Madison's Gift

by Marie Higgins

  She brought her gloved hands to her mouth and blew some warm air onto them. If these night owls didn’t go to bed soon, she might have to wait inside the stable next to the horse for heat. She glanced toward the barn. In fact, she should do that now before her toes became numb. These boots were not made to keep a lady’s feet warm.

  Madison peered to the left, and then the right, before she dared leave her hiding spot. Nobody had disturbed the area since she’d arrived. Taking careful steps, she made her way toward the stable. As she neared, a loud thump came from the house. Her heartbeat hammered wildly as she swung her gaze around. A man exited the house as he pulled the door closed behind him. The high collar of his overcoat and his hat coupled with the darkness of the night, hiding his identity.

  Sucking in a fast breath, she panicked. If she ran back toward the thicket of trees, he would definitely notice. If she hurried toward the stable, chances were that he was heading in that direction, anyway. Since the stable was closer, she made the decision to go that route. Once inside, she would look for someplace to hide.

  Madison held her breath and darted toward the stable, but only reached the side wall. The man’s boots crunched on the gravel as he neared the structure. Flattening herself against the outer wall, she closed her eyes, praying he wouldn’t detect her presence.

  Inaudible mutters came from him, but the only words she could understand were idiot, and foolish man. She thought he’d even said something about him taking care of things himself...but she wasn’t certain.

  He opened the wide door to the stable and entered. She peeked on the other side of her to see if there were any windows, but unfortunately, there weren’t. The only way to know who this man was would be to follow him inside and get closer. That, she wouldn’t do.

  Time crept by, but soon the clomping of horse’s hooves pounded the dirt as he walked the animal outside the stable. Once more, she peeked around the corner, but because his back was to her, she couldn’t see his face. He kicked his heels into the horse’s sides and took off, riding away from the house.

  Relief swept over her. With any luck, the only two people that should be in that house would be the old servant...and Rosie.

  She watched the rider until he rode out of sight before hurrying toward the back of the house. Her heart hammered wildly, and she was out of breath, but she tested the doorknob. Unlocked! She blew out a relieved breath and slowly pushed the door opened. A piercing squeak followed. Quickly she stopped the door, and the disturbing noise.

  She grumbled softly. She’d have to try opening the door another way.

  Out of nowhere, a memory popped into her head. She could have been six or seven, and she was trying to figure out how to sneak out of a bedroom with a squeaky door. All she could recall was that she desperately needed to be quiet as not to wake her aunt and uncle. As she opened the door, she didn’t use the knob, but instead, lifted the bottom edge to slowly open it.

  Madison shrugged. Although she couldn’t remember exactly why she’d been sneaking out of room when she was young, she’d try it now to see if it worked. Bending, she placed her hands on the edge of the door. Slowly, she lifted and pushed it farther open. Thankfully, the squeak was almost non-existent.

  Sighing, she entered the house, and then slid the door closed the same way she’d opened it. Before moving, she listened to the sounds of the house. From the corridor, the large grandfather clock ticked away the seconds. She could swear her heartbeat knocked in a faster rhythm.

  She remained still until her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. The fading scent of garlic and lemon, followed by an odor of fish, wafted around her. She realized she stood inside the kitchen before she could see the stoves, and the cutting tables. Dishes were neatly stacked on shelves.

  Madison took careful steps until she exited the kitchen. She recognized the hall where she and Cameron had been shown into the sitting room to visit with Mr. Bailey’s relatives. One lamp was still lit somewhere on this floor, but since she saw a man leave, she reasoned that he had left it on for his return.

  The stairs were easy to find, and she stepped lightly on the first step...then the second. A loud creak rattled through the old wood and she cringed. When she placed her weight on the third step, it groaned louder. Immediately, quick footsteps sounded on the floor above her. Someone heard me!

