Loving Madison

Thirty-Two

Dressed in their crisp uniforms, Cameron stood next to Captain Orwood on Mr. Bailey's front steps. McGreer leaned behind them on his crutch, wearing civilian's clothes. Orwood decided McGreer didn't need to represent an officer this time.

Orwood rang the bell, and they waited quietly for the old servant to answer the door. Cameron fidgeted as his mind thought of questions to ask Langston. By now, the man would know Rosie wasn't in the attic bedroom any longer. And of course, the man should have figured that Rosie would tell her brother who had kept her prisoner. For certain, the man wouldn't be here at all. If roles were reversed, Cameron would have fled town by now.

Finally, the door opened. The same old, near-deaf, servant Cameron had met the other day stood in front of them. He opened his mouth to speak, but the captain took a step forward and cleared his throat.

"We are officers of the Metropolitan Police here investigating a case. Is Mr. Heath Langston at this residence?"

The servant shook his head and leaned his right ear closer. "Eh?"

Orwood quickly repeated it, louder this time.

The servant nodded. "Mr. Langston has been staying here, but he left early this morning. I don't know when he will return."

"Tell me," Cameron quickly added, "did Mr. Langston have baggage with him as though he was leaving for a few days?"

"I believe I did see a bag, sir."

"Nevertheless," the captain said, "we still need to look inside the house. Please stand aside and let us pass."

"What?" the old man asked, crinkling his forehead as he shook his head.

"We need to look inside the house," Cameron answered loudly.

The servant did as requested. The captain strode into the house first, Cameron followed, with McGreer trailing behind. So far everything looked the same as when Cameron was here before, except the rest of the family was not present.

Cameron led the way toward the study. He hoped the cane would still be here, but then why would the killer leave the murder weapon behind? Unless, of course, Heath Langston wasn't that intelligent—or he thought the police investigators were fools.

Once Cameron entered the room, he headed straight back toward the window, the very place Madison had been hiding behind the drapes and had touched the cane. Out of the corner of his eyes, something grabbed his attention. He stopped and focused on the object that looked familiar. Leaning against the wall near the bookcase was the very cane he'd hoped to find.

He quickened his step until he stood in front of it. With his heart beating wildly, he picked up the cane and studied the chipped-off wolf's head. Orwood stopped beside him, dug in his pocket, and pulled out the missing piece. Cameron held out the cane as the captain placed the piece on top.

It fit perfectly!

He breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly couldn't wait to see Madison again and tell her the wonderful news. Of course, she already knew since she'd had the vision. He would never doubt her again. He wanted to win her heart more than anything in the world.

Orwood swung around and looked at the servant who stood by the door. "Whose cane is this?"

"It's Mr. Gaynor Brailsford's, of course."

Cameron sucked in a quick breath. Gaynor's? It couldn't be... "But isn't this Langston's office?"

The older man shrugged. "Not precisely. As it is, both he and his cousin have been using this room since Jacob Bailey's death. Lord Hanover has yet to name anyone who will inherit Mr. Bailey's holdings."