“Hall! Where are you going? Let me out.” Clemens’s voice rang out behind Abraham.
“You’ll have to wait until bail is set. I’ve got more important work to do than chew the fat with you.”
CHAPTER33
LYDIA RUBBED HER STOMACH TOsoothe the aching muscles. She hadn’t laughed this hard since she couldn’t remember when. Abraham would no doubt kill his friend Lucian once he discovered how many embarrassing stories Lucian had shared with her and her friends.
“You should have seen the look on that cad’s face when he realized he wasn’t propositioning a woman but a hairy-limbed man.” Lucian’s exaggerated face brought another round of laughter from Lydia, Nora, Theresa, and Flossie.
“Lucian! That is not an appropriate story for young ladies!” his wife, Verity, admonished as she came in bearing a tray of midnight snacks.
He waved her words away before he snagged a wedge of cheese from the top. “Miss Pelton’s the daughter of a coroner. I’m sure she’s heard worse.”
That was true, although Papa would be horrified to know she had overheard the stories he shared with friends.
“The man took off at such a pace that Abraham had to hike his skirts up to his thighs in order to catch up and tackle him.”
The image of ankle-high boots and bare, hairy legs both incited embarrassment and laughter. The next time she saw Abraham, she’d have to work exceedingly hard not to peek at his legs and recall the picture her imagination had conjured.
“But I tell you, Abraham saved the day for the women of George Street. That scoundrel had a bad habit of beating his women near to death and leaving them in the gutters to suffer their fate.”
The levity died instantly. Those poor women. How many times had she observed them from afar or read about them with disgust? They had chosen that life, hadn’t they? Greed over virtue? At the sick twist of her stomach, she knew herself to have been judgmental. Some of the women might have willingly chosen that career, but what sort of life had they lived to believe that was their only or best option? She could not know the heart of a person, and condemning them only served to show her own lack of mercy.
Lord, forgive me. Keep teaching me to see people through Your eyes, to allow You alone to be Judge.
She released a sigh and stroked Harold’s soft fur. “Abraham is a true hero to stoop to wearing a dress in order to save those whom society would rather pretend didn’t exist.”
“If that is your view, then I have been a good friend to Abe.” He winked. “Can’t have his future bride thinking of him as anything less than a hero.”
The heat climbed up her neck to the roots of her hair. The idea of being Abraham’s future bride was incredibly enticing, even if a bit too soon. And to have his best friend declare such a thing? Oh heavens.
Flossie, bless her, shifted the conversation. “Once Poe has been caught, do you think Cincinnati will leave Lydia alone?”
Lucian shrugged. “It may take a week or two, but I’d imagine their anger will shift to the actual murderer rather than the inspiration for the murder.”
Lydia winced, but there was no denying her part. What a twisted dream—to want to be an inspiration to others, only to have it lead to the destruction of so many lives.
“Well, girls. It’s nearing midnight. What do you say to going to bed?” Verity couldn’t be more than a year or two older than them, but apparently becoming a married woman meant every unmarried woman her age was to be considered a girl in need of mothering.
By the exaggerated roll of Flossie’s eyes behind Verity’s back, Lydia wasn’t the only one to be annoyed by Verity’s behavior.
Nora rose from the settee and offered a gracious smile. “Thank you, Officer Atwood and Mrs. Atwood, for your kindness in staying tonight. If you need us, we’ll be sharing my room.”
Lydia knew what her friend really meant wasWe’re happy to leave you two alone so we can go upstairs and begin our real plotting to capture Billy Poe should Detectives Lawson and Hall fail.
Before they made it to the stairs, someone beat on the front door.
Lucian’s demeanor immediately shifted from relaxed and jovial to tense and serious. He retrieved his gun and gestured for his wife to move behind a wall, then for Lydia and her friends to go to the top of the stairs. Once he was sure they were out of immediate danger, he slid to the side of the door and raised his voice. “State your business.”
“Lawson here. Let me in.”
Lucian’s body visibly relaxed. Still, he didn’t put his gun away until the detective entered the house and the door was closed and locked.
Though she’d much rather Abraham be the one to bring news, Lydia rushed down the stairs. “Does this visit mean you’ve caught Billy Poe?”
The look Lawson gave Lucian did not inspire confidence. “We’ve caught one Billy Poe, but unfortunately we believe he has a partner.”
“A partner? But who was Billy Poe? And who do you think his partner is?”
