by Emily Organ
“Ow! Get off!” I shouted.
I turned to see a man in a dark suit and a wide-brimmed hat, which partially obscured his face.
“Silence, Miss Green, I have a gun. Just do what I say and you won’t get hurt.”
Chapter 59
The man with the gun pushed me forward and stayed close behind me. I tried to sneak a look at his face.
“Look where you’re going, Miss Green, I’m warning you.”
He marched me past the Museum Tavern and left into Museum Street, then left again into a narrow, dingy street. I knew we were parallel to Great Russell Street and at the rear of the elaborate buildings which lined it.
My heart pounded. How could I get away? Did he intend to shoot me if I tried to escape? I thought of the severed finger James had been sent. If this man had something to do with that I would need to be extremely careful.
I thought of the description given of the villain who had attacked Mr Mawson and Mr Forster. The man holding my arm was remarkably similar. Was he the one who had shot Alfred Holland? He had a calm, professional demeanour, as though this was the sort of thing he did every day.
We passed a man sleeping in a doorway and a four-wheeled carriage awaited us up ahead. My heart thudded heavily. I was about to be driven to an unknown location.
“You won’t hurt me, will you?” I asked as we neared the carriage. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“Keep quiet, like I said.”
Another man wearing dark clothing and a dark hat waited beside the carriage. He opened the door.
“Get in,” he ordered.
I was pushed forward and forced to climb up into the carriage. I did as I was told, my legs trembling. All the while I was considering how to escape. Surely there would be an opportunity to get away. As I stepped up into the carriage I lunged for the door handle on the opposite side.
“Stop there, Miss Green, or I’ll shoot!” came the order from behind me.
I reluctantly did as I was told, and as I turned I saw the second man pointing a gun at me.
“All right, I won’t try anything,” I said reassuringly, desperate for him to move the direction of the barrel away from me.
“You’d better not.”
He lowered the gun and the two men climbed inside the carriage.
I sat down on the sprung leather seat. “At least tell me who you are and what you want with me,” I said. “Can you please explain?”
“This is the third time I’ve asked you to remain quiet, Miss Green,” said the first man, “I’m beginning to find you troublesome. Take this as your final warning.”
He sat next to me and nodded at the second man, who was seated opposite. The second man pulled a black hood from his pocket, leaned forward and placed it over my head. The black cloth had a musty smell and completely obscured my vision.
“Not a word more from you, Miss Green,” said the second man.
What I guessed to be a piece of twine was placed around my neck, tightened and knotted. “And don’t you try taking this off,” he continued. “If you mess this up it’ll be a long time before anyone finds you.”
I swallowed nervously, staring at the black material before my eyes. I gripped the carpet bag on my lap and resolved to remain silent. One of the men knocked on the side of the carriage and we pulled away with a lurch.
Chapter 60
I strained to listen to the sounds beyond the carriage window as we travelled, hoping that I might gain some clue as to my whereabouts. We moved slowly to begin with, no doubt hindered by the traffic around us. I heard church bells strike five o’clock and the sound of hooves, carriages and voices. My travelling companions remained silent.
After twenty minutes or so our pace quickened, and I assumed this meant we were leaving the centre of London. We continued at this pace for some time, and I guessed we were on a long, straight road. There was still occasional street noise beyond the carriage window, but it had certainly grown quieter. I wanted to ask how long the journey would take but felt too frightened to speak.
The carriage stopped for a short while and then took a couple of sharp turns. I imagined we had crossed a major road junction. Then I heard the sound of trains, some moving at a slow speed and then a much faster one. We were obviously close to a main railway line, but which one?
We sat in silence for what must have been about an hour. The carriage eventually stopped and one of the men commanded me to climb out. I felt relieved that the journey had ended but anxious about the fate that awaited me.
One of the men held my arm as I clambered out of the carriage. There was paving beneath my feet, but I could hear little other than birdsong. I wondered whether anyone else could see me and what they would have made of the sight of two men and a woman wearing a hood over her head if so.
With the firm hand still on my arm I was marched swiftly toward a doorway.
“Mind the step, Miss Green,” said one of the men.
The warning came slightly too late and I stumbled over it. I felt floorboards beneath my feet and then a door was closed behind me. The only sound was footsteps on floorboards, and I felt as though I were in an enclosed space, perhaps a house.
“Sit down,” said one of the men.
I had no idea where there was a seat. I resisted when he gave me a shove, then fell back into a chair.
My breath was coming quick and fast. I felt more frightened now that I was behind a closed door. What were these men planning to do to me? What did they want? Would they harm me? My mind spun with fear. I tried to calm my breathing and clutched hold of the bag on my lap. Surely if these men wanted to rob me they would have taken it by now.
I wasn’t even sure whether there was anyone else in the room. Had they left me there alone? I hadn’t heard a door open or close.
“What do you want?” I asked as bravely as I possibly could. My voice sounded weak and there was a slight echo, as if the room was sparsely furnished.
