it narrowed down to two different showings."

She leaned an elbow on the chair. "I won't get to see Erik before he leaves."

He shook his head. " Sorry, Emily. It was a quick decision done to put the pressure on both Ned and Annie. They'll think the other knows something."

She glanced at the room. The papers neatly stacked on the corner of the desk. The bookcase with its contents carefully arranged. "I'm just worried."

Javier sat down on the chair next to hers. "Don't be. Erik's a smart man. He'll get this wrapped up and be back before you know it."

"Paris is not a good place for him, Javier," she replied softly.

His dark gaze locked with hers. "He's talked to you?"

"Yes. After we came back that afternoon."

He reached to take hold of her hand. "I'll be there too, querida. He and I have gotten through worse than this. He may not even have to go in to Paris. Kennard might take Ned and Annie to the Sûreté."

She squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Javier. If anything happens…."

"I'll get word to you."

Ye,s you will. And then, Monsieur Colt and I will make a trip to Paris.

Martin looked back along the river at the receding buildings of Rouen. Ned poked his head out of the cabin. "Where will we go?"

"Where the river leads."

The currents would take him steadily away from Emily. Away from his future and back into his past. There was a distinct difference this time: Erik was not returning. Erik De La Shaumette was arriving. Only his heart would stay in Rouen.

Back over the rooftops the sun was sinking. The blue of the sky was growing darker, the color of Emily's eyes.

"Wouldn't the train be quicker?" Annie asked.

"De La Shaumette's offered the use of the boat. It gives us a place to be and the ability to move," Chase replied. The cab rolled to a stop before a house. "I have to meet with Fernandez here." He opened the door and stepped out. "I'll be right back," he told the driver.

Annie crossed her arms and looked out of the window of the cab. She really couldn't suggest anything without taking the risk that Kennard would think that she was stalling.

St. Germain was not a man to anger. She would have to get a message to him somehow.