Sheridan Bell & the Vanishing Beast: Chapter Six

Henry and Alice had been walking a while before Henry finally stopped and nudged Alice’s arm to draw her attention. He pointed toward the mouth of a narrow side street, where a small gray cat sat and stared unblinkingly at them. When Alice took a step toward it, it turned and trotted in the other direction. Wordlessly, they followed, and before too long, thunder rumbled in the distance and the smell of fresh rain on pavement drifted toward them through strangely empty streets.

Even after the cat disappeared, Henry followed the thunder and petrichor. “We’re going the right way.”

They continued to follow the clues, Henry pointing them out to Alice as he spotted them, and then, between one step and the next, it began to rain. Alice squeaked in surprise, scrambling to cover her hair as she looked behind her. Instead of fellow sídhe and sunny streets, they now saw only the backs of dark umbrellas and pouring rain.

“Ah,” Henry said pleasantly, heedless of the rain. He brought out the small paper he got from the constable and, making some effort to shield it, read the address scrawled hastily in bold ink. “We’re almost there.”

After a few more turns down rainy streets, Henry and Alice stopped outside of a modest home. They’d given up on staying dry several blocks back and were both soaked by the time they took shelter under the front door’s narrow overhang, Henry laughing and Alice as miserable as a puppy after a bath. Henry knocked, and they stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the landing while they waited for an answer.

The door swung open after several moments, a stern older woman standing on the threshold. She frowned down at them both, at their sopping states, her disapproval evident.

“I’m very sorry to intrude, but is Mrs. Helena Hathaway at home?” Henry asked.

The woman’s expression, if possible, soured further at this. “What is your business here? How did you get this address? If you’re reporters, you’d better—”

“It’s alright, mama,” a soft voice said, a gentle hand settling itself on the woman’s shoulder. Another face appeared in the doorway, this one streaked with tears and marred by grief. Despite that, it was a strikingly beautiful face, the young woman it belonged to dressed in a fine black lace mourning gown. She eyed Alice. “You’re that girl…what are you doing here?”

“I—,” Alice began, only to falter. Helena’s tone was curious, not angry, but Alice took half a step behind Henry anyway, even though it put her back under the torrent of rain.

“My name is Detective Sheridan Bell; I’m a colleague of Inspector Zhou Yichen,” Henry said, turning Mrs. Hathaway’s attention back to him. “Ms. Evans is here under my supervision. Would you mind if I came in and asked you a few questions?”

Mrs. Hathaway’s mother opened her mouth to speak, but Helena beat her to it. “I already gave the police my statement.”

Henry smiled. “I’m a specialist.”

Helena returned Henry’s smile automatically, caught in it, and stepped aside. “Alright, then. Please, come out of the rain.”

The inside was as modest as the out: comfortable, but not ostentatious. Once Henry and Alice were out of their soaked coats and had been patted dry by servants with fluffy towels, Helena led them to a warm sitting room where a plainly-dressed woman sat cradling a baby. Upon their entrance, the woman stood to excuse herself, but Henry held a hand out. “Stay, please. You’re the family nurse, correct? I may have some questions for you both.”

“This man works with Inspector Zhou,” Helena told the nurse. “He said he’s a specialist. Mama, can you take Ioanna for a little while?”

The nurse handed the baby, who hardly put up any fuss, to Helena’s mother, and soon, she and Helena were settled on the couch across from Henry while Alice lingered awkwardly in the doorway.

“How old is Ioanna?” Henry asked conversationally.

“Almost three months,” Helena said.

“She seems like a very quiet baby.”

This startled a laugh out of Helena, the sound bright and loud, and Henry briefly glimpsed the woman behind the grief. “Only sometimes. You should have heard her all last night,” she said. She seemed to realize what she’d said only after, and memories of the previous night settled over her like a heavy cloak, making her once more quiet, subdued. Her mother, Mrs. Raptis, glared at Henry. “Mama, can you ask the servants to prepare some tea?”

Mrs. Raptis shot Henry one last wary look before taking Ioanna away with her. Once they were alone, Henry said, “I’m terribly sorry for your loss, Mrs. Hathaway. I can’t even begin to imagine all you’ve been through today, and I’m sorry that I must ask more of you now.”

Helena managed a wobbly smile. “You’re the first one to offer condolences that I believe actually meant them. For that, you can ask me anything and I’ll do my best to answer.”

Henry inclined his head in thanks. “To start, is there anything the police can do to help you feel safer?”

At the unexpected question, Helena blinked, then tipped her head to one side, considering. “Inspector Zhou said no harm would come to us so long as we stayed away from the house. Do you think we have reason not to feel safe here, Detective Bell?”

“I think you can never be too careful,” Henry said slowly, planning his words before speaking them. “I don’t mean to cause you undue concern, but there’s much we don’t know. Would you do me the favor of talking me through everything that happened? I’m sorry to make you relive this, but I’m afraid it’s necessary.”

