Page 133 (1/2)

“But there’s our good word,” I said “And that of Miss Atwater”

Miss Atwater reached out, placing her gloved hand on est, Mr Bell?” she asked

“We wait at the warehouse for this Barclay Keene to bring the money He can hardly deny his involvement, then, can he?”

Though it was a tense hour waiting in the cold warehouse, Miss Atwater and I hid in the shadows, along with two constables, whom Mr Bell had called in Finally, Mr Keene and his ie’s coach driver, met them at the warehouse door, and the two men walked in, Keene’s eye on the Grey Ghost, which we’d parked inside

“Nicely done,” Keene said, trying to hand his satchel of ie, as seated in a chair, with Mr Bell standing right behind hi was a out to take it

He couldn’t His hands were tied behind his back, though that detail was concealed by the cloak Mr Bell had put over my cousin’s shoulders

“What on earth?” Keene said

Reggie gave him a cynical smile “I have some bad news, Keene”

The olderuntil the two constables stepped into the light, surrounding hi at one of the constables, but Isaac Bell was quicker He tackled the younger man, and the blade clattered to the floor I stepped forward to help, but Keene drew a pistol I stopped as he fired, the bullet so close that I felta second shot, distracted by Bell calling my name, I’d be dead I knew instinctively what Bell wanted I tossed my father’s cane It barely hit Bell’s hand, the shaft al the pistol fro it upward in one fluidKeene’s jaith the brass handle As Keene stu it at him “I believe our work is done here,” he said, when Miss Atwater cried out

We all turned to see Reggie slu to the floor, shot by Keene’s pistol

I rushed to his side, kneeling “Reggie”

His face ashen, he looked atfor his wife

“Of course,” I said, looking around for help “Let’s get help first”

But Mr Bell, seeing the growing stain on Reggie’s torso, shook his head “Bring her here,” he said quietly, as he folded Reggie’s cloak and pressed it to the wound

“Byron,” I said “Would you?”