Page 44 of The Missing Maid
‘Ah, they were all drunk,’ Oliver said, stepping back and releasing her. ‘But you’re hurt.’
She shook her head, and immediately wished she hadn’t. ‘Just cuts and bruises.’
Frowning, he reached out to gently tilt her face to the light. ‘You’re going to have a lovely black eye tomorrow.’
Gingerly, she reached up to feel the skin around her eye socket. It had already started to swell. ‘Could have been worse,’ she said, remembering how close the knife had been.
Oliver shook his head. ‘And Dora? Don’t tell me she got away.’
At that, Harry managed a weak smile. ‘Of course not. Follow me.’
He did as she demanded, eyes widening as he took in Dora’s crumpled form. Once he had satisfied himself that Dora did not appear to be seriously hurt, Oliver gazed at Harry with a troubled expression. ‘So now what do we do?’
‘Hand her over to the police,’ Harry said, puffing out a long breath. ‘It’s the best way to help Mildred.’
‘Yes,’ Oliver said patiently. ‘But how do we do that?’ He adopted a singsong voice. ‘Oh, excuse me, Officer, here’s a criminal who is wanted in connection with a burglary that I just happened to find?’
Harry stared at him. ‘Why not?’
Oliver huffed impatiently. ‘Becauseyouare not supposed to be here, Harry. You are the granddaughter of a baron – you have a reputation to protect, not to mention a job that would take adim view of you getting involved in street fights with gangsters.’ He paused to glare at Dora. ‘And so do I, as a matter of fact.’
He had a point, Harry supposed, but it was too late to back off now. ‘Don’t you have contacts?’ she asked, throwing her hands in the air. ‘Those pals at Vine Street or wherever who help you out every now and then?’
He shook his head. ‘In case you hadn’t noticed, we are not in Mayfair. Things work a bit differently around here.’
‘Call in Scotland Yard, then,’ Harry said, thoroughly exasperated. ‘Isn’t there a real-life Inspector Lestrade who would love to take the credit for clearing up a notorious burglary and nabbing the real culprits?’
Oliver opened his mouth to argue then paused, looking thoughtful. ‘Actually, you might be onto something there. Not Inspector Lestrade but there is someone who might be able to help.’ He fixed Harry with a determined stare. ‘But you cannot be here. I’m going to insist on this, Harry – it’s time for you to go home.’
She thought about refusing. Now that the chase was over, she wanted to stay and see Dora taken into custody. Only then would she believe they had prevailed. But Oliver was right – it was not prudent for her to stay. Her presence could not be easily explained, especially not dressed the way she was. ‘Promise you will tell me everything the moment you are able,’ she said, with extreme reluctance.
‘Of course,’ he answered. ‘If you’ll promise you will go straight home.’
Grimacing, Harry rolled her shoulders. ‘Believe me, I’m not going anywhere else. There’s a bath with my name on it.’
He shook his head again but she thought there was a touch of admiration in the way he looked at her. ‘Put some cream on that bruise. I don’t know what your mother is going to say when she sees it.’
Harry pulled the flat cap down to cover her hair once more and began to limp towards the bright lights of Elephant and Castle. ‘We’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t, then. Won’t we?’
15
ROBERTSON BURGLARY ARREST
Police Raids in Elephant and Castle
Original Suspect Released
The newspaper sellers were enthusiastic about the headlines that had developed overnight; Harry could hear them bellowing from her apartment. She had planned to wake up early to buy a copy ofThe Timesand find out exactly what Oliver and his contact at Scotland Yard had cooked up, but her weary body had other ideas. When she did finally wake up, it took her twice as long as usual to do her make-up and she still suspected her black eye would give the game away. She certainly received a few curious looks as she hurried along Baker Street, trying to read the paper at the same time as buttoning up her coat.
Danny the doorman tutted as she dashed up the steps to the bank. ‘Four minutes to spare, Miss White,’ he said, then did a double take. ‘Strike a light! You been in the ring or something?’
Harry did not stop. ‘I walked into the cupboard door,’ she said blithely. ‘So clumsy of me.’
She kept her head down as she crossed the marbled lobby of the bank and it wasn’t until she reached her office that the significance of Danny’s comment on her timekeeping dawned on Harry. He had always been ready with a smile and a joke when she arrived and left each day but she wouldn’t be surprised to find that he was the one who had reported her to Mr Pemberton. The other doorman, Patrick, had always been polite and deferential – more of a hat tipper – but she had no idea what his personality was like. Sooner or later, she would establish which of them was Simeon Pemberton’s spy but it was unlikely to be today.
After swiftly removing her hat and coat, she sank into her seat at the desk to pore over the main story on the front page. Dora Grubb, of Tea Cutter Row, South London, had been arrested by Inspector Archibald of Scotland Yard after an extensive undercover police operation to find the real culprits of the Lord Robertson burglary, the article claimed. The diligence and hard work of the police had paid off, Archibald was reported to have said, and an innocent girl had been saved from an unjust punishment. Efforts to catch the other criminals involved were ongoing, the story went on. Bridget Short, Deputy Governor of Holloway Prison, welcomed the news and praised the efforts of Scotland Yard ‘to right a terrible wrong’. Inspector Archibald’s comments caused Harry to raise a wry eyebrow but she supposed she should be grateful that her role in the case remained a secret. And since no one other than Dora knew the truth, her involvement was likely to remain hidden, as was that of Sherlock Holmes, which was most definitely, indubitably, as it should be.
‘I am glad my client’s innocence had been proven,’ City lawyer Oliver Fortescue said in a statement. ‘She hassuffered most egregiously but will now be restored to her family to recover from her ordeal.’
