Murder Within the Uneasy Crowd by Blythe Baker

Author:Blythe Baker [Baker, Blythe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-12-30T23:00:00+00:00

9

“Richard?” I called as soon as we stepped into the manor. “Richard, we need to speak with you.”

Hughes hurried into the hall, and at once, I could see something was wrong.

My stomach dropped to the ground like a stone.

“What happened?” Felix asked, coming to my side.

“It isn’t good,” the butler said, turning right around to take us back toward the study once more. “While you were out, some information came.”

I looked over at Felix, who had gone as white as a winter scene.

“Was it the police?” I asked. “Have they finally sent news?”

“No,” Hughes said.

“Is William alive?” Felix asked.

My chest tightened at his question, but it was the right question to ask.

“We are not certain, but at the very least we know that he was yesterday,” Hughes said.

Before we could ask anything else, we had reached the study. Felix and I slipped through the door.

“Ah, there you are,” Richard said in a placid tone as we approached his desk. He was seated this time, but he looked tired and the bags under his eyes had grown worse.

“Have you gotten any rest at all?” I asked.

“No,” Richard said flatly, shuffling the letters that were on the desk before him. He gave me a pointed look, as if warning me not to ask him again.

“Hughes tells us that you received some news while we were gone,” Felix said.

“Yes, I did,” Richard said. “It’s there, on the table near the armchairs.

I went and fetched the note, carrying it back to the desk.

“It says it’s from William,” I said, looking at my cousin. “Is it his handwriting?”

Richard nodded. “Yes,” he said. “That much I know for certain.”

I looked down at the note, and began to read it aloud so Felix could hear.

Dear Father,

I have been told that you are worrying about me, and I want you to know that you do not need to. I am spending my days reading, and have been enjoying some of my favorite treats from London. I will write you again. Say hello to my sisters and my cousins.

William

I looked up, my heart beating rapidly. “This seems…genuine.”

“I know,” Richard said. “Which confuses me even further. It’s as if he isn’t aware of what’s happened, or perhaps someone has found a way to copy his handwriting perfectly…”

“Or he was instructed what to write,” Felix said.

“Precisely,” Richard said. “Which is what concerns me.”

“You would likely be able to tell if it was someone mimicking his hand,” I said. “It would have been imperfect in places. Take a look at it again.”

I handed it to him, and he combed it over very carefully.

“It’s his,” Richard said. “Which does give me some peace…but it also proves the kidnapper is smarter than I expected, manipulating William the way he must have.”

“Well, at least it’s something,” I said. “He is telling you not to worry.”

“Yes, as long as I follow the instructions of the kidnapper,” Richard said.

“Did you receive any further instructions?” I asked.

“No,” Richard said. “Which concerns me, as well.”

“And it does not seem as if they asked William to give you any information,” I said.

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