“Are his studies going well? I hope he doesn’t mind me keeping you away.”
He let out a breath. “Yes, he understands I am helping you. To answer your question, Sir Heath is coming along splendidly. He just needed a little polishing up.”
“I’m sure he will be better for having your instruction.”
Kane hoped so. But there was so much more he wanted to instruct Heath in, especially in the bedroom. A familiar feeling started in his groin. He had to clear his mind before he embarrassed himself in front of Caroline.
“I should get back.”
Just as Kane made it to the doorway, another man filled the frame. He was almost a head taller than Kane, which didn’t happen often. The man’s sandy-colored hair was messed, as if he was constantly running his hands through it. The state of his clothes said he was not well off, but they were clean. When Kane met his stare, the man squinted his emerald eyes.
“Detective Wells,” Caroline said from behind Kane.
So this was the illustrious detective. While Kane would call the man good-looking, nothing stirred inside him.
Caroline came up to the men. “Detective, this is Mr. Kane Badgely.”
The detective’s countenance changed from one of defensiveness to one of friendliness. “Ah, Mr. Badgely, a pleasure to meet you. Miss Hearst has told me all about you and what you’ve done so far.”
Kane took the hand Wells put out and shook it. Firm grip.
“I’m happy to meet you, detective. We are glad for any assistance.”
“When Miss Hearst explained the situation, I knew I had to step in. I don’t believe these disappearances are a mere coincidence.”
“Neither do I,” Kane agreed. “Do you have any thoughts on how to proceed?”
“I asked my superior for help at night to watch the docks, which he has agreed too.”
Good, that meant Kane wouldn’t have to sneak away at nights.
“We learned something else today,” Caroline added, addressing Wells. “A student mentioned one of the missing girls used to speak with a man by the docks who was French.”
Wells clicked his teeth.
“I know it’s not much, but it might be something,” the teacher said in an emotion-choked voice.
The detective’s features softened when he looked at Caroline. Interesting, Kane thought. Evidently, the man had a tender spot for the teacher.
“That narrows the suspects down a little, but there are many Frenchmen in Dover given its proximity to France.”
Kane spoke up. “That’s why I believe the girls may be getting smuggled out of England and taken to France.”
“For what purpose?”
“I don’t know. I could be wrong about them being taken to France, but my gut tells me I’m not.”
Caroline looked close to tears again. Perhaps it was best to talk about things another time.
“I shall give it some thought and contact you in a few days,” Wells said to Kane.
“Very well. Good night detective, Caroline.”
He left the two behind, but just before he turned the corner he glanced back and saw Wells offer his handkerchief to Caroline, who smiled back at him. Kane chuckled. Nothing like a damsel in distress to bring out the knight in shining armor.
On the way home, Kane tried to put the pieces together. It must be Duvall using Graham’s boat. But to do what? Maybe he was wrong. Perhaps it was someone else. Mayhap the girls were taken on a train or they were still in Dover? When he counted in his mind, between the girls from the orphanage and the factory, it was at least a dozen missing, if not more. What sort of fiend would kidnap girls?
It was the most logical conclusion. None of the missing girls had turned up dead, thank goodness. And so far, none had returned to the orphanage or the factory, so Kane assumed they were being held somewhere. The picture was still hazy. Then he remembered Mrs. Baum telling him the other day that Jessica had gone missing. She was about the same age as the others, but he hadn’t told the housekeeper for fear of causing her more grief. The poor woman was already beside herself with worry. All the more reason to find the culprit sooner rather than later.