No Shred of Evidence: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery (35 page)
Read No Shred of Evidence: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery Online
Authors: Charles Todd
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #Historical, #United States, #Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, #Mystery, #British Detectives, #Thrillers & Suspense, #Suspense, #Historical Fiction
Turning to Rutledge, she said, “Could I ask you to take me back to Bodmin? To Dr. Learner’s surgery? It’s where I need to be.”
“With pleasure. If you will tell me your real name.”
She glanced at Grenville, then turned back to Rutledge.
“I have told you. Worth.” She said it with distaste. “My name before I was married was Sedgwick. Alexandra Mary Elizabeth Sedgwick. I shall petition to use it again.”
Mrs. Grenville was waiting in the hall by the stairs. She had packed a small valise with a few things, she told the woman she had impersonated, and with kindness and not a little curiosity, saw them to the door.
Rutledge drove to Boscastle first, where Mrs. Worth packed three valises, her own and one each for the two sisters. She was quick and efficient, and he could see how she had managed to survive on her own, a woman alone, for so long.
And then he took her to Bodmin and the doctor’s surgery.
She held out her hand to him at the door. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she said, “but I shall always remember what you’ve done.”
“In the line of duty,” Rutledge answered, smiling.
“No. It was not.”
“You will remember to tell Dr. Learner that it’s finished?”
“Yes. Good day, Inspector.”
And then she was gone, stepping inside the surgery and shutting the door behind her.
He turned the bonnet toward the west again, speeding toward Wadebridge and then the road from there to the village, but he stopped before reaching it, walking up to the door of Padstow Place, his hand on the boot-shaped knocker, hesitating. Then he lifted it.
Although it was very late, Mrs. Grenville welcomed him, her face alight with happiness. “My husband has told me. The charges have been withdrawn. Mr. and Mrs. Saunders were understandably upset, but in time I think they’ll agree with the magistrate’s findings. There will be an inquest tomorrow. Are you heading back to London? Or will you attend it?”
“There are a few matters still to conclude in the village. I must speak to the Chief Constable. But I’ll be leaving tomorrow no later than noon. After the inquest. I thought perhaps Miss Gordon would care to travel back to London with me. If she has recovered.”
He hadn’t seen her since that night. The breakfast at the end of it. She hadn’t come down the several times he’d been at the Place since then.
Mrs. Grenville shook her head. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Mr. Rutledge. Her father came for her late this afternoon, and insisted they leave at once for London. I’m afraid she’s gone.”
He wanted to ask if she had left a message for him. But he felt it would not be for the best.
“Excellent,” he lied. “She’ll be in good hands.”
“And Mr. Langley is coming tomorrow—or is it today? It’s after midnight, I think. Elaine has already gone home to Chough Hall.” She smiled wryly. “The house is suddenly so quiet. That will take some getting used to. We are all so grateful, Mr. Rutledge. I waited for you, because I wanted to tell you so myself. It was a wonderful thing you did for Miss Gordon. And for Mrs. Worth. For all of us.”
He thanked her, and left.
He hadn’t wanted so much gratitude. He had wanted to see Kate, to be sure she had suffered no lasting harm.
And that was a lie too.
Very simply, he wanted to see her.
C
HARLES TODD is the author of the Bess Crawford mysteries, the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother and son writing team, they live in Delaware and North Carolina.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
hc.com
.
T
HE
I
AN
R
UTLEDGE
M
YSTERIES
Wings of Fire
Search the Dark
Legacy of the Dead
Watchers of Time
A Fearsome Doubt
A Cold Treachery
T
HE
B
ESS
C
RAWFORD
M
YSTERIES
O
THER
F
ICTION
The Murder Stone
Cover design by James Iacobelli
Cover photographs: © Mark Fearon / Arcangel Images;
© Nancy Rose / Getty Images (gate)
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
NO SHRED OF EVIDENCE.
Copyright © 2016 by Charles Todd. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-238618-2
EPub Edition FEBRUARY 2016 ISBN: 9780062386205
16 17 18 19 20
OV/RRD
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007