Page 73 of Her Majesty's Necromancer
"You there!" he shouted. "Halt! What are you doing?"
Lincoln drew himself up to his full height and squared his shoulders. He was considerably taller than the vicar, but the clergyman didn't back away.
"That is none of your affair," Lincoln said.
I tightened my hold on his arm. "Don't snap, Brother dear," I said sweetly. "He was simply asking a question." I felt Lincoln bristle beneath my hand. I hoped he had enough imagination to go along with me. "We're visiting your charming churchyard," I told the vicar. "We'd heard of a distant relative who might be buried here, some years past, but alas, we weren't able to find his headstone."
The vicar blushed and stumbled through an apology. "I see now that you're just an innocent couple. Forgive me, sir, ma'am, but we've had trouble here only this morning and I thought you were he, returning to break the lock again." He nodded at the mortuary behind us.
"Trouble?" Lincoln asked. "Someone has burgled your mortuary?"
"How peculiar," I said. "Who would do such a thing?"
"The lock was broken mere hours ago. I've just replaced it."
"Did you see the burglar?" Lincoln asked.
At the vicar's odd look, I added, "My brother has an interest in law enforcement."
"You're a policeman?"
"Of sorts," Lincoln said. "Tell me what the man looked like and I'll see that the police are informed."
"That's good of you. I reported it to the police, but they said they were too busy to come immediately. I only caught a glimpse, but the man was middle aged, average height. He wore spectacles. I'm sorry, that's all I noticed."
Lincoln touched the brim of his hat and the vicar did the same. "God will see that the police catch him," the vicar said. "He must be reprimanded for his behavior. This is a house of God, not a place for childish games."
Lincoln and I walked swiftly out of the church grounds before the vicar noticed that his new lock had been miraculously unlocked without a key. At least Lincoln hadn't broken it, as Jasper had.
We found Seth waiting with the carriage nearby and climbed in. It was growing late and there was little we could do with the new information. Lincoln said he could find out where Jasper lived, but it would take some time. The easiest way was to see if the captain was indeed an army man. If so, military records would list his last known address.
Unfortunately, the general had gone out, and Gus returned to Lichfield without a response. He, Seth and Cook met us in the kitchen where Cook sat at the table, cradling his bandaged thumb, while Gus sliced up vegetables.
"The general's butler told me he would deliver your message as soon as he returns, sir," Gus said without looking up from the carrots.
"I'll send another message, this time with the name of Captain Jasper," Lincoln said. "It will narrow his search."
"I'll deliver it," Seth said. "I'm going out that way later."
Gus snorted. "To see your bit o' skirt again? Ain't she bored with you yet?"
"They don't get bored with me. And she's not a bit of skirt. As it happens, she enjoys dressing in men's clothing."
Gus whooped and even Cook's hound face lifted. "Seth," Lincoln warned, most likely for my benefit.
"Does she prefer gentleman's clothes or a workman's outfit?" I asked with a wink for Seth.
He chuckled. "Depends on her mood."
"How is your thumb?" I asked Cook as Lincoln headed out.
"Still bloody hurts," he muttered, holding it to his chest.
"Stop your whinin'," Gus growled. "It's still attached, ain't it? Most cooks I know are missing a finger or two. Goes with the territory."
Cook scowled at him. I patted his shoulder. "I'm sure it throbs terribly," I said gently. "You just rest for a while and we'll take care of everything in here."
Gus shot me a withering glare. "What do you think I been doing while you were out having adventures?"