Helena glanced at Alice. “Well, on Friday morning, I saw Ms. Evans’ advertisement in the paper—”

Henry raised a hand to interrupt. “Apologies — you can skip over Ms. Evans’ involvement, for now. What happened on Friday night, after Ms. Evans left?”

“Oh,” Helena said. “Arthur arrived home at his usual time. We had a small fight, so I retired early — around ten o’clock, I think? — and fell asleep alone. When I woke again, it was dark, and Arthur’s side of the bed was still empty. At first, I thought it was he who’d woken me, making some noise in the room, but when I lit a match, I saw no one. Before it could burn down, I noticed that time — 12:50 — and that Ioanna was crying. She’s usually a good sleeper and Emily is always in the room with her, so I was alert even before I heard the — the gunshots.”

“How many?” Henry asked.

Helena took a steadying breath. “Three, one right after the other. They were followed by this — this horrible scream, and I had thrown on Arthur’s dressing gown and was racing to the nursery before I even knew what I was doing. It wasn’t a far run — we’d situated the nursery close to our bedroom on Arthur’s insistence. Emily and one of our permanent security guards were coming up from the other direction when I reached the room, and inside, I saw…I saw…”

When she stopped, Emily rested a comforting hand on her arm. “Do you mind if I take over the telling from here, Detective Bell? I can tell it as well as my mistress can.”

“Yes, by all means.”

“Like my mistress says, I got there almost at the same time she did. The master was already…He’d already departed from this world by the time we arrived. At least it was quick, poor thing. The window was open, but everything else was as I’d left it. There weren’t a hint of anyone else having been in the room. Well, I went off right away to check on little Ioanna, and Chandra — the security guard, that is,” Emily said with a quick glance in Helena’s direction, “Went to phone the police. After seeing Ioanna was safe, I passed her off to one of the servants and led the mistress to the study, where I poured her a glass of sherry to soothe her nerves.”

“I’m glad Ioanna was unharmed,” Henry said. Mrs. Hathaway, now scrubbing away fresh tears, nodded. To the nurse, Henry asked, “Mrs. Hathaway said you stay with the child in the nursery suite — is there no nurse maid?”

“There was, but,” Emily started, again glancing at Mrs. Hathaway before continuing, “She was fired last month, sir.”

“What for?”

“The master claimed she had been stealing,” Emily said.

“But you don’t believe that was the case?” Henry asked, reading the nurse’s hesitance.

“It wouldn’t be my place to say, sir.”

“It’s alright, Emily. The nurse maid was sídhe,” Mrs. Hathaway interrupted. “Many think that was the real reason he dismissed her…myself included, I suppose.”

Henry raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. “If not in the nursery, where were you last night, Emily?”

“Like my mistress says, Ioanna’s usually a good sleeper, so I snuck out of the room around midnight to — to grab a snack from the kitchens. On my way, I passed the master’s study. The door was open and he was inside, pacing. When he saw me standing there, the strangest expression came over him. I’d never seen the man look so frightened. He didn’t say anything, though, just ran past me while I stood there, too surprised to move. I went on my way, in the end, and didn’t think any more of his strange behavior until I heard the gunshots.”

“And you ran into Chandra on the way back to the nursery?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Just to confirm, the window was shut when you left Ioanna?”

Emily nodded. “Yes, sir. Mr. Hathaway was very particular about keeping the house secure. Windows were to be shut and locked at all times.”

“How long has the window been barred like that?”

Helena answered, “The bars were installed on Thursday. It was that strange behavior of Arthur’s which led me to contact Ms. Evans.”

“Was Mr. Hathaway exhibiting any other strange behavior? In my interview with Ms. Evans, she said you had mentioned something of the sort during your consultation with her. Can you elaborate?”

“It’s been going on for months,” Helena said, nodding before Henry had even finished speaking. “I can’t say exactly when it began, but it had been getting steadily worse. He was always nervous, always paranoid. He hired extra security, wouldn’t let me go anywhere alone, and like Emily said, enforced strict security around the house.”

“And had the house rearranged?” Henry asked. Seeing confusion pass across Helena’s face, he clarified. “You mentioned that the nursery—”

“Oh, yes,” Helena said. “He insisted we move the rooms around only days after Ioanna’s birth, including the nursery. He loved Ioanna, doted on her. I think he just wanted to keep her close.”

“Has Ioanna been baptized?”

Helena’s mouth fell open in surprise. “Why, yes, but how did you know?  Neither Arthur nor I have ever been religious, but Arthur wanted a baptism for Ioanna.”

“I see. I’m sorry for my next question, Mrs. Hathaway, but did your husband have any known enemies?”

Helena balked, but answered, “None that I know of. That is, he had some academic rivals, but that’s all they were. I’m sorry, Detective Bell, but Ms. Evans has already been arrested. So why—?”

