The Curious Case Of The Clockwork Menace (15 page)

“
I found you.” The expression on his face was devoid of
emotion, but his fingers tightened on hers, and all of a sudden,
something darkened in his eyes, as if he saw something she didn’t.
Or relived it, perhaps. “You weren’t breathing.”

Of course not.
She remembered the water washing through her lungs, burying her
under it until there was no air... Garrett’s grip bought her back
into the world.

“
You’re safe now,” he said hoarsely. “And if you ever bloody
go off by yourself again, I’ll tan your hide. You went after
Lovecraft, didn’t you?”

Everything
came rushing back. Perry tipped her chin up. “I had a job to
do.”

“
We
had a job to do. That doesn’t
mean–”

“
You were busy.” She threw aside the blankets. “And despite
what you thought, I was right. Lovecraft was the key to it - he saw
the man who shot Hobbs. Perhaps you should have listened to me -
instead of hurrying to placate that blue blood leech - and then
none of this would have happened.”

There was a decanter of blood on the small table by the bed.
Perry’s hand shook as she forced herself to pour a glass of
it.
Decorum
.
Still, as it wet her lips, she drank in greedy gulps. Finally the
lingering silence caught her attention.

Garrett looked
as though she’d kicked him in the cods. His entire face had paled,
dark shadows ringing his eyes. For the first time she noticed the
strain there. Had he even slept? He looked dreadful. Garrett never
looked anything short of impeccable, but now she saw that his
coppery hair was ruffled, as though he’d run both hands through it,
and his clothes were rumpled so severely that it looked like he’d
slept in them.

And then she
realized what she’d said to him. Careless, spiteful words. She
might as well have used her knife. “Garrett–”

“
No. You’re right. You nearly died, and it’s my fault. You
think I don’t know that? You think I haven’t played out every
possible scenario for the past two days, wondering what might have
happened if I didn’t turn down that tunnel, where I found you?” His
voice hardened. “I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry, Perry.”

The abject
misery in his expression stole her breath, and when she reached
out, he clasped her hand in his, and cupped it against his face,
his lashes curtaining his eyes. The roughened stubble along his jaw
grazed her palm, and Perry brought her other hand up to cradle his
cheek.

“
I shouldn’t have gone after Lovecraft by myself,” she
whispered. “I should have waited for you. This is as much my fault
as yours.”

“
I wish I could believe that.”

He looked up,
and the choking blue of those eyes made her heart ache in her
chest. Guilt wielded a heavy lash. Perry’s shoulders softened, “I’m
sorry too.”

Another moment of hesitation, of doubt, and then he dragged
her into his arms, the scent of his clothes enveloping her, and her
face tucked tight against his throat. The tight crush of his grip
drove the breath from her body, and Perry realized her breasts were
pressed hard against his chest. A part of her wanted to stay there,
just as she knew that she shouldn’t. Longing ached within her, that
horrible yearning she was trying not to let herself feel. Perry
closed her eyes and drank in the sensation.
Just this once
.

And only once, would it be
. With a
sigh, she pushed at him, but his strong arms only
tightened.

“
Please,” Garrett whispered. “Just let me hold
you.”

Perry gave in,
her entire body relaxing into his grip. His cool breath stirred
against her cheek, one of his hands sliding down the centre of her
back, tracing the indentations of her spine. His breath eased from
his body in one long exhalation, and he turned his face into the
curve of her throat. The intimacy of the moment was uncomfortable.
How she’d longed for something like this – for him to say those
words, or for him to hold her. If he ever guessed… The thought was
like a wet drip of icy water down her spine, and she cleared her
throat. “Garrett? This is indecent. I’m only wearing a
nightshirt.”

“
Christ, I’ve seen you in your unmentionables before - that
time when I didn’t realize you were getting changed and barged into
your room. It’s not as though I think of you as a woman,
Perry.”

