Page 80 of Ticket Out

She gave a nod, sharp and thin-lipped, as if she was so disappointed in herself. “The moment I pulled it open he was on me.” She closed her eyes for a moment. Sighed. “It was a shock.”

Gabriella reached out and took her hand again. Squeezed.

Ruby squeezed back. “He dragged me down the passage, into the morning room, and pulled some rope out the parcel he had been pretending to deliver. He tied me up with a knife pressed against my throat.” She reached out a fluttering, shaking hand, and her fingertips brushed the cut there. “Then he started asking me all kinds of questions about Gabriella. About the police investigation. I told him I had no idea about any of it.”

“How did he take that?” James asked.

“He seemed to find it funny. I would almost say he knew I didn’t know, and it was all a game, an excuse to hurt me.”

“He must have thought you knew something, or why risk taking you hostage?” James leaned back in his chair.

Ruby narrowed her eyes at him. “He didn’t need a reason, Mr. Archer. Hurting me was its own reward.”

James looked like he simply couldn’t believe her.

“When you told him you didn’t know where I lived, he told you he already knew. That all he wanted was my new route.” Gabriella felt Ruby’s hand tremble in hers.

“That’s right. You heard that part?” She shook her head. “Of course you did. That’s when you broke Aunt Violet’s vase over his head.”

“Aunt Violet’s vase?” she said, and grimaced. “It was a family heirloom?”

Ruby laughed, the first sign of humor she’d had so far. “A horrendous, ugly family heirloom I’ve felt too guilty to get rid of. You saved me twice over, Gabriella.”

James cleared his throat, calling their attention back to him. “He wanted Miss Farnsworth’s new work route?”

“That’s what he said, but he didn’t actually expect me to know. I think if I had, and had given it to him, that would have been a bonus.”

“I remember what he said,” Gabriella said. “About being afraid for yourself. About you ruining his plans on Saturday, and how that made him angry. He was there to punish you, to hurt you because you interfered.”

Ruby gave a nod. “I think so. He didn’t need any more reason than that.” She looked over at James. “I must also tell you that he got hold of my husband’s revolver, left over from the war. I tried to get it in our struggle and he overpowered me and took it. Once he had it though, he put it in his pocket and kept on using the knife.”

Gabriella looked over at James, saw he looked pained at that information, but he still didn’t seem to understand what they were telling him.

“He came after me, James, even though he had to know I would have already told you everything I remembered. Even though I couldn’t have seen him kill either of his victims. He came after me because he wanted to.”

“That kind of behavior . . .” James shook his head. “It’s out of control. We would have seen more evidence of it.”

“Maybe this is the start of his spree.” Gabriella lifted her shoulders.

Hartridge, who’d been lurking by the door, scribbling away as they spoke, took a step forward. “I heard back from Clubs and Vice, sir.”

James glanced back at him.

“They say one of the big heroin dealers has gone quiet in the last month. A Johnny Crane. No one’s seen him, and his house looks closed up. But the supplies are still getting out. And Russ Holler, the one you caught trying to get into Miss Farnsworth’s flat? Clubs and Vice says he’s one of Johnny Crane’s men.”

“But he’s still under orders from someone,” James said. “It’s possible someone’s taken over Johnny Crane’s operation.”

“Mr. Knife.” Gabriella saw from the start both men gave that they had forgotten where they were. Who they were talking in front of.

“We can talk to Clubs and Vice later,” James said, shifting back to the bed. “Gabriella . . .” he cleared his throat. “Miss Farnsworth. You entered via the sun room?”

Gabriella sent him a cheeky grin at his slip. “Yes. I heard voices inside the house and moved quietly toward them. I heard Mr. Knife stab Mrs. Everett, and I grabbed up a big vase and broke it over his head. I untied Mrs. Everett while Mr. Knife tried to shake off the effects of being hit, and we made for the front door as fast as we could, given Mrs. Everett’s injuries. He had locked the front door, though, and I didn’t know where the keys were, and Mrs. Everett wasn’t in a fit state to tell me, so we took refuge in the lav. Mr. Knife tried to break the door down, then he moved away, came back to threaten us with dire consequences, and then he ran.” She lifted her shoulders. “Then you came.”

“What dire consequences were these?” James asked, his face set.

“We couldn’t hide from him. He’d get us. We would never know safety again. Blah, blah, blah.”

“Blah, blah, blah?” James’s eyes flashed fire, and from behind him, Hartridge seemed to go into a coughing fit.

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