She rolled her eyes. “Have you forgotten when I told you about the case in London a year ago? Yes, I’m very certain this is opium.”
She turned to the guard closest to her and slapped his face hard. The man muttered something incoherently, but didn’t open his eyes, but by the droopy smile on his face, it was clear the man was having pleasant dreams.
Nicole met Ashton’s gaze again and arched an eyebrow. “Do you believe me now? He is not dead, but instead, his mind is in la-la land.”
La-la land? Ashton nearly belted out a laugh, but tried to hold it back the best he could. “Fine.” He sighed. “Now what do we do?”
“Is the money still in that trunk?”
Ashton knelt beside the trunk. Immediately, his attention fell to the broken lock. He flipped open the lid and groaned. It was empty. “I don’t understand. I sat right by the door. Nobody went in or came out the whole time. Does that mean the money was stolen before the railway even started traveling?”
She knelt beside him and gently touched the floor in front of the trunk. “The robbery took place in here. See the metal shavings scattered around?” Her attention bounced up to the nearest guard. “Because he is still unconscious, that tells me the robbery happened just recently. If these guards were given the opium right at the beginning of the trip, they would be coming awake by now. By this one’s actions, I would say he was given the opium just recently.”
Ashton’s hopes lifted slightly. “Are you saying the thief could still be on the railway?”
“Yes. But the train is coming to a depot soon, so we’ll have to find the thief before the railway stops.”
She swung her gaze around the room and then to the far door. Without a word, she jumped to her feet and ran to the door. Ashton followed, wondering what was going through her mind right now. She struggled with opening the door, so he helped. When the door flew open, she stepped out onto the gated ledge. He came with her, holding on to her arm to keep her from falling over the railing.
“Look!” She pointed to the wall of the railway.
A rope hung down. He released Nicole and tugged on the rope. It was connected to something on top of the car. He heaved himself up the rope, climbing to the top. The wind blew hard against his face, removing his hat and wig in the process. He didn’t care. His gaze followed the rope all along the top. It was secured in certain areas as not to come loose. At the far end of the car they’d just been in, there was a movement. Somebody was crawling along the roof, holding on to the rope.
He glanced down at Nicole who stood watching him. “I see the thief.”
“Can you identify them?”
“No.” He turned his gaze back to the lone figure almost to the end of the passenger car. “But he looks slightly bulky. He is wearing a black coat and trousers.”
“What color is his hair?”
“Brown...I think. It’s blowing in the wind, and it looks brown.”
“Dark or light like mine?”
“Darker than yours.”
“Come down now,” she instructed. “We can catch the thief as he leaves the railway.”
Ashton slid most of the way down the rope before he jumped to the platform. His palms stung from the rope burn, but he wasn’t worried about it. “Are you sure we can catch him?”
“Yes.” Using her finger, she smoothed out his mustache which felt as if it was coming off, too. “We know the color of his hair, his clothes, and we know he will be carrying a handbag filled with money, so it’ll probably be bulky.”
She hurried back through the door with Ashton following her. He glanced at the guards, and just like Nicole had thought, they were still in la-la land.
Grinning, he shook his head, not daring to voice his thoughts just yet. But if truth be told, that woman amazed him at every turn. She definitely wasn’t the naïve young Cinderella he’d met at the masked ball, or the temptress who he had to hold and kiss passionately every time he saw her. Instead, she was a woman with an intelligent mind. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and went after it no matter the cost. She was also a woman who kept pushing to find the truth.
He should be upset at her for doubting her innocence earlier, but instead, he found himself admiring her. She was brave and headstrong, and yet, her beauty still took his breath away, even with her dressed in baggy servants’ attire.
As he passed his handbag, he stopped beside it. “Nicole,” he shouted, getting her attention.
“What?”
“Are you carrying a weapon?” It was a strange question to ask any woman, but then he’d never met a woman like her before.
She nodded. “I have a knife.”
“I have another pistol in the handbag. Do you want it?”
