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* * *
The next few days produced no sighting of Bridget or Ray. The sheriff had, in fact, gotten together a rather large search party just as promised, but no good had come of it. Edward had begun to think they would see neither of them again and was not at all sorry for it.
Robert Shannon had proven himself as formidable a lawyer as Mr. Hargood. Mr. Shannon's specialty, however, was family law. He had a penchant for helping women and children who were in need, even if they didn't always have the money to pay him.
Edward had already assured the man that he would be well paid if he could find some way of getting Lily out of her marriage.
"It will be difficult but not impossible," he'd said just yesterday. "Given the circumstances, we stand a very good chance of having Ray Dickinson declared criminally insane. If that is the case, then it will make things much easier for us going forward."
Mr. Hargood had concurred and offered his services to Mr. Shannon in the hopes they could speed things along.
Lily had continued to express her doubt that she might obtain a divorce from Ray without his consent, but he also saw hope in her eyes where there had been none before.
The main problem, according to Robert, was that even if they were able to declare Ray criminally insane, they would still need him to be present in the courtroom for the divorce proceedings.
"A woman cannot be declared divorced from her husband if the husband cannot be found. Even if he's insane, he must be formally presented with the announcement that proceedings are underway and given the opportunity to appear before a judge to plead his case." He drew in a breath. "If he fails to appear after being duly notified, that is one thing, but to not be notified at all is quite another. It will do us more harm than good if we were to proceed in that manner."
So, the search for Ray continued. Detective Stone had telegraphed just the other day and informed Edward he would be returning shortly, as his kidnapping case had been closed.
Lily knocked on Edward's office door and he started. He'd not realized he was in a trance until the sound of her knock had snapped him out of it.
"Come in," he called.
She entered with a smile. "Detective Stone is here."
Edward rose. "Wonderful. Show him in, and why don't you stay as well? I'm sure he has much to say to us both."
Lily showed the detective in and went to stand beside Edward.
"I have news," Detective Stone said somewhat briskly.
"Did you find the little girl?" Lily asked.
He smiled, and his face softened. "Yes. She's safe and sound and back with her mother."
"And the father?" asked Edward.
"Behind bars," Stone said. "But that is not the news I wish to discuss. I have news of your husband, Mrs. Dickinson."
Lily's eyes widened. "You found Ray?"
"Possibly," he told her. "It is not at all certain as of yet."
"What do you mean?" asked Edward. "When will it be certain? How can you not know whether you've found the man or not?"
Lily squeezed his arm, and he forced his temper to settle back.
"Two things," Stone said. "First, it's not me who found him. It's the sheriff over in Wilmette Creek, a little town over from Thunderbend."
Lily said, "So, he did go to another town." She felt safer knowing that. "What about Bridget? Was she with him?"
"There's no sign of Bridget. But the second point is this—the man they found is dead."
Lily blinked. Edward's hand shot out and gripped her waist as her knees wobbled. "Dead?" she repeated. "Are you certain?"
"Certain that the man in Wilmette Creek is dead, yes. But as I said, I'm not yet certain it's your husband, though the sheriff there says it looks a good deal like him based on the wanted posters I sent around to the nearby towns."
"How did he die?" Lily asked.
"He was shot by another man when attempting to rob him."
Edward watched as her face grew pale.
"Are you all right?" he asked, getting her into a chair.
She nodded. "Yes, I'm just... so relieved." Her hands trembled.
"I'll get you some brandy," he said quickly, pouring her a snifter. She drank it shakily.
She said, "I know it's wrong to wish for another man's death. God forbids such things. But in this case..."
"In this case," said Edward, "I'm certain God would understand. It is probably His doing that Ray has finally come to his end."
Stone said, "I've hired a private coach and leave for Wilmette Creek in an hour. It should take me a couple days to get there, perhaps faster if the weather stays good. I'll telegraph you as soon as I know anything."
Edward nodded and thanked the man. "If there's anything you need, just let me know."
Stone smiled. "Reimbursement for the coach, for starters, but don't worry, I'm keeping a list. We can go over it later, once this bum is behind bars."
Edward was perfectly happy to pay any price for Lily's safety and happiness. Even if it took all his money, he would make sure that Ray never hurt her again.
* * *
