Come the Fear (25 page)

‘I'm not sure,' Nottingham told him, then helped the deputy to his feet. ‘If he comes back, send someone for us.'

The smith gazed at the gate. ‘Someone runs like that, he won't be back.' He shook his head. ‘I'll need a new lad now.'

‘Maybe you can find a more reliable one,' the Constable said.

They walked slowly back to the jail, Sedgwick still rubbing his belly and the Constable feeling the sharp ache where Wendell had hit against his leg.

‘Christ, the bastard packs a good punch,' the deputy gasped finally, unable to keep a hint of admiration from his voice. ‘I'll be feeling that for days.'

‘I think we just found our killer,' Nottingham said thoughtfully. ‘I can't see any other reason he'd run when I asked him that.'

‘He doesn't like the law. He already told me that.'

The Constable shook his head. ‘This was more than dislike. I was watching his eyes. When I asked if he'd killed her I could see the guilt in them. He did it.'

‘How did you know?'

‘I didn't,' Nottingham admitted. ‘The words just came into my head. I didn't really believe it was him.'

‘But why would he murder his own flesh and blood and then set her on fire?' Sedgwick wondered. It was beyond understanding, the work of someone who'd forsaken his soul.

‘I've no idea, but I'm going to find out once we catch him.' The Constable's voice was dark and urgent. ‘Take two of the men and go up to his room. I doubt he'll be there, but you'd better check. If you find him, use your cudgels.'

‘Yes, boss.'

‘Talk to that girl of his and find out who his friends are and where he'd be likely to go.'

‘What about the child snatcher?' the deputy asked.

‘I'll watch for her at the market. I'll have Holden with me. First, though, I'm going to see Peter's mother.'

He strode briskly over to the Calls, rapping on the door of the cellar room. He could hear the woman moving inside and the tap of her soles on the floor.

‘You've found summat?' she asked. Her face had grown even more pinched. Her hose lay on the table with a needle and thread where she'd been darning under the thin light from the window.

‘I have,' he told her. ‘I went to see your son this morning.'

‘Did he know something?' she asked with a catch in her voice. ‘He's said nothing to me.'

‘We wanted to talk to him about Lucy. But when I asked if he'd killed her he punched my deputy and ran off before we could stop him.'

Alice Wendell looked him in the eye. ‘What's tha' saying?'

‘That he's guilty, Mrs Wendell.'

‘Could be summat and nowt,' she tried to tell him, but the fingers bunching her apron showed she realized the truth.

‘Maybe. But you don't believe that, do you?' he asked gently.

‘You really think he killed her? That he murdered my Lucy?'

‘Yes,' he said. ‘I do. I'm sorry.'

There were tears clouding her eyes as she spoke. ‘I know my Peter's never been good, but he loved her well enough. He looked after her, he protected her.'

‘What would he have thought about her having someone's baby?' he asked gently.

‘He'd have killed whoever did it,' she answered simply. ‘There's a bad streak in him.'

‘Maybe he killed her instead.'

She shook her head again, more firmly this time. ‘Nay,' she said, and raised her head, her words full of despair. ‘I'll not believe my son would do that to his own blood.'

‘If he comes here, bring him to me.'

‘So you can hang him.'

‘All I want is the truth,' he told her. ‘If it turns out he didn't do it, if he had a good reason to run like that, I'll let him go. But I'm going to find whoever murdered Lucy.'

She took several breaths before nodding. She was still standing in the same place, fingers pressing down on the wood of the table, as he left.

‘Keep your eyes open for women in blue dresses with dark hair,' the Constable instructed Holden. The cloth market had ended and traders were setting up their stalls at the top end of Briggate.

‘Blue?'

‘If you see someone like that, watch them carefully.'

‘There could be dozens of dark-haired women dressed in blue, boss,' Holden complained.

‘I know,' Nottingham agreed. Already people were drawn to the trestles, talking, gossiping, hunting through piles and clutter for the early bargains.

‘So why are we looking?' Holden asked. ‘And what are we looking for?'

