Deception at Sable Hill (35 page)

“As part of yourself. As a mark of bravery. As a sign that you became more than you ever thought you would be.”

“More than I ever thought I would be,” she murmured. “That sounds an awful lot like something you said when we first met.”

“I guess it’s a sentiment that I’ve adopted over time. I had to, you know. My origins were not conducive to attaining big dreams.”

“Yet you are on your way. You are a lieutenant, after all.”

“That, I could imagine.” His gaze warmed. “Standing here with you? Going to your home and offering my escort to a gala such as this? It is all beyond my wildest dreams.”

“Being in the company of a man such as you is that way for me.”

“Is being so close to an Irish detective more than you ever imagined, Eloisa?”

“No. Being so close to a man who cares so much for me is.”

All humor fled his eyes. “Once again, you render me speechless.”

“And once again, you make me wish I was simpler.”

“Because?”

“Because I want you to want to be near me again.”

“That is not something you ever have to doubt.” He took a breath, visibly steeling himself to say his next words.

She leaned closer, rested her hand on his forearm, knowing that their intimate conversation was no doubt causing more than a few raised eyebrows. But not caring about that at all.

Not caring at all.

“Eloisa,” he murmured.

“Yes?”

“Lieutenant Ryan!” a voice called out, piercing the low murmur of conversations. “Detective Howard, I’m going to need you too.”

Sean pulled away, turning to the entrance of the banquet room. And there was Sergeant Fuller, looking pale and out of breath. And sooty?

“Report. What happened?” Sean barked as he strode across the room, Owen meeting him.

“Fire!” Fuller called out. “There’s a fire in one of the buildings two away.”

Aware of the women crying out behind them, Sean glared. “You know better than to set a panic like this. Watch yourself, man.”

“It’s a bad one, sir,” he said contemptuously.

Owen inhaled in frustration. “Where do you want me, Ryan? Here or at the fire?”

“Here. We can’t do anything to stop a fire, but we’re going to need to get everyone away from this area. You start directing everyone down these stairs. I’ll take care of getting them out of the building as safely and quickly as possible.”

“Fuller, where are the other uniforms?”

“Two are here. I sent two others to get close to the burning building, to make sure we keep everyone away.”

“Good thinking. The two here can help Howard. Let’s go,” Sean ordered as he ran down the stairs, knowing he would report the sergeant to the captain when all was said and done. The man’s cheekiness was bordering on true insubordination.

The moment he reached the bottom, he felt as though the wall of people was flowing down the stairs in an unstoppable crest. There was no way he could have even slowed them down—especially since Fuller had also not followed him as Sean had expected. The most he could do was attempt to get everyone to use caution so no one would get hurt.

Stepping to one side, he motioned for everyone to leave. “Exit and follow the directions of the officers outside,” he called.

“What is happening?”

“What are we going to do?”

“What about the party?”

“Are we in true danger?”

The questions were aimed at him with the force of verbal spears. Each one pointed and painful.

“Your questions will be answered later. For now, please don’t hold up,” he said again and again.

Only his training and experience helped him keep focused on his job and not search through the crowd for Katie and Eloisa.

And with that, he realized he had to put his trust in Owen to make sure they exited the second floor. He had to trust Eloisa and Katie to look out for each other.

And more than ever, he was going to have to trust the Lord to look out for the both of them. He couldn’t leave, and he couldn’t search for them. He couldn’t protect them like he ached to do.

As one elderly lady tripped and he reached out to break her fall, Sean realized the Lord already was looking out for them. He already had drawn them into his comforting embrace. He’d given them each other, and he’d given Fuller the foresight to run to them and warn them about the fire.

The Lord was already watching out for them. Now Sean dared to hope that, at this moment, it would be enough.

CHAPTER 30

T
his way!” a uniformed policeman called out from the back of the room. “There’s another exit. Some of you head this way.”

Eloisa, swept in between two panicked women and their somewhat alarmed escort who happened to be walking with a cane, couldn’t have switched directions even if she’d wanted to.

But that didn’t stop her from looking around for Katie. At first she didn’t see her slight figure, but then the bright-blue dress caught her eye.

She cried out in relief. “Katie!” she called, hoping her voice would carry over everyone else’s frantic calls. When Katie looked in her direction, Eloisa hoped and prayed she’d turned her way in response to her call.

With a touch of hopefulness in her voice, she added, “Katie! Go down the back stairwell and I’ll meet you outside. Yes?”

Katie stared at her blankly, but then was directed to go toward the uniformed policeman by Quentin Gardner.

Eloisa breathed a sigh of relief. Now, at the very least, she could tell Sean that she did see his sister leave the banquet room.

“You’re blocking our way,” a rather rotund lady yelled in her ear. She started, then realized it was now time to find her own way downstairs to safety. As more people pushed and shoved, as well as one of the more dainty females constantly threatening to succumb to vapors, Eloisa let herself be led down the front stairs. The journey was incredibly slow as too many people jostled and pushed one another. Everyone seemed to feed off others’ panic, illustrating, to Eloisa at least, that though the majority of them were products of many years of deportment classes, all of that learning went out the window when survival was at stake.

The most she could hope for was not to be tripped or trampled upon as they all reached the landing between the two floors, paused to take a breath, then continued their descent.

When she at last got to the ground floor, she ran out the open doorway. There, the assemblage had scattered like hundreds of red ants, spreading out in a hodgepodge maze of pairs, trios, and quartets. She looked around for Sean, but nowhere could she make out his handsome profile.

She darted around the back, looking for the other exit. When she located it, with a small trickle of people calmly walking out the door, she looked around for Katie.

But Katie was nowhere to be found.

