My gaze never left Fitch’s. “There was a young man Emily loved. A man called Mr. Singh. He remembers you.” I stepped aside, allowing Fitch to see Mr. Singh.
Fitch ground his teeth. “She deserved to die anyway, cavorting with the likes of him.”
“And you deserve to die for what you did!” Mr. Singh snapped, a look that chilled me to the bone washing over his face.
Digby pulled back a fist, ready to strike Fitch in his smug face. I almost wished he would.
“Easy Digby,” Hale cautioned.
“Yes, easy Digby,” Fitch mocked.
I glanced at the money spread out on the bed in neat little piles. “Let me guess, you had no intention of waiting for your cronies. You planned to take off to Brazil without them and leave them holding the bag.”
“More for me, you see.” The smile he gave turned my stomach. He stood up and pulled a gun from beneath his jacket and took a step back toward the open balcony door.
“What is with people and guns today?” I groaned.
“I don’t know,” Hale muttered, “but I’m starting to feel like the only one who’s unarmed.”
Digby didn’t say anything. He just picked up a metal waste bin and threw it at Fitch’s head.
The bin hit with a clang. The gun went off. Digby dropped to the floor. And Adonicus Fitch staggered back out onto the balcony and slowly tipped over the rail. Hale and I rushed to the door just in time to see him hit with a splash.
“He’s getting away!” Hale shouted.
Only he wasn’t. For just at that moment, Mr. Singh swan dived in after him. At the same time, two police cars raced onto the dock, and North popped out shouting instructions. Within seconds, Mr. Singh had got Fitch into a headlock, nearly drowning them both in the process. Shortly after, he dragged Fitch from the water. North clapped the criminal in irons and thrust him in the back of one of the vehicles while we watched, impressed.
Someone handed Mr. Singh a blanket. I waved at him and he gave me a nod, somehow looking elegant even when soaked to the skin, his dastar listing to one side, dripping water.
North stood on the edge of the dock, fists on hips, staring up at me. “Satisfied?” he shouted.
“Very,” I called back. “You really do come in handy now and then.”
Chapter 14
It was some hours later before I made it home. There had been questions to answer and money to count and stories to go over. It was all exhausting.
But it was all worth it when Mr. Singh bowed gravely and said, “My lady, I thank you. I am eternally in your debt.”
“There are no debts among friends, Mr. Singh,” I said. And I meant it. I would have hugged him right there in the police station, but I didn’t think he’d appreciate it.
But at last I was home and out of my now rather filthy gown. Maddie hauled it away with a moue. “I’ll do my best, milady, but this...” she shook her head.
Once I was in something more comfortable, I joined Hale and Aunt Butty—who had popped by—in the sitting room where he fixed us drinks before joining me on the sofa near the fire. I felt as if I could breathe easily for the first time in an age.
“I can’t believe you were kidnapped,” Hale said as he toyed with a lock of my hair.
“Nor can I. It all seems like a surreal dream.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to, but then the whole kidnapping thing with Chaz happened and...” I shrugged. “I figured there’d be time later.”
“So how did this all work?”
“It was all Dorothy Evans’s idea,” I said. “She figured out a way to steal medicines and supplies from the Brighton Hospital and resell them with the help of her boyfriend, Goode, and his cronies Fitch and Robert—whose last name is Standish, by the way. Standish got a job as a clerk at the hospital, and Dorothy got herself transferred into the pharmacy. Between them, they stole enough supplies to make a small fortune.”
“Is this the same Dorothy Evans who wrote the letter to Mr. Singh?” Aunt Butty asked.
“The very same,” I said. “She was the key to helping in their thievery, and she was the one who told them that Emily was on to them. She was also the one who came up with the plan to drug Emily in the hopes she’d get into an accident. Which she did.”
“Terrible woman,” Aunt Butty said. “I hope they catch her.”
I grinned. “Oh, they will. You see, the reason we couldn’t find Dorothy Evans isn’t because she married and moved to London. It’s because she moved to London and became an actress.”
Aunt Butty’s eyes widened. “Molly Malloy!”
“The very same,” I agreed. “She’s always been in love with John Goode. When he asked her to help him with the kidnapping stunt, she posed as Mr. Haigh and had the wardrobe mistress, who she’s known for years, pose as the housekeeper.”
“Well! I never!” Aunt Butty swallowed her cocktail in one go.
With a grin, Hale got up to make her another. “Detective North has them under arrest already, doesn’t he?”
“He does.”
“And all this time, poor Mr. Singh never knew what happened to the woman he loved,” Aunt Butty mused as Hale handed her a fresh cocktail.
“No, he didn’t. At least now he knows. Not that it makes it any better.” I sighed. There were so many mysteries left about Mr. Singh. I wondered if I’d ever discover the entire truth about him. “I wish... I don’t know. I just wonder what he might have been like if Emily had lived. Would they have been happy together? I like to think they would have been.”