The Constable stared at him. ‘You'd better keep this to yourself. And that means not telling it later when you've had a drink. The chandler's boy was snatched by a woman in blue. You see anyone in blue reach for a child, follow them. You understand?'

‘Aye.'

‘I'll be looking, too. Move about and keep your wits clear.'

‘Yes, boss.'

Nottingham wandered around the market, idly inspecting items, his eyes alert. The crowd had grown thicker, thronging the street, filling the air with a din of noise. He stayed around the fringes, picking out the women dressed in blue. Some wore dresses so ragged and pale the colour could have been pulled from the dawn sky, others had rich, deep velvet and every shade in between. They were old and young, thin and rounded.

He tried to spot Holden but the man was good, staying hidden from sight. Women were holding their children close, keeping tight grips on hands and wrists, giving quick smacks if the little ones tried to squirm away. But he knew it only took a moment for an infant to be gone.

After an hour he spotted a face that seemed familiar. She was in blue, a gown whose best days were long past, ill-fitting on the bosom. He tried to place the girl, but her name danced just beyond the edge of memory. He watched her drift between people, scarcely paying attention to the displays and patter around her. He'd seen her before and talked to her, he knew that, but try as he might he couldn't place her.

The Constable kept his distance, careful not to be seen, staying behind her. Whatever her reason for being at the market, it wasn't to buy anything. She moved around slowly for half an hour by the church bell, without pattern or purpose. Then she walked away, taking slow, idle steps back down Briggate.

He found Holden in the shadow of the Moot Hall.

‘You saw the girl in blue who left the market a minute ago?'

‘The young one going down the street?'

‘That's her. Follow her,' Nottingham ordered. The man looked at him questioningly.

‘Has she done summat wrong?'

The Constable shook his head. ‘Find out where she lives. And make sure she doesn't see you.'

Holden grinned. ‘The lass'll never know there was anyone behind her, boss.'

He slipped away, agile and anonymous and Nottingham made his way back to the jail. He'd just bought a slice of pie, the crust warm and crumbling between his fingers when he remembered the girl's name.

It was Fanny. And the last time he'd seen her, she'd been working down by Leeds Bridge with her sister, the pair of them run by their brother, Joshua Davidson. He'd ordered them all out of Leeds days before. So what was she doing here?

He waited anxiously for Sedgwick to return. He knew Wendell would be difficult to find; the man had lived his whole life in Leeds and he'd have friends to offer him comfort or shelter.

But the Constable knew the city, too. Sometimes he believed he could feel its pulse in his blood. He loved it, he held it close to his heart. He knew where to hide, where to find food; long ago Leeds had seemed like both mother and father to him. Wendell might run, but in this place Nottingham would find him. He'd make Wendell think that the city had turned into a false friend, an enemy. He'd hunt him.

‘We missed him by five minutes,' the deputy said when he arrived. He poured himself ale and sat down. ‘He took some clothes and all the money she had.'

‘We'll catch him,' the Constable said with certainty.

‘I left someone to watch the place but I doubt he'll be back.' He took a long drink. ‘I think that girl of his is glad in a way. I think she was surprised by him, though.'

‘Did she tell you where he might be?'

‘I don't think she really knows his friends. But he spends most of his time and money at the Talbot.'

Nottingham raised his eyebrows.

‘Have you been there yet?'

‘I thought we should both go.'

He nodded. The law wasn't popular there, and looking for a favoured regular could mean trouble. But even so they'd think twice before attacking the Constable. He took a cudgel from the drawer and looped the thong around his wrist.

‘Better to be safe,' he said.

As they moved down Briggate Nottingham asked, ‘Did you check that Davidson and his girl had gone?'

‘Yes, boss. The house was empty. Why?'

‘I saw one of the girls at the market. Holden's following her. She was wearing a blue dress.'

Only the afternoon drinkers were scattered around the Talbot when they entered. The door to the back room, with its pit for cock and dog fighting, was firmly closed and locked. Bell the landlord stood behind the trestle, his arms folded, a forbidding expression on his face.

Nottingham walked up to him, just the wood between them.

‘Peter Wendell,' he said. The landlord said nothing. ‘You know him?'

The man gave a brief nod.

‘When was he here last?'