Her heart broke. With a stiff nod, Perry turned away, and
poured herself another glass of blood. Of course,
he didn’t care. What did it matter if he saw her
bare legs? It wasn’t as though she were female in his eyes. Perry
knew that. She’d worked hard to never let him know what beat in her
chest, or how much it hurt every time she saw him with another
woman.

Just once, she’d like to let him know she had needs and
desires too. To give into the yearning that burned in
her heart... To kiss him...

Instead, she
drained the glass. Then another. She couldn’t risk it. What would
she do if he laughed at her? Or worse, looked at her with a guilty
expression as he tried to carefully explain that he didn’t feel the
same way.

Never
.

She could
never tell him. Just bury it deep, where it didn’t hurt anymore -
or if it did, she could pretend that it didn’t.

Garrett, of
course, was oblivious. “Did you see who hit you?”

The events
were hazy, and Perry shook her head.

That made him
sigh, but he reached inside his coat, and removed a long narrow
box, tied with pretty ribbon. “I have something for you.”

“
What is it?”

“
It’s a present,” he said. “People give them to each other.
Usually the purpose of the idea is to–”

Perry tugged
the ribbon open.

“
Oh.” Her breath caught. “It’s–”
Exquisite
. She lifted the sheathed
dirk out of the tissue paper and drew the blade. It was eight
inches long and stiletto-thin. The kind of weapon meant to slip
between a pair of ribs, rather than a slashing blade. Perry rolled
it over her fingers, learning the weight and balance of
it.

Garrett took
it from her, sheathing the blade. “I meant to keep it until your
birthday, but it seemed…” He shrugged. “Here, it’s made to be
sheathed inside your corset, so that you can keep it hidden.” He
showed her the way the sheathe had been specifically designed for
the purpose. Perry couldn’t take her eyes off his face, but he
didn’t notice.

“
Thank you,” she said. “It’s perfect. It’s the most beautiful
present anyone has ever given me.”

That earned a
smile. “Well,” he drawled. “I thought about ribbons and perfume and
fripperies, but then I saw this and realized it’s the perfect
accessory for the lady who likes to kill things. But in all
seriousness…” Those blue eyes lost their focus again, the smile
fading. “It will help protect you, Perry, when I’m not there to do
it. Promise me you’ll keep it on you at all times.”

The vulnerability in his gaze made her skin itch. “I think
you hit
your
head,” she said, trying for lightness. “You seem to have
mistaken me for some sort of damsel in distress.”

“
I don’t mistake you for anything you’re not,” he countered.
“But even the most trained professionals can become vulnerable, and
I won’t ever allow anything to happen to you again.”

“
You can’t protect me from the world.”

“
I can try.” Gruff words. He glanced away, as if holding her
gaze was too much for him at the moment.

Perry looked away too, fingers toying with the edge of the
knife.
What to say to that?
The conversation had veered rather uncomfortably
into areas she wasn’t certain she liked. It only gave her
treacherous heart hope, when she knew there was none.

Clearing her
throat, she said: “So what have I missed? I assume you’ve been
working on finding Miss Tate?”

That made his
lips thin. “Actually, we found her...” He filled in the details of
the last two days – and how he’d found poor Nelly’s body, discarded
in the water with her.

“
A blow to the head, according to Gibson, in much the same
manner as yours.” Garrett’s expression darkened, and she knew he
was thinking of that moment again. “Byrnes and I have been keeping
an eye on Miss Radcliffe, though things at the theatre seem to have
settled since Lovecraft’s death. We’re not certain if he’s the one
who assaulted her in the alley that day, or someone else. They’re
starting their run again tomorrow night, so the theatre’s been
mostly closed. It’s given Byrnes and I time to examine
it.”

“
Nothing new?”

“
Only one thing. We’ve found a dressing room trunk near the
chute, shoved out of the way with some props. There’s blood in it.
I need Eliza to look at it, and see if the trunk belonged to Nelly.
It’s very similar in design to another in Nelly’s dressing room,
and I was wondering whether that’s how her body was removed to the
chute without anybody noticing. She might have been unconscious
inside it.”

