In Like Flynn (Molly Murphy Mysteries, #4)

I coughed and put my hand to my mouth as I was ushered in through the front door. Inside was noticeably cool and dark after the heat radiating up from the sidewalks. An exchange I couldn't quite hear took place between the constable and the officer sitting at a desk. The latter glanced up at me, nodded, then got to his feet and produced a giant set of keys.

“This way then,” he said. “Mind your step.” He led us down along, dark hallway, finally opening a door into a bleak and Spartan room containing a couple of straight backed chairs, both rather the worse for wear. He turned on a switch and the room was bathed in harsh electric light. The green paint on the brick walls was peeling in places so that the original brick showed through with interesting adornments of mold. It smelled moldy and damp too, with a hint of urine, If the building was being renovated, they clearly hadn't reached this part of it yet.

“Wait here, please,” the warder said. “And just ten minutes, mind you or it’s more than my job’s worth.” He retreated, shutting the door behind us with a hollow clanging finality. The constable offered me a chair. I sat and waited for what seemed like an eternity. Now that I was about to see Daniel again, my heart was pounding so violently that I could hardly breathe. Outside it had been so hot that my thin muslin dress was damp with perspiration. Now I started shivering. In fact for one horrible moment, I felt that I might faint. Having never worn a corset in my life, I was not prone to swooning and the cold, clammy feeling was alarming. As I leaned back and closed my eyes, I heard distant footsteps echoing on a stone floor. Then a scraping sound as a partition was slid open in the far wall and I found myself staring at Daniel’s face through an iron grille.

“Molly!” he exclaimed. “You came. Thank God.”