Chapter 13 #3
“I suppose not. To be fair, the fellow is just starved for attention. Who’d pay him any mind with Dr. Henry around? He was like a puppy when I said I wanted to hear about his side of things,” Saffron said with a doting smile. “But hopefully it was worth it.”
She glanced furtively about the teashop.
The single room was cramped with far too many rickety tables, but the usual rush of students in search of a bite between classes was still an hour off.
The young woman at the counter was paying them no mind, so Saffron took out the letters.
Four slightly battered envelopes were addressed to Dr. Henry in feminine handwriting.
Two had been sent to what must be his home address, and two had been sent to the university.
She set them on the table in the small space between their now empty plates and opened the first one.
“‘My dearest darling …’ Oh, it’s signed ‘Daphne,’ and not Cynthia Henry—big surprise. ‘I miss you terribly … Do come visit me soon …’ Oh goodness.” Blushing, she passed the letter to Alexander, whose eyes widened slightly at the steamy suggestions that took up most of the letter.
“How … creative,” Alexander remarked dryly, returning it to its envelope.
The second letter, signed “Lola,” was much the same, although the writer was not as elegant in her descriptions as the first.
“No surprises there,” Saffron said, batting away any lingering embarrassment at the contents. “We knew that he’s a Lothario. Those were both sent to the university, not his home. Perhaps they didn’t know him privately and knew he worked for the university.”
Alexander agreed and opened the next letter. “‘Dearest Lawrence, I must speak with you urgently,’” he read. “Oh.”
Saffron paused in opening the last envelope. He passed her the letter he held.
Dearest Lawrence,
I must speak with you urgently. Please, darling, I love you so, and I know you love me too. Our dreams could be realized so easily if only we could meet and discuss our future. Please, come to me soon. I don’t want to come to you, lest someone discover us, but I must speak to you.
Your truest love,
Eris
“Well, she certainly is a lot more interested in him than I’d thought,” Saffron concluded.
Alexander took the letter back and read over it again.
Saffron sighed and frowned down at her teacup, thinking.
Miss Ermine asking to speak to Dr. Henry urgently suggested a lot of possible situations, one in particular that came to mind, especially in reference to the future.
But Miss Ermine didn’t look to be in trouble.
It was possible that, had she become pregnant, her family was rich and powerful enough to hush it up.
Or Eris could have been mistaken and simply afraid she was pregnant.
Or it could have been something else altogether that brought out the urgency in Miss Ermine’s phrasing.
Alexander put the letter back in its envelope. “I’ve heard Henry describe his collection of artifacts. There’s every possibility that he has something poisonous stashed away.”
Saffron watched his thoughtful expression with a mixture of intrigue and appreciation that had nothing to do with the mystery at hand. She didn’t know when Alexander had become her collaborator in this inquiry, but she was glad of it.
He nodded to the final envelope. “Go on.”
The last letter was also from Miss Ermine. Ink splattered angrily across the small piece of paper.
Lawrence,
After I gave my love to you, this is how you repay me? How dare you, after all I’ve done? You’ll be sorry.
Eris
Saffron let out her breath, read the brief note aloud, and replaced it in the envelope.
“Does it have a date?” Alexander asked after a moment.
“No, neither of hers do.”
“Unfortunate.”
Saffron tapped her finger on the stack of letters.
“They weren’t unfriendly at all to each other at the party.
Eris fawned all over him, and then Henry followed Eris like a dog to a bone.
She didn’t sound angry when she spoke of him.
Perhaps it’s an old letter, and they took up again.
” Alexander nodded absently. Saffron huffed and set the letter down with the others.
“But it could also be an elaborate scheme to exact her revenge on him. So much for eliminating suspects.”
“Did Inspector Green make you an honorary officer, then?” Alexander said, rising from his seat.
“Of course not,” Saffron said, following him to the teashop’s door. They stepped onto bustling Gower Street, and Saffron added, “I thought, since I had some luck rooting out some of the problem, why not try to solve the rest of it?”
His brow furrowed. “And you’re not at all concerned that you are investigating a murder attempt? Your interest is bound to get attention, if it hasn’t already.”
Saffron waved a hand, dismissing his concerns. “Snyder was falling over himself to give me access to Dr. Henry’s office. Eris Ermine couldn’t even remember we’d met before. Apparently no one suspects that I would be up to something.”
