I thought of explaining to her that signing the marriage documents was what made it legal, but decided Emily could do the honor.
Emily rolled her eyes, but leaned forward and gave Fang a quick peck before taking his hand and hauling him into the dining room.“There, now we’re married.Brother, wait for me!I want to hear about the kidnapping.”
“It’s ruined my life,” Brother repeated, sinking down into a chair at the largest table.He clutched his head in his hands, obviously beyond miserable.I felt badly for him, and looked to Iain in case he had any bright ideas.He frowned for a moment, then pulled out his phone.
“I am Superintendent Tole, and we have been conducting surveillance on this gang for some time.Far too long, considering how inept and disorganized they appear to be, but there you are.Our hands are tied by the current political climate.”
We all stared at the woman.She must have noticed the look of appalled horror on our respective faces, because she cleared her throat, and continued in a clipped tone.“We got word they were in the area and using a local hotel for their base.I cannot say more other than your possessions were never at risk.There was a CID officer in the hotel at all times to ensure your safety.”
“And yet Brother was kidnapped under their noses,” Chris said under her breath.“In a hotel full of people and cops.Ironic, that.”
The superintendent stiffened, but didn’t so much as glance our way.
“Constable Harris will now take your statements, and once they are done, you will be free to continue your event,” she said before turning to march out of the room.
“Tell them to talk to your brother first,” Iain told me quietly, still tapping on his phone.
“Oh?”I asked.
He flashed a grin that melted my heart just as it always did, and for a moment, I was overwhelmed by the fact that I had such a wonderful family.“Aye, I think I’m about to become his favorite person ever.”
“You think he can make his shindig?”
“If we get him out of here in the next five minutes, and I ignore most of the laws regarding speeding, yes.”
I pinched his adorable behind, and went to inform Brother about Iain’s suggestion.“You need to pull yourself together,” I told him.It was a big sister’s prerogative.
“I am perfectly pulled together,” he said with much dignity, attempting to smooth his dusty and cobwebbed pajama top.“I’m also furious that if I had to miss the Conan Doyle house visit and tea, I would have been happy to watch the wedding, but because of those blaggards, I couldn’t even see my youngest daughter married.”
“Meh,” Emily called from where she was gathered with her friends.“You know that no one but Mom cares about that.”
“And even I have grown used to the idea that no one gives a fig.Not that it matters now, since you are both married properly,” Chris said, beaming at Emily and Fang.“But what I don’t understand is why the ghost hunters took Brother.Did they think he was a spirit?And what were they stealing?”
It took a bit before things were explained.
“You look happy,” I told Iain suspiciously.“What did you find on your phone?Some way to get Brother to his shindig?”
“Yes.I’ll go tell him, but not before I take the time to appreciate the fact that you married me,” he said, pulling me up for a short, hard kiss before releasing me.“I’m damned lucky Clara takes after you.I’ll tell your brother my idea.”
Clara and I both looked after him as he moved over to squat next to where Brother was sitting, the two of them with their heads together as Iain showed him his phone.
Clara’s gaze turned to me, speculation rife in it.
“No, you don’t take after me.You’re a chip straight off your dad, just like I wasn’t the one to grow you from nothing.”
She looked more cheerful at that thought.
“Yes!”Brother leaped to his feet and pumped the air, then rushed over to grab Emily by the shoulders, giving her a swift kiss on both cheeks, before releasing her to pump Fang’s hand a couple of times, and ending with a quick hug that evidently Fang wasn’t expecting.“There’s a train leaving in twelve minutes that will get me to the house in time for the tea.I’ll dress in the car and record my statement later.”
Iain waggled his eyebrows in promise of much; then he was off to drive Brother to the train station before Superintendent Tole noticed the latter was missing.
“Well, thank god for that,” Chris said, slumping down into her chair, and accepting a glass of champagne.“He had been looking forward to that tea so much.How thoughtful of Iain to offer to drive him.”
“Iain is good people,” Emily said, holding up a glass in a toast.“He kept that bastard from stabbing Fang!”
“Amen to that,” I agreed, and we all sat down for our interviews.
An hour later the police—both the uniformed constables and the plainclothes detectives—took their leave along with the three ghost hunters.They left little behind in the way of answers, but we pieced things together as much as we could with the hotel’s owner.
