Taking one helpless look at the bell atop the door, she reached for the door and opened it.
Right on cue, the bell went off.
She turned, closing the door behind her, and acted as if she’d just entered the shop. It didn’t take long for a very short balding man, what little hair he had left tied in a long ponytail, to appear.
He smiled smarmily at her. “Can I help you, madam?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“There is a second floor.” Benedict pointed to it.
Silas and Benedict circled the building, trying to see if it might be more than it seemed.
“Probably his living quarters,” Silas whispered as he studied the area behind the building.
It seemed to just be an alley, dank and dirty, with trash strewn along the wall. The path was very muddy even though it had not rained that day, and it stank of urine.
“I doubt he does any business behind here,” Silas said and spat in disgust.
“Come, let’s go the other way,” Benedict whispered.
They walked around to the front and Silas glanced across the street at the carriage. He could not see Helena, even though the curtain was slightly parted.
A frown furrowed his brow. “Stay here,” he said to Benedict, and quickly crossed the street.
He peered inside the carriage and was horrified to find it empty. He began to search the street for a woman in a wine-colored gown but there was nobody that fit Helena’s description.
He ran back to Benedict. “Helena’s not in the carriage. You don’t think they found her, do you?”
Benedict held up a hand. “Calm down. If someone had dragged her out of the carriage, don’t you think we would have heard? She would not have gone with them without creating a fracas.”
Silas felt his heartbeat slow down. “You’re right.”
“Perhaps she took a walk to pass the time.” Benedict said.
Silas nodded absently, his eyes still raking the street for any sign of her. “Maybe.”
Benedict looked at the door to the apothecary. “Should we go inside?”
“What good would that do? Unless we plan to interrogate the individual?”
“Not yet. Since they do not know that we know about them, we do not want to alert them.”
“All right then, I don’t thi—” his voice trailed off as the door to the apothecary opened and Helena came out.
“All right, thank you. I’ll see you another time,” she called, waving in a friendly manner to someone inside the shop.
Silas made as if to go after her as she crossed the road to the carriage, carrying a package beneath her arm but Benedict stopped him.
“They could be watching,” he whispered.
They waited a few minutes before crossing the road. Silas jumped into the cabin while Benedict took the coachman’s seat and drove them off.
“Whatever did you think you were doing, going in there?” Silas hissed angrily even as Helena smiled at him.
“I saw a woman I knew go inside, so I followed her.” Helena said calmly.
“What do you meanyou saw a woman go inside and followed her? Did she recognize you?”
