Miss Madelyn piped up from the couch without lowering her magazine. “You might as well leave, Mr. Monroe. Lydia will stomp and talk aloud until she reaches a satisfactory conclusion, just like she does with every story she writes. It’s downright annoying, and at this rate, she’ll be all night. Save yourself the aggravation and go home.”
That was a surprising defense, even if it did come in the backhanded fashion of sibling derision.
Lawson glanced disapprovingly at Abraham’s closeness to Lydia, but placed himself between her and Monroe. “Come, Monroe. The lady told you to leave, and I have a few questions to ask you about the church incident. Miss Plane, may I beg the use of another room?”
Miss Plane scratched the goat’s ear before rising. “My grandfather is out doing target practice in the carriage house, so you can use his office. Just don’t touch anything.”
As they passed him, Abraham bumped Lawson’s shoe and whispered, “Tail him when he leaves.”
After a frown that communicated Lawson did not appreciate being told what to do, the trio disappeared down the hall.
Lydia sighed before facing Abraham. Had they been a romantic couple, their faces were close enough to steal a kiss without giving away his intent. Not that he’d ever take something that wasn’t his or freely given, but the thought was enough to have him put a proper distance between them.
“I know I can’t ask you to leave, Papa, but Momma, Madelyn, would you please allow me some privacy to speak to Detective Hall?”
Mrs. Pelton hesitated, but after a glance at her younger daughter, who plainly tried to hide her interest behind the magazine, she acquiesced. Miss Madelyn grumbled about leaving just when things were getting good, but accompanied her mother.
Finally alone, Lydia gestured for Abraham and Dr. Pelton to sit. “There is no reason for you to stand just because I can’t be still.”
Dr. Pelton claimed the seat Mrs. Pelton had vacated, but Abraham refused. Not that he expected Lydia to swoon, but should something happen, he wanted to be close. In fact, it would be in their best interest to close the curtains. Before doing so, he surveyed the yard and street. Lit rooms from the neighboring mansions cast rectangles of light, but no streetlamps existed to push back the dark. If Poe were out there, he had plenty of shadows to hide in. Abraham tugged the curtains closed and turned toward Lydia.
All pretense of anger had vanished, leaving behind the distraught woman he’d expected to find when he arrived. The shimmering tears, quivering chin, and almost shrinking into herself were so common to his job, he could ignore them. But her eyes, the haunted brokenness that pleaded with him to make everything right, left him aching and wishing he could hold her until her torment subsided and she felt safe once more.
“I confess, I lied to Marcus.” Her voice cracked. “I’m scared. Terrified, really. What if Billy Poe is watching me right now?”
Before Abraham’s restraint broke, Dr. Pelton filled the role of comforter. He rose and encased his daughter in an embrace and silently pleaded over the top of her head for Abraham to find a quick end to this case.
If only Abraham could promise to do so. “With the curtains closed, Poe cannot see you.” He closed the door. “And now he cannot hear you.”
She gave a watery nod and allowed Dr. Pelton to lead her to the sofa. Like a frightened child, she tucked her legs beside her and leaned into her father’s hold as if Dr. Pelton alone could protect her.
Unfounded jealousy pricked Abraham. She might not view him as her protector, but it was his duty as an officer, and now her friend, to share that responsibility. She could depend upon him. He would be that companion that stuck closer than a brother.
He pulled up a chair and rested his arms on his knees as he leaned in. “Do you have any idea how Billy Poe found you?”
“No, but I have at least two suspects in mind.” Her temper sparked.
It amused him more than it should, but he was glad to see the spunk alive and well despite her tears.
“I never told Marcus where I was staying, but he arrived here only minutes after we did.”
As much as he’d like to hold Monroe responsible for Billy Poe’s actions, they had no proof that he had prior knowledge of Lydia’s location. Not that a lack of proof meant he was innocent. “Lawson said Monroe followed you, but the flowers and note preceded you. How could Monroe be responsible for them?”
Lydia’s forehead bunched, and her mind stalked off to hunt down an explanation.
Abraham worked to suppress his delight at watching her. The woman was fascinating in her approach to everything. She swung from cowering child to rampaging detective all within a few breaths. No wonder she was an author. One had to be half mad to think and behave the way she did and then commit it to paper for the world to read.
In her hunt for an answer, her finger tapped against her arm. Soon her teeth played with her bottom lip, and she nodded. A grin crept up one side of her mouth before she unleashed it fully.
“I know how he did it.” The excitement of solving a puzzle lit her whole countenance.
He couldn’t help but answer her smile with his own, even if it might give her the wrong idea about his interest in her, which was strictly professional, of course. The fact he’d just discovered a shared interest—solving puzzles—meant nothing more than their friendship might actually work.
Lydia scooted to the edge of the sofa. “The flowers and note did arrive before him, but if Marcus overheard Mr. Clemens’s offer to escort me to Theresa’s, he would have known who that was. There was a season where my edits had to be directed here while I cared for Theresa during her recovery from a near drowning. Considering how long we were at the church, he had time to act.”
That was doubtful. Abraham wasn’t in the habit of sending flowers, but on the rare occasion he had, the ordeal had been time-consuming. “Do you really believe it long enough for him to have written the note, ordered flowers, and had them delivered?”
“It’s a Sunday. The flowers weren’t from a market. They were mostly weeds found in the empty lots between here and the church. Theresa said they only discovered the note and flowers a few minutes before we arrived. Marcus could have placed them, then waited nearby until he saw the hack deliver us.”
