Out of Time: . (Steamside Chroncles Book 1) Read online

  “That’s where the body was found,” said Jacob. “They smashed a window in the door, took the key out of the lock and gained entry. They managed to get upstairs and subdue the child. Their intention, apparently, was to leave the same way,” Jacob pointed to a pair of French doors which led to the garden.

  “What went wrong?”

  “The child’s governess had not retired. It seems she came across them by accident and raised the alarm.”

  “There was a struggle,” said Kate looking at the way the rug had ruffled up and the skewed desk. She walked to the French doors, opened them and stepped outside. She looked through the broken window, “Has the glass been cleared up?”

  “Nothing except the body has been moved as far as I know, only the door has been closed. Why?”

  Kate knelt down on the gravel covering the ground at the bottom of the steps, “There seems to be a lot of glass on the floor outside,” Kate stood and followed the gravel path around the soil bed. A glint from something under a leafy shrub several metres from the door caught her attention. She leaned in and picked up a metal object from the soil

  “What have you found?” called Jacob.

  “It’s a key, and if I’m not mistaken…”

  A sudden crunching sound came from Kate’s right, “Who’s there?”

  The only light was from the gas lamps inside the house. A thick fog had reduced visibility to a matter of a yard or so when Kate saw a large figure hurtling towards her, she had little time to react. He tried to push past but Kate grabbed hold of his thick tweed jacket. The man spun around and threw his right fist toward her. She blocked the blow with ease and tried to bring her left knee into his groin. It would have been a perfect strike if her dress hadn’t got in the way. Her knee didn’t make contact. The man pushed her to the floor and ran. By the time Jacob reached her, the man had scrambled over the wall and had disappeared into the fog. The constable from the front door, alerted by the commotion, arrived and set off after him.

  “Are you alright?” Jacob asked as he led her back into the room.

  “Yes I’m fine,” said Kate. She breathed in slowly through her nose, “Can you smell that?”

  “I don’t smell anything,” Jacob admitted.

  “I can smell coconut,” said Kate.

  “I think you had better come inside,” insisted Jacob. “You have had a nasty shock.”

  “He would have had a nastier one if I’d been wearing my trousers instead of this dress,” Kate smoothed the dress down as she regained her composure. “I don’t understand,” she said. “If they smashed their way in why was the key outside. Where would it normally be kept?”

  “Locked in the top drawer of my desk where it is always kept when not in use.”

  “Lord Ashbury,” said Jacob, “forgive the intrusion at this late hour but there were just one or two points that needed clearing up.”

  “Surely that is a matter for the police, Doctor McKinley, not their hired help and…” he looked at Kate, “their staff.”

  Kate bristled, “Do you always leave the key in the lock overnight?” she asked

  “An impertinent associate you have Doctor. No my good woman I do not. As I have already said, when not in use the key is kept in the top drawer of my desk. The police and their assumptions on that matter are quite wrong I assure you. And as for the constable left to guard us, well, I shall ensure he’s in a debtor’s prison before long.”

  “I hardly think that was another kidnap attempt,” said Kate, “and he certainly wasn’t going to leave a ransom note. He came back for something.”

  “Such as?” asked Lord Ashbury.

  Kate looked at the rug and then turned her attention to the desk. The marks on the floor indicated where it normally stood. Kate lifted one end and managed to push the desk back into its normal position.

  “The desk,” said Kate. “It had been pushed away from the window. But the struggle happened here, in front of the fire.”

  “How can you tell?” asked Jacob.

  “Where the she sun has shone through the windows the wooden floor has been bleached. Except here,” Kate pointed at a large rectangle of the floor in front of the fire which was slightly darker than the rest of the floor. “This is where the rug normally is.”

  Jacob lit a small oil lamp on the desk and looked closer at the floor. By the light of the lamp he could now see that Kate was right.