“Ever the romantic,” Hale teased.
“I never thought so before,” I admitted, “but yes. Perhaps.”
“Well I for one hope we are excitement free for a while,” Aunt Butty said. “I could really use a bit of a rest.”
“And what would you do with yourself?” I asked, bemused.
“I was thinking running with the bulls sounded relaxing.”
The End.
Coming in Fall 2019
Lady Rample and the Haunted Manor
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In the meantime, look for the new cozy mystery series coming this summer, starting with A Death in Devon.
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About Shéa MacLeod
Shéa MacLeod is the author of the bestselling paranormal series, Sunwalker Saga, as well as the award nominated cozy mystery series Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries. She has dreamed of writing novels since before she could hold a crayon. She totally blames her mother.
She resides in the leafy green hills outside Portland, Oregon where she indulges in her fondness for strong coffee, Ancient Aliens reruns, lemon curd, and dragons. She can usually be found at her desk dreaming of ways to kill people (or vampires). Fictionally speaking, of course.
Other books by Shéa MacLeod
Lady Rample Mysteries
Lady Rample Steps Out
Lady Rample Spies a Clue
Lady Rample and the Silver Screen
Lady Rample Sits In
Lady Rample and the Ghost of Christmas Past
Lady Rample and Cupid’s Kiss
Lady Rample and the Mysterious Mr. Singh
Lady Rample and the Haunted Manor (Coming Fall of 2019)
Sugar Martin Vintage Cozy Mysteries
A Death in Devon (Coming Summer 2019)
Viola Rob
erts Cozy Mysteries
The Corpse in the Cabana
The Stiff in the Study
The Poison in the Pudding
The Body in the Bathtub
The Venom in the Valentine
The Remains in the Rectory
The Death in the Drink
Witchblood Mysteries
Spells and Sigils (Coming August 2019)
Intergalactic Investigations
Infinite Justice
A Rage of Angels
Notting Hill Diaries
Kissing Frogs
Kiss Me, Chloe
Kiss Me, Stupid
Kissing Mr. Darcy
Cupcake Goddess Novelettes
Be Careful What You Wish For
Nothing Tastes As Good
Soulfully Sweet
A Stich in Time
Dragon Wars
Dragon Warrior
Dragon Lord
Dragon Goddess
Green Witch
Dragon Corps
Dragon Mage
Dragon’s Angel
Dragon Wars- Three Complete Novels Boxed Set
Dragon Wars 2 – Three Complete Novels Boxed Set
Sunwalker Saga
Kissed by Darkness
Kissed by Fire
Kissed by Smoke
Kissed by Moonlight
Kissed by Ice
Kissed by Blood
Kissed by Destiny
Sunwalker Saga: Soulshifter Trilogy
Fearless
Haunted
Soulshifter
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Also by Shéa MacLeod
Cupcake Goddess
Be Careful What You Wish For
Nothing Tastes As Good
Soulfully Sweet
A Stitch In Time (A Cupcake Goddess Novelette)
Dragon Wars
Dragon Warrior
Dragon Lord
Dragon Goddess
Green Witch
Dragon Corps
Dragon Mage
Dragon's Angel
Dragon Wars Boxed Sets
Dragon Wars - Three Complete Novels Boxed Set
Dragon Wars 2: Three Complete Novels Boxed Set
Lady Rample Mysteries
Lady Rample Steps Out
Lady Rample Spies A Clue
Lady Rample and the Silver Screen
Lady Rample Sits In
Lady Rample and the Ghost of Christmas Past
Lady Rample and Cupid's Kiss
Lady Rample and the Mysterious Mr. Singh
Lady Rample Box Set One
Notting Hill Diaries
To Kiss A Prince
Kissing Frogs
Kiss Me, Chloe
Kiss Me, Stupid
Kissing Mr. Darcy
Omicron ZX
A Rage of Angels
Omicron ZX - Prequel
Omicron Zed-X
Sunwalker Saga
Kissed by Blood
Kissed by Moonlight
Kissed by Ice
Kissed by Eternity
Kissed by Destiny
Sunwalker Saga: Soulshifter Trilogy
Haunted
Soulshifter
Fearless
Sunwalker Saga: Witchblood
Spellwalker
Deathwalker
Mistwalker
Dreamwalker
Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries
The Corpse in the Cabana
The Stiff in the Study
The Poison in the Pudding
The Body in the Bathtub
The Venom in the Valentine
The Remains in the Rectory
Write Novels Fast
Write Novels Fast: Writing Faster With Art Journaling
Write Novels Fast: Down and Dirty Draft
Standalone
Ride the Dragon: A Paranormal/Science Fiction Boxed Set
Angel's Fall
Watch for more at Shéa MacLeod’s site.