I heard some muttering and then I jumped as I felt hands touching the rope around my neck. Someone was untying it. Then the hood was hauled off my head, pulling at my hair and spectacles as it was yanked away.
I squinted, my eyes unaccustomed to the light streaming through the curtains that partially covered a window in front of me. As my eyes adjusted I saw that I was sitting in an empty living room with only a fireplace and a few chairs in it. The two dark-clothed men stood near the fireplace, neither of them looking at me. They appeared to be waiting for someone.
I held my breath. What was about to happen? Was I to be shot?
Hearing footsteps beyond the door, I turned to see who it might be.
Into the room walked Chief Inspector Cullen.
Chapter 61
Unusually for the chief inspector, he smiled at me.
“Don’t worry, Miss Green, you’re safe now.”
Warm relief flooded over me. I was out of danger, but the situation still made no sense.
“Why did these men treat me in such a rough manner?” I asked. “I was terrified they would hurt me!”
“We had to do it to keep you out of harm’s way,” he replied. “Far better this than what might otherwise have happened to you.”
“What might have happened to me?”
He dismissed my question with a wave. “You’re much safer now, Miss Green, believe me.”
Anger welled up inside me. “But I don’t understand,” I said. “There was no need to scare me as you did. If I was in danger all you needed to do was explain that to me! To have me snatched off the street and a hood tied over my head was completely unnecessary.”
“I could have explained the danger to you, but you wouldn’t have listened to a word of it,” he replied. “Sometimes a sudden shock is needed.”
“Was there any genuine need to frighten me like that? Did your men really have to cover my face and head? I feared for my life!”
“The intention was to frighten you a little, Miss Green, as we needed you to comply. Had my men asked yo
u politely you wouldn’t have come, would you?”
“I cannot say that I agree,” I spat. “Who are these men, anyway?” I gestured animatedly toward the pair standing impassively beside the fireplace. “Are they police officers?”
“Do calm down, Miss Green, we’re merely keeping you safe. You don’t stay in one place for long, do you? Yesterday you were hassling gang members at a pub in the East End, and how many people have you spoken to today? I counted at least four: Miss Holland, Mr Billington-Grieg, Mr Sheridan and Mr Chakravarty. And a visit to the reading room, too.”
“You’ve been following me,” I snarled. “How dare you!”
“Someone needed to keep an eye on you.”
“Don’t you have more important things to do than follow me around?”
“Oh, I didn’t do it personally, I have men to do that for me.”
I felt foolish to have been so preoccupied with my work all day that I hadn’t even noticed anyone following me.
“Whose side are you on?” I asked.
Chief Inspector Cullen laughed. “There’s no question of sides, Miss Green, I’m merely managing the rather difficult situation we have found ourselves in. Now that you’re here, everything will calm down a little. The situation has become rather out of hand in recent days.”
“Let me rephrase my question,” I said.
“I’m sure there’s no need.”
“Would Commissioner Dickson approve of the work you’re doing?”
Chief Inspector Cullen scowled. “Sometimes unconventional methods need to be employed. The commissioner trusts me to make the right decisions.”
“But what are you doing about the murders? And about Inspector Blakely?” I demanded, jumping onto my feet.
“Sit down, Miss Green,” snapped Cullen. “Can you make me a promise?”
I reluctantly sat down. “It depends what it is.”
“If I tell you where Inspector Blakely is will you leave the business of these murders for me to sort out?”
I stared at him as I began to grasp the meaning of his words. “So you do know more about James’ whereabouts than you were letting on!”
“Will you promise to leave these murders to me and my men to handle?”
“What do you mean leave them to you? Does that mean I’m no longer allowed to report on them?”
“Exactly that, and you’re to stay away from everyone who has the remotest connection to the victims.”
“But I cannot agree to such a thing! I promised Emma Holland I would help her!”
“There’s nothing you can do to help her, Miss Green.”
“Someone broke into her home!”
“Let me allay your fears. It was on my orders that someone broke into her home and stole her brother’s diaries. She and the other members of her household were not in danger at the time, and neither are they now.”
“You ordered the diaries to be stolen?”
“They contained secret information.”
“Secret for whom?”
“You let me worry about that, Miss Green.”
“But I don’t understand. Why couldn’t you just have asked her for the diaries? In fact, Inspector Blakely had planned to ask her for them himself.”
“It would have been dangerous for them to officially be in the possession of the police. Blakely would have been targeted as soon as he had hold of them. He simply had no idea what he was getting himself into.”
“Then tell me where he is!”
The chief inspector did not reply. Instead, he nodded to one of the men, who promptly left the room.
“Are we agreed that you will keep out of this whole business, Miss Green?” he asked.
“I cannot understand why you would ask me to do such a thing. There have been four brutal murders and you’re expecting everyone in London to simply look away.”
