Jack said, “Mrs. Stone, does anybody else know about this, the whole story?”
She shook her head. “The only person who knows anything at all is a neighbor from down the street. Mrs. Oglethorp. She stayed with my Henry while I was gone. She thinks I went to my sister, too.”
Anna asked, “How can you be sure Henry didn’t tell Mrs. Oglethorp anything, given his state of mind?”
“I can be sure because Mary doesn’t speak German, and Henry lost every word he ever knew of English on the battlefield at Bull Run.”
Oscar stood up, his expression thoughtful as he walked toward the window where Mr. Stone sat rocking. He crouched down and smiled at both man and dog, held out a hand to be sniffed, and scratched behind Montgomery’s ear.
“Henry,” he said.
Mr. Stone looked at him expectantly, a smile on his face that could almost be called hopeful.
“A fine dog you’ve got here. His name is bigger than he is, though. Why’d you name him Montgomery?”
An uncertain look was all the response he got.
“Henry, where are the little boys from across the street?”
The smile faded. He turned in his seat to look at his wife, his brows raised.
“Schon recht,” she said to him. “Macht nichts.” To Jack she said, “The boys and Henry, what’s to become of them when you take me away?”
Anna had never seen a human being so terribly frightened. Not even the sickest patient with nothing but death to look forward to, not parents with a desperately ill child. Mabel Stone wasn’t frightened for herself but for the people who depended on her. Anna was about to tell Jack and Oscar that some other solution had to be found when Jack spoke up.
“We’re not here to arrest you,” Jack said. “You went with Mrs. Campbell and her sons because you were asked to, and you took the money she gave you to look after the boys. Between us I think we can find a way to get you and Henry back to those boys. Safely.”
“With the bonds,” Oscar added. “Campbell will have stolen them somewhere, that’s something we’ll look into down the road, but you don’t have to worry about it. He’ll never be punished but it’ll eat him alive, the idea that she got the better of him.”
Mrs. Stone looked between them, studying their faces until she seemed satisfied.
“You’d think I’d run out of tears.” She folded her damp handkerchief and pressed it to her eyes. “If you mean it, then God bless you.”
“We mean it,” Jack said.
Anna said, “Can I ask one more question?”
“Anything,” Mrs. Stone said.
“Do you happen to know if Mrs. Campbell ever traded at Smithson’s, the druggist across from the Jefferson Market?”
At Mrs. Stone’s blank expression Anna said, “Never mind, it was just an idea.”
“But I do know Smithson’s,” Mrs. Stone said. “It’s where my mother traded and where I go. When Janine first moved down here from Maine I took her there too, to introduce her. It can’t be Mr. Smithson who hurt her. He’s as gentle as a lamb and just about as strong. And retired, too, since last year.”
“I didn’t mean to suggest that Mr. Smithson had anything to do with Mrs. Campbell. It’s something else, that may be related.”
“Is he in trouble?”
“Nobody is in trouble,” Jack said. “Except the person who operated on Mrs. Campbell, and we don’t have any idea yet who that is. But if you think of anything she might have said, no matter how small—”
“I will come see you. Or write to you, if we are already away. When do you think we could leave here? I do need to get back to the boys. And Henry misses them so.”
Oscar said, “Could you leave now?”
Mrs. Stone’s expression stilled. “We don’t have much luggage, and it’s been packed for weeks. Do you mean it?”
“I do. I can put you two and Montgomery somewhere safe tonight and tomorrow I’ll see to it you get onto the first steamer headed in the direction of Sakonnet Harbor. I’ll need a half hour or so, so sit tight. Jack, you’ll want to stay.”
Anna could almost hear the silent discussion that went back and forth between them. No doubt Campbell had seen them entering the Stones’ house, and by now he would have suspicions. Anna was glad Jack was staying behind.
Oscar grinned. “I won’t be long,” he said. “You’ll be free of Campbell before you know it.”
? ? ?
A FEW MINUTES later when Mrs. Stone had gone to check over their luggage, Anna said, “Do I want to know what he’s up to?”
Jack shrugged. “You never know with Oscar. He can be inventive, on both sides of the law. But he’ll get them to Rhode Island and Campbell will be none the wiser, you can put money on that much.”
“We set out to find an answer to one question and instead we found the answer to a different one altogether.”
Mrs. Stone came back into the parlor, her agitation and excitement plain to read in the way she sat and then jumped up again.