Murder on Charles Street - Leighann Dobbs Page 0,41

eveningwear? I’ll find something plainer to wear.”

She couldn’t be certain, but she thought she heard Harriet mutter under her breath, “All the dresses you wear are plain.”

Five minutes later, Katherine had exchanged her evening gown for a favorite walking dress. As she glanced out of her bedroom window, she craned her neck to look at the path below. Along the rear edge of each of the houses in this line was a tidy fence and a narrow walkway. Dusk had long since descended, and the light of the lamps out front of every door didn’t stretch to the back. However, as Katherine cupped her hands to the cold glass to see through it, movement caught her eye. The movement was along the path somewhere in the vicinity of Dr. Gammon’s house. Did her eyes deceive her?

Her instincts clamored as Emma, in one of the lower floors, gave a hearty bark before falling silent. Katherine squinted, but the figure she thought she had seen had melded into the shadows as if it had never been there.

Who would be walking the path at this hour? Has Mr. Gammon returned already?

No, it couldn’t be him. He was safely at Lord Penhurst’s exhibition, and considering that he had attended despite his mourning, Katherine didn’t think he would be likely to leave early. Nevertheless, she hastened downstairs toward the rear exit of the house. Harriet met her with a less fancy cloak in the kitchen, along with a plate of vittles she’d put together.

Katherine smiled to keep from groaning. What were those colorless, speckled balls? As her maid looked at her expectantly, Katherine plucked one from the pile. The very last thing she wanted to do was put it in her mouth. “Lord Penhurst served dinner, and I quite gorged myself. But thank you.”

If she expected Harriet to remove the tray, she was disappointed. Swallowing hard, Katherine stared at the morsel in her hand as though facing down the gallows. Tentatively, she nibbled at the edge. It tasted like old cheese and some hint of bizarre spice. She swallowed it and smiled, trying not to gag. “Delicious.”

Harriet beamed. “There will be more when you return. Perhaps you’ll be hungry before bed.”

“Perhaps,” Katherine answered, her voice thin as she palmed the rest of the concoction. Where was Emma when she needed her? Fortunately, Katherine had an excuse to leave, and she took it, bent on leaving the remainder of the food out in the garden for a wild animal or stray to eat.

She exited into the night air, grateful for the excuse not to have to eat any more of… whatever that had been. Trying to ignore the sour taste in her mouth, she hastened through the garden and onto the back path leading behind the townhouses.

She reached Number Four in minutes. Upon her second knock, Mrs. Campbell opened the kitchen door a sliver to peer out. Candlelight filtered from the room beyond, but it lent little heat. She had not built a fire.

“Mrs. Campbell? Is this a good time?”

The older woman pulled the door wider and glanced around the yard before ushering Katherine inside. “Mr. Gammon left hours ago. But hurry, make sure no one sees you. I don’t want to get into trouble.”

“Of course not.” Once inside, Katherine tapped her shoes and chastised herself for once again forgetting to wear pattens. As she tiptoed into the house, she hoped not to leave too many watery footprints along the way.

“I need to discover where Dr. Gammon kept his papers. Do you happen to know?”

Mrs. Campbell scooped up a candlestick and ushered Katherine further into the house. “I imagine he kept everything of import in the study.”

Katherine had searched through nearly everything, save for that last drawer. Nevertheless, she nodded. It was as good a place to look as any. Perhaps this time, she would find something she had missed previously.

Despite the fact that she knew the way, she followed after Mrs. Campbell up the stairs and into the vacant room. When the old woman hesitated at the door, Katherine touched her elbow. “It’s all right. You don’t have to come in. Give me ten minutes in here, and I’ll let you know if I find what I need.”

The older woman looked grateful as she thrust the candle into Katherine’s hand. “I’ll return in ten minutes.”

Truthfully, Katherine preferred to search through the papers without company. She took the candlestick to the desk and laid it atop the gleaming surface as she continued to search the drawers.