“That doesn’t give her the right—”
“She saw Mr. Roberts—”
“She thinks she saw—”
“For the grace of God, man!” he said, slamming his fist on the table. “She saw your student paying certain people who have been, or are very close to being linked to the participation in bodysnatching. Now, if you are innocent, what are you worried about? It is a lead that must be followed. If your students are involved in something dastardly, then they don’t deserve to be doctors anyway. However,” James stated, stepping toward the old man. “If your students have been doing this on your behalf, then Dr. Cameron, you have some things to explain yourself.”
The old doctor shook with either rage or fear, for after a few sputtering curses, he turned and stalked out of the house. After a long tense moment, the housekeeper spoke.
“Never enjoyed his company anyway,” she said, turning to Mrs. Fletcher. “Tea, mum?”
“No, I should like to see Grace,” she said as she stood up. “Where is she?”
“Probably just returning from the constable’s office. I should like to speak to her as well.”
The two were quick to ready themselves and decided to walk around the block to use the front door, since it wasn’t particularly polite to enter through the kitchens. Though they were quiet as they walked, James felt a sinking feeling in his stomach that told him something wasn’t right and by the time they reached the front door, Flora seemed to feel it too as she was gripping his arm tightly.
“Something’s not right,” she whispered to him as the door opened to reveal a distressed looking Mrs. Stevens.
“Hello, Dr. Hall. Madam,” she said with a curtsy as she stepped back to allow them entry. “It is good that you are here.”
“What’s happened?”
“It’s Grace. She’s gone missing.”
The pit in James’s stomach pulsated at her words as he and Flora stopped.
“Gone? Where? When?”
Mrs. Stevens pressed a kerchief to her eye to wipe away a tear as Arabella appeared in the doorway of the parlor.
“We don’t know,” she said, coming forward. “Aunt Belle arrived home, having gone with her this morning to the constable’s office. Grace told her that she wanted to go to your offices, Dr. Hall. But that was over an hour ago, and when Andrews went there, he only found Virgil, who said Grace hadn’t been there since yesterday.”
Releasing his aunt, he stalked into the parlor to find a visibly shaken Belle who was seated before the fire, her fist pressed to her mouth while Andrews hovered over her like a protective guard dog. The black and white cat that Grace had named Penguin sat at her feet, seemingly on guard himself.
“Did she say where else she might go?” he asked. “What did the constable say when you told him about the toy top?”
“He said it was evidence enough to bring in Mr. Roberts for questioning, but doubted that he would reveal who his contacts were. Grace insisted that she knew where they were, Rabbit home, or something, but the constable was more interested in Mr. Roberts and Dr. Cameron, considering that the bodies were likely for the use of students at the university. The constable said it was probable that the men were already gone.” She tapped her mouth with her knuckles. “You don’t think that she would be foolish enough to go to Gallowgate alone? Not after yesterday, do you?”
A grim mixture of worry, fury, and the like rose up in James’s throat.
“I intend to find out. Excuse me.”
He took off, stalking out of the room, down the hallway, and through the kitchens, causing the maids and footmen to jump out of his way as he headed for the back door. There was no time to waste. He needed his horse ready and mounted as soon as possible, for if his instincts were right, Grace was in a truly grave amount of danger.
Chapter Twenty
Grace kept herhood up, sure not to let her face appear to anyone who might recognize her as she approached Rabbit House. She had taken a hackney to just a few blocks over and walked the rest of the way so as to not appear suspicious.
It was perhaps the most foolish thing she had ever done, coming to Gallowgate alone particularly after what happened yesterday, but she was determined to see everyone involved brought to justice and, after stealing the letter opener on the constable’s desk and tucking it up her sleeve, she felt ready to defend herself if needed. But if the constable was correct, the men were likely already notified of their impending arrest. This was really just an attempt to gather whatever information she could, like their names and places of residence, things some people might not wish to share with the police.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door of Rabbit House and not a moment passed before a redheaded woman with foreboding eyes and yellow teeth opened the door. She glared at her, up and down, before frowning.
“We ain’t got any beds. Move on.”
She tried to close the door, but Grace stuck her foot out.
“I can pay.”