  “If the struggle happened behind the desk,” Kate continued, “how did the body end up in front of the fire?” Kate looked at Lord Ashbury, “Is this your key?” she asked as she placed the key she had found in the shrubbery on the desk.

  The anger in his face was obvious to see. He walked to the desk and slid out a chain from his waistcoat pocket, at the end of which was a small key. He unlocked the top right hand drawer of the desk and took out a large brass key.

  “This is the key to the French doors,” he said, placing it on the desk. “It has been here the whole time and could not have been used to open those doors,” he walked to the study door and opened it. “Now, I would ask that you leave immediately. I have a Bill to present to Parliament tomorrow morning and I do not welcome any further intrusions.”

  Kate was about to press the point further when she felt Jacob’s hand on her arm. She turned around to see Jacob looking at her and slowly shaking his head.

  “I’m sorry to have disturbed you Lord Ashbury,” said Jacob. “I apologise for any inconvenience we have caused you. We will of course be leaving.”

  Jacob walked through the door to find Susan, Lord Ashbury’s maid, standing about to knock.

  “Lord Ashbury sir,” she said. “Sir Edward Riordan is here to see you. He says it is urgent.”

  “Show him in,” said Lord Ashbury. Despite his rigid stance Kate noticed Lord Ashbury distinctly stiffen.

  Riordan had barely got into the room before he started speaking, “Lord Ashbury I’m afraid I have bad news. The body of your son was found in Victoria Park a short time ago.”

  Kate looked at Lord Ashbury. There was no reaction.

  “I have instructed officers to take the body to the mortuary at Shoreditch in anticipation of a post-mortem,” Riordan continued.

  “You will do no such thing,” Lord Ashbury growled the words through clenched teeth. “I will not have my son sliced open as though he were a laboratory rat. You will bring him back here.”

  “L…Lord Ashbury,” Riordan stammered, “I cannot do that. The procedure clearly says…”

  “Damn your procedure sir. You will bring him back here or you will answer to the Prime Minister himself as to why you did not. If the police could have been trusted to do their job properly I doubt any of this would have happened. The Metropolitan Police Force is infested with corruption and incompetence and I intend to purge it. Starting at the top.”

  Even in the shallow light Riordan went noticeably pale.

  “Now get out,” Lord Ashbury’s raised voice boomed across the room, “and see to it my son is brought here. Immediately.”

  Kate, Jacob and Riordan hurried out into the hall and were shown out through the front door. It was only when they were outside that Riordan seemed notice their presence.

  “What were you doing here?” he asked.

  “There were some further measurements I needed to take to complete my report. You’ll have it on your desk tomorrow.”

  “If I still have one,” murmured Riordan.

  “How was the boy killed?” asked Kate.

  “It would appear as though he was poisoned,” said Riordan hardly noticing it was Kate who was speaking. “There is some minor bruising on his arms and face but not enough to cause death. There is also a strong smell of laudanum.”

  Absently Riordan turned and walked toward Kensington High Street to hail a cab. As they watched him walk away, Kate turned to Jacob.

  “You know I’m right,” she said.

  “You think the intruders had a key, unlocked the door to get in and broke the window
on the way out to disguise the fact.”

  “That’s exactly what I think. If the window was smashed on the way out it wouldn’t matter who heard it, they would have been long gone. The governess must have found them as they broke the window and raised the alarm.”

  “I must admit it does make sense.”

  “And why did only one come back?” continued Kate. “To kidnap Lord Ashbury’s daughter? No, it doesn’t make sense. It would take more than one to kidnap a child and they must have known there would be Police guarding the house, so that also rules out leaving a ransom note. They left something important behind.”

  “The key you found,” said Jacob. “But how will we find out if it fits the lock?”

  “I already know that it does,” said Kate as she showed Jacob a photo on her smartphone of the iron key she had found in the shrubbery next to the brass key Lord Ashbury had taken from the desk drawer. “I took this photo when Lord Ashbury was shouting at your friend.”