“Just a few more questions, Mrs. Hathaway, and then I promise I’ll explain everything. Did your husband frequently visit the other city?” Henry asked. “Or are there any sídhe he was close to on this side of the city?”

“He worked with a few, but I don’t know that they were particularly close, and he visits the other city a few times a year to meet with clients,” Helena said. Impatient, she continued, “Detective Bell, it’s clear from your questions that you think someone — some sídhe — targeted my husband. To what end? Are they still out there? They won’t come here, too, will they?”

“On the contrary, Mrs. Hathaway, I don’t think anyone came to your home last night intending to kill your husband,” Henry said. “Nor do I believe that anyone will target you. I do believe the killer is still free, and to be as careful as possible, I want to ensure this house is adequately protected.”

What little color remained in Helena’s face drained at this answer. In the quiet, they could hear the soft cadence of Mrs. Raptis’ voice in the other room, accompanied by the sounds of a baby’s babbling, and Helena took a deep breath. She nodded at Henry.

“I’ll have Inspector Zhou send extra security to the house, but I hope to find whoever’s behind this quickly.”

“Thank you, Detective Bell.”

Henry nodded. “One more question: you said that you and Mr. Hathaway were in a fight yesterday. Even if it seems irrelevant, can you tell me what it was about?”

Though she seemed reluctant, Helena said, “Yesterday morning, he was in the foulest mood. I steered mostly clear of him, but after he’d left for work, his assistant came by to have him sign some papers. Apparently, he’d never made it to the office, and she had no clue where he might be. When he came home cheerful — excited, even. Almost back to his usual self — I was suspicious. I asked him where he’d been, and he claimed he’d been visiting an old client. He was never one to keep secrets, and he was acting so strangely…I accused him of having an affair. Those were some of my last words to him.”

Before Helena could examine that too closely and start crying again, Henry changed subjects entirely. “How long have you all lived at Camberley Hall?”

Helena sniffed. “About three years.”

“Has Mr. Hathaway always been so, ah…affluent?”

“No, not at all. We met at University, both of us poor students.”

“Where did he get his money from, then, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“I—,” Helena began, then faltered. “Well, I never did learn. Arthur always said he had a patron who believed in his research.”

“I see. That’s all I have for questions,” Henry said. He stood, straightened his waistcoat. “Thank you for your time — both of you. I’ll get in touch with Inspector Zhou and have him send that extra security over, and I’ll do everything I can to find answers for you.”

“Thank you, Detective Bell,” Helena said. “Please do keep us updated as you learn more.”

Back in the street, Henry hailed a cab, however much his hair and clothes had dried while he’d been inside quickly undone by the pouring rain. Alice remained under the overhang until Henry had opened the carriage door for her, and then she ran for it, holding her arms over her head to keep away the worst of the rain. She practically launched herself inside, Henry laughing to himself before climbing up after her and shutting the door behind them both.

“She could have at least offered to give us a ride,” Alice grumbled, wringing the water out of her curls. “I saw her house and her fancy dresses. If her husband was so smart and important and accomplished, I’m sure they have a private carriage to spare.”

“Mm,” Henry agreed. Musing more to himself than Alice, he said, “I’m curious about this anonymous patron. I knew something was off as soon as I saw the house; the world of academia is hardly known to pay well, even for mathematicians.”

“If you find out who the patron is, tell me. I bet Saoirse could get them to give her money; she can get anyone to give her money. And then we wouldn’t need to worry about the shop anymore.”

Henry smiled. He didn’t doubt that about Saoirse. “It would be nice not having to worry about money, wouldn’t it?”

“What would a famous detective know about that? You probably make plenty.”

Henry laughed and settled back into his seat. “I’m not famous, and I probably make even less than your Saoirse. I spent most of my early twenties running errands between cities, cramming research and study into stolen minutes. It paid well, and it’s only because of those savings that I’m able to do what I do. Still, it’s hard not to consider those wasted years. How many people would have benefited if I’d been able to start my current practice sooner? How many people back then needed help and didn’t get it?”

“Saoirse always says that once she’s rich and doesn’t need to run the shop anymore, we’re going to travel the world,” Alice announced. Then, looking out the window, she asked, “Where are we going now?”

“I am going back to my flat, and you are going back to Ines and Joseph’s. I have research to do,” Henry said. He stared out the other window. Wherever his thoughts took him had his brow creasing, his expression darkening.

“It’s the nurse, right?” Alice asked suddenly. “She did it?”

This pulled Henry out of his thoughts; he blinked, surprised. “Why do you say that?”

“She happened to leave the nursery right before something snuck into the room? To get a snack? That’s suspicious.”

Henry waved her off. “She’s having an affair with Chandra, the security officer.” When Alice opened her mouth to ask more questions, Henry shushed her. “I need to think.”

Alice harrumphed and sat back in her seat.