  Taking a quick glance around, she searched for someplace to hide. Wherever she went, she’d have to hurry. The pounding of footsteps on the floor grew closer. Up above, a shadow passed by the moon’s light streaming in from a window, highlighted against the wall. It was the silhouette of a person...and they were holding a pistol.

  Her limbs froze in fear, but panic rushed through her, guiding her feet back down the stairs and into the nearest room. Thankfully, the door didn’t squeak when she opened or closed it. The room was dark, more than the kitchen had been. She couldn’t wait for her eyes to adjust, so she held out her hands and moved slowly.

  Her foot knocked against something hard, stinging her toes. She held in the groan of pain that wanted to release from her throat. As she slid her hands briefly over the object, she concluded that it was a heavily cushioned chair.

  From out in the hall, footsteps clamored down the stairs. Perhaps she’d been too hasty to enter this house after the man had left. But who else could be here? Wouldn’t the servant be asleep yet? And if he had been, why did he hear her? The other day when she and Cameron were here, the old man had a hearing problem.

  Slowly, the objects in the room became clearer. This was the study. A few feet away sat a desk in the middle of the room, and other chairs—both cushioned—littered around the area. She detected a window against the far wall, and it looked as if drapes were pulled closed, but a small amount of the moon’s light shown in right above and directly below the thick covering that hung nearly to the floor.

  She darted for the drapes. That would be the most logical place to hide.

  Madison quickened her steps...and whacked her foot along the corner of the desk. Biting her bottom lip, she tried not to cry out as the pain increased. She limped the rest of the way and scooted behind the drapes. Cool air coming from the window touched her skin. Good grief! Why had someone left the window open? But now was not the time to close it. She must stay as quiet as a butterfly.

  Seconds ticked by as the footsteps out in the hall grew louder, stopping in front of the door. She held her breath. The doorknob jiggled. Heavy footsteps thudded inside the room, followed by the click of the closing door.

  Why had they closed it? Obviously, by the way the floor creaked, someone was in the room with her, coming closer to the window. Her heartbeat pounded against her chest so hard and fast, she feared the person in the room would hear that, too.

  Suddenly, the person stopped right in front of her. In fact, she could hear their heavy breaths, too. Madison said a quick prayer that this person wouldn’t know she was here, but she felt this was one prayer that would go unanswered.

  Briefly, the drapes moved. Had it come from the opened window or from the unknown intruder? She continued to hold her breath. She couldn’t make a sound, especially not when the person was this close to her.

  They would discover her at any moment.

  FOURTEEN

  She braced herself against the window, preparing for the moment when they would find her. Madison’s hand knocked into a long object that was resting against the wall. Quickly, she snatched it to keep it from falling. As the handle tightened in her grip, she knew immediately that it was a cane. The shape of the handle was some kind of animal’s head. Probably a wolf...

  In a flash, her mind cleared and a vision entered. Two men were in a small, dark room. She couldn’t see the face of the man holding the cane because he stood on the darker side of the room, however, the other man glared at him. Strange, but the room seemed familiar.

  Dressed as a gentleman, the man on the cot peered at the one holding the cane. The gentleman shook his head and frowned.

 
“Forgive me, dear cousin, but I will not fall for your blackmail schemes this time. I have gotten you out of too many scrapes in the past, and I refuse to do it again.”

  “But all I need is a small amount of money...enough to start my own business.” Using his cane, he tapped it impatiently against the brick wall. Madison couldn’t tell what clothes the man was wearing since he stood in the shadows, but for certain, they didn’t look like nice clothes that a gentleman would wear.

  The man sitting on the cot rolled his eyes and snorted a fake laugh. “How many times have you told me that?”

  “Jacob Bailey,” he pointed the end of his cane to the man, “you would be wise to do as I wish.”

  “How do you perceive that?” Jacob arched an eyebrow.

  “Because I’m the only one who can get you out of jail.” He swept his hand over the front of his attire, displaying a vertical row of shiny gold buttons. “Can you not see I’ve stolen a uniform and the keys? If you promise to give me a small loan, I’ll gladly break you out of jail right now.”

