“Who’sdead?” demanded Sarah.
“Maggie O’Connell. They just found her.” His brown eyes blazed an accusation. “If you’ve mixed me up in this, so help me ...”
Sarah gave a small cry, but I kept my gaze fixed on him.
“How couldIhave done it?” I retorted. “I’ve been here at the Yard for the last two hours! And before that, I was with Sarah. Last I saw Maggie, she was alive. And Sarah was with me when I saw her.”
“It’s true,” Sarah added shakily. “She was alive. It was close on ten o’clock.”
“It doesn’t mean you didn’t plan it!”
“I didn’t!” I said through gritted teeth. “I swear to you!”
Mr. Fuller grunted and his manner eased. “Who did it, then? Who else had a motive?”
Beside me, Sarah drew in her breath.
To keep his eyes away from her, I replied. “I don’t know. Perhaps someone resented her taking over the ring.”
He gave a look of impatience. “You know but you won’t say.”
“Idon’tknow,” I repeated. It was the truth, and perhaps he saw it, for he threw up his hands and stalked back to the Yard entrance.
I turned away, praying Mary was already on one of the trains out of Lambeth.
“If Maggie’s dead, does this mean we can stay?” Sarah whispered.
“I don’t ... I don’t know, Sarah.” Heartsick, I couldn’t think. “Let’s get away from here.”
Now I understood Mary’s final look. For her mother’s sake, and perhaps for mine and for all the other thieves, she had killed Maggie, taken the diamond, and gone. I’d never see her again.
The look she’d given me hadn’t been only an apology. It had also been goodbye.
Together Sarah and I headed to Amelia’s. She would want to know that the Yard had been told and what Mary had done. We took an omnibus east, dismounted, and walked north, Sarah holding my hand the whole way. I pushed open the door from the street and remembered the first time I’d climbed these stairs, not noticing that I’d broken the thread across the step.
I knocked at the door, and it was opened—by Mary.
“You’re still here?” I hissed, stepping inside and shutting the door. “You need to get out of London! Maggie’s body has already been found. The constable arrived at the Yard when we were still there!”
“I didn’t kill her, Kit,” Mary said.
“You didn’t?” Sarah asked breathlessly. “But ...”
My eyes darted about the room—still furnished, as it had been let, but emptied of any sign of Amelia—no coats on the rack, no satchel in the corner. Mary’s eyes filled with tears, and her lower lip trembled.
“Amelia,” I said and dropped my hand from her arm.
“She made me swear not to tell you.” Mary drew a long breath. “She felt responsible.”
“She shouldn’t have. It was Maggie who caused all the trouble.”
“I know.” Mary dashed her tears away and pulled a folded letter from her pocket. “She left this for you.”
I opened it and found only this:My dear Kit, change is not always bad. Take care of Mary and Sarah. I shall miss you. A.
The sight of these last words, in a hand that was so familiar, broke me.
Sarah read over my shoulder. “At least she’ll be able to join Adam, wherever he is.”