‘What business is it of yours?' He curled his heavy, scarred knuckles into fists.

‘I'm looking for him. That makes it my business.' He slapped the cudgel down so it barely missed the other man's hands. ‘I remember you told me you thought his sister was hard done by.'

‘Aye,' Bell acknowledged.

‘We went to talk to Peter about her death and he ran. You make of that what you will. I think you understand what I'm saying.' He paused to give the man time to consider his words. ‘Now, when was he here last, Mr Bell?'

‘Last night,' he said grudgingly. ‘We had a cock fight, he's always here for those.'

‘How much did he lose?'

Bell shrugged.

‘I want to know who he drinks with.'

‘Whoever's here,' the man answered. ‘He's in most nights, people know him.'

‘Names,' the Constable ordered.

‘Daniel Scott, Luke Andrews, Solomon Smith.'

It was a litany of petty criminals, men often arrested for violence and drunkenness. Nottingham looked at the deputy.

‘If he comes in here, send someone to the jail,' he ordered Bell. ‘You want whoever killed Lucy found, don't you?'

The landlord nodded.

‘Then do your duty for once.'

Outside, he put the cudgel in the deep pocket of his coat.

‘Go and see those three, John. Take some men with you, just in case. Tell them why we're looking for Wendell. The word will spread. If people believe he killed his sister, they'll shun him.'

‘Yes, boss.'

‘We'll find him soon. He'll be scared now. Let's make him terrified. I want every single door closed to him,' he said.

By the time he reached the jail he felt a grim satisfaction. It was only a matter of time until they'd have Wendell. He wasn't smart; he was a man who thought with his fists, not his brain.

Holden was waiting by the door, a deep frown on his face. As the Constable approached he stood straight and rubbed a hand across the bristles of his beard.

‘Where did she go?'

‘I lost her,' he admitted bashfully. ‘She must have seen me.'

‘Where?' Nottingham asked.

‘She went up Lands Lane. I gave her a few moments and then I turned the corner. She was gone.'

The Constable kept his face impassive and his voice carefully even.

‘Did you look for her?'

‘Yes, boss.' Holden looked at the ground. ‘I don't know where she could have gone, honest. You know me, I'm good at this, but I couldn't find her.'

Nottingham nodded. ‘Go and see Mr Sedgwick. He needs some men to help him.'

Alone, he brooded. There could be a reasonable explanation for the girl vanishing. She might have a room on Lands Lane. She might have seen him at the market or spotted Holden behind her. But in a blue dress, acting the way she was, she could be the woman snatching children. They needed to find her.

Five minutes later he was still wondering where they could look when the door opened.

‘Mr Nottingham,' the woman said, ‘where's my John?'

Lizzie was wearing an old dress, its deep red faded to pink. Her hair was neatly tucked under a cap. She was holding Isabell close to her, the baby swaddled tight. But her face was filled with desperation, her mouth tight, her eyes frantic.

‘What's wrong?' he asked. ‘Is it James?'

‘I can't find him.'

‘Sit down,' he told her, and poured her a mug of ale. ‘Now, what's happened?'

‘The lad's not been the same since this one was born, Mr Nottingham.' She held the girl close and drank in timid little gulps, not looking at him. ‘Says I'm not his mam, half the time he says he hates us, all sorts of things.'

The Constable rested against the edge of the desk. He pushed the blanket back from the baby's head and stroked the black down of her hair as she slept.

‘Has he run off before?'

She nodded. ‘Often enough lately. He'll stay out and go where we've told him he can't, things like that. He'll be starting at the charity school soon enough. We just hope that's going to help.' He could see her fingers pressing again the clay of the mug, hands shaking slightly. ‘But with . . . you know, we've told him to stay at home.'

‘When did you notice he was gone, Lizzie?'

‘About an hour ago.' She reached up and wiped away a tear. ‘I'd just fed this one and put her down to sleep, then I went to play with him, but he was gone.' She breathed slowly. ‘I've looked all over for him but I can't find him. I'm scared. That's why I came down to find John, Mr Nottingham. He told me about the child snatcher. If anything happens to James he'll never forgive me.'