“Ashton, you were the only one who I’ve had tender feelings for. You must remember that I was falling for you even before the detectives were given this assignment.”
She said falling for you...but Ashton wondered if she was thinking about love. The thought had crossed his mind several times while in her company, so why wouldn’t she have the same feelings as he had? But forcing her to say those words would be useless, especially when he couldn’t return those feelings. Especially now.
“I’m glad to know that,” he finally said after a few quiet moments. At least his mind could rest knowing that Nicole wasn’t some kind of hussy—a woman who liked to tease men for sport. He figured she probably had batted her eyes at these suspects, but he didn’t think she would kiss them.
At least he hoped his feelings were right on that account.
It didn’t take long before they were approaching Glynn’s townhouse. Ashton slowed his horse to a slow trot. “That’s where he lives,” he told Nicole over his shoulder.
“The lights are off, so he’s either not there or he’s gone to bed.”
“I’ve never known Glynn to retire for the night this early. In all the stories he relates of his night life, he’s always out until the wee hours of the morning.”
“Then we might be safe sneaking into his house tonight.”
He nodded. “I certainly hope so.”
Ashton guided the horse to the back of the house and then dismounted. He reached up and held onto Nicole’s waist as she slid from the animal. It was nice to have her body bump against his, but he mustn’t think of how much he enjoyed being close to her. They were here tonight for one purpose only...and kissing had nothing to do with it.
Holding her hand in his, they sneaked toward the back door. He tested the doorknob and it was locked. He frowned and shook his head. “I suppose we’ll have to try and open a window.”
“No, we won’t.” She fished her fingers into her hair and pulled out some pins. Crouching to the level of the lock, she used her hairpins and wiggled them into the opening. Within seconds, the lock clicked and she was able to open the door.
“I won’t ask you how you did that,” he said in a low voice.
“Remind me one day to tell you all about my training.” She grinned.
Ashton followed her inside, but soon took the lead. He’d been here before, so she allowed him to go first. He knew where Glynn’s bedroom was located.
“You stay here,” he told her. “I’m going upstairs to see if by chance, he is in bed.
“All right. I’ll stay down here and look around,” she whispered.
Ashton crept on soft feet up the stairs toward Glynn’s bedroom. He really didn’t think his partner would be here by now. If Glynn had taken the railway back home, it would have had to be the same one Ashton and Nicole were on. If Glynn had ridden a horse...
Ashton shook his head. No, his friend was injured, which meant he wouldn’t be able to ride a horse all the way from Meol to Liverpool. So hopefully, Ashton would be able to find some other evidence that Glynn was the thief.
However, if Glynn was in bed asleep, that would mean he wasn’t the thief. Ashton frowned and rubbed his forehead. No, Glynn had to be the thief. He had the strongest motive.
Ashton reached the bedroom and peeked inside. The bed was empty. He released a relieved sigh. At least he knew Glynn wasn’t in the house, which meant searching for more evidence would be a little easier.
As he headed back down the steps, he heard Nicole gasp. It sounded more like a surprise gasp than being frightened, but he still hurried to find her. Just as he turned the corner, he bumped into her. Right away, he held onto her arms. Her eyes were wide, but she didn’t look scared.
“Ashton, I found the money!”
“What?” He shook his head. “That can’t be...”
She took him by the hand and led him into the study. She had turned on a lamp, but the light was low. She pointed to the opened handbag sitting beside Glynn’s desk. Ashton hurried to it and peered inside. He had marked several bundles of money with red ink before loading it in the trunk to put on the train, and sure enough, these bundles had a red mark on them.
“And look,” she said, pointing to the floor. “Spots of fresh blood.”
Chapter Nineteen
Within two hours, Nicole had her father, brother, and Mr. Banks, were all at Glynn Nickerson’s house, combing the area for more clues. Her father also contacted the police, and they showed up as well. Nicole had explained to the police—and the other detectives—what she and Ashton had done, and especially, what they had found.
Soon, Gordon took Ashton into another room to ask more questions. Nicole stayed by her father’s side. In amazement, she watched as he slowly made his way through the room, eyeing each piece of furniture, painting, and expensive rug and artifact carefully. She had learned so much from her parent, and it surprised her that she continued to learn from him even now.
However, there was still something in the back of her mind that didn’t connect. She couldn’t shake the feeling that a piece of the puzzle was still missing.
