AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It is not meant to be.” Gray turns to McCreadie again. “Mallory isuncomfortable with mentioning this to you and equally uncomfortable withnotmentioning it.”
“Tell me exactly what he said,” McCreadie says.
We do that. McCreadie considers as he drinks his whisky.
“Fischer already knew Annis was a suspect, yes?” he says.
“Yes,” I say.
“And he tried to throw suspicion her way by suggesting she’d been at Mr. Ware’s offices, when we know she wasn’t there.”
“Yes. Which means he may be continuing the same tactic. I didn’t want to put you in a tough spot by mentioning it.”
McCreadie shrugs. “It is not a difficult spot. If Fischer recovers, he may continue his accusation, and we will be prepared for that tactic. If he does not, then—insofar as I can see—the evidence all points to him and none to Annis. Correct?”
“Correct.”
“You have the snuffbox?” McCreadie asks.
Gray produces it, and while it’s wrapped in paper, I still cringe at the thought of him carrying around key evidence in his pockets.
“We can check for prints,” I say, “but we know Fischer touched it. Both the box and the vials.”
“It would not stand in court regardless,” McCreadie says. “Though it would have made us rest easier in our judgment.”
“Any chance Fischer is telling the truth? That, yes, he was involved in the scheme, but the killer is framing him and planted that?” I finger my whisky glass. “I don’t like the initials.”
“Too obvious,” Gray murmurs as he takes a bite of his pie.
“Victoriansdon’tjust randomly engrave their initials on all their belongings?” I say with a strained smile.
“Wedolike our engravings. To have such a box initialed would not be unusual. But to then use it to hide the very poison with which you have murdered four people?”
“It’s a long shot.”
“Very long,” Gray says. “Which does not mean Fischer definitelydidn’tkill them.”
McCreadie nods. “Someone who knows he did it may have hidden the evidence to prove it. The only problem with that is the poison itself being so rare.”
“Presuming that’s thallium in the vials,” I say. “Which Isla can probably tell us. But if it is, and someone did plant it, they had to know what Fischer was using. That would mean an accomplice. Possibly even the person who supplied him with the thallium.”
“Supplied him with it,” McCreadie muses, “and did not understand what he was using it for until people began to die.”
Gray pours a finger of whisky into my glass. “We have not heard from Jack again after she fled.”
“He says, apropos of nothing,” I mutter.
Gray arches his brows.
I turn to McCreadie. “Jack took off, like we said.”
“Because she did not wish to risk being implicated in the man’s death,” McCreadie says.
“That’s what I’m hoping, but also…” I glance at Gray, who keeps his expression neutral. He doesn’t need to say anything. I understand what he’s hinting at here. He revealed his sister’s connection, and now I must throw Jack under that same bus.
“Jack found the poison,” I say. “Dr. Gray and I were in the next room, out of sight. She found the box. Which means Fischer could be right that she planted it. He thought she was working for the killer. Maybe she is… or maybe she’s the killer.”
“Did she touch it?” McCreadie asks.
