"There doesn't seem to be anything missing." Sam Marston pushed the list
across the table to Melvin Collins. "But someone went through everything
very thoroughly and didn't care who knew it or what he destroyed in the
process."
Collins ran his eye down the page before sliding it into his coat pocket. "Everything will be replaced by tonight. How are the children reacting?"
"Very excited, actually. It's quite ghoulish." Sam smiled in spite of herself. "And it's taken their minds off.other things."
"Yes, I understand." Collins stood up. "If there's nothing else.? Elliott?"
The man staring out the window didn't respond at first. Finally he looked over his shoulder. "No, Melvin, there's nothing else. We'll talk later." Collins nodded at the dismissal and left.
Marston resumed his examination of the street below. The gaslights gave off a ghostly glow in the advancing twilight. Carriages pulled up in front of the hotel and disgorged the gentry of Fremantle in their evening finery. The doormen would be kept busy until the dinner hour was far advanced.
"I guess the honeymoon's over when a man would rather look at the street than his wife." Two arms slipped around his waist as the voice whispered in his ear.
He reached around and pulled her to his side. "Feeling neglected, are you?"
"Feeling overwhelmed, actually. It's been a trying week." She looked up at him. "What are we going to do?"
His expression was grim. "I have no faith in the chief constable anymore. We're on our own." He squeezed her shoulder affectionately and smiled down at her. "Where are those in-laws of mine?"
"Having dinner with Miss Stone in the restaurant. I hope they're not too much of a handful for her."
"Then it's the perfect time to take a closer look at their rooms." Marston let her go reluctantly. It had taken a great deal of effort to keep the boys out of their rooms so that Sam could determine if anything was removed. They would have to work quickly before dinner was over.
"But nothing was taken." Sam was already at the door.
"No, but something may have been left behind."
*
They started in the room shared by the younger boys. It was not large, with two single beds and one closet. The trunks containing their new clothes and toys were back in their proper places. Niall's books were piled on the bureau and Conn's tin soldiers made a large lump under his pillow, where he had hid them to be safe. All of Sam's persuasive talents had failed to alter his fixed belief that the invader had been searching for his soldiers and that only a miracle had prevented their abduction.
Marston and Sam divided the room between them. Sam knelt on the floor and checked under the furniture, paying particular attention to the desk under the window. Marston looked at the closet floor and examined the area around the trunks. There was no sign of anything that didn't belong in the room. Finally they looked at each other in surrender.
"Liam's room." Sam spoke with confidence.
That room took even less time to inspect. In minutes they were back in the hallway, frustrated and hot.
"Our rooms?"
"Yes." Marston frowned. The condition of their suite had puzzled him since their return from the funeral. Sam's room had received the same treatment as the others: ransacked and disordered. The same was true of their dressing room. But his bedroom and office remained untouched. Or so they had assumed.
"Mister Marston, sir?" They turned. The clerk bowed jerkily, and handed over a message. He retreated several steps and waited for the reply.
Marston opened the message. "deer Sir, you mae be intrested to noe what I noe about Ches Watters. Sum fokes wud pay lots to heer it." It was unsigned. He turned it over and looked at the back. "Who gave you this?"
"A man who's waiting downstairs, sir. The manager put him in the coatroom." The look on the clerk's face indicated that he thought the manager had been excessively kind to the visitor. "This man would like to see you most urgently, sir."
"Very well. Tell him I'll be right down." He waited until the clerk was on the stairs before responding to Sam's look of inquiry and tugs on his sleeve. "This may prove interesting, as our new friend promises."
Collins ran his eye down the page before sliding it into his coat pocket. "Everything will be replaced by tonight. How are the children reacting?"
"Very excited, actually. It's quite ghoulish." Sam smiled in spite of herself. "And it's taken their minds off.other things."
"Yes, I understand." Collins stood up. "If there's nothing else.? Elliott?"
The man staring out the window didn't respond at first. Finally he looked over his shoulder. "No, Melvin, there's nothing else. We'll talk later." Collins nodded at the dismissal and left.
Marston resumed his examination of the street below. The gaslights gave off a ghostly glow in the advancing twilight. Carriages pulled up in front of the hotel and disgorged the gentry of Fremantle in their evening finery. The doormen would be kept busy until the dinner hour was far advanced.
"I guess the honeymoon's over when a man would rather look at the street than his wife." Two arms slipped around his waist as the voice whispered in his ear.
He reached around and pulled her to his side. "Feeling neglected, are you?"
"Feeling overwhelmed, actually. It's been a trying week." She looked up at him. "What are we going to do?"
His expression was grim. "I have no faith in the chief constable anymore. We're on our own." He squeezed her shoulder affectionately and smiled down at her. "Where are those in-laws of mine?"
"Having dinner with Miss Stone in the restaurant. I hope they're not too much of a handful for her."
"Then it's the perfect time to take a closer look at their rooms." Marston let her go reluctantly. It had taken a great deal of effort to keep the boys out of their rooms so that Sam could determine if anything was removed. They would have to work quickly before dinner was over.
"But nothing was taken." Sam was already at the door.
"No, but something may have been left behind."
*
They started in the room shared by the younger boys. It was not large, with two single beds and one closet. The trunks containing their new clothes and toys were back in their proper places. Niall's books were piled on the bureau and Conn's tin soldiers made a large lump under his pillow, where he had hid them to be safe. All of Sam's persuasive talents had failed to alter his fixed belief that the invader had been searching for his soldiers and that only a miracle had prevented their abduction.
Marston and Sam divided the room between them. Sam knelt on the floor and checked under the furniture, paying particular attention to the desk under the window. Marston looked at the closet floor and examined the area around the trunks. There was no sign of anything that didn't belong in the room. Finally they looked at each other in surrender.
"Liam's room." Sam spoke with confidence.
That room took even less time to inspect. In minutes they were back in the hallway, frustrated and hot.
"Our rooms?"
"Yes." Marston frowned. The condition of their suite had puzzled him since their return from the funeral. Sam's room had received the same treatment as the others: ransacked and disordered. The same was true of their dressing room. But his bedroom and office remained untouched. Or so they had assumed.
"Mister Marston, sir?" They turned. The clerk bowed jerkily, and handed over a message. He retreated several steps and waited for the reply.
Marston opened the message. "deer Sir, you mae be intrested to noe what I noe about Ches Watters. Sum fokes wud pay lots to heer it." It was unsigned. He turned it over and looked at the back. "Who gave you this?"
"A man who's waiting downstairs, sir. The manager put him in the coatroom." The look on the clerk's face indicated that he thought the manager had been excessively kind to the visitor. "This man would like to see you most urgently, sir."
"Very well. Tell him I'll be right down." He waited until the clerk was on the stairs before responding to Sam's look of inquiry and tugs on his sleeve. "This may prove interesting, as our new friend promises."