  Jacob shook his head and leaned back on the cot, folding his arms across his chest. “Sorry, dear cousin. You have wasted another trip. Besides, Inspector Westland cannot keep me in here much longer because I’m innocent.”

  “You are innocent?” The man tilted back his head and laughed loudly. “I honestly believe you had something to do with Miss Westland’s disappearance.”

  “Believe what you want.” He motioned his hand toward the door. “But I’m not leaving with you.”

  The first man grumbled and marched to the other side of the room. “Jacob, get up right now. I’m taking you out of here.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Jacob stood. “But let me show you to the door. Hopefully, you won’t be spotted for impersonating a police officer, because then you’ll end up in a cell just like me.”

  Jacob Bailey turned his back on the other man. The one standing with the cane, lifted it high before bringing it down quickly. It connected with Jacob’s head and a loud crunch rented the air. The gentleman crumbled to the floor. Quickly, the killer hurried out of the cell.

  Madison’s head swam through a tunnel. Odd mumbling sounds were all around her. Dizziness took control of her mind, and she didn’t want to open her eyes. Gradually, sounds and smells became more recognizable. She was on the floor with somebody’s arms wrapped around her. Finally, she understood the mumbling. Whoever held her was calling her name.

  “Madison. Wake up!”

  The man whispered, but she heard him clearly. There was no mistake that Cameron was holding her. But why?

  She struggled to open her eyes. Her face rested against his chest. The scent of spice and leather surrounded her, reminding how she had loved that smell. What am I doing in his arms?

  “Cameron,” she sighed with relief, but then her mind cleared and her memory returned. She was in Jacob Bailey’s house...and she was going to get caught. Gasping, she sat up quickly, which of course made the room spin faster.

  “Shhh...” His voice was low. “You are all right, but I think the servant heard us, so don’t say a word.”

  She rubbed her forehead. A slight throb started immediately. “No. He cannot hear very well.”

  “True, but I think he heard me rushing down the stairs a few minutes ago.”

  “That was you?” She blinked her eyes, trying to see him in the darkened room. They were both sat on the floor behind a sofa.

  “Shhh...” He placed a finger to her mouth as he stretched his neck to look above the furniture.

  The creaking on the floor out in the main hall finally made her close her mouth and do what Cameron suggested. Someone holding a candle took slow steps near the room...and then stopped. The door swung open. Gradually, a light swept around the room.

  Madison held her breath and watched as the light moved from one wall to the other. Whoever held the candle hadn’t come inside. Hopefully, he was just doing a quick look before returning to his room.

  A groan released from the intruder’s voice as his footsteps marched toward the place she’d been hiding by the window. Cameron must have moved her because now they were crouched behind a sofa. His arms tightened around her and she cuddled closer.

  “That blasted man!” the servant snapped as he stopped by the opened window and closed it. “I swear, he doesn’t have a lick of sense, leaving the window open like this.”

  The old man turned around and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Madison relaxed, but Cameron still hadn’t removed his hold around her shoulders. She didn’t dare say anything yet, not until they were out of danger.

  Within minutes, the footsteps had moved back up the hall and then up the stairs until the ceiling creaked from his weight.

  Blowing out a gush of air from her lips, she pulled back. It was slightly easier to see Cameron’s face now. “What are you doing here?”

  He cocked his head. “I’m assuming I’m doing the same thing you are—searching the house for Rosie.”

  “How long have you been here?” She kept her voice low.

  “About thirty minutes.” He pointed his head toward the window. “That’s how I got inside.”

  “But...that man was here. He only just left.”

  “I’d been watching him through the windows, so I knew when he had left the study.” He cupped her chin, softly running his thumb over her skin. “How long have you been here?”

  “I came in through the back door. I was heading up the stairs when I saw a shadow of a person holding a pistol.”

  “That was me.”

  “Have you found Rosie?”

