“Society is now clamoring to add felines to their households,” Adelaide added before she leaned forward, scooped Harvey out of his holder, then turned to Sophia. “Would you care to hold him?”
Before Sophia had an opportunity to refuse, something her expression suggested she was about to do, Adelaide dropped Harvey straight into Sophia’s lap. To Gideon’s amusement, Harvey immediately began kneading the folds of Sophia’s traveling cloak, curling himself into a ball a moment later and closing his eyes, apparently in the mood to nap on a lady who certainly didn’t seem receptive to that idea.
“How wonderful,” Adelaide exclaimed, drawing Sophia’s attention. “He already adores you, and given that cats are incredibly finicky, I think I can safely say that you, quite like Gideon, are a lover of cats at heart. But kitties aside, now that your carriage has gotten underway, I believe there was something you wanted to discuss with Gideon, perhaps about Lottie McBriar?”
Sophia frowned. “You know about Lottie?”
“Not any particulars, just that she may have been in your employ under dubious circumstances.”
“You really are dear to Gideon, aren’t you?” Sophia murmured before she turned her full attention on him. “Adelaide is quite right, though, about me wanting to discuss Lottie.”
“I have nothing new to report,” Gideon said. “We’ve had her under constant surveillance, but Lottie’s been a model citizen of late, barely leaving her apartment except to wander around Bleecker Street.”
Sophia released a huff. “Why haven’t you simply snatched her off Bleecker Street to demand she explain why she sought out employment with me?”
“Snatching someone from the street would be kidnapping, which is, as I’m sure you know, illegal.”
Sophia waved that aside. “I doubt Lottie would file a complaint.”
“Perhaps not, but I won’t have her apprehended until I have solid proof she’s been up to something. Yes, I think she’s working for Frank Fitzsimmons, and appears to collect extortion money from a variety of businesses on his behalf. However, that’s not enough to have her arrested.”
“What if there’s a possibility she broke into my dressing room? Breaking and entering, if I’m not mistaken, is a crime.”
“Why do you believe she broke into your dressing room?”
“Jane, or rather Lottie as I guess her real name is, wears a distinctive scent. I smelled it straightaway when I entered my dressing room yesterday after my performance.” Sophia released a dramatic sigh. “You cannot imagine my distress when I found my vanity table in shambles, although oddly enough, I’ve yet to find anything missing.”
“Do you have any suspicions regarding what Lottie may have been searching for?” Adelaide asked.
“I have not the slightest idea,” Sophia returned. “It’s not as if I keep anything of value in my vanity at the Metropolitan. Anything I consider reasonably valuable remains safely ensconced in my safe in the suite of rooms I keep at the Fifth Avenue Hotel.”
Adelaide tilted her head. “And this safe of yours—is it a combination one, or a lockbox that has a key?”
“I would never keep anything of worth in a lockbox. And according to the locksmith I purchased it from, my safe is considered practically impenetrable if one doesn’t have access to the combination.”
Adelaide reached for her reticule and began digging through the contents as Charles leaned closer to Gideon and dropped his voice.
“And just like that, Adelaide has gotten herself involved in fieldwork.” Charles’s eyes began to twinkle. “I have a feeling we’re soon to be in for a treat as my cousin gets down to business.”
Given that Adelaide was already thumbing through the small notepad she’d retrieved from her reticule and seemed to be almost humming with excitement, Gideon had a feeling Charles was quite right with his assessment and that Adelaide had almost effortlessly gotten herself involved in the thick of an investigation yet again.
The question that remained now was how he was going to get her removed from Sophia’s case without disappointing her too much in the process.
Twenty-Five
As Adelaide continued flipping through her notepad, Gideon drew in a breath, set his sights on Sophia, who was looking bewildered, and said the first thing to spring to mind in a desperate attempt to redirect the conversation.
“I don’t believe I’ve complimented you on your hair color today, Sophia,” he began, earning a smile from Sophia, an arch of a brow from Charles, and an honest-to-goodness snort from Adelaide as she lifted her head and narrowed her eyes on him.
“This is hardly the moment to discuss wigs,” Adelaide said, which left Sophia’s nose wrinkling, as if she couldn’t fathom a time when wig discussion wasn’t of paramount importance. “I think I’m on to something important, but before I disclose what that is, know that your distraction tactics seem to be somewhat flimsy of late because that was an abysmal attempt at best.”
“She has a point,” Charles muttered.
Unfortunately, that was nothing less than the truth because while he’d once been a master at redirection and distraction, ever since he’d become involved with Adelaide, his talent with those specific tactics seemed to be somewhat lackluster. Beforehe could dwell on that further, though, Adelaide stopped on one of the pages, ran her finger over it, then smiled.
“Ah, here it is.” She turned to Sophia. “I’ve actually committed this information to memory, but I wanted to be certain I had everything just right, so tell me—is it possible the first number of the combination to your safe is eighteen?”
Sophia’s brow furrowed. “How would you know that?”
