Chapter Thirty-Three
THIRTY-THREE
I talk to Kate some more and then I need her address for “further questions.” Obviously she knows that could mean the police will do the questioning. She doesn’t ask about that, though, and I try to speak as casually as possible, in the hopes she’ll think her story sufficient and not bolt again.
I also promise to speak to her employer—to protect her job—and she seems to appreciate that. If she takes it as proof that she’s no longer a murder suspect, that’s to my advantage.
Before I go, I have one last question. From my pocket, I take the necklace I found in Nellie’s room. When Kate sees it, she pales, hand clamping to her mouth.
“You recognize it, I presume,” I say.
Her eyes well. “It was Mary’s.”
“Mary’s?”
“Mary’s mother gave it to Nellie at the funeral. She said Mary would want Nellie to have it.”
“Did you know Nellie to wear it after that?”
“Oh no,” she says. “She would not. It was too special for that. Where did you find it?”
“Tucked away in her room. I thought she might have misplaced it.”
“Never. She might have hidden it for safekeeping, but she would never lose it.”
And she would never leave it behind.
We return home, and Gray heads out to speak to McCreadie, which is going to be tricky. Yes, McCreadie isn’t supposed to be consulting on the case, but our case isn’t Mary’s death.
What should be done about Mary? I don’t even know.
Is there a legal obligation in this time to correct a ruling of death by suicide if it was actually an accident?
If there’s no legal obligation, is there an ethical one?
Probably, especially when death by suicide has very clear religious implications for the family.
And what if it wasn’t an accident? As much as I feel Kate was telling the truth, she did fake the suicide note. Could she have done more?
That is for McCreadie to decide and, also, for him to decide whether he’s going to ruin a young woman’s life for a series of mistakes.
I don’t envy him. But Mary’s death isn’t our case, and Gray’s only job here is to quietly inform McCreadie and let him handle it however he sees fit.
While Gray’s doing that, I’ve brought Isla up to speed. Also Jack, who has decided now is the time to clean the library. Okay, actually, she’s being efficient. The library needs dusting, and she does need to hear the update.
“I do not think Kate killed Mary,” Isla says. “If she did, she is an excellent actor. Also, I would require a motive.”
“She could have tricked Mary into drinking the laudanum,” Jack says.
“Which came from Mary’s mother,” I say. “And if Mary was tricked into drinking it, I would have expected her to panic when it started settling in. She’d feel it. If she knew she’d taken it, she’d let herself relax and not realize anything was wrong until it was too late.”
“Until she was unconscious,” Isla says. “While Kate is in the bushes, listening for the frog-catcher.”
“All right,” Jack says. “Kate might not have killed Mary. But I think she did kill Nellie. Nellie realized Kate wrote the note, and she must have kept digging until Kate had to stop her.”
“As much as Kate seemed genuinely shocked to hear Nellie was dead, it is possible,” I say. “The theory would be that Nellie realized Kate’s part in Mary’s death—or Kate thought she did—and Kate killed her. Kate did seem to think she’ll hang for what happened to Mary.”
“Maybe because she actually murdered her,” Jack says. “Or murdered Nellie.”
“Or because she feels responsible and doesn’t understand the law,” I say. “She’s a sixteen-year-old bakery worker.” I look at Isla. “If Kate had nothing to do with this, I would like any help you can provide ensuring she doesn’t lose her job.”
Isla rises. “I can do that immediately. I will simply inform her employer that she left in a fit of grief, after learning that a second friend had died. The only question is which of you two will accompany me?”
“I will,” I say. “I was there earlier and met the baker.”
We speak to the baker, who is closing up shop for the day.
I explain the situation, and she seems understanding …
even more so after Isla introduces herself.
For all her eccentricities, Isla is a respected “lady” of the neighborhood, and apparently, the baker has heard of her and is quick to assure us Kate’s position is safe.
From the conversation that follows, I discover that Kate starts her shift very early. She’s apprenticing as a baker. Or, as seems more likely, the baker is trying to apprentice her. Kate’s “such a hard worker, so quick and clever,” and obviously the baker has leapt on that.
The early shift start means I can confirm that Kate was here, ready to work, at dawn on the morning after Nellie was killed.
That’s not an alibi, but given that Nellie died sometime at night, it’ll be impossible to alibi Kate completely.
Gray or McCreadie will also discreetly speak to Kate’s landlady to see whether she noticed when Kate retired and awoke that day.
