Limping badly and cradling her useless left arm, she staggered toward the light filtering through the floating particles. With her good arm, she pulled bits of debris away from in front of a side door, making a small opening. Getting down on her knees brought so much pain that she almost lost consciousness. But with hatred-spurned grit, she made it through into the back corridor. Her one goal was to finish what she started. Believing Katherine would seek solace in her room, Selina moved to the servants’ stairs. They were no longer in use and had been her means of moving about the manor unseen.
The stairs almost proved to be her undoing. The pain in her chest and stomach increased with every step. But she finally made it to the second floor. Down the corridor she shuffled. She had to stop and flatten herself against the wall when a man ran from the bedroom and headed in the direction of the front stairs. She smiled, realizing that her prey would now be alone and vulnerable to the fury that gave Selina life. But as she cracked open the bedroom door, she heard voices and saw two men and a woman near the bed. Selina knew one of the voices was that of the cook, but she didn’t recognize either man. Her heart surged in joy, thinking the woman that lay there was Katherine and that she must have been injured in the fall. But then the men moved and from her view point, Selina saw that it wasn’t Katherine at all but the other daughter, the one she knew would die soon anyway from the poisoned needles. Selina smiled at her work and silently closed the door.
But where was Katherine? As she listened, she heard a commotion downstairs. Treading softly, she headed in that direction.
* * *
The deafening noise drew David from Katherine’s room. Not knowing where the noise stemmed from, he ran down the front stairs. Once down the steps, he quickly realized the magnitude of what had happened. The dust made it hard to see or breathe. Putting his handkerchief over his mouth, he moved slowly down the corridor and further down the hall until he saw a beam blocking a doorway. A slight settlement of dust allowed him to see into the room where the bulk of the damage had occurred. The room was filled with a huge mound of debris from the upper floor. He was thankful that no one appeared to be harmed in the incident.
As David turned to leave, Garth suddenly appeared next to him.
“Can you see anyone in there?” he asked urgently, peering past David’s shoulder.
“No, no one. Why? Was anyone upstairs when the floor gave way?” David asked puzzled. He then grew fearful as he hadn’t seen Katherine since he had returned with the doctor. He hadn’t been able to find Brice so took it upon himself to seek the help May-Jewel needed.
“Yes, Selina and Katherine.” If Garth had had his suspicions before about what Katherine meant to the vicar, seeing the terror in David’s eyes only confirmed it. Before David could respond, Garth quickly added, “Katherine’s shaken up a bit but is all right. I’ve sent her to wait for the constable.”
“Oh, thank God,” David breathed. “But what about the other woman?”
“She’s still be in there. Here, give me a hand.” He started to pry the boards that barred the doorway. “Selina? Are you there?” he called.
But there wasn’t any answer and, with all their efforts, they weren’t able to gain full entrance to the room. Only the small opening at the foot of the door was widened slightly. The corridor was too narrow to afford them much maneuvering space. Each time they stopped for a moment in their attempts to enter, they would listen for any sound from under the rubble. But they heard nothing except their own breathing.
“We’ll need more men,” Garth announced, wiping his hands free of dust.
“How did this happen?”
Shaking his head, Garth simply responded, “There are some floors that need to be replaced. I guess this one just gave way while Selina was on it.”
Frowning, David said, “This place isn’t safe. I’d feel better if the women came and stayed at the manse until the threats against them cease and the dwelling can be inspected further.”
Garth frowned, his voice edged in anger. “You needn’t worry, Vicar. Selina won’t be a threat to them much longer and, now that I’m back, the manor will be repaired. My sisters will be safe enough here with me.”
Their eyes locked for a moment. David was the first to look away. He knew he hadn’t any ground to stand on, and this wasn’t the time to force the issue. He was certain that Katherine herself wouldn’t accept his offer for the women to stay at the manse. He changed the subject.
“Did you say that you brought the constable?”
“Yes, Katherine should be with them by now.” Looking back into the room, Garth finally said, “Maybe Selina escaped injury. She could have gotten out before we got here.”
“Poor soul,” David commented, “that she be driven to such actions.”
“Don’t feel too sorry for her, Vicar, she’s very resourceful and very evil.” But he, too, grew worried about the woman and decided to extend his search. “If anyone is going to be able to find her, it’s me. Come on, I remember some of the more hidden places to be found here in which she might be hiding.” He started walking away.
David wasn’t sure what to do, to help Garth find Selina, to seek out Katherine, or return to May-Jewel and assist the doctor. After a moment’s hesitation, he followed after Garth. As they approached a divide in the hall, Garth pointed to the east side of the building.
“We might as well split up. You look