  He shook his head. “Not yet. I really didn’t get very far in my search, because I’d walked into the servant’s room and accidentally woke him up.”

  “Cameron?” She clutched his waist-coat. “What man left the house not too long ago? Was it Gaynor, or his cousin, or Lord Hanover?”

  “It wasn’t Lord Hanover, but I don’t know if it was Gaynor or Heath. Why?”

  She glanced on the floor around her and moved her hand, feeling for the cane. When Cameron dragged her to this spot, the cane must have dropped from her hand.

  Carefully, she slid across the floor toward the window. “I had a vision. I have found the murder weapon.” She reached the spot and easily found the cane.

  Cameron stood and moved with her. He picked up the cane and peered closely at the handle. “Well, it’s steel and hard enough to crack a skull.”

  “And it has sharp edges.” She pointed to the wolf’s head.

  “What did you see in your vision?” he whispered as he knelt beside her.

  “I saw Jacob Bailey when he was inside the cell. His cousin had come to visit, and he wore a stolen policeman uniform.”

  “Which cousin?” Cameron’s voice turned edgy.

  “I don’t know. The killer stood in the shadows and I couldn’t see him.”

  Cameron’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you usually don’t have visions about things that have happened in the past.”

  She shrugged. “Not usually, but on rare occasions, I have.” She started to stand, and he quickly took her arm, helping her until they both were facing each other. “But don’t you see? You now have the murder weapon. One of Mr. Bailey’s cousins killed him.”

  “Do you think it was for the inheritance?”

  She nodded. “They didn’t exactly say, but the cousin was begging Mr. Bailey for money, and he refused. However, Mr. Bailey did mention that he was tired of pulling his cousin out of scrapes. So, you need to investigate which one of his cousins is in desperate need of money.”

  Cameron remained quiet for a few moments as he studied the cane. Finally, he sighed and frowned. “How am I going to explain getting this cane in my possession?” He lifted his gaze to hers. “Captain Orwood will ask me that question.”

  Irritation rose inside of her. She fisted her hands by her sides. “First off, you can point out that the handle of the cane has the sharp edges that were found on M
r. Bailey’s skull, and once you present your captain with all the evidence from my visions, you’ll have the whole story.”

  “It’s not that easy, Madison.”

  She wanted to shake him and scream at him for being so impossible. And she wanted to throw her hands in the air and give up trying to help. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just about helping him. She was determined to find Rosie. “Then I suppose that is something you will need to figure out yourself, isn’t it?”

  Madison spun around and walked toward the door. Cameron stepped right behind her and caught her arm, stopping her from leaving the room.

  “Madison, we need to talk.”

  “Not now we don’t. We need to find your sister.”

  “Why did you want to break into this house to find my sister?”

  Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to shed them. Instead, she hardened her glare on him. “Because I want to prove to the Metropolitan Police—and to you—that I am not insane. I want to prove that my visions can help solve crimes.”

  His shoulders sagged. “Oh, Madison, you have to believe me...I never—”

  “Hold your tongue,” she snapped. “Instead of arguing, we need to find your sister.”

  Madison jerked her arm out of his clutch, and opened the door. Slowly, she peeked out into the hall. Thankfully, it was quiet.

  “Madison, let me go first.”

  The warmth from his whisper sent shivers over her. If only she could convince her body not to react this way whenever he was around, maybe she’d be able to focus better. “Why?”

  “Because I have the pistol.”

  Nodding, she stepped aside so he could pass. They moved slowly up the hall. She tried to remember every little detail about the visions she’d had with Rosie. Madison knew the other woman was in a bedroom, but which one? And had she been standing by a window? Perhaps Madison would be able to tell what side of the house to start looking.

  The image popped in her mind. Yes! Rosie had been standing by the window and gazing out. Concentrating harder, Madison tried to see what Rosie might have been looking at. Gradually, the memory of that vision became clearer. There was a tree...the top of a tree. Rosie was looking straight down from the window.