  Jacob looked closely at the photograph. The two keys were identical. Nothing else was said as they walked back to Jacob’s house, but Jacob knew she was right.

  ***

  The water in Lavender Pond had started to freeze. Two constables, desperately trying not to overturn the small rowing boat they were kneeling in, were breaking the ice that had formed at the water’s edge. A third constable thrust a long pole into the water. The body and the end of the pole were almost lost in the dense fog. After several attempts he managed to snag the hook on the end of the pole into the waistcoat the dead man was wearing. The body was pulled to the edge of the pool where he was dragged out of the water.

  The constables rolled the body onto its back and rubbed their freezing hands to stop them from going numb.

  “He’s been garrotted,” said one of the constables in the boat to his colleagues on the side, “You’d better get word back to the station. The Deputy Commissioner himself will want to know.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Jacob checked his pocket watch as the hansom pulled up into St Giles Square. “It’s seven o’clock, I didn’t realise it was so late,” he said as the cab stopped outside the house. Jacob jumped onto the pavement and walked to Kate’s side of the cab to help her out.

  “Your dress,” he pointed to the skirt. “It’s been ripped from where you were pushed to the ground. Are you sure you suffered no injuries?”

  “No, I’m fine thank you,” insisted Kate as they walked through the front door. They were met by Miss Wheaton in the hallway.

  “Miss Wheaton. I hope that it’s not too late for Grace to sit with us at dinner.”

  “Of course not, Doctor McKinley. I’ll make sure she’s dressed.”

  The governess started to walk upstairs when, almost as an afterthought Jacob continued talking.

  “One other thing Miss Wheaton. Miss Lockwood will be staying with us for a while. Unfortunately we do not know the whereabouts of her luggage or when it will be delivered. Please forgive me for asking, but could I impose upon you to ensure she has something to wear for dinner tonight. I’m afraid Miss Lockwood was the subject of an attack this evening and the dress you loaned her earlier has been damaged.”

  Miss Wheaton hurried back downstairs.

  “You didn’t come to any harm did you?”

  Kate shook her head and smiled. “No, but unfortunately your dress has been torn. I’m really sorry.” Kate pulled her skirt around and Miss Wheaton inspected the damage.

  “Oh that doesn’t matter, as long as you are not injured.”

  “Doctor McKinley, of course it’s no imposition. Please leave everything to me,” Miss Wheaton turned to Kate. “Come upstairs. I have several things you can try on.”

  Jacob watched them go upstairs before hanging his hat and coat on the coat hooks in the hallway. He went into his study and closed the door behind him. Opening the false bookcase by the fire Jacob slotted his cane in a brass stand and pushed down until he heard a loud click and then a hiss. He sat on one of the leather chairs in front of the fire and took the iron key, which Kate had given him in the cab ride back from Lord Ashbury’s house, from an inside pocket of his frock coat. He examined the key, slowly turning it round in his hands. If Miss Lockwood was right, and what she had said certainly made sense, then there were many questions to be answered. Where did the key come from? Why smash the window on the way out? What was so important about the key that the murderer came back for it? Jacob turned the key in his hand again before placing it on the desk and going upstairs to get changed for dinner.

  ***

  Kate wondered if their laughter could be heard throughout the whole house. Miss Wheaton had identified over a dozen dresses which, she assured Kate, she could no longer fit into. There were two, which she confided, she had never been able to fit in.

  As each dress became tighter the story behind the dresses became funnier. The story about the Army major and his wife’s Dachshunds had Kate laughing so much she thought she might split the dress she was trying on. Eventually, Kate settled on a pale lilac dress with a sewn in bodice which was buttoned at the front. White chiffon came over both shoulders, curved round and met at the top button with a matching lilac rose and a delicate string of pearls hanging down.

  “It’s beautiful,” said Kate looking in the mirror, “though not something I would normally wear for pizza.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Miss Wheaton, “pizza?”

  “Oh,” said Kate suddenly realising the confusion, “it’s a local dish from Naples. It’s very messy to eat,” she explained.

