Peril at the Exposition--A Mystery by Nev March

Author:Nev March
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

CHAPTER 29

A MEETING WITH MR. HARVEY PAYNE, ESQ.

Memories of our Boston home awakened me gently. Lying abed, I remembered my brief domestic life. One morning in December, I woke to the aroma of cooking, eggs sizzling in a pan. Reluctant to swing my feet onto the cold floor, I leaned on one elbow to peer into the kitchen.

Jim stood there in his undershirt, suspenders hanging down over his work trousers. The muscles of his back flexed as he reached for a lid and covered the pan.

Had I made a sound? I did not think so, but Jim paused and turned. His storm-grey eyes found me, held me immobile.

“Oh my,” I said.

He grinned then, the sweetest smile. Holding my gaze, he tossed the dish towel over the back of a chair and knelt beside our bed. Inscrutable, he laid his chin on his hands to watch me.

Running a hand up his arm, I asked, “What did you cook? It smells like home. It smells like…” I stopped, in case it wasn’t true.

“Mmm,” he said. “Your mother’s recipe for eggs. Acooree, she called it. Onion, tomato, garlic, spices. And eggs.”

I gaped at him. “Mama sent you her recipe?”

He shook his head, still watching me. “She served it last year, at breakfast, told me how to make it.”

My arms went around his neck so he would not see my tears. Long moments later, the ticking clock warned me that soon he’d leave. I said, “Must you go to work today?”

He tilted his head, speaking into my hair. “Ships are safe in the harbor, but that’s not the purpose for which they were built.”

It was so like him to give me “yes, it’s my job” wrapped softly in philosophy.

But that was December, when all I worried about were the cold and learning to keep house. Now that moment seemed from another lifetime. I sat up, yesterday’s fears returning—had Tito found Jim to warn him?

Jim invested so much of himself into his guises that it would not surprise me if he’d developed an affection for some of the fellows. But was he in so deep that he believed in the group’s cause? No, not Jim, the soldier who traded disguises with ease. I’d hit him—jagged remorse sliced through me, sharp-edged. Why had he kissed me? Moreover, why had he asked me to strike him? It made no sense!

I completed my toilet mechanically, considering my only leads—the German letter and Collin, who’d possibly helped to load explosives on a cart. Had he found where they’d been taken? What if his bargain was just a ploy? I’d had to take the chance. Once Mr. Payne purchased his mine, I’d demand Collin tell me everything. I sighed—was it worth the enormous expense?

Last evening, I’d been so agitated over the threat to Jim, I’d turned in early. Now I called to Abigail and found her room empty. I puzzled over it, frowning. Why had she gone without a word? Had she heard from Tobias, or Tito? I paced the parlor, then dressing quickly I went to the address of George Abernathy’s lawyer, Mr.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.