Just as Alexander was packing up his things for the evening, Saffron appeared at his door. Fighting a smile, he said, “Yes, Inspector Everleigh?”
“Going home?” Saffron asked, looking at his bag as he placed a notebook inside.
“I was planning on it,” Alexander said. “You see, those of us that actually do work during the day get to leave at a reasonable hour.”
“Reasonable? It’s nearly seven.” She nodded to the darkened window behind his desk. “Do you always work this late?”
Alexander nodded. “I do, unless I’ve got somewhere to be.”
“Do you often,” Saffron began, a little smile playing on her lips, “have places to be in the evenings?”
Alexander leaned back on his desk as he crossed his arms, enjoying her coy question. “Yes, rather often.”
“Going to dinner … dancing?” She gave him a sidelong glance, taking a few steps and leaning a hip against the couch.
“Occasionally.” The look in her eye was intriguing.
“Really? Not recently, though,” Saffron said. “Not since the party, I believe. You’ve been here, at least when I have been, in the evenings.”
Her line of questioning made him suddenly wonder the same things about her.
Why was Saffron here so late? Surely she had better things to do than hole up in an office and stare at dusty old books.
Or at least, that’s the way his mother put it when she asked him about his social life.
He got the feeling that Saffron rather liked dusty old books, in addition to poking around in police investigations.
“Taking an interest in my evening schedule, are we? Am I also a suspect?” Alexander smirked.
“Yes, of course,” Saffron said lightly. “I was quite convinced that you were the would-be murderer, of course. But then you had an excellent opportunity with the xolotl, and you didn’t try to finish me off.”
He chuckled. “I suppose I could have let you die on the floor of the office. That definitely would have cleared my name.”
With a soft laugh, she meandered toward him. “Alexander, do you think you might be willing to help me with something?”
“I thought I had already been helpful.”
She took another step toward him. He was still much taller than her, even when he was leaning on the desk. “You have been, of course. I just was hoping, you know, since I don’t really have anyone else at the university now that Maxwell is gone for the time being …”
“Yes?” What was she asking him to do?
She closed the distance between them. With her came a hint of old books and a feminine freshness like flowers.
Her eyes were shining gray in the yellow light of the lamps, and her hand was warm where she’d placed it on his bare arm, his sleeves still rolled to his elbows.
Her soft words practically brushed against his cheek, she stood so close.
“And it’s been so difficult, trying to solve this mystery.
You’re so clever, and so I was wondering if you could maybe help me get into Dr. Berking’s office. ”
Alexander’s mind was on all the other possible favors he might do for her, favors he could do right now, with the door closed and the hall beyond quiet, so it took him a moment to realize what she had asked him to help with. “You want me to do what?”
Saffron placed both hands on his crossed arms, leaning her weight gently on him.
“Please, Alexander. Dr. Henry’s office provided such important information; surely Berking’s would do the same.
I need your help.” She bit her lip, adding, “You’re the only person I can ask.
You’re the only person I can trust here. ”
If he thought Saffron would actually drop this idea if he refused to help her, he would. But he doubted it. Better he help keep her out of trouble instead, especially where Berking was concerned. “Of course I’ll help you.”
“Oh, thank you!” Saffron smiled and leapt into his arms. “I knew I could rely on you!”
There was a brief moment where Alexander considered not letting her go, but he somewhat grudgingly released her waist, where his hands had automatically gone. He gave her a stern look. “You can’t use your wiles for your investigation.”
“Well, it’s worked twice today, so you certainly can’t say that I can’t do it,” Saffron replied briskly, those blue-gray eyes alight with amusement. “If you don’t like it, Alexander, don’t be so easily manipulated.”
He was allowing himself to be manipulated. It would be disappointing to find it was all for her misguided investigation, he realized. He sighed. “Fine.”
“You’ll do it?” Saffron’s whole face lit up with a delighted smile.
“Yes,” he replied, frowning with extra annoyance to counteract the effect of her smile on him. “But if we’re caught, I’m going to say you threatened me and forced me to help you.”
Saffron’s eyes widened, scandalized. “You wouldn’t! What am I meant to have threatened you with?”
“Your copious poisonous plants, clearly.”
The arch of her brows gave her a haughty expression to match her words. “It’s your job to make sure we don’t get caught, so unless you want to sully my name and yours, you’ll do a proper job.”
He shook his head again, and she told him the plan. She was mad, no doubt about it, but he was finding it increasingly hard to be upset about it.