She wondered if Victoria had coddled her son because he was a little too fragile for the world. He had said that Val would get what was coming to him, but that made little sense. What was coming to him? She wanted to ask him more but he had been too distracted. He had not been in the right frame of mind to speak coherently of anything. Instead he had rambled on about being questioned and she shivered again.
She needed to get home and get out of the damp clothes. The wind had picked up again and it seemed to howl in the growing dark night.
She let herself into the townhouse. There was a gas lamp lit on the stairwell and she took the stairs to her room. She undressed quickly pulling on a simple dress and shawl. She peeked in on her grandmother who was fast asleep. She saw the empty glass beside her bed and assumed she had taken brandy to help her sleep.
She closed the door and went further down the hallway to her father’s room. It was empty. He was most likely at his club enjoying a good cigar, a whiskey and talk with the other gentlemen. She returned to her room even as the sound of the wind increased. She replayed the conversation again and again in her mind.
What had Charles been trying to tell her? Even if he was muddled, even if he was babbling half the time. There was something there. She sighed deeply. She must relay the conversation to Val.
???
Felix returned to the police station just as Val was arriving as well.
“What did you learn?” Val asked.
“I trailed him. Just as you asked,” Felix nodded.
“So, what happened?”
“Happened? Nothing happened. He’s still at his home. He went inside looking like a mouse the cat dragged in and there he stayed. I was there for several hours before I went home myself for some sleep.”
“You went home?” Val demanded of his sergeant.
“Well yes. I figured he would be in there for some time. I needed my own sleep,” Felix said suddenly defending himself.
“Dammit Felix! What if he didn’t stay there?” Val sputtered angrily.
“We know where he lives. He’s not packing up and heading to France,” Felix responded.
“We have five dead women on our hands. There will not be a sixth.” Val said coldly. “If you need time to rest, you flag down one of those errand boys to get a message to me to replace you in the field.”
“Sorry boss,” Felix said nodding. “It won’t happen again.”
“Return to the Lyttleton house and see if he’s still there. This time don’t let him out of your sight,” Val instructed.
“Will do,” Felix said chastised.
They both turned at the sound of lightning and the wind howling outside.
“It looks like we are in for a bad storm,” Felix told his boss as he grabbed his Mackintosh.
“Looks like it,” Val nodded.
Chapter 24
Felix was angry with himself. He had gotten off lightly with Val and he knew that he had been wrong. He should have
found a way to get word back to the station to relieve himself, instead he had just left. He returned quickly to the Lyttleton home and waited outside. He had only been outside a half hour when Charles exited the home.
Felix breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Charles hail a cab. The rain was coming down hard as he knocked twice on the roof of his own cab. His driver knew to follow the other cab.
The rain slowed their travel and the thunder slashed across the sky before they finally arrived at their destination. Felix was not entirely surprised when he saw the outline of the building which had formerly been the home of the opium den. He watched carefully as Charles left the cab and entered the building. He must let Val know immediately.
???
Caroline sent a brief note to Val explaining that she had seen Charles that afternoon and that he had been acting very odd. She ended the note saying that she was fine and at home. She also wrote that if he needed to see or speak to her to send word through her footman and she dispatched Wilmot to deliver the note.
She decided she could save herself the need for a trip in the storm because after all, nothing had really happened with Charles in the park only that he had behaved very oddly. If Val needed to see her, he would send word.