“
And... Lovecraft? It was quick?”

“
Immediate.” Garrett hesitated. “I know you felt a sense of
responsibility for him, but–”

“
He had no one else,” she replied, her gaze lowering, and her
arms hugging tight around her abdomen.
I
know what that feels like
.
To be alone without any hope in the world, and
only enemies everywhere you looked...

At least she’d
found the Nighthawks. Lovecraft had never had an opportunity like
that, and she felt a guilty little squeeze in her chest. Could she
have done more? Heard her attacker coming, perhaps? Or if she
hadn’t been so focused on Lovecraft, or distracted...

Garrett caught
her chin. His expression was firm. “He was with someone who cared
for him when he died, Perry. That’s the least that anyone can ask
for. You are not to blame for this. You didn’t shoot him, did
you?”

“
Who did?” Her memories of the event were so damned
hazy...

“
Arthur Millington.”

“
The stagehand?”

He nodded.
“Rommell’s crowing about it as though he held the pistol
himself.”

That made no
sense. “Millington...” His face swam to mind as the man who’d taken
Miss Radcliffe away to see to the lighting. “Why would he have any
cause to attack me?”

“
He wouldn’t, but there were three bullets that hit Lovecraft.
The one through the chest was a .442 - the same bullet as the one
that killed Hobbs. The other two shots were fired from a different
pistol.”

“
So Millington shot Lovecraft twice, just before the murderer
added his own bullet?”

“
The results came through this morning, so I haven’t had a
chance to question Millington about who else was accompanying
him.”

“
It could be Rommell,” she mused, with a small frown. “He was
there too, you said.”

“
My money’s on Rommell, though I’m not certain his lordship
would carry a Webley - he’s the sort to purchase a more expensive
weapon, and we still don’t have motive for Hobbs’
murder.”

“
Yes, we do,” she snorted. “Nelly’s easy - she refused to be
his mistress, and it’s clear he’s jealous of his possessions. Maybe
he discovered that Hobbs was sending Nelly roses? Maybe he realized
they were lovers?”

“
We don’t know that they were lovers,” he said. “We don’t have
any proof. This is all guesswork, Perry, and if it is Rommell, we
need cold, hard facts, or the courts will eat us alive. The Echelon
won’t like knowing that one of their own is involved in
this.”

“
That’s true.”

He rubbed at
his mouth. “We need to find the link between Nelly and Hobbs.”

“
Has Fitz had any luck with the coded diaries in Hobbs’
storeroom?”

“
Yes. They’re mostly files on the mech enhancements he’d
performed in the last few years. There’s no reference to Nelly,
dash it all, but it was a good thought. I’m hoping we’ll be able to
get a lead tomorrow.”

“
We?”

“
Doctor Gibson needs to clear you for duty.” There was a faint
hesitation from him. “Lynch intends for us to work together to
finish the case. I asked if I could work with Byrnes until it was
finished but–”

“
What?
”

“
It made sense. Not only are you injured, but you and I have
several things we need to discuss. I’d prefer to work these matters
out when we have time, not in the middle of a potentially dangerous
case.”

The words
sounded reasonable, but all she could hear was the sound of rushing
thunder in her ears. “Don’t you dare push me off this case.”

“
Christ,” he snapped, his roughened accent emerging in the
heat of his temper. “This ain’t...” He closed his eyes and took a
breath. “This has nothing to do with your worth, Perry. This entire
case has been a mess from the start, and I don’t even bloody know
what we’re arguing about!”

They glared at each other. Perry turned away first. She
wasn’t
entirely certain why she was so
angry with him.

Or perhaps she
knew exactly why.

I don’t even bloody know what we’re arguing about…
And he didn’t. Garrett was completely oblivious
to the way she felt about him.