“That’s not what I expect. I am merely asking you to occupy yourself with something else at the present time. This is too dangerous for the likes of you.”
“What do you have against me, Inspector?”
“You know that I’m not a man to mince my words. I’ve told you enough times that I consider you an interfering ink-slinger. If you were a man you’d have had the sense to steer clear of all this, but being a woman you can’t see any sense at all. It’s a dangerous combination. Now this is my last warning, stop your work on this story.”
Footsteps neared the door again and one of the dark-suited men returned to the room followed by another man.
It was James!
Chapter 62
I leapt to my feet and James’ eyes locked with mine.
“Penny,” he said quietly with a nod. There was a darkness around his eyes and he was unshaven. His dark grey suit was creased in places, as if it were the only clothing he had worn for the past few days.
“Are you all right, James?” I asked, stepping closer. “I’ve been so worried!” I wanted to embrace him but didn’t feel comfortable doing so in front of Chief Inspector Cullen and his accomplices.
“I’m fine, thank you.” His voice was unusually formal. “How are you?”
“Surprised to be here, but extremely relieved to know that you’re all right. It has been a strange few days.”
“Reunited at last!” said the chief inspector with a grin. “You’ll have missed each other a great deal, no doubt. I apologise that the situation has called for this, but sometimes desperate measures are required. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to undertake something so clandestine, and it won’t be the last. But we’ll get the better of these people eventually. All that’s required at the moment is a little patience while they decide how to react to our latest move. I feel certain that everything will be restored to a perfect equilibrium before long.”
“I’m sure it will, sir,” said James.
“Good. I’ve explained to Miss Green that she must keep away from anyone with a connection to the murder victims. This will be extremely important now that we’re reaching the most critical stage of this investigation. You’d be impressed by how much she’s moved about today, Blakely. She has visited Miss Holland, Mr Billington-Grieg, Mr Sheridan and Mr Chakravarty.”
“That sounds just like Penny,” said James, giving me a weary smile.
“It does indeed,” said Chief Inspector Cullen, “but she’ll end up becoming the next victim if she’s not careful. I didn’t want another death on my hands, and I’m sure you wouldn’t have been too happy about it either, Blakely. Now that you’re both out of harm’s way I shall sleep a little easier tonight. Do please excuse me, I have to get back to the Yard for the next stage of the investigation. How I wish you could accompany me, Blakely, but sadly it’s too risky.”
“What is the next stage?” I asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough, Miss Green. I shall update you once this whole messy business is over.”
He quitted the room, leaving me and James in the company of the two men who had kidnapped me from the street. James pulled up one of the chairs and sat beside me.
“I’m still struggling to believe you’re really here,” I said. “I can’t tell you how worried I’ve been, not to mention Charlotte. We tried everything we could think of to find out what had happened to you.”
“You and Charlotte?” A bemused smile spread across James’ face.
“She’s been so worried, James. I wish we could tell her that you’re safe.”
“I’m certain we will be able to reassure her soon. How is she?”
“Extremely concerned about you. She’ll be so happy to see you again. How did you get here? What happened?”
“The Yard received a series of threats. The severed finger was only a small part of it.”
“What sort of threats?”
“Cullen intercepted a number of them, some of which were aimed at my family.”
“You received threats against your family?”
“The Yard did. I was kept from seeing them, as I’m told they were too distres
sing. The finger was bad enough.”
“Chief Inspector Cullen told you all this?”
“Yes, and he persuaded me to hide away here for a few days in the interests of my family’s safety. I couldn’t breathe a word of it to anyone in case those who had issued the threats found out.”
“So you have to stay here until the threat has disappeared?”
“And presumably the same applies to you, Penny.”
“I’m not aware of anyone having threatened me. Chief Inspector Cullen told me I was in danger, but I’m not sure whether I believe him or not. I can understand why he feels the need to protect you, but why me? He doesn’t even like me.”
James gave the dark-suited men a quick glance, which reminded me that everything I said would likely be reported back to him.
“Tell me what has been happening, Penny,” said James.
The light in the room began to fade as I spent a good few minutes telling James all that had occurred in the time since he had been away.
“Cullen told me about the Mawson murder,” he said. “It helped me accept that I was better off out of the way. These people are extremely ruthless.”
“Chief Inspector Cullen seems to think you would have put yourself in even more danger had you borrowed Alfred Holland’s diaries,” I said. “No doubt it was dangerous for Emma Holland, too, and that’s why he had to take them. But you can’t stay here, James, not when your family and Charlotte have no idea what has happened to you. It’s not fair on them. Have you asked if you can leave?”
“A number of times, but Cullen told me it’s not safe. If I let anyone know where I am it would put them in danger. I’m desperate to get out of here, but I cannot risk my family being harmed or losing my job. I suppose Cullen knows what he’s doing. He has been in similar situations before.”
“Has he?”
“Apparently so.”
“Where are we, exactly? Do you know?”