Elusive (22 page)

“Ah hah,” the inspector responded, as he
pushed back in his chair, lifted his hand to his chin to stroke his
thumb and index finger across his jaw line while he thought this
through. “And you are undoubtedly wondering how these three men are
linked.” Sitting forward again, he continued, “So am I, Lord
McDonnough. So am I.”

Again, he pushed back in his chair in
thought. “Of course, we will need to talk to Miss Delamare.”

“She is in pain and will undoubtedly sleep
for another few hours. I would prefer that she not be disturbed
until she has had time to rest,” Alexandre insisted.

“Aye, that is best, I’m certain. But we will
start looking for Mr. Taog right away. I’ll go to see Mr. Ferguson
immediately to see what we can find out about Mr. Taog.”

“I understand your need to talk to Mssr.
Ferguson,” Alexandre said, “but I would ask that you permit me to
tell him of Taog’s involvement in this matter. He is a very special
friend of Mademoiselle Delamare’s and mine. He has worked with Taog
for many years and the news of his involvement will come as a huge
shock to him.”

The Inspector was hesitant at first. Thinking
about the pros and cons, he made a quick decision. “Lord
McDonnough, I understand your wish to share this information with
Mr. Ferguson. However there is a matter of obtaining information
about Taog from him. We do not know whether or not Mr. Ferguson may
have had some…involvement…”

Alexandre interrupted him, “Inspector, Mssr.
Ferguson has worked for the Delamare family for over thirty years
and was a very dear and trusted friend of Mademoiselle Delamare’s
uncle. I assure you, Mssr. Ferguson will be devastated to hear that
his judgment of Taog has been so faulty. I really must insist that
you permit me to break this news to him.”

Inspector Innis had had to deal with the
aristocracy in such matters for years. He knew the possible
ramifications to his career if he crossed the wrong person at the
wrong time. Working in the capitol city, it had been ingrained in
him since his days on foot patrol. Standing, he faced Alexandre and
held out his hand, “Agreed, Lord McDonnough. I will accompany you
so that, once you have broken this news to Mr. Ferguson, I can get
some background information from him.”

Standing and shaking the inspector’s hand,
Alexandre agreed and they immediately left for Angus’s office.

On the way to Angus’s office, Alexandre
thought about Angus and how difficult it was going to be for the
kind, gentle man to find out he had been betrayed in such a
cold-blooded manner. He would explain everything to Angus, and then
Angus would give the police the information they needed to track
down Taog. He couldn’t hide for long and, if the police didn’t find
him, Alexandre, with Bill Campbell’s assistance, surely would.

**************************

Chapter 28: Snake in the Grass

Edinburgh, Scotland – July 1912

When they arrived at Angus’s office, as they
had expected, there was no sign of Taog. When Alexandre entered,
Angus was standing at the man’s desk in the outer office with a
confused expression on his face. When he looked up and saw
Alexandre, he put down the file he held, smiled broadly, and
reached out to greet him.

“My boy! It’s good to see you. How is our
girl?” Then taking in the fact that Alexandre’s arm was in a sling,
he asked, “What has happened, laddie?”

“Angus, there has been another attempt on
Blair’s life,” Alexandre started to explain. Seeing the shock on
the older man’s face, he quickly added, “She will be fine as soon
as the headache goes away, Angus.” Alexandre braced himself for a
difficult conversation.

“Something’s bothering you! Something more
than this latest attack, I fear. Come into my office, lad. Let’s
have a drink of fine Scotch whiskey and talk it out. What say
you?”

“Yes, Angus. Let’s do that.” Alexandre
responded, as they moved into the lawyer’s office. “Where’s Taog
this morning?”

“Damned if I know, lad. He hasn’t been in the
office since before lunch the day before last. He’s always been as
reliable as could be. I’ve been to his apartment, but no one has
seen him. I’m getting quite worried about the man. This is not like
Taog! I’m afraid something may have happened to him.”

Indeed, something might yet, Alexandre
thought to himself. “I have some bad news, Angus.”

Angus’s hand shook as he handed the whiskey
glass to Alexandre. “God, lad! Not our lassie!”

