“You got away clean?”
“Clean and with twenty-one million pounds.”
“Million? That’s impossible.”
Alice laughed and shook her head. “Nothing’s impossible when it comes to your mom, kid. She was—well, the best I’d ever met. Like I said.”
“And you never got caught? Never questioned?”
“They didn’t know what to look for.”
That sparked something in my mind. A memory of reading words on a screen about robberies and a clover. “The library,” I said. “I read about your crimes. That was you?”
“God, you’re like her. I can see it in your eyes.”
“But you haven’t said what the letters are.”
“We all hid our money in different places, and the deal was that if anything happened to one of us, letters would be sent out to the survivors to let us know where the money was stashed. We all promised to take care of any family and then to resplit whatever was left.”
“And that’s what’s in the letters.”
“Coded, of course. Couldn’t have any of it getting out by accident. But your dad shouldn’t have been able to stop the letters from mailing. It was all automatic.” Alice shook her head. “How did I not see this earlier?”
“Didn’t you think it was odd that you never got a letter from my mom?”
Alice shook her head. “No, she sent me her letter. It was right when she found out she was sick. I figured she sent them to everyone then, but now I have to wonder.” A flash of fear returned to Alice’s expression. “I may be the only one who knows where all her money is.”
“You’re the only one left,” I said again. I felt like it was all I could say to her.
She shook her head. “No. It’s you and me. You’re in it now.”
We stared at each other just long enough for me to compose myself, and then I nodded. “You and me. But that means you let me help you, too.”
“We help each other,” she said. “And that means I come to London.”
“That’s insanity. You’ve got to hide.”
Alice smiled. “He won’t find me, but I’m not leaving you to deal with this alone.”
I should’ve argued with her, but I found I couldn’t. It was a kind of relief to have one other person know and offer help. As she made promises to be in London at the end of the next week and started planning how and where we’d meet up in the city, I felt more and more at ease.
Alice grabbed the picture of the church off the table, the one my mom had left for me in her hidey-hole. “But before you go home, we’ll set you up for real.” She smiled widely. “This is the fun part.”
Chapter 18
Sherlock was in a mood when I finally got back to Lewes. He scowled down at the floor tiles of the train station and didn’t even bother to look at me when I walked up to him, which suited me fine. I had enough to think over on my own. My bag felt heavy with the money Alice had stuffed into it. Evidently, she and Mum had shared one of their getaway hiding spots in the cemetery near St. John’s in Piddinghoe. It was a bigger hiding spot than the one in Regent’s Park and held quite a bit more cash.
“In case you need to get out of that house before I can get to the city,” she’d said when I’d protested carrying a brick of money in my handbag on the train. “Southern Rail’s got a first-class compartment. Now you can afford it.”
Having Alice’s help opened up more contingencies than I knew how to plan for, but still a plan started to form. I took advantage of the quiet, but quick, ride to Brighton, where we had to change trains. Sherlock grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go until we were inside the first-class compartment to London. And when he did let go, he practically flung himself into the seats on one side of the table.
“How was your herb walk?” I asked, sliding into the aisle seat on the other side.
He barely shrugged and turned to stare out the window.
“You’re quiet. Did something happen?” He didn’t answer, so I tried again. “What are you thinking about?” Again, no answer. I slid over into the window seat to place myself in his direct line of sight, but he looked away as soon as I did, then stood and walked to the other side of the compartment, his back to me.
“What’s wrong with you?”
His voice was soft but strained when he answered. “There is nothing wrong with me.”
I stared at his back for as long as it took me to decide it wasn’t worth indulging this new mood. “Fine. You want to pretend you’re the only one in here? You don’t have to pretend.” I started to gather my things, but I didn’t even stand before he relented and spoke.
“I know.”
I’d lost patience with his cryptic nonsense, and my tone portrayed that perfectly. “What do you know?”
He turned to stare straight into my eyes. His were blazing. He’d never looked at me like that before. “I know.”