She tried not to panic. After all, it was more than a little understandable that Katie might not have heard Eloisa’s directions. But she’d seen Quentin directing Katie to a back exit, and something didn’t feel right.

A crack to her right made her jerk her head, and her mouth dropped open when she saw the sight before her. The Missouri
building on the other side of the Pennsylvania building, which was right next to where they were standing, was in flames. Sparks and ash were flying. Before her eyes, she saw the trees around the Kentucky building catch fire. The sight was both awe-inspiring and completely frightening.

“Eloisa?” a voice called out.

She turned to see Quentin Gardner striding toward her, a set expression in his gaze.

“Quentin, I’m so glad to see you,” she said, grasping his arms.

Gently, he enfolded her in a quick hug. “I’m glad you made it out of the building, Eloisa, but you must leave the fair this minute. Come on, I’ll take you home in my rig.”

“I can’t leave just yet.” Clasping him harder when he attempted to shake off her hands, she looked at him beseechingly. “Upstairs, you were directing a friend of mine toward the back staircase.”

“I directed many people that way.”

“Do you remember a young girl in a blue gown? She has brown hair and blue eyes.”

He looked at her blankly. “I vaguely remember seeing someone of her description standing with you and Owen Howard at the soiree, but I certainly don’t remember guiding her downstairs.”

“No, no, I saw you talk to her. I saw you show her where to go.”

“Eloisa, I don’t remember. As soon as the policeman told me to bring people his direction, I directed everyone near me to him. And then I got out of there as fast as I could.”

“I need to find her.” She scanned the area, but didn’t see any uniformed officers. “I’m going to go around the front and look.”

This time, it was he who gripped her hard. “I really must insist that you leave with me. I’m sure that girl is well on her way home by now.”

“No. No, she wouldn’t be. She’s Lieutenant Ryan’s sister, you see.”
She gazed up at him, hoping he’d understand that she needed to stay in the area until Katie was located.

A crash followed by a flash of light, sounding like an explosion had gone off, suspended their conversation. Screams littered the air as the few people in the area started running toward the streets.

Quentin’s gaze turned as hard as his grip. “Let’s go. Now.”

Using all her force, she twisted away. “No!” she cried. And in that moment, she realized she was going to fight for herself, for what she believed in, and for what she wanted.

Quentin jumped back. “I’m sorry if I scared you, but we must—”

“No, you must go. Please do. I understand.”

“I can’t in good conscience do that. If something further happened to you . . .”

If something further. That said it all. And so, though she knew what he meant, and that he had her best interests at heart, she realized she could no longer simply exist as a victim.

Therefore, she lied. Pointing to a uniformed policeman in the distance, she said, “I know that man. He is a friend of Lieutenant Ryan’s. He’ll know where Katie is.”

“Eloisa—”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll be in good hands, Quentin, thank you.”

And with that, she walked toward the officer, at least until Quentin melted into the crowd. When he was out of sight, she circled back to the front of the New York State building and scanned the few people still there.

It was becoming hard to see anyone or anything with great certainty. Not only was it dark, but now the Kentucky building, in addition to the Missouri building, was engulfed in flames. Ash and smoke filled the air, making it difficult to breathe. Though every
survival instinct inside her screamed retreat, to follow the last of the crowd out of the fairgrounds, she held firm.

But Katie was nowhere. Scared to death now, Eloisa looked for Owen or Sean, scanning the gentlemen who looked all the same in their black tuxedos, their features blurred in the smoke.

Until she saw Sean running toward her. “Eloisa!” he breathed before he roughly pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

No embrace had ever felt as secure or wonderful. “Sean, I’m so glad to see you,” she blurted before he kissed her quickly.

Then, just as abruptly, he pulled away and scanned her face. “Why are you still here? I had hoped someone trustworthy would have already taken you home.”

“I couldn’t leave. I don’t have Katie.”

He blinked. “No, I’m sure Katie is with Owen.”

“She wasn’t when I got out. Owen was still upstairs. The last time I saw Katie, Quentin Gardner was directing her toward the back exit.”

He stared at her, confusion in his features. “Everyone was supposed to go toward the front stairs, where the uniformed officers were stationed. The back stairwell is narrow and I didn’t think it was safe enough to risk a crowd rushing down those steps. I thought there was plenty of time for everyone to safely exit out the front entrance.”

“There was a uniformed officer in the back too, Sean. He was directing people to take the back way.”

“We have to find Katie.”

Roughly grabbing her hand, he yanked her to walk with him. Yet again they walked around the perimeter. It was difficult to do now, and Eloisa feared it wasn’t safe at all. They could both feel the heat emanating from the flames. It was as if the fire were jumping from structure to structure.

While she scanned the few people who remained for either Owen or Katie, Sean strode toward one uniformed officer.

When he saw them approach, both of his hands lifted in a universal signal for them to halt. “You folks need to leave now,” he barked. “Ain’t no—”

“I’m Lieutenant Ryan,” Sean interrupted. Sean guided her closer. “Eloisa, was this the man?”

“No. The man I saw was shorter. Dark hair, and a bit too much of it.”

“Griffin, Eloisa said a uniformed officer answering to that description was upstairs directing people down the back staircase. Who was it?”

“I don’t know, sir. Detective Howard told us to stay near the front staircase to usher people out. Maybe it was a man in a suit?”

“No.” Eloisa shook her head. “He had a uniform and he was friendly looking.” Suddenly, she had a name—and a reason to feel afraid. “I know who it was. Sergeant Fuller. He’s shaved his sideburns and was obviously wearing a wig of some sort, but I still recognized his face and physique. Why would he—”