Page 23 of The Gilded Lady
She glanced at the empty hallway at his back. “All right. I believe Glory has already gone downstairs.”
“I know. I wanted to talk to you.”
She nodded, straightening some papers on her desk and smoothing a strand of dark hair back in place.
He couldn’t understand if her nerves were because of her guilt or because of his size. Both could be likely. To put her at ease, he moved slowly and deliberately, folding himself into the single chair opposite her desk. “I know we spoke yesterday, but I thought of a few more questions.”
She gave him a tremulous smile. “Of course. I’m happy to help in any way I can.”
“Good, I know we both want what’s best for Glory.” He took his time, studying her, not getting to the point, in an effort to see what she’d say in the meantime. Sometimes waiting was all it took to get necessary information.
“Wh-what’s happened? I know you said yesterday that you couldn’t go into detail, but if something has happened I’d like to know. Is Glory in danger?”
He thought the concern on her face was genuine, so he gave a brief nod, giving her breadcrumbs. “We think it’s possible.”
Visibly upset, she ran her hand down her face. He sat forward, watching her closely. “Have you thought of anything else since yesterday?”
She shook her head. “No, nothing. It’s like I told you. That day was like any other. I didn’t see anyone up here who didn’t belong here. There was nothing out of place in my desk. Nothing was disturbed.”
“And no one else has a key to this room?”
“No, no one.” She shook her head emphatically, her brow furrowed as if to convince him. “Can you at least tell me why you need to know? What’s happened?”
Zane took a breath, knowing that what he was about to do was against Glory’s wishes, but it couldn’t be helped. He needed to reveal the letter if they wanted answers. “There was a letter—” Before he could say more, her face crumpled.
“Oh, my God!” She dropped her face into her hands and her shoulders started to shake. “I knew it. I knew I should have done it. I thought it was odd, but he seemed harmless enough.” Her eyes were reddened and bright with unshed tears when she raised her head. “Please believe me. I didn’t know there’d be any harm.”
Zane stayed very still, keeping his expression neutral until he could get to the bottom of what she was saying. “What should you have done?”
She shook her head. “I thought he was an admirer. She gets those sometimes. Men like to send her gifts or notes. Usually they deliver them to the house and Able gets them first and sends them up. But this man—God, I don’t even know his name—he found me downstairs. I suppose he’d seen me talking to her. I’m not certain why he singled me out. He tried to give me a letter and asked me to deliver it to her in private. I knew that she’d be busy for the rest of the night, and I wouldn’t have a chance to see her so I told him no.” She covered her face again. “Was the letter important? Should I have taken it?”
Zane believed that she wasn’t in league with whoever this stranger was. She probably had thought that it was a simple note of admiration that at its worst was attempting to arrange a meeting with Glory. “And this happened the day before yesterday?”
“Yes.” She nodded eagerly. “Early evening, I suppose. There was an early dinner rush because Mrs. Roarke was performing later and there were more men in town who’d arrived early for the faro tournament. We were so busy. Please tell me I was correct in not taking it. Was it important? Was it from her family?”
Relatively certain that she was telling the truth, he tried to soothe her concern. “It was important but he found another way to get the letter to her. We’re trying to figure out who the man was so we can find him,” he said, taking out his sketchpad from his coat pocket.
She hung her head. “I should’ve asked him who he was. I should’ve asked him what he wanted with her.”
“It’s okay, Charlotte. Let’s go over your meeting with him again. Tell me everything, every detail you can remember, even if it seems unimportant.”
She nodded her agreement and calmed down enough to tell him what time the man had spoken to her, the details of their brief conversation, and to give a physical description. The description could’ve matched any number of men in Helena, a town known for attracting all types. He was a slight, well-dressed, well-spoken man probably in his fifties with a recedinghairline and gray hair. There was absolutely nothing that would make the man stand out. She was certain that she hadn’t seen him before and she wasn’t even certain she could recognize him again if she saw him. Their entire encounter had lasted for perhaps two minutes. Not enough time to commit the stranger to memory, but Zane suspected he’d orchestrated it that way so that he’d blend in.
If Charlotte hadn’t had a hand in delivering the letter to her mistress’s desk, then Zane had to believe the man was a professional. If he was very experienced, he’d have found a way to slip upstairs undetected and pick the lock. All of this combined to convince Zane that the man was true in what he’d written in his letter. He was a private investigator hired by the man in Glory’s past to find her. Zane also suspected that it wouldn’t stop at the five thousand dollars the man wanted. He’d take the money and report back to the person who’d hired him. The man in Glory’s past had probably paid him well to find her. What was to stop the investigator from taking the payment from Glory and turning her information over to him anyway? He’d double his fee with very little effort on his part.
Cold certainty washed over Zane. This wouldn’t end until the man from her past was found.
“I swear to you that I had no idea what was in the letter.” Charlotte had finished up recounting the meeting. “I don’t even know who he is.” She paused, winding and unwinding a length of her hair around her index finger in a nervous gesture that made her seem very young. “You believe me, don’t you?”
“I believe you.”
Relief made her shoulders visibly sag as some of the tension drained from her body, but she was still worried. Her brow furrowed again as she asked, “What was in the letter? Is Glory in trouble? Is she in danger?”
Zane hesitated, unwilling to reveal too much. Rumors in this place could spread like wildfire and get out of control. On the other hand, Glory was in danger and he needed everyone to be on the lookout for a possible threat. He decided to stick as close to the truth as possible. “Can I trust you?”
She nodded. “Yes, I promise nothing leaves this room.”
“She’s not in danger yet. It’s possible that someone from her past might be looking for her. I need you to keep everything we’ve said in this room secret, but if you hear of someone looking for her, let me know immediately.”
