I met Edward’s gaze, and we both muttered the same name: “Gerard.”
Edward whistled and rubbed the whiskers on his chin. “What does it mean?”
“I have no idea.”
Why was Mae corresponding with the butler in secret? And what was the item she’d asked about? But the ultimate question was whether it had something to do with the financial documents in the folio.
We had to search Gerard’s room and see if we could decipher the code in the note. There was a chance that whatever she went looking for was gone, but maybe we’d get lucky.
“Where’s Gerard’s room?”
“There’s another servants’ wing in the attic. Gerard’s room is up there. We can use the old access tunnels and stay off the main staircase. We don’t want to alert anyone that we’ve escaped our confinement.”
I hesitated. Searching this wing had taken up a lot of time, and I had no way of knowing if Derrick had finished questioning everyone. Maybe it was better to head back to the pantry and wait to tell Derrick our plans? He’d be furious and more than a little worried if he discovered me missing. But it was a risky move. Gerard might have evidence hidden that could clear my name, and what if we didn’t get another chance to investigate before they hauled me away for murder?
“Lead the way,” I said, gathering up the shipping documents and Gerard’s note.
“That’s the spirit! Onward, Detective.” Edward grinned and sent me a wink.
We returned to the hallway and found the entrance to the passage. He used the skeleton key in the door and waved me forward.
I paused, angling my head, certain I’d heard something behind me.
“Did you hear that?” I held up the lamp, searching the empty hallway. But Edward wasn’t paying attention and let the door close behind him.
“Oh, drat,” he said from the other side of the wall. “It’s pitch-dark in here, and you have the lamp. Hold on. Ah! These cobwebs are disgusting.”
Something snapped, followed by a telling silence.
“What was that?” I asked, pressing my ear against the panel.
“Um…that was the locking lever. I may have over-cranked it. These old mechanisms are so finicky. Someone could lose a hand!”
“Edward, what are you saying?”
“Well, my dear, I’m afraid the door won’t open.” There was a muffled thud and then a curse. “You have the light, and I have the key. A terrible combination.”
“What?” I hissed, running my hand along the seam. Maybe if I got my fingers in the groove? But it was razor-thin and sealed tight.
Unbelievable!
“You’ll have to make your way to the third floor the normal way, Tessa. There’s a servant access at the end of the hall that will take you through the kitchen. Once there, you can continue up the servants’ stairs to the third floor, then take a right and go all the way to the end, and there’s another hallway that leads to the attic stairs. I’ll try to meet you up there—” Another muffled crash. “Damn this darkness!”
“Be careful!”
“You too, my dear. See you at the top.”
There was silence on the other side, and I groaned, dropping my forehead against the wall. I’d already gotten lost once tonight, and now Edward expected me to find my way to the attic all on my own. After this, I was really going to work on my sense of direction. Unless I was in prison. Then it wouldn’t make a difference.
Working my way along the hall, I found the stairwell leading up to the kitchen. I got turned around a bit and ended up in the servants’ lounge but quickly righted course and located the correct entrance, which took me to the third floor. So far so good, and when the door opened into the guest wing, I breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar surroundings.
The guest hall was well lit with wall sconces. I swiftly navigated the few turns until I saw the tops of the curved handrails and giant chandelier hanging above the main staircase that led back down to the first floor. I’d have to cross over the landing and continue to the west wing of the house to reach the attic.
Thanks to the length of carpet running down the hall, I picked up my pace, unconcerned about the sound of my footsteps, except—wait! There were footsteps. Heavy ones, pounding up the stairs in front of me.
Someone was coming.
I skidded to a halt, glancing over my shoulder at the way I’d come. There wasn’t time to backtrack; whoever was climbing the stairs would reach the top before I could hide. They’d see me standing there, illuminated by the sconces I’d been so relieved to have lighting my way.
