“We need Dresden’s support to get Kennen released.”
His eyes met mine. I was surprised to see anger there. Why would he be angry? What had I done now?
“Do you disagree?” I asked tentatively.
He looked back to the window. “We could take all of this with us, though it won’t look good if we are found with the lot.” He sounded as if he were talking to himself.
“Take it with us? Before showing it to Dresden? That will just point the finger more firmly to my family. Dresden needs to see ithere.”
“He will start horning in on our investigation.”
“He thinks we are horning in onhisalready. Gabriel, we need Dresden. You know this better than I.”
“Do I?”
My breath hitched. He was sayingno. I could read it in his eyes, in how he held himself.
Despair shot through me. Dresden would hold or arrest me eventually without Gabriel’s help. Both of my brothers would be tried and found guilty.
His gaze shuttered. “We will bring Dresden here.”
A downpour of relief spilled through me. Of course we would. It only made sense. Why would I think otherwise?
And yet, I would swear that had not been his intention a few seconds past.
“Might make a difference, might not,” he said. “But he will be forced to at least look at the evidence. Thatthisis the man who most likely committed the crimes.”
“You think Dresden might believe we are lying?”
“Yes.” He fiddled with his cuff. I had a feeling he had no idea he was doing it. “But it may go a small way toward helping your brother. Brothers.”
Even with this evidence, Dresden might not change his mind. I stared blankly inside the cupboard.
Gabriel walked over and touched my chin. “We will take the chance,” he said grudgingly, as if making a major concession to me instead of just doing what made sense. “Let’s track down the inquisitor.”
Gabriel paid two men in the boarding house an exorbitant sum with strict instructions not to let anyone inside the room until he returned. If they did that, he would double their money. And if they saw and held the man who lived there, he would quadruple the sum.
We hailed a cab cart out front and set off for Command Street.
Dresden’s eyebrows shot halfway up his forehead when we walked inside. I was surprised when, after he heard our story, he accompanied us to the boardinghouse with little fanfare. However, with the numerous weighing looks he sent in Gabriel’s direction during the ride, perhaps he was keeping his enemy close.
For all of the inquisitor’s stubbornness, I was gratified to see his seriousness as he examined Worley’s room and cupboard. Hecataloged everything, his expression shifting between grimness and irritation.
“Could have been you two all along, setting this up,” he said gruffly.
“Could have been. Up to you to ask the folks around here and discover the truth,” Gabriel replied coolly.
“I don’t like people mucking around in my investigation.”
Gabriel tipped his cap and turned. “I leave it to you to solve.”
“Noble, I will catch up with you eventually.”
“I’m sure you will.”
Gabriel led me out of the house and beyond the curious eyes of the boarders.
I clasped his arm. “We need to warn the other women in the pictures. That they will be next. How do we find them? Especially the lady in the veil? Should we circulate their pictures?” Eyes and hands and necks—it might cause even more panic, with every lady finding something of herself in the strokes.
