Time of Fog and Fire Read online

  “That’s what my husband says.”

  “Sensible man. I like to hear of a man who has his wife’s best interests at heart,” he said.

  I had to smile at this. I didn’t tell him that my husband had summoned me across the continent into a scene of danger.

  “While you’re here, I’d better examine you,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve seen you since I delivered your child. What was that—two years ago now?” He listened to my heartbeat, poked and prodded, and then said, “The dizziness and nausea. Is it possible that you are expecting another child?”

  I stared at him. “No. I don’t think.…” Then it struck me. I hadn’t exactly had the most regular monthly cycles since having Liam and I hadn’t had an unwelcome visitor since … since before Daniel left for California. I had been too overwrought while I had been in San Francisco to have noticed such trivialities. And I remembered the queasiness on the train.

  “Do you think I’m expecting?” I asked.

  “Let’s just say I’d like to examine you more thoroughly. Then we’ll know.”

  Half an hour later I walked out of there with a big smile on my face. Not only were my husband and son safe but I had been given an added gift!

  * * *

  Daniel was gone all day. I waited impatiently for him to arrive home that evening. When he did I dragged him into the front parlor and had just shared the news with him when there was a knock at our front door. Daniel went to answer it and I heard him say, “Good heavens, sir. You got up here in a hurry.”

  “Caught the next train,” said a voice that I recognized and I came out to see Mr. Wilkie standing in our hallway. “I can’t tell you how relieved I was to get the news that you were still alive and had escaped from that hellhole. I was blaming myself for sending you there.”

  He came over to me and took my hands. “I must apologize to you, my dear Mrs. Sullivan, for putting your husband in such a precarious situation. Presumably you had no idea he was even in San Francisco, let alone trapped in the middle of an earthquake.”

  “Oh, but…” I began when Daniel cut in.

  “Actually she did know because I sent her a postcard,” he said firmly and deliberately, giving me a warning look. “So naturally she was extremely worried until I could send her a wire.”

  “It seemed like an eternity,” I said. “I was so worried I couldn’t even concentrate on my embroidery.”

  I watched Daniel trying to keep a straight face at this.

  “You must lead a charmed life, Sullivan,” Mr. Wilkie said as Daniel ushered him through to the back parlor.

  “It certainly feels that way at the moment,” Daniel said. He closed the door behind them, leaving me standing in the hallway fighting off frustration again. I went back to the kitchen and got on with preparing our evening meal. I had bought Daniel a steak to celebrate. I waited impatiently but it was a good half hour later that the door opened again and Daniel emerged with Mr. Wilkie.

  “Regrettable, but inevitable, I suppose,” Mr. Wilkie was saying. “But don’t worry. We have the evidence. We’ll try to retrieve that safe-deposit box. We’ll get them when the time is right, you’ll see.”

  “I hope so,” Daniel said.

  “And that other matter. You’ll think about it then?” Mr. Wilkie asked as they shook hands.

  “I’ll think about it,” Daniel replied.

  It was as if I was watching a scene replayed. My heartbeat quickened. Was Daniel being sent off on another dangerous assignment?

  “Good-bye, Mrs. Sullivan,” Mr. Wilkie said. “And if you are ever interested, I am sure that I could make good use of your skills as well.”

  “Oh, no, thank you,” Daniel said quickly. “She’ll be too busy looking after the children.”

  And he opened the front door, reacting with surprise when he saw two people standing outside. One of them was Sid, now walking with the aid of crutches, and the other I recognized after a moment as Mr. Graves, who had insisted on interviewing me for his magazine.

  “Molly, guess what?” Sid called to me before Daniel could say anything. “Mr. Graves published your interview and received such a positive response from so many people. You are deemed to be a champion of the women’s movement. And when I met him today and he heard about your adventures in California he is determined to get the scoop on that story too.” She looked up and appeared to notice Daniel and Mr. Wilkie. “Oh, I’m sorry, Captain Sullivan. Have I just interrupted something?”