“No. No, Angus, not Blair. I promise you, she
will recover from this latest attack.” As he watched the poor man’s
face relax, he continued. “No, I’m afraid it’s Taog, Angus.”

“Taog? Something
has
happened to him,
hasn’t it?”

“No, but something soon will, I assure you,”
Alexandre said, with a determination that had the hair on the back
of Angus’s neck standing up.

“What are you talking about, lad?”

“Blair identified Taog as the driver of the
car in which she was abducted, Angus. He’s been feeding my dear
cousins information he learned here. He has to have been going
through your files, messages, correspondence, and then going
straight to my
dear cousins
, Aiden and Hugh Owen. Damned
their black souls! The two of them have been behind the attacks on
Blair.” Alexandre had been pacing the whole time he laid this out
for Angus.

“And I trusted him,” Angus said, dejectedly.
“I was such a fool. I’ll never forgive myself for putting her in
danger. And, oh, laddie…poor Roddy! He was the dearest friend I’ve
ever had or ever will have,” he said, as tears welled up and
blurred his vision and a lump gathered in his throat.

Alexandre felt bad for the man. He had done
everything he could to protect Blair, and his own faith in others
had put her in their path. “Angus, you must know that this is not
your fault. Not any of it! Taog and my cousins were determined to
take Blair’s life to ensure they got their hands on the estate.
That means that I would have been next on their list.”

“Angus, the police inspector on the case came
with me. He needs information about Taog. I’d appreciate it if you
would talk to him right away so that they can start the search for
Taog and find out why he took part in this.”

“Of course, please bring him in. I’ll do
whatever I can to help. Ah, laddie, I would do anything for our
lassie, you must know that.”

Alexandre patted the man on his shoulder, “I
do know that, Angus. I do.” Turning, he left the room to get the
inspector.

***

After another twenty-four hours of
observation, Blair was released and the pair returned to the hotel.
Once he returned to the hospital, Alexandre had not left her again.
He slept in the little chair across from her bed, waking in the
morning feeling like he had been put through torture.

They planned to return to Donnach the next
day, but Alexandre wanted to see Angus once again. He and Blair had
both been very concerned about their friend. He was finally able to
talk Blair into staying at the hotel while he went to check on
Angus. With her head still pounding, she wasn’t able to deny that
it was best for her to stay behind.

When Alexandre arrived, he passed through the
outer office where the assistant’s desk still sat empty and moved
to the doorway of Angus’s private office. He found the man sitting
behind his desk, staring out his window. The sadness of the man
permeated the room. “Angus?”

Angus started at the sound of Alexandre’s
voice. “Oh, laddie, you startled me. Please come in. Have a
seat.”

Alexandre noticed that the smile the man
offered didn’t reach his eyes. “Are you alright, Angus?” Alexandre
walked over to the cabinet where he’d seen Angus get his whiskey,
found two glasses and poured them each three fingers of the golden
liquid. Walking over to Angus’s desk, he put one of the glasses
down in front of the man. “Here, Angus. Have a little of your fine
whiskey. It’ll help.”

“Aye,” he said, softy, picking up the glass
and downing the entire three fingers in one gulp. Angus looked up
and saw Alexandre looking at him with one eyebrow raised. “You are
right laddie. That helped.”

Alexandre took the empty glass and refilled
it. “Here, I think another will help even more.” He waited for
Angus to talk to him, but when the man just sat there looking sad,
he waited no longer.

“Are you alright, Angus?” He downed his own
drink and, still standing, set the glass down on Angus’s desk.

“I dinna ken if I will ever be alright again,
laddie.” Angus said, so quietly that Alexandre could barely hear
him. Sighing deeply, Angus continued. “Roddy was my dearest friend,
and I hae, though unwittingly, played a part in his death. But for
you, they would hae killed his dear Blair. How could I hae been
such a fool, Alexandre?”

Leaning down to look the wretched man
squarely in the face, “Angus, this was
their
decision,
their
responsibility, and the damage done will lie on
their
shoulders, not on yours!” Alexandre waited to let what
he’d said sink in.