While even that won’t fully answer the question, it will get us closer to where we need to be.
And where do I need to be? At the Adler house. Talking to Miss Sullivan and asking everyone more questions. I know for certain now that Nellie didn’t pack her things and leave before she met her killer. Someone else did that for her. I also think I know why she was slipping out at night so often.
Looking for answers about Mary.
That’s been a missing piece all along. Now it seems Nellie went to the bog to continue her investigation into Mary’s death. The only question is whether someone met her there … or followed her.
Isla and I head to the Adler home. First, we ascertain that the Adlers are indeed back home, as evidenced by the coach in the drive. It’s being cleaned by Art. When he sees me, he hesitates, clearly wanting to come over and ask about Nellie.
“I’m going to speak to the lad,” I say.
“That is the one who liked Nellie?”
I nod. “Schoolboy crush.”
“Have you been using that to get information from him?”
“Not yet. But I’m about to.”
Isla smiles. “All right, then. I will speak to Lady Adler and get past the small talk you despise nearly as much as my brother does.”
“I don’t despise small talk. I just want to get on with the business part. Efficiency.”
“Which is exactly what he would say.”
I roll my eyes and wait until she’s at the door, as if she could be waylaid by a mugger between here and there. Once the butler opens the door for Isla, I head to Art.
“Lot of mud on that coach,” I say.
He sighs. “They went to Leith for lunch with Lord Adler’s brother, and it always comes back muddy.” He pauses. “Not that I am complaining. Extra work means extra pay.”
I smile. “Which is always useful.”
“It is, miss.”
I take a better look at the young man. As I noted earlier, he’s very well-spoken, but it’s obvious he isn’t doing this as a part-time job for spending money. While his trousers are decently made, he outgrew them at least a year ago.
“It must not be easy, working around your schooling.”
He gives me a sidelong glance. “If that is a fancy way of asking whether I am still in school, I am.”
“No, I thought you were. You don’t speak as if you have been skipping classes.”
“Skipping classes?” He mulls over the words. Then he glances at me. “What else can you tell about me?”
I laugh softly. “That is more Dr. Gray’s forte. He is excellent at picking up clues.”
“The consulting detective.” A tiny smile. “I would like to meet him.”
“I’ll introduce you next time he’s here. I mostly came over in case you wanted an update on Nellie.”
His hands tighten on his rag, and he scrubs harder. “Yes, miss.”
“I am piecing together the clues and finally feeling as if I am making progress.”
He offers a slight smile. “I thought Dr. Gray was the one who read the clues.”
“He reads them better, but I can analyze the data.”
“Analyze the data.” Another pause, as he assimilates my wording. “That is an interesting way of saying it. So what have you determined?”
“That there is more to the case than I thought. A connection to a past death that seemed…” I purse my lips.
“Well, it seemed connected, but I could not see how. Now it is coming together. The part that isn’t is…
” I look toward the house. “The séance. How Madame Paix knew Nellie had died before her body was found.”
He frowns. “Because her ghost said so.”
Right. Art is a believer. I nod and let my gaze drift, as if I’m mulling over the case aloud and not heading anywhere in particular. “I think I know why Nellie was leaving the house at night.”
“It was not a beau,” he says firmly. “I know they think she was meeting a beau, but she had none.”
“Did you ever see her leave?”
He shakes his head. “My mother does not like me on the street at night. If I knew Nellie was slipping out, though, I might have gone to watch over her. It is not safe.”
“So you didn’t know that she would go out in the evenings?”
“No. I only heard it later. Rose was talking to one of the grooms, and he was saying it was a strange thing, Nellie disappearing, and Rose said she was out nearly every other night with a boy, and so it was no surprise at all.”
It was relatively common knowledge that Nellie was leaving, then. Easy enough for someone to follow her from the house.
“Can you keep a secret?” I ask.
Art straightens. “Of course. Anything to help Nellie.”
“I have a question that I would not wish anyone to know I was asking. Imagine someone needed to conceal something out here. That they took it out of the house and had to hide it quickly. Where could they put it that it would not be found? Even if it is only a temporary hiding spot?”
“How large is the item?”
“It is a medium-sized bag or suitcase. Or possibly several small ones.”
“May I think on that, miss?”
“Of course. I need to go ask some questions inside, but I will be out later.”
“I will be here.” He smiles. “As you said, the coach is very dirty.”
