“What would you like us to do?” Mrs. Phelps asked as she motioned her hand to Banks and Cartwright.
While her father dished out more instructions, jumbled thoughts created havoc in Nicole’s head and she wasn’t listening to what the others were doing. She should tell her father that she had met Ashton at the ball, yet at the same time, she worried that telling her parent might get her removed from this case. Although, keeping secrets between detectives wasn’t a good thing, either. Sighing, she rubbed her forehead, feeling the headache come faster than she wanted.
“Are you ill, Nicole?” her father asked.
She offered a weak smile. “I just have a small headache. It will pass before tomorrow, I assure you.”
“Splendid.” He patted her hand once before squeezing it. “I’m certain we will gather enough information within two days to have at least one suspect. We shall have this case solved in no time.”
“I agree, Father.” Yet deep inside, she didn’t like that she withheld the truth from the others. If her father ever found out that she held feelings for Ashton, her parent would be disappointed in her. That was something she could ill afford.
THE RAILWAY RIDE ROCKED Ashton back and forth on his seat, and his hat slid around on his head so much that he wanted to take the blasted thing off. Today’s ride wasn’t for enjoyment, anyway. He was determined to find out who was robbing the railway, and get this injustice stopped once and for all.
For today’s ride, he decided to disguise himself a little. He added a fake mustache and long sideburns to his face, and he even wore a suit that was old. The elbows and knees were worn thin, but at least the costume made him look more like everyone else on the railway.
Previously, he boarded the railway and sat in one car, but with every stop, he moved to the next car. He visited with other passengers as he closely watched the porters. So far, everyone and everything seemed normal. He didn’t expect a robbery to happen this soon after the last one, but he hoped to see something out of place—at least something that would make him curious enough to dig deeper and get more answers.
The railway had already arrived at its destination, and had just started its journey back to Liverpool. He moved to another car and found a seat next to a woman with two young children.
“Ma’am,” he said, tipping his hat. “Do you mind if I sit here for a few minutes?”
She smiled. “That is fine, as long as you don’t mind my children being fussy.”
“I don’t mind at all. I love children.”
“Do you have some of your own?” she asked.
“Not yet, but I have siblings who have children,” he fibbed, staying in character. “I get to see them every few months.”
“How nice for you.”
He took the seat and finally removed his bothersome hat. “Do you live around this area?”
She shook her head. “Yes, but I have relatives in Liverpool. The children and I will only visit for a week.”
“I hope you enjoy your visit.”
“We will. I have been to Liverpool, but it was before my children were born. I’m excited to show them the city.”
“I’m certain they will like it.”
A few other people moved in the car, and he switched his attention to the man making his way toward the back door. Because this was the last passenger car, the only other railcar left was the mail car. Immediately, Ashton was alert for anything. There was no reason for that man to leave this car using that particular door.
Before the man reached the door, he turned and sat next to a woman. Both were dressed similarly to the way Ashton was, but there was something odd that caught his eye. The woman looked familiar, even though he could only see the side of her face at the moment.
He wanted to leave this seat and move closer, but since he had just taken his seat, he would wait a little while before moving again. But he kept his attention on the young couple. Their heads were leaning in close to the other as they whispered.
The woman’s outdated bonnet hid most of her hair and her eyes, so all he could see was her nose and mouth. Strange that he would think she looked familiar, yet something deep inside of him told him they had met before. Unfortunately, his memory wasn’t finding that exact time or this particular person.
The child sitting on the woman’s lap in front of him dropped his toy. The ball rolled and knocked against Ashton’s boot. He reached down, picked it up, and handed it to the child. Bashful, the boy buried his face against his mother’s shoulder.
“Thank you, sir,” she said.
“You are very welcome.”
He switched his gaze to the other couple at the end of the car once again. They had swapped seats, and the front of the woman was now easier to see. Yet, he couldn’t figure out where he knew her since her bonnet shadowed her eyes.
The person sitting next to the couple spoke to them, and the woman laughed. The merry sound from her mouth floated through the car and hit Ashton like a ton of bricks. No...that couldn’t be Nicole.
