James Benn - A Blind Goddess

“Yes.” Her small voice reminded me of another woman who’d gone through an ordeal with a madman. If I could find Diana, bring her back from her SOE exile, perhaps she’d be able to talk to Sophia. It might help both of them.

“What’s your name? He called you captain, didn’t he?”

“Billy Boyle. Yeah, I’m a captain in the army. But you can call me Billy if you want. I like it better anyway.”

“Billy,” she said, trying it out. “Were you looking for me?”

“Yes. A lot of people were.”

“I wish you’d come sooner,” she said, her face cast down to the floor. “But thank you.”

I couldn’t say you’re welcome. I pressed the starter and drove to Hungerford, careful to avoid High Street and the sweet shop. My arm hurt like the devil, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was Sophia, and the days and nights she’d been a prisoner. I’d been sure there was a connection between Stuart Neville and the kidnappings, but I hadn’t been able to work it out in time. Neville saw something in the building plans or in the shop itself that raised his suspicions. It must have been churning in the back of his mind, which is probably what caused him to warn Eva Miller. Maybe he would have gone to the police the next morning. Bone had sensed it, his criminal smarts telling him Neville was onto him, or soon would be.

As an MI5 agent, Neville had been trained to observe and assess data all around him. That’s what got him killed. Bone had been intelligent, that much I was sure of. I was curious as to what the police would find in the cottage. Money, identity papers? Maybe another corpse, but I doubted it. The cottage and the boat were his ticket out of here. He’d have been careful not to compromise them.

I took the turn into Hungerford, having detoured around High Street and the maneuver area. I hadn’t seen a constable or a roadblock yet. Sophia was shivering under her blanket.

“You looked like a good swimmer,” I said, making conversation.

“We swim all summer,” she said. “At least we used to, my parents and I, back on Guernsey. When do you think the war will be over? So I can go home.”

“I don’t know, Sophia. Seems like it’s been going on for a long time, doesn’t it?”

“It does.” We were silent for a while.

“How did you get that rock?” I asked.

“Oh, it was easy to slip my feet through my tied hands, especially underwater. Then I dove to the bottom. The hardest part was finding a rock big enough, but not too large.”

“You can open your eyes underwater?” I asked, remembering what a big challenge that was when I was a kid. It took me a while to be able to do it.

“Yes, I can,” Sophia said proudly.

“And you can throw pretty well too.”

“Yes. And I’m glad I did. Are you all right, Billy?”

I’d swerved a bit as I rubbed my eyes to stay awake. I’d lost a fair bit of blood and was glad to see Doc Brisbane’s office ahead, with the police station opposite. “Sure,” I said, working up a smile for her sake. I pulled to the side of the road, and thought how sad it was that a young girl like Sophia had to be glad she’d helped save my life. And ended Bone’s.

Life just isn’t fair, I thought as I set the brake and promptly passed out.

I awoke to a jab of pain in my arm, and my first thought was of Bone stabbing me. But it was only the doctor, pouring antiseptic over my wounds. The room seemed crowded, and it took me a few seconds to focus on who was who.

“Billy, did you get him?” That was Tree. “The guy who got Binghamton killed?”

“Yeah, I got him. We got him. Where’s Sophia?”

“You settle down, Captain Boyle,” Doc Brisbane said. “I need to finish bandaging that arm. You have a nasty cut. Sophia is in the back room with Miss Ross. She brought some clothes over for her.”

“Inspector Payne?” I asked. I remembered Bone had run into him with the jeep. It seemed like years ago.

“Right over there,” Brisbane said, nodding to a bed in the corner. “Just finished setting his cast when that girl came in soaked to the skin and said you were outside, unconscious. Haven’t been this busy since the last time we were bombed.”

“What happened, Boyle?” Payne said, trying to rise from his bed.

“You stay put, Inspector,” the doctor growled. “I’ll get crutches for you as soon as I finish here.”

I saw Kaz come in with a bundle of clothing in his arms, and it was only then that I realized all my clothes had been stripped away. The doc had a sheet over me, but that was all I had, and it felt damned odd in a roomful of people. The feeling didn’t last long, because I passed out again.

When I woke up the second time, I was in the bed and Inspector Payne was trying out his crutches. He had a cast on one leg, below the knee, and looked pretty banged up, but still alive. Kaz and Tree were leaning against the wall, and Sophia Edwards and Laurianne Ross sat on chairs by the bed.

“Sophia, how are you?” I asked. She was dressed in a white blouse and sweater with a grey skirt. She was cleaned up and her eyes had some life in them. Miss Ross held her hand.

“I’m fine, Captain Boyle. I want to thank you for rescuing me. It was very brave of you.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek, blushed, and sat down, folding her hands in her lap. She was a girl brought up with good manners.

“Sophia refused to leave until you were awake, Captain,” Laurianne said. “I’m so glad you found her in time.” That point was debatable, but I let it pass. Alive was good enough for now.

“Thanks, Sophia,” I said. “You should get some rest now. I’ll visit you as soon as I can. Is that okay?” She smiled and nodded, and for the first time I saw her as a nice young girl, not simply a victim. I sent up a prayer for her, to Saint Agnes, the patron saint of young girls. Agnes was only thirteen when she was killed for her faith; I was glad Sophia would outlive her.

“Some food, then rest,” Laurianne said. “Sophia, the baron is driving us back to the school. Will you go outside with him? I’ll be there in a minute.” Sophia smiled shyly at me and left.

“How is she?” I asked.

“The doctor says it could be worse,” Laurianne said. “Like the dead girl you found. But he didn’t have her for that long. Still, it’s horrible for her. We’ll do our best to keep her spirits up.”

“Without being too explicit,” Doc Brisbane said, “while she was abused, it was not with the brute force that was visited upon poor Margaret Hibberd. Perhaps with time, as he tired of her, that would have been the case. Quite bad enough though, I assure you. I’ll come out to the school tonight to check on her. She may need a mild sedative.”

“Thank you, Doctor. And thank you again, Captain.” After she left, Tree brought over my uniform. Kaz had brought my other clothes to the inn to be washed and cleaned, and brought back this new set of duds.

“Up to going over a few things, Boyle?” Inspector Payne asked. “PC Cook is searching Bone’s store now and should return soon. He needs to take a statement from both of us.”

“What about Sophia?”

“That can wait until she’s rested.”

“Don’t you need to rest?”

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” Payne said. “When you’re dressed, join me at the nick.” He hobbled out the door, cursing at the crutches with every step.

I made it across the street with Tree’s help. Kaz and Cook returned and the constable went over what he’d found at the shop. He still had other constables out trying to trace my route to the cottage.

“We found the room, just as you described,” Cook began. “Here’s your revolver. I cleaned it for you.”

“Thanks,” I said as he handed me the.38 Special. “You sure you don’t need it for evidence?”