Chapter 20. Rescue

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Something was off about the castle’s attic.

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I had managed to make it all the way up to the top floor without bumping into Gravois or his friend with the boulder-sized fists.  I was impressed with myself.  It seemed like quite a feat—and I’d done it in heels.

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But as I gazed around at the dusty junk haphazardly stored in this space, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

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I was thankful for the windows that were set into the small recessed areas, because the moonlight filtered in and made it possible for me to see without needing a light.  As I walked closer to one end of the room, I realized what was off.

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The room was much too small.  Sean and I had practically memorized the blueprints for the place, and now it was apparent that someone had added a wall to the end of the room in which I was standing.  The space that should have been there would have been the perfect size for a small room.

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I carefully felt around the wall, looking for a hidden catch or a seam or something.  I didn’t want to pound on it to see if the space behind it was hollow because someone downstairs was sure to hear.

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I worked quietly, but felt my frustration mounting as the minutes ticked on and I couldn’t find anything.  I strained to hear every sound—if someone decided to approach, I wanted to have enough time to hide behind one of the piles of junk.

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My search grew more and more frantic and finally my fingers found a seam—the textured paint had hidden it well.  The excitement I felt was accompanied by some much-needed adrenaline as I started to push.

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When I saw Sean, I first felt relief–but almost immediately after, I felt sick.  He stared at me in surprise, and it looked like I had interrupted him in the midst of trying to free Monique from the ropes that tied her to one of the chairs.

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His eye was black, and I was horrified by the bruising around his neck.

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“Dammit!” Sean cursed under his breath, and crossed to meet me halfway.  He pulled me into a hard hug and then set me away from him by the shoulders and shook me a little.  “Get out of here now!”

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“Easy…..” I said in what I hoped was a calm and soothing voice.  “I look like I belong here—no one has noticed me.  Is she coming with you?” I asked, trying to be all business.  I stifled the urge to check his injuries, because there simply wasn’t time.

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My business-like tone seemed to work and he backed up, looking resigned.

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“Yeah—at least to get out of the castle.  After that, she’s going to ground with some friends in a nearby town.”  Sean responded.

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“Then get her free and get out.” I said, turning to leave.

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“I will—after I get the vase.” Sean said firmly.

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“Don’t worry about the vase–I’ve got it covered.” I said.

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“What?”  Sean hissed.

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“I’ll explain later—trust me.” I said.  I wasn’t about to tell him what I’d done with Monique right behind him.  I wondered how the maid was doing with the task I’d given her.  I was about to find out.

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“You’ve gotta give me more than that.” Sean said, and he was looking at me as if I’d sprouted antlers or something.

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“Let’s just say I have a friend working on it.” I said, then licked my lips nervously.

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“We are so going to have a serious talk about chain of command and orders and—“ Sean began.

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“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.  Now move.  I have a vase to pick up.” I snapped, and walked away as quickly and quietly as I could.  I made my way back down the stairs and to the kitchen.

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Please…come through for me…. I thought as I walked through the dining room.

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She had come through.

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I looked around to ascertain that there were no servants lurking about.  If Sean could get out without being seen, then everything would be fine.

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I didn’t bother to hide my triumphant smile as I left the castle to take out a bag of trash.  If anyone would have seen me, they would have wondered why a maid seemed so delighted with such a menial and unpleasant task.

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The answer was fairly simple: I was taking something out of the castle, for sure—but it certainly wasn’t trash.

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• May 2, 2010
• An Edith Prescott Mystery: Story 2
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