“I’ll ask you one more time. Where is Penny Tompkins?”
“At the end of the room! Walk straight ahead,” Forge said, clearly in pain.
“You lot wait here and watch him,” Detective Fletcher said.
“Not bloody likely,” Ellen said.
“Agreed,” Leo added.
She heard the angry hiss of breath from the detective.
“Hand him here. I’ll ensure he doesn’t run again, and you get the woman,” Mungo said. He then grabbed Forge by the arm and forced him to his knees. The man dropped with a whimper.
“Penny?” Ellen called the woman’s name as they started moving again. A muffled sound came from somewhere ahead of them.
Running around the detective, she hurried forward with Alex and Leo.
“Halt!” Detective Fletcher called. “It could be a trap.”
“You’ll find it easier to try stopping a waterfall,” she heard Mungo call. “They’re impulsive.”
Ellen tapped the floor with her umbrella as Leo did the same with his cane. She touched something and dropped to her knees. A woman lay there on her side. Hands and feet bound, mouth gagged.
“’Tis all right now, Penny. You are safe,” Ellen said. “Come, let’s get you unbound and home.”
Leo pulled out his knife and freed the woman’s hands and Alex her feet. Ellen removed the gag from her mouth.
“You’re safe, Penny.” The woman collapsed into her arms sobbing, and Ellen simply held her as tight as she could, telling her that everything would be all right now.
“She’s chilled, Ellen. We need to get her home,” Leo said.
Leo helped Penny rise, and Ellen was lifted to her feet by Alex, or she thought it had been, until she turned to face Detective Fletcher. This close, she could see his anger.
“Everyone outside now,” he said in a carefully controlled voice.
Leo shrugged out of his coat and draped it around Penny’s shoulders. They then did as the detective said. Once they were free of the building, she took Penny’s hands and rubbed them. They were ice cold.
Mungo had Barney Forge by the shoulder.
“You’re safe now, Penny,” Ellen said.
“I-I was so scared.” She was pale and her face smudged with dirt and tears.
“You’re my woman, Penny,” Barney Forge growled. He was clearly too much of an idiot to see he had lost.
Penny tugged her hands free from Ellen’s and moved to where he stood. She then drew back her hand and swung it in a fist. It connected nicely with the jaw of her kidnapper, snapping his head to the left.
“You don’t own me, Barney Forge, and never will! If I see your face anywhere near me or mine, then I’m telling these people. They’ll make sure you’ll pay.”
“Have no fear he will harm you again, Miss Tompkins,” Detective Fletcher said. “I’ll see to it.”
“Th-thank you.”
“I will deal with Barney Forge if you’ll take Miss Tompkins home?” The detective looked from Leo to Alex and Mungo and lastly to her.
“We can do that. Thank you, Detective Fletcher,” Leo said. “Are you quite sure you don’t need one of us to go with you?”
“I do not,” he snapped. “I will come to speak with you tomorrow.”
