Page 36 of Across Space and Time

“Thank you,” Hugh replied, giving the man a polite bow. “Shall I escort you out?”

Mr. Rhodes nodded, and Hugh led him back through the police station lobby to the front entrance, watching as the man put his mangled hat back onto his head, trying to straighten it, before he vanished into the busy London streets.

The tense feeling in Hugh’s stomach had turned into a writhing mass of serpents. There was a connection between the missing gardener and the burned bakery. John Henries had been at the bakery, or had been placed inside the bakery, to be disposed of alongside the bakery employees when the fire consumed it. And, for as much as it was certainly possible the entire thing was an accident, Hugh very much doubted that was the case. He wondered what Jack would think about the whole thing when he told him about it at the end of his patrol.

Chapter eleven

Hugh brought the newspaper article home after work. Jack was stretched out in the armchair, as though he had not left it all night, though of course he had only just arrived home as well. He had followed Hugh on the rooftops during his patrol, because he had to make sure Hugh was safe. He knew Hugh had noticed him but had not said anything, just casting a small smile up toward the rooftop.

“Hmm, suspicious indeed,” Jack said, reading the article after Hugh told him about John Henries. “If they are not connected in some way, it is certainly a very odd coincidence.”

“I agree,” Hugh replied. “At least the inspectors will investigate a fire like that, since the victims weren’t prostitutes.” Jack could hear bitterness in Hugh’s voice, and he didn’t like it.

“You are the best investigator on the police force,” he said firmly. “If anyone will solve these fiendish felonies, it will be you.”

Hugh chuckled softly. “I appreciate your faith in me.”

“Shall we investigate the bakery?” Jack asked, giving an eager little jump. Hugh had not gone to the bakery during his patrol, and Jack was itching to see it for himself. “Or do you need to rest?”

Hugh chuckled softly. “You wanted to go now?”

“Why not?” Jack asked, throwing his arms up. “I have excellent night vision, and we will probably encounter fewer people in the dark of night than in the daylight.”

“Fair enough,” Hugh relented. “I would like to see it for myself anyway, to see if the detectives missed anything. We can walk there now. It is a bit of a distance though.”

Jack sprang over to the coat rack to grab his cape, whipping it around his shoulders. “Never fear, I shall have us there in minutes!”

“What?” Hugh asked, staring at him in surprise.

“Come!” Jack held out his hand to Hugh.

“Where are we going?”

“To the rooftop!” Jack declared.

Hugh’s eyes widened. “Jack! We can’t go leaping across the rooftops!”

“Why not?” Jack asked, tipping his head curiously.

“Because people might see us,” Hugh replied.

“People have already seen me,” Jack said with a shrug. “I am not an unusual sight in the city.”

“But they will see me,” Hugh replied.

Jack raised a brow. “From the rooftops, no one will know who you are. And I shall wrap my cloak around you so your identity shall not be known. Come, we have a mystery afoot!”

Hugh opened his mouth to protest, and then he closed it again. What did he have to lose? If he didn’t solve this case, he was likely going to end up losing his job. If it absolutely came down to it, he could claim to have been grabbed by Spring-Heeled Jack. It was not an unbelievable occurrence. And he certainly did not feel like walking miles again after his nightly patrol. “All right,” he said. “You are able to carry me without dropping me?”

“I swear upon Copernicus’s elephant, I shall not drop you,” Jack declared, placing his hand over his heart.

Hugh blinked. “Did Copernicus have an elephant?”

“I have no idea,” Jack said with a grin before he opened the door and disappeared into the hallway. Hugh quickly followed after him. He was still in his police uniform, which would at least help if they encountered any trouble at the bakery site, and the dark blue would be hard to see against the night sky and with Jack’s cloak around him. He closed and locked his apartment door before following Jack several turns up the stairs until they reached the door that led to the roof.

Jack pushed it open and stepped out into the night, drawing in a deep lungful of air. “Ah, London,” he said rhapsodically. “One of the most beautiful cities in the world, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have much to compare it to,” Hugh said, closing the rooftop door behind them. It gave a rusty-sounding protest, and he winced, hoping he had not just woken up the entire building.

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