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James grabbed Evans from behind while Lena pushed Stockton in the back, sending him stumbling forward. Simon lunged toward Evans and shoved the gun toward the ceiling, then struck the man several times. The three men struggled briefly while Stockton regained his balance, his expression frantic as he watched the battle.
Then he reached for Norah, eyes wild as he took hold of her arm. She didn’t think twice and fought him, using elbows and fists to break free.
“Damn woman,” Stockton cursed and reached for her again, his efforts complicated by the brawling men.
Lena joined the fray, and the two sisters pummeled the director back. Norah refused to give him the chance to aid Evans.
She needn’t have worried, for when she turned to look, Simon punched Evans squarely in the jaw and stomach, then wrenched the pistol from Evans’s grasp. At last, James managed to subdue Evans.
“Halt, Stockton,” Simon demanded. “It’s over.”
The stout man’s chest heaved, the swatch of hair he normally combed over his balding head flapping alarmingly to one side. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”
“What was the plan?” Simon asked, pointing the pistol at the two men while he gestured for Norah and Lena to move behind him.
Stockton swiped at his hair, then ran a hand over his face, his distress obvious. “When Mr. Evans approached me with a proposition and a well-paying position a few months ago, I couldn’t refuse.”
“Shut up, Stockton,” Evans demanded.
The director glared at Evans. “No one was supposed to be hurt.” Then he turned to Simon with mounting anger. “You showed so little interest in the museum. Why would I put all my efforts into improving it when you didn’t care?”
“That’s not true. I trusted you to keep things running smoothly.”
“Business was already going downhill, so I took the clay pot with the hope of speeding it up. But you didn’t notice for some time, which gave me the idea of making you think your absentmindedness was worse than you realized. Then came the unveiling of the Wright exhibit.” Stockton shook his head, casting an annoyed look at Norah and Lena. “That increased visitors significantly. Evans offered me a reward to take the coin and insisted that when word spread of the thefts, business would plummet, forcing you to close. But it didn’t work. If anything, people grew curious, and we had even more visitors.”
“So, you took more artifacts,” Simon said as he reached for Norah’s hand and eased her close. Her heart settled at the contact, her relief that he was unharmed easing her fears.
“I am not a thief.” Stockton lifted his nose, suggesting the term was offensive to him. “It was Evans who forced me to do it.”
“I didn’t force you to do anything,” Evans argued. “You took my money with glee.”
“What man doesn’t dream of a better life?” Stockton’s question didn’t gain him any sympathy.
“Where are Emerson and Miles?” Simon asked, his expression wary.
“Locked in the butler’s pantry,” Stockton advised. “When I arrived, I told them I had found the missing items and wanted to show them. Then I locked both in there before letting Evans into the museum.”
“That’s the knocking we heard,” Lena said.
“We’ll free them,” Norah offered. “Where is the key?”
In short order, she and Lena took the carriage light downstairs and unlocked the door to release a relieved Emerson and Miles. Emerson took Norah’s carriage to fetch the police while Miles hurried upstairs to assist Simon and James.
“Lady Havenby is going to be very worried,” Lena said.
“It can’t be helped.” Norah wound her arm through her sister’s as they climbed the final flight of stairs. “But she’ll be delighted to be among the first to hear of the excitement this evening.”
“It’s been too exciting for my tastes.” Lena gave a mock shudder.
“And mine.” Norah couldn’t completely dispel the hot ball of worry in the pit of her stomach when she remembered the sight of Evans pointing the gun at Simon. “Thank goodness it ended without injury.”
They rejoined the men to find that Evans and Stockton’s hands had been bound, thanks to rope from the storage room. Miles and James escorted the two men downstairs to await the police. Simon stood near Stockton’s desk on which the gun sat, along with a few wrapped items.
“You will be pleased to see what I found.” Simon held up their father’s coin, and Norah gasped in surprise as he gave it to her. “My apologies for the upset it caused you to have been missing for this long.”
Norah shared a smile with Lena. “We’re very happy to have it back.” She studied Simon. “Please tell me you’re not still going to close the museum.”
“Indeed,” Lena agreed. “That would be terrible.”
