The Fall by Annelie Wendeberg Page A

without permission. Moriarty froze in the door frame. I saw the tension in his shoulders. It pushed me two steps backwards. He stepped out of the light and snapped the door shut. Both of us in the darkness, he snatched my right hand. It was ice cold.
    ‘You attempted an escape. I’d have never expected such mindlessness from you,’ he shot at me, together with a few flecks of saliva. ‘Let us hope your father will not contract tetanus after his hand has been hacked off.’
    ‘Why would you want to break our agreement?’ I cried.  
    ‘You cannot fool me.’
    ‘You expect what you fear,’ I quoted him and the smirk was wiped off in an instant. ‘The dogs were chasing after something and I watched them.’ I forced my voice into monotony. ‘The fog was thick and they seemed to be having problems finding it. My window was open for at least half an hour while I leaned out, trying to break off some of the vine and throw it at the dogs to distract them. It did not work. Then, I saw them cornering a hare not far from my window. I rolled up one of the stockings I wore today and cast it into the bushes. The dogs went after it and tore it apart. You can go and look, the shreds should still be there. You can also look for footprints, but you will find none.’
    We stared at each other. His jaws were working. He straightened up and said, ‘As you wish,’ and pushed past me towards the window. My heart was hammering. Each thud seemed to crack my ribcage. He leaned out, inspecting the vines below the sill, then picked at the leaves and whistled. The dogs approached, yapping excitedly. ‘Fetch,’ he commanded. I did not dare move while the dogs’ yapping and the tapping of their paws moved further away, then returned.
    ‘It appears to be a wool stocking,’ I heard Durham call from outside. My breathing stopped as I heard Moriarty laugh softly. He turned away from the window and walked back to the door. Cold wind pressed against my back as he opened it.
    ‘Have a good night,’ he said.
    ‘If you do my father any harm, I will kill you and I know it will be the last thing I’ll do.’
    ‘Not tonight,’ he answered and shut my door.
    Rooted to the spot, I desperately hoped the woman next door would not mention this odd appearance of a female head in her window past midnight.

— day 55 —  

    H air hung into her face — white wisps on pale and wrinkled skin. Her back was bent, her hands were… slender? She winked at me and I smiled back at him.
    I bolted the lavatory door, painfully aware of Goff only inches away on the other side of the wall.  
      ‘I did not recognise you at first,’ I said, a little ashamed. The corners of his mouth twitched. Something seemed to make him hesitate.
    ‘You said you have been on Moriarty’s heels for months now,’ I began. He shook his head, about to open his mouth to protest. I held up my hand and said, ‘It is our best option under these circumstances. If you freed my father now and I made my escape, your efforts in catching Moriarty’s men would be in vain.’
    ‘You are not made for such a feat.’ A simple statement. And it split me in two. One part longed to kick his shin for underestimating me, and the other part wished to agree, fall into his arms to be taken away from misery. At that moment, only the thought of my imprisoned father held me where I was.
    ‘Let that be my concern. If I stay longer I might even gain Moriarty’s trust and gather information that might help you find and arrest him and his men.’  
    From what I had seen of his mistress, I knew this was the best course. She had not been tied to the bed and she looked unharmed.
    His voice was cold as he said, ‘I will find your father and only then will we decide how to proceed.’
    I nodded, hoping desperately he would find him in good health.  
    ‘I’m aware that I represent an obstacle for you and your plan of arresting Moriarty’s gang. I am also aware that, despite the small chance of being