  “It’s fine, Miss Goldfarb,” Daniel replied. “Mr. Wilkie was just leaving. Let me find you a cab, sir.”

  And he bundled him off down the street before he could ask any more questions.

  “You published my interview?” I asked. “Without telling me?”

  Mr. Graves looked sheepish. “You were gone for an indeterminate amount of time and the material was good. Miss Goldfarb said you wouldn’t mind…”

  He broke off as Daniel returned to me. “What is this all about, Molly? Interview? Magazine?” he asked.

  I smiled sweetly. “I can have my little secrets just as you do, Daniel Sullivan. And I’ll be happy to recount my adventures in San Francisco, Mr. Graves. Just not right now. I’m about to cook my husband’s dinner.”

  We parted company. Daniel followed me into the kitchen.

  “So what did Mr. Wilkie want this time?” I asked. “He wants to send you off on another dangerous escapade?”

  “No, he wants to offer me a job,” he said.

  “A permanent job? With him?”

  “Yes.”

  “And it would mean moving away from here to Washington?”

  “Yes.”

  “Leaving my friends and going to a new city?”

  “Yes.”

  “And spending your life in constant danger?”

  “Molly,” he said, “I didn’t say I’d take the job. I said I’d think about it. Discuss it with you. But if I’m going to be forced out of the police department here … well, it’s good to have some alternatives, isn’t it?”

  “But Washington, and danger … you’ve a family to think of, Daniel Sullivan.”

  “I know. I’m quite aware of that.”

  I had a sudden idea. “It might not be so bad,” I said. “After all, Mr. Wilkie did offer me a job too, didn’t he? I’d rather like to get into the spy business. It could be fun…”

  And I enjoyed watching Daniel’s face.

  About the Author

  RHYS BOWEN is the author of the Anthony Award– and Agatha Award–winning Molly Murphy mysteries, the Edgar Award–nominated Evan Evans series, and the Royal Spyness series. Born in England, she lives in San Rafael, California.

  Visit her online at www.rhysbowen.com. Or sign up for email updates here.

  Also by Rhys Bowen

  The Molly Murphy Mysteries

  Away in a Manger

  The Edge of Dreams

  City of Darkness and Light

  The Family Way

  Hush Now, Don’t You Cry

  Bless the Bride

  The Last Illusion

  In a Gilded Cage

  Tell Me, Pretty Maiden

  In Dublin’s Fair City

  Oh Danny Boy

  In Like Flynn

  For the Love of Mike

  Death of Riley

  Murphy’s Law

  The Constable Evans Mysteries

  Evanly Bodies

  Evan Blessed

  Evan’s Gate

  Evan Only Knows

  Evans to Betsy

  Evan Can Wait

  Evan and Elle

  Evanly Choirs

  Evan Help Us

  Evans Above

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  About the Author

  Also by Rhys Bowen

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  TIME OF FOG AND FIRE. Copyright © 2016 by Rhys Bowen. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

  www.minotaurbooks.com

  Jacket design by Danielle Christopher

  Jacket photograph of woman by Shirley Green

  Jacket photograph of painted ladies houses, San Francisco © Amit Basu Photography/Getty Images

  The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

  Names: Bowen, Rhys, author.

  Title: Time of fog and fire / Rhys Bowen.

  Description: First Edition. | New York: Minotaur Books, 2016. | Series: Molly Murphy mysteries; [16]

  Identifiers: LCCN 2015044228 | ISBN 978-1-250-05204-9 (hardback) | ISBN 978-1-4668-5337-9 (e-book)

  Subjects: LCSH: Murphy, Molly (Fictitious character)—Fiction. | Women private investigators—New York (State)—New York—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths. | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Historical. | GSAFD: Mystery fiction.

  Classification: LCC PR6052.O848 T56 2016 | DDC 823/.914—dc23

  LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015044228

  e-ISBN 9781466853379

  Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].

  First Edition: March 2016