Page 79 of In the Midnight Hour

Northwood chuckled as she unlocked the gate. They trailed Quill as they made their way along the main path to the other side.

“We should go to number twenty-four and look for evidence,” Northwood suggested.

Hypatia had been thinking the same. Now that they knew Sir Radnor had attacked his maids, Hypatia considered how he would have done so. “Sir Radnor donned his dressing gown on Friday night and left his chamber in search of prey. We should start our search on the top floor where the maids’ quarters are located. He would have assaulted his victim there.”

“Then what happened?” Northwood asked. “She killed him and carried him downstairs to his chamber, where she made it look as though he fell? I don’t see either of those young women being able to get him downstairs without help.”

“Perhaps the killer had help,” Hypatia said. “If the two of them worked together, I believe they could do whatever was necessary. They would have been driven by fury and fear.”

They reached the other gate, and North opened it for Hypatia. Quill slipped through before them. “I think it’s possible Mrs. Babcock might have helped. Or at least known. She seemed to try to keep us away from the maids.”

Hypatia nodded. “She did.”

They crossed the street and when they reached the pavement, North moved to open her gate. “I’m not sure I’m in the mood for tea. I think I’d much prefer to view your back garden. I hear you have a gate.”

Hypatia smiled at him, understanding what he meant. “I do indeed. I’d be delighted to show you, my lord.”

“North.” He chuckled as she swept through the gate. “Someday, you will call me North.”

Chapter 19

Hypatia led Northwood directly to her back garden, and Quill continued along with them. At the gate that opened to number twenty-four, the cat leapt onto the stone wall, whilst Hypatia and North passed through.

Quill easily dropped into the garden and walked with them to the back door that led to the morning room. Hypatia looked down at the cat as she reached for the door. “You should probably wait out here.” She turned her head toward Northwood. “Ready?” she whispered.

He nodded. “I hope we don’t encounter anyone.”

“And if we do?” Hypatia asked.

“It’s your house,” Northwood said with a mischievous shrug. “Or will be soon anyway.”

Hypatia opened the door, and Quill streaked inside. Frowning, she looked back at Northwood, who was almost smiling. He shrugged and mouthed the word, “Cats.” As if that explained everything.

And actually, it did.

They crept into the morning room, which had been cleaned of the flowers that had been employed to mask the smell of Sir Radnor’s body. It had been scrubbed so thoroughly that Hypatia would not have known it had housed a dead man for nigh on five days.

She went to the doorway and peered into the hall, paying close attention to the doorway that led to the servants’ staircase. They would take the main stairs, reasoning they would be less likely to encounter any of the retainers.

Hypatia’s heart pounded as she hurried toward the stairs. Quill raced ahead, then paused until she caught up, then he’d dash ahead again. He waited at the top for Hypatia and Northwood, and when he realized they were continuing upward, he sprinted up the next flight. They continued thus until they reached the top floor, by which time Hypatia was breathing hard because of how fast they’d climbed.

She met Northwood’s gaze with a rush of excitement. “We made it without seeing anyone.”

His tawny eyes gleamed with the same exhilaration. “We did.” He glanced at Quill who was sniffing around the corridor. “And with a cat.”

Hypatia started to chuckle but clapped her hand to her mouth and swallowed the sound.

Northwood gestured to the closest door. “You take that room, and I’ll take the next.” They’d agreed before leaving her house that they’d search separately to accomplish the task faster lest they be discovered.

As soon as Hypatia opened the door, Quill slipped inside, his nose lifted as he smelled the new space. The room was small, with a sloped ceiling and a window. There was also a compact hearth. The furniture was mean—a narrow bed, an old dresser, an oft-repaired table, judging from the mismatched legs, and a single chair. Moving farther into the room, Hypatia noted the half-burned candle on the table and a mismatched pitcher and basin atop the dresser.

Hypatia saw that Quill had stuck his head under the dresser. It was a fairly narrow space, but that hadn’t ever stopped him from trying to fit inside it. He could squeeze himself into the smallest places.

“Quill, what are you doing? You shouldn’t even be in here.” The cat didn’t cease his exploration but neither did he progress. “I shouldn’t be in here either,” she murmured.

He mewed, and she flinched. She didn’t want him to alert anyone to their presence.

Kneeling beside him, she clasped him around the shoulders and pulled him out. He meowed again and tried to stick his head back beneath the dresser.