The Coded Blue Envelope: A Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mystery (Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James Mysteries Book 23) by Anna Elliott & Charles Veley

Author:Anna Elliott & Charles Veley [Elliott, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wilton Press
Published: 2020-10-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16: WATSON

“Alistair Morgan hired me today,” Zoe said.

“That’s either very good news, or very bad.” Lucy said. “I’m nearly certain that Alistair Morgan’s home is where Safiya is being held prisoner.”

We were in our sitting room. Lucy had heard the news of the encounter with Bianchi. Zoe appeared refreshed and none the worse for the incident.

“Where?” asked Zoe.

“I spoke with Morgan’s maid. I think Safiya is on the third floor, where no one on the household staff is permitted to go. It sounded to me as though she’s being drugged.”

“I can learn more tomorrow night,” Zoe said, her chin high and her voice determined. “I have the perfect cover for getting inside Morgan’s house. He’s holding a reception there, and he’s hired me to play in the string quartet entertainment for the evening. He said if it went well, it would lead to a position with the London Philharmonic.”

“How would you learn more?” asked Holmes.

“There will be breaks for the musicians during the evening. I can try to slip away and find Safiya—”

“And be discovered on the forbidden third floor?” Holmes interrupted.

“Perhaps that would not be best,” Zoe admitted. “But I can make my way to the back door and let you in. Surely you can organise a group to rescue Safiya, with all the commotion of the party going on.”

“Possibly,” said Holmes.

Lucy looked from her mother to Holmes, then said, “There’s something else. I’m almost certain that the man who delivered Safiya to Mr. Morgan’s was Lord Sonnebourne.”

Holmes said nothing, but his brows hitched up a fraction.

“The maid described him as a big man, very tall, with blond hair, who looked ‘quite the gentleman.’ That description could apply to other men than Sonnebourne, of course. But—”

“But we may consider it a reasonable assumption that it was his lordship. Which is all the more reason—”

“All the more reason that I should ensure your presence at the party tomorrow night,” Zoe said. “If Sonnebourne himself is directly involved, the girl Safiya is in greater danger than we realised.”

“I admit to the logic of your conclusion,” Holmes said. His voice was once more particularly expressionless, as though in the face of Zoe’s presence he were attempting to take refuge in pure, cold reason. “But I suspect a deeper conspiracy may be at work, which renders your plan irrational in the extreme.”

“Irrational.” Zoe exhaled a small, humourless laugh. “Of course you would say that. It would be unthinkable to simply admit that you are subject to such a human emotion as worry for my safety.”

For a moment, I thought that the cold mask of Holmes expression might crack. But his features hardened again. “You did say you were followed from Morgan’s home to here.”

“And I may have been followed earlier, from here to Morgan’s home,” Zoe replied, her voice rising. “And I was followed from Milan. I will not go on running away. I’ve placed you—all of you—in danger, by involving you in this. I’m not going to stay tucked safely away and let you run risks on my account, when I might be able to help.

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