Mr. Felton’s shoulders slumped with relief. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We want to do what’s right, but I can’t jeopardize my family.”
“Of course not, and I would do the same in your position.” He sipped his brandy, enjoying the smooth heat as it slid down his throat. “Tell me what you know.”
Mr. Felton repeated the story his daughter had told him that morning. “I’m telling her customers she’s got a chill, and I’ll wake them until further notice. She’s spittin’ mad about that, but I can’t let her out. That villain is surely looking for her.”
“He may not know how much she saw. He may not have even realized the mask had slipped from his face. But I agree, it’s better to be cautious.” Logic told him the opposite, but he didn’t want to scare the man any more than he already was.
“I’ll give you my direction on Walbrook, and you can stop by in the morning if you’d like,” said Mr. Felton, standing. “I need to be off. Thank you, Mr. Cooper. You don’t know how much it means to me.”
“I’ll be ready at the time Miss Felton usually comes by, and we’ll walk to your home together.” Ben shook the man’s hand. “Then I’ll speak with Paddy and my brothers and see what we can discover.”
He was restless that night, unable to sleep. Punching his feather pillow, he closed his eyes and took in deep breaths, trying to clear his mind of the conversation with Mr. Felton and the images of “my Kitty.” When he finally drifted off, it was well past midnight.
Ben paused on the slick cobblestone, listening to footsteps echoing in the alley. No one was in front or behind him, yet he heard their presence. He saw a flash of green from the corner of his eye and spun in that direction, walking swiftly toward the street. As he reached the end of the alley, he saw the hem of the green coat disappear around the corner, and he hurried after it.
When he followed the cloaked figure into another alley. The fog was thick, but he saw the person stop. She let out a shrill scream.
“Wait,” Ben yelled to her, knowing it was Miss Felton confronting the murderer.
She turned at the sound of his voice, and he saw the fear in her luminous violet eyes. The man behind her placed an arm around her chest and held a knife to her throat.
“Don’t come any closer, or I’ll have to take care of you too,” the stranger rasped as he pulled Miss Felton backwards with him.
Ben ran toward them, but the urgency and panic caused him to stumble. He fell face down against the slimy ground, his fingers digging into the dirt as he tried to rise quickly. The alley was a dead-end, yet they were nowhere in sight. His head swiveled back and forth, looking for a door or opening where they might have escaped.
He leaned against the damp brick of a building, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. A figure towered over him, and he heard the anguished voice of Mr. Felton.
“You said this wouldn’t happen. You would keep her safe if she told what she witnessed.”
Ben shook his head. “I tried?—”
A scream rang through the alley.
Ben sat up in bed, dragging air into his lungs. Dawn cast a light glow across the floor. It had only been a dream—a nightmare, actually. He would get dressed and meet Mr. Felton, speak with his daughter, then figure out the best course of action. This was a case for the Peelers if there ever had been. And he knew his brothers would be ready to help.
CHAPTER 6
Walbrook Street
“Now take a deep breath, close your eyes, and think back to yesterday morning. Every detail that comes to you. Sometimes it’s the smallest memory that is the most important.” Mr. Cooper sat across from her with his elbows on the table, his hands folded as he spoke to her softly.
Kitty nodded, hoping she could maintain her composure as she did what he asked. It had been the longest night of her life, waiting for her father to come home. She had slept with Terry, curling herself around the dog, needing the warmth of another body close.
“Terry and I were on Wormwood. It’s an old, narrow street with ancient buildings that look like they’re ready to topple. It was a pea-souper yesterday morning, and I was running a bit late because of it. The lane was dark because of the fog.” Kitty took a sip of her tea and swallowed, smiling weakly at her father when he patted her other hand. Terry lay at her feet.
“I’d just woke Mr. Lockton when I heard two men arguing. Farther down the lane, I saw one man yelling and waving his arms at another who was in the alley and out of sight. As we got closer, I saw a gloved hand reach out and grab the man’s neck, pulling him into the alley.”
Kitty closed her eyes again as she remembered the fear that had frozen her next. “I waited a moment, and when I didn’t hear anything, I figured they went into one of the buildings off the alley.” She wrapped her hands around the teacup, hoping to still the trembling.
“So you continued walking toward the alley?” prompted Mr. Cooper gently.
She nodded. “As I passed it, I saw one man standing over another, a blade in his hand. When he looked at me over his shoulder, fear froze me to the spot. Then he started toward me, and Terry began growling, and I ran. I thought Terry would follow me, but he went after the stranger.” Tears slid down her cheeks, and she dashed them away. “I heard the dog whine, and I thought he was dead.”
Terry put a paw on her leg, his tail thumping against her boot, and let out a mournful howl. Her father pulled his chair closer and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s all right, luv. Mr. Cooper is going to help us figure this out.”
“I will do everything possible to find who these men are and what possible threat they could be to you,” answered Mr. Cooper.
Pa handed her his handkerchief, and she took it, wiping her face, then blowing her nose. She peeked at the handsome blond solicitor over the cloth. The kindness in his tawny eyes almost set her to weeping again.
