“More than I would like. Now, let’s go arrest some criminals.”
NICOLE COULDN’T STAND the silence any longer. Earlier this morning when she had gone to Mrs. Phelps’ house, the woman wasn’t there. Figuring her friend was doing some investigation, Nicole came home to an empty house. She had no idea where her father or brother was or when they would get home. But she couldn’t stay in an empty house any longer without screaming. All she seemed to do was sleep and cry, and she was tired of doing both of them.
After refreshing herself, she left the house and walked to Mrs. Phelps’ place again. By now, the older woman would have returned from her errands. At least Nicole hoped so. She really needed a shoulder to cry on and a good listening ear.
When she reached the widow’s townhouse, she knocked on the front door. This time, she heard shuffling noises from inside. After a few seconds without Angela answering, Nicole knocked again, but harder.
“Are you in there? It’s me, Nicole,” she called out.
Finally, the door opened. When Nicole got a good look at her friend’s face, she gasped. “Oh, my dear. Are you all right?” She hurried inside and took Angela by the hand. Her friend was pale and wobbled as she stood next to the door. She wore a nightgown and wrapper, and her hair was covered by a white bob-cap.
“I’ve been under the weather. I’m certain I’ll feel better tomorrow,” Angela said wearily.
“Well, let me help you to bed. Have you had something to eat? If not, I’ll fix—”
“Nicole, really.” Angela shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I assure you.”
Nicole frowned. “Now see here. You are not fine, and I’m here so I might as well help you any way I can.”
She turned and closed the door, then took her friend by the arm to lead her into the sitting room. Once she closed her fingers around Angela’s upper arm, the woman winced and jerked her arm away. Confused, Nicole stared at her friend, wondering why she had act in such a manner. But then something sticky coated her fingers, and she glanced down to see what it was.
Blood.
She hitched a breath and snapped her attention back to Angela’s arm...her right arm. No, this couldn’t be...
Nicole moved her focus up to the cap covering Angela’s dark brown hair. Nicole had never seen her friend with her hair down, it had always been wound tight in a bun, but now she was very curious to whether the hair was long—or short. Considering, the thief she and Ashton had been chasing the other day had short hair.
Without another thought, Nicole yanked the cap off Angela’s head. Short hair sprung free in disarray. Nicole’s stomach churned. “Angela...what have you done?”
The woman swayed, so Nicole grabbed hold of her arm again and walked her to the nearest chair to help her sit. “Angela, have you been to see a doctor about your wound yet?”
“No,” she said in a small voice. “But I was able to remove the bullet by myself.”
“Where are your bandages and medicines located? I’ll have to bandage you up before you bleed to death.”
Weakly, Angela gave Nicole directions. She hurried in the hallway and found the linen presses the detective had indicated. As she filled her arms with the necessary items, her heart ached with sadness. What could Angela have been doing yesterday? Why was she robbing the train...and dressed like Mr. Nickerson? There had to be a good explanation. Angela was a trusted detective.
When Nicole returned, she met Angela’s sad eyes. Quickly, Nicole looked away and focused on her bleeding arm.
“Don’t judge me,” Angela snapped.
Nicole ripped the sleeve of the nightgown to get to the injury. The wound looked awful. Infection was starting to set and a horrid stench hung thick in the air. Her stomach lurched. “How can I not judge you, Angela? You stole the money and then set it up to look like Glynn Nickerson was the thief.”
“He is the thief!” Angela’s voice grew louder.
“Yes, I know. So, why didn’t you just let things fall into place? Eventually we would have discovered this. Mrs. Larson is our key witness. Mr. Nickerson had been blackmailing her.”
“This, I know.”
Nicole scrunched her forehead. “You knew? Then why didn’t you say anything?”
She dabbed alcohol on the wound and Angela winced. Tears collected in the woman’s eyes.
“Because the way the investigation was going, all evidence pointed toward Ashton. I couldn’t let that happen. I needed everyone to know Glynn was the thief. I thought it was time he started paying for his bad deeds.”
“What are you talking about, Angela? Do you know Mr. Nickerson personally?”
“No, not personally, but...” Her bottom lip quivered as more tears filled her eyes. “Ten years ago, he was courting my sister. He had convinced my sister he loved her and wanted to marry her. He seduced her and took her innocence before they were wed. Two days before the wedding, he left town and was seen with another woman. He never returned for my sister.”
