When the Walls Fell (22 page)

Simon instructed their coachman to park across the street from the Graham’s house, not so close as to draw suspicion, but close enough that they could see any comings and goings. They both settled in for a long wait.

They’d debated telling Graham that he was in danger, but without any proof at all it would have sounded slightly insane. They couldn’t exactly tell him the truth either. Elizabeth had even suggested that they kidnap him and try to keep him safe that way, but Simon had pointed out that they had no idea how he was killed or by whom. It was possible that their actions might even increase the danger to him. All they could do was watch and wait. And be ready to act when the moment came.

Elizabeth felt the carriage sway as the coachman climbed down from his seat. He brought a large wicker basket around that must have been stored in the rear compartment.

Simon took the basket and put it on the opposite seat. “Thank you, William.”

When had he learned the coachman’s name? And why hadn’t she bothered to do the same?

Simon pulled the window shades down leaving just a sliver at the bottom to see through.

“What’s this?” she asked, pointing at the large briefcase shaped basket.

“There’s no telling how long we’ll be here and it’s best we’re prepared for the duration.”

He opened the basket to reveal bread, cheese, fruit, plates and utensils, even a thermos of something.

The hours passed with no movement in or out of the Graham’s house. Simon stretched out his legs and propped them up next to the nearly empty basket on the far seat. He put his arm around Elizabeth and his long fingers brushed up and down her arm. It was strangely peaceful and Elizabeth felt herself melting into Simon’s side. As far as stakeouts went, this wasn’t so bad.

“What are you two doing here?”

Elizabeth and Simon jumped.

Teddy’s face appeared in the window, his head ducking under the shade.

“Great googley moogley!” Elizabeth cried. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. He crammed his hand through the window and offered her his brown paper sack. “Peanut?”

“Teddy, please go home,” Simon said.

Teddy pulled his arm back and pushed his head back into the cab. “Are you trying to be secret?”

“Yes, we are. So if you’d…”

“I have secrets,” he said.

“Good,” Simon said as though he were speaking to a small child. “Now, be a good chap and run along.”

“I’ve been working on something, but things keep exploding.”

“We’d love to hear about that,” Elizabeth said as she tried to look past him to see if their cover had been blown. “But later.”

Having Teddy hang off the side of their supposedly empty carriage wasn’t exactly inconspicuous. “We’ll come by later and see, all right?”

Teddy nodded. “Shhh,” he whispered as he slipped out from under the shade and continued down the street.

Elizabeth fell back against her seat and shook her head.

“More of your magnetic personality at work?” Simon said. “I swear that you collect odd people the way some collect porcelain cats.”

“It could be worse,” she said.

Simon peaked under the shade to make sure Teddy had actually left. “How?”

“I could collect porcelain cats.”

***

The afternoon turned into evening and evening into night. As the darkness came Elizabeth grew more anxious with every passing minute. She was exhausted and keyed up at the same time. It made her feel slightly queasy.

“What if it’s already happened?” she said, “and we don’t know.”

“Then I wouldn’t be here, would I?”

Elizabeth frowned. She hated the matter of fact way he said it.

“I’m sorry,” he continued. “I know you’re worried for me and I love you for it, but if I do…cease to be, you won’t know to miss me, will you?”

“I’d know,” she said almost angrily. “No matter what changed, I’d know.”

He looked a little chagrined at that and brushed his knuckles along her jaw. “I believe you would.”

“You haven’t cornered the market on truly, madly, deeply, ya know? I do actually love you as much as you love me. You’re not the only crazy person here.”

He laughed and kissed her. “No indeed.”

After another minute dragged by, she sat forward. “I can’t just sit here anymore. I can’t. I have to know what’s going on in there.”

She opened the carriage door and Simon put a hand on her arm. “All right,” he said, pulling her back so he could exit first and help her out.

They walked over to the Graham’s and rang the bell. After a moment, the maid answered.

“We’re here to see Mr. and Mrs. Graham,” Simon said.

The maid nodded and closed the door most of the way. They could hear voices inside and then Mary Graham appeared at the door. If it was possible, she looked even paler than she had before. “This isn’t a good time.”

“Are you all right?” Elizabeth tried to see inside. “Where’s Mr. Graham?”

Mary pulled the door until it was barely a foot open. She was nervous and upset. “Victor’s not feeling well.”

“We’ll send for a doctor. Perhaps we can help,” Elizabeth said as she tried to ease the door open again. “Let us help you, Mary.”

Mary looked like she was about to let them in when the door swung open and Victor Graham stared at them wild eyed. “You’re not welcome here.”

He was a shadow of the man he’d been that day at the Ferry building—his face unshaved, his clothes unkempt.

His eyes flared with anger. “She said you’d try to interfere.”

“Who? Madame Petrovka?” Elizabeth asked.

“She’s not what she appears to be,” Simon said. “She’s a fraud.”

Graham shook his head violently. “Leave my house.”

He tried to slam the door, but Simon held onto it. “You’re not thinking clearly.”

Graham turned to one his servants who watched the scene in horror. “Get the police. Now! Go!”