I’m in the house with Isla and Lady Adler. Lady Adler has not apologized for the earlier confusion. She mentions it in an offhand way, as if it were an unavoidable issue that had nothing to do with her.
I’ve always chafed at the entitlement of the rich, but when you add a title into the mix, they really don’t feel the need to take any responsibility for their mistakes.
I ask about setting up a new time and get an airy “Oh, I am certain we can accommodate that” in a way that doesn’t leave me much hope.
I’m setting that aside for now. The point of this visit wasn’t to reschedule the séance but to figure out who emptied Nellie’s belongings … and to take a proper run at Miss Sullivan.
We’ve been in the house for half an hour, taking a late tea with Lady Adler, getting through the necessary evil of socializing before I pounce on her staff.
But in that hour, I haven’t seen or heard Sully.
Oh, I know she’s here, if only because Lady Adler rings for her once, frowning when she doesn’t answer and then forgetting and moving on.
Finally, I say, “I hear Miss Sullivan has returned from her journey.”
“She has, though I doubt she will be with us much longer.” Lady Adler shoots an annoyed glare toward the hall. “Something must have happened in Glasgow. While she has returned, her mind seems elsewhere.”
“She is distracted?”
“Dreadfully so. If she has met a man in Glasgow or made arrangements for another position, she ought to do me the courtesy of being forthright.”
“I do need to speak to her about Nellie.”
Lady Adler’s annoyance vanishes in a blink. “Oh, yes. Of course. Let me ring for her again.”
“Thank you.”
Am I surprised when this summons also goes unanswered? I am not. Lady Adler’s irritation returns, and she rings for one of the maids.
Lily answers, appearing in the doorway with, “Ma’am?”
“Where is Sully? She is not answering her bell.”
“I believe she went out.”
“Out? In the middle of the day? Without asking leave?”
“If I may,” I murmur, and Lady Adler glances over.
“Was Miss Sullivan here when we arrived?” I ask Lily.
“Yes, miss. She was sorting through Her Ladyship’s correspondence.”
“I told her to leave that,” Lady Adler says.
“Did she go out after Mrs. Ballantyne and I arrived?” I ask.
“Yes, miss. She came from Her Ladyship’s rooms and asked who had arrived. I said it was Mrs. Ballantyne and her brother’s assistant, likely with more questions about Nellie. Miss Sullivan then said she had to run an errand.”
“Errand?” Lady Adler bristles. “I did not send her on any errand.”
“Did she leave directly?” I ask Lily.
“No, miss. She went to the kitchen to see whether Mrs. Loomis needed her to get anything while she was out.”
“Thank you.”
I sit back in my chair. Lily glances at Lady Adler, who waves in dismissal.
Once the maid is gone, I turn my attention to Lady Adler as she mutters “That girl” and “What is she thinking?”
Oh, I know exactly what Sully is thinking.
“I fear Miss Sullivan did not wish to speak to me,” I say. “I can understand that. She knows I am investigating Nellie’s death, and it can be as uncomfortable as speaking to a police officer.”
“She will speak to you. I will make sure of it.” She shakes her head. “The girl lacks sense. Taking off like that will only make you more determined to speak to her.”
“It will. And perhaps she mistakenly believed she was supposed to run an errand. Something to do with your correspondence?”
Lady Adler flutters her fingers. “She handles my correspondence. She already tried to sort it for me. She saw the letters piled on my desk, and she seemed surprised that I had not opened them myself in her absence. Why would I? That is her job.”
“Indeed,” I say. “Perhaps her sister’s condition has scattered her mind. I hope the illness is not too serious.”
Lady Adler sighs. “Her sister is recovering, but yes, I ought to remember how it affected Sully. That might indeed explain her distraction—not that she is planning to leave my employ.”
“It was kind of her to offer to sort your correspondence.”
“It did not need to be sorted. I told her we would go through it together later. But, yes, if she is distracted, she may have been looking for a task. And she may have mistakenly thought I needed her to run an errand. It was very kind of her to see whether Mrs. Loomis needed anything as well. Sully is not normally so thoughtful, and I ought to appreciate that and not be so harsh.” Lady Adler smiles over at me.
“You are a very compassionate young woman.”
“Thank you. I would like to speak to Miss Sullivan later, if you could reassure her that it is only a routine questioning, as I conducted with all the staff. In the meantime, would I be able to speak to the others again today? There has been a development I have been pursuing.”
“But of course.”