  “I would have loved to have been able to travel in my younger days,” Miss Wheaton said. “So many exciting places to see.”

  “It’s never too late to see the world.”

  “Perhaps,” said Miss Wheaton, “when Miss McKinley has grown up. However, there’s the matter of dinner this evening to attend to first.”

  They had taken the rest of the dresses up to Kate’s room before collecting Grace and going downstairs. The dining room was elegantly furnished. Large bay windows either side of a crackling log fire. The long dining table had ten chairs well-spaced out around it with Jacob’s chair at the head of the table. He stood as Grace ran into the room followed by Miss Wheaton and Kate. Grace sat on her father’s left with Miss Wheaton beside her. Kate sat opposite Grace.

  “I hope you don’t mind Grace and Miss Wheaton eating with us, Miss Lockwood,” said Jacob, “I know it’s…unusual, but I haven’t seen much of Grace in the last few days, and to be honest, I enjoy the company.”

  “No of course not,” said Kate, looking over the table and winking at Grace, “she’s gorgeous.”

  Grace tried to suppress a giggle as she unfolded her napkin.

  The first course of soup was soon served and as the dish was placed in front of her Kate looked up to see it was Ivy, the maid, who was serving her. As she left the room Kate made her excuses and followed her into the hallway where she called after her. Ivy turned around and seeing the woman who had grabbed her that morning was about to run back to the kitchen. Kate saw the look of shock on her face and rushed to reassure her.

  “Ivy. I just wanted to say how sorry I am for what I did this morning. I didn’t mean to hurt or frighten you. It’s just that I was scared.”

  “Scared?” Ivy now seemed more confused than frightened.

  “Yes,” said Kate. “I woke up in a strange bed, in a strange house to find I’d been undressed. I had no idea where I was or how I had got there. I thought I might be a prisoner and you one of my captors.”

  Ivy smiled, “Oh no miss,” said Ivy, a flicker of understanding crossing her face, “Doctor McKinley would never do anything like that. He only wanted to help. It was Miss Wheaton and myself who undressed you, the Doctor wasn’t even in the room.”

  “Yes I understand that now,” said Kate. “Thank you for helping and I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

  “No miss, not at all. Thank you,” Ivy looked relieved as she turned and headed back toward
s the kitchen.

  Dinner had consisted of several courses and the evening had centred on Grace. Kate soon learned that Grace was a very inquisitive young lady and had asked Kate a number of very awkward questions about her sudden appearance at the house and where she had come from. With the help of Jacob, Kate managed to fend off most of the questions and by the end had decided distraction was the best course of action. Grace squealed in delight as Kate showed her how to fold a napkin into a swan. Kate found Grace to be a very quick learner as several swans soon appeared on the table.

  By the end of dinner Grace had become noticeably subdued, “You look very pale,” said Miss Wheaton, holding her palm against Grace’s forehead. “I think it’s time Miss McKinley retired for the night,”

  A look of disappointment flashed across Jacob’s face before he nodded in agreement. He could see how tired Grace had become, “If you take her up Miss Wheaton I shall follow her shortly,” he said as he watched the governess pick Grace up and carry her out of the dining room. Jacob turned his attention to Kate, “I know it’s unusual to see a child at the dinner table, but I like to spend as much time with her as possible,” he said, “and you did seem to make quite an impression on her.”

  Kate smiled. “It’s nice to see a family sat around the table at the same time having dinner,” she said. “It’s become quite unusual where I come from.”

  Jacob poured a measure of brandy into a glass and offered it to Kate. She refused and Jacob doubled the amount in the glass before taking a sip. He looked at Kate and chose his words carefully.

  “You agreed to meet a friend of mine if I took you to the scene of the kidnap and murder,” he said at last. “Would you still meet him?”

  Kate had not forgotten the agreement and had her suspicions as to the friend’s profession. “You want me to see a shrink,” she said.