The footman scurried back into the house and disappeared.

“Victor, please,” Mary said placing a hand on her husband’s arm.

Victor shook her off. “Get inside.”

Mary gave Simon and Elizabeth a look of apology and shame. “I’m sorry.”

Victor turned back to Simon and Elizabeth. His eyes were bloodshot and painfully sad. His fury seemed to have burned itself out in an instant and he leaned against the door. “Please, just go.”

“Let us help you,” Elizabeth pleaded. “You’re in danger.”

Only the barest hint of hope lit his eyes before they went dull again. “Please?”

Simon let go of the door and Graham nodded his thanks before closing it in front of them. He led her back to their carriage.

“We can’t just walk away.”

Simon kept a hold of her arm. “Getting arrested isn’t exactly going to help our cause, now is it?”

She couldn’t argue with that, but how could she just sit and wait while Graham was coming unglued. They climbed back into the carriage and Elizabeth fidgeted.

Simon was deep in thought, staring out the window when he suddenly rapped hard on the roof of the cab. “We need to move. Now!”

“What’s going on?”

Simon pointed to a buggy coming up the block. Inside was Victor Graham.

“But how?” Elizabeth asked.

“The servant’s entrance. I’d completely forgotten about it until the footman ran to the back of the house to get the police.” He opened the cab door and leaned out. “That carriage there, follow it.”

As soon as Simon was back inside, their carriage took off after Graham. The streets were surprisingly busy for a Sunday night, but the traffic thinned quickly as they headed west away from town.

Elizabeth’s heart pounded in time to the horse’s hooves. Faster and faster. They passed Golden Gate Park and turned up the coast. They drove through the heights above the Cliff House and came to a rough dirt road that led further up the coast. Their carriage rolled to a stop. Elizabeth nearly cried out in frustration. They couldn’t lose him now.

“Keep going,” Simon called through the window.

“Can’t, sir,” William said. “That buggy can make it all right, but not the coach. We’ll drop a wheel for sure.”

Simon yanked open the door and helped Elizabeth. “You all right?” he asked.

She wasn’t, but she nodded and they started down the dirt road on foot. It was tough going. The road was furrowed with deep ruts and chuckholes. Clouds blocked out most of the moonlight making the footing treacherous. Elizabeth clung to Simon’s hand for balance as they ran down the road as quickly as they dared.

It wasn’t long before the bushes and trees that lined the road gave way to a small open expanse. They found Graham’s buggy abandoned at the base of a footpath that led further up the coast. In the distance, Elizabeth could just barely make out a figure in the darkness as it moved from shadow to shadow.

“There!”

She and Simon went after Graham, winding their way through the dense undergrowth, only catching glimpses of Graham as the path veered into the open. The ocean was close. She could taste the salt on the air and feel the cold, wet wind cutting through her clothes. They were somewhere along the bluffs above the sea, but she couldn’t tell how far away it was.

The underbrush was thick and a clump of brambles caught her skirts and she nearly stumbled. With a few curses and rips she disentangled herself, but she knew she was slowing them down. Damn shoes and corset. She hated to do it, but there wasn’t any choice. She would have ripped off all of her clothes if there’d been time, but there wasn’t. Every second mattered. They couldn’t afford to lose track of Graham now.

“Go after him,” Elizabeth said. “I can’t keep up.”

“I won’t leave you.”

She grabbed him by the arms, pleading. “If you don’t, I might lose you.”

Simon hesitated, but Elizabeth pushed him ahead.

“Go. I’ll be right behind you.”

He nodded. “You’d better be.” And then he disappeared into the brush ahead.

Cursing every fashion designer and shoemaker for the last one hundred years, Elizabeth followed behind as fast as she could. She stumbled and pricked her arm through the fabric of her sleeve. She ripped herself free and pushed on.

The bushes and trees thinned out and she could see that she was near the cliff’s edge. Pushing her heart back down into her ribcage, she ran forward. The path serpentined through the woods, jigging one way and then another. Finally, the maze of woods ended abruptly and she emerged into the open air.

Somehow, she’d ended up about sixty feet back from the edge. In the mixture of rocks and grass in front of her, she saw Graham, farthest away, and Simon closing behind him. She thought it was just a shadow from a tree swaying in the wind, but then she realized that another man had stepped out of the darkness. He surged forward and raised something above his head. He was about to swing it down on Simon’s head when she cried out.

“Look out!”

Simon reacted just in time to deflect the blow.

Elizabeth ran toward them, stumbling, cursing. She couldn’t catch her breath and knew she was going to start hyperventilating soon, but she ran forward.

It was so dark she could barely tell where one man started and the other stopped as they fought. They fell to the ground and she lost them in the tall grass.

Graham continued his march to the sea cliff.

Somewhere ahead, Elizabeth heard grunting and panting. The grass rustled back and forth as the two men grappled with each other. She saw Simon stand and then the other man. It was Stryker. Was Madame Petrovka here too? As she turned to look for her, Stryker rushed toward her. Simon grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to the ground.