“Aye, you’re right, I suppose. It doesn’t
make me feel any better that they almost succeeded in killing her…”
looking up at Alexandre, he added, “or you. Then there’s poor
Roddy. The man was like my own brother. And our girl needs you.
Blair needs you. She’s been so alone since she was just a wee
bairn. First her parents, then Roddy.” Angus saw the distance grow
in Alexandre’s eyes. He wondered what torture the young man was
putting himself through while standing here trying to help
him.

“She’ll be fine, Angus. She’ll have the
estate and the peace of mind she deserves. I’ll leave it all behind
and go back to Bretagne as soon as we can close out these affairs
in court.” Angus watched the torment on Alexandre’s face and just
sat quietly letting him have his say.

“I have to go, Angus. Our train to Donnach
leaves in an hour. My attorneys will be in touch with you soon.
Rest assured, Angus, Blair will have everything to which she is
entitled. I’ll see to it before I return to France.” Alexandre
shook his hand with his own left, due to the sling, and then walked
out the door.

“Oh, laddie!” Angus smiled sadly. “You are a
wise young man, but you’ve got many surprises coming to you yet. I
doubt you’ll be going anywhere—not for long.”

***

Taog was located in Glasgow. While it was
unknown why he had sought cover there specifically, it was
suspected he may have been attempting to obtain assistance from
Alexandre’s cousin, Iseabail. The police had Taog in custody a week
after the attack and brought him back to Edinburgh. Angus finally
had the opportunity of telling him, in no uncertain terms, just
what he thought of his behavior.

Taog had had a friend with him when he was
picked up. It was Aiden’s brother-in-law. He was the man with the
knife in Edinburgh. After interrogating the pair, Inspector Innis
phoned Lord McDonnough with the information he had obtained.

Alexandre took the call in the Laird’s
Parlor. As he listened to the story unfold, he realized he had met
Aiden’s brother-in-law once at a party given by his cousin. That
explained why he had seemed so familiar during the attack.

Taog had gotten involved due to the promise
of money and position once the cousins had taken over the estate,
which, of course, would have necessitated their killing Alexandre.
They had planned for him to have an accident the next time he was
in France visiting his mother. Dear God, he thought, they might
have killed her as well. There didn’t seem to be any limit to what
they were willing to do to get their hands on the estate.

The police had picked up his cousin,
Iseabail, and she was being detained until her involvement in all
the scheming could be determined. Alexandre had no doubt he would
never have to deal with her again, and neither would Blair.

Hugh finally confessed to the killing of
Mssr. LeGard and he was immediately turned over to the French
police. He was put in a French prison where he would spend the rest
of his life.

Aiden was buried in a pauper’s grave in
unconsecrated ground. Despite Iseabail’s pleading, Alexandre
refused to pay for the man’s funeral. He had gotten all he was
going to get from the McDonnoughs.

**************************

Chapter 29: The Castle Holds More
Surprises

Donnach, Scotland – July 1912

Now that the legalities were underway and the
threat to Blair had been eliminated, Alexandre knew the time was
right. There was one last piece of information he had neglected to
tell her. He hoped she would understand his reasons. It had had to
be done.

Alex asked Blair to come to the castle the
next day for lunch. As the car pulled up in front of the castle,
she found her nerves tied up in knots. There had been a tension in
his manner when he asked her to join him. She was also aware that
he had not come to pick her up himself. Something wasn’t right.

What could be worrying him, she wondered? It
wasn’t the inheritance. He had assured her time and again that he
was glad it would be hers. Why then? Was he still hiding something?
She hoped not. They had shared so much with each other; surely he
hadn’t still held back anything of great importance. Well, there is
no sense sitting here driving myself crazy, she thought, as she
reached for her coat and handbag and exited the car. I’ll soon find
out.

Alexandre was waiting for her at the door,
dressed in European trousers with a pale blue silk shirt opened to
the third button. “Blair,” he said, kissing her hand. “Thank you
for coming.”

He was so handsome; she found it difficult to
speak. As they walked toward the Laird’s Parlor, he stopped, and
turning to her he said, “Blair, there was one part of my story that
I didn’t tell you.” He saw her tense up ever so slightly. God, he
didn’t want to blow this.