Chapter 43 – Eleanor Waiting

Eleanor was in the living room, watching the street through the front window.

Earlier in the evening, she’d made some pretense at reading, but when she noticed she was distracted and tried to focus back on the book, so much time had passed as she sat there, seeing nothing, that the sunlight had slipped from the room. It was too dark to even make out the words. She gave up then and went to the window to wait.

Miss Tessa came in at one point and asked her something. Eleanor shook her head without really hearing the question.

Sometime after that, Taylor entered the room and lit the reading lamp that was by her book.

“Thank you, Taylor.”

He’d bowed and left.

When a car pulled up outside, Eleanor’s hands tightened over the bandages on her arms. Two figures got out. Eleanor recognized one of them as he passed under the street lamp.

Her whole world went cold.

She was still standing by the window when Taylor lit the room’s central light and announced that Chief Inspector Haley wanted to see her. He had a guest with him.

“Send him in.”

Eleanor turned when she heard them in the door.

When Haley walked in the room, he seemed like a stranger. All the warmth, all the kindness, was gone. There was no smile for her. Eleanor had to look him in the eyes to convince herself it was him and not Penn in disguise.

“Good evening, Lady Serrs.”

“Good evening, Chief Inspector.”

“This is Rubin Altis.”

Eleanor forced herself to look at the man. “How do you do?”

Mr. Altis had been doing badly. Grumpy. Put out. But Eleanor sounded so meek, Altis found himself saying, “I’m honored to meet you, Lady Serrs.”

Haley went on, “Earlier this evening, I arrested Ryce Penn for breaking into Mr. Altis’s apartment. While we had Penn in custody, he claimed that he had stolen this book from you.” The inspector held it up. “Mr. Altis says that Penn is lying and that the book came from his apartment. It seems to be something in the way of a private journal, and Mr. Altis decided he’d rather not have me look at it. We thought it would be better to bring it to you, to see if you recognize it.”

Haley put the book in her trembling hands.

Altis waited in an agony of tension as Eleanor examined it.

“It looks like one of mine.”

Haley noted how curiously flat Eleanor’s voice was.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

She looked up. “But that doesn’t mean much. So many journals are sold, and they all look the same. May I look inside, Mr. Altis?”

Altis growled and groaned, then mumbled a reluctant yes.

He added, “But, please, Lady Serrs, what you might see…”

“I know. It’s private.”

Eleanor walked over to the chair with the reading lamp and sat down. Both men watched as she flicked through several pages, then stopped to read. She only read for a few seconds, but if Altis hadn’t been enduring such awful mental torment, he might have realized it was several seconds longer than she should have needed to see the handwriting wasn’t familiar.

She closed the book, stood up, and returned to them.

To Haley, she said, “It isn’t mine.” She handed the book to Altis. “I’m sorry that you’ve been put through all this trouble.”

He hugged the book to his chest with a relieved, “Oh!”

Haley turned to Altis. “If you wouldn’t mind waiting for me in the hall?”

Altis bowed several times as he left. “Thank you, Lady Serrs. And it was a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” she murmured.

Then Haley and Eleanor were alone.

“Lady Serrs”—Haley hesitated—“do you have something for me?”

“I’m sorry…but I don’t know what you mean.”