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9 JANUARY 1889
“Thomas.”
“Yes, Dr. Wadsworth?” I didn’t take my attention from Audrey Rose. Her breathing was steadily becoming more even. The last I’d checked her pulse, four thousand, three hundred, and seventy-eight seconds ago, it also showed improvement. She was battling back.
“You’re needed to speak with Andreas,” he said. Before I could argue, he continued, “Liza is waiting outside and will stay with Audrey Rose while we’re gone.”
“I—” I wanted to be the first person she saw when she awoke, but it was a selfish folly. I needed to help question the man responsible for the brutal slayings we?
?d been investigating. And the near-murder of Wadsworth. I pressed a chaste kiss to her hand then followed the doctor into the corridor. My muscles ached. I realized I hadn’t moved in hours.
We traveled down into the belly of the ship, past the rooms that held the carnival crates, deeper than even the engine room. We passed crew members who were rolling carts of luggage down the corridors from where they’d undoubtedly be sent to hotels and homes of the wealthy.
When we arrived at the brig, I expected it to be a dungeon-like cage of filth. In reality, it was a small, barred cell with a pitcher of water and a glass, a small cot, a bucket for waste, and a decent pillow and blanket. Andreas sprawled on the cot, his carnival mask gone. He propped his blond head up on one pale hand and glanced at us when we entered the room.
“Well?” he asked, sounding bored. Apparently, we weren’t very amusing to a murderer. “What do you want now?”
I crossed my arms to keep from reaching through the bars and strangling him. “Tell me about the body in the crate.”
He shrugged and collapsed back onto the cot. “What about it? Haven’t I told you exactly why I chose those victims? Or were you too busy crying over your dead woman to recall the details?”
I hit the bars, the metal clattering. Dr. Wadsworth touched my arm, but I wrenched away. I took a deep breath, clearing my anger. I’d not let him rattle me. Again. “I recall that you’re a coward. You were a victim of unfortunate circumstances, and instead of taking your grievance up with the courts, you decided to murder and maim innocent women. You didn’t have the courage to fight with the men you held accountable for your fiancée’s death.” I smiled as he slid off the bed, his face reddening to an unhealthy hue and his fists clenching. “I believe that covers most of it. Now, answer my question. The body in the crate was different. Explain how you dispatched that victim.”
He stalked over to the pitcher and poured himself a glass of water, sneering at me the whole while. I smirked back. I wasn’t the one locked in a cage. And he should hope to not have the misfortune of running into me while he wasn’t safely secured behind bars.
“I cut her. Just like the others.”
“And the crate?” I asked, watching him closely. He was lying. Odd for him to conceal the truth when he was so cavalier about sharing it earlier. “Why deposit her body there?”
He stared into his water, not meeting my gaze. Another sign of dishonesty. I’d interrogated plenty of guilty men, and nearly all had difficulty maintaining eye contact. “I was going to—” he rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know. I don’t remember doing that, but if there’s a body, I must have.”
“Why did you steal the pieces of fabric from those rooms?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
His gaze dropped to the left before answering. Another tell. “I didn’t.”
“Lie,” I said, pleased when he scowled at me. “Why take them? Did they hold meaning to you?”
“No,” he said, finally admitting the truth. He sighed. “They meant nothing. I just… took them. I enjoyed the way they looked. I—I wanted to have a suit made from them for the show.”
He launched into a story about petty thievery in Bavaria and how it was a catalyst for joining the Moonlight Carnival. I inspected him for any of his telling habits when he lied. He showed no signs of them. When he was through, I jerked my chin towards Dr. Wadsworth. Unless he had further questions, I was done. Andreas didn’t murder the person found in the crate, which meant we had a larger issue to consider.
We were climbing the stairs to the next level when I finally spoke. “We have a second murderer aboard this ship, Professor. And his killing method is—”
“Don’t.” His tone brooked no further arguing. “I’ve already spoken to the captain, and he refuses to acknowledge the possibility. I mentioned it to the police, and they seemed more amused than wary.”
I inhaled deeply as we reached the next level of the ship and continued down the darkened corridor. I wasn’t surprised—no one wanted to believe another Jack the Ripper was possible. Especially in their city and in the wake of another unspeakable tragedy.
As we rounded the corner, passing the chamber that held the Moonlight Carnival’s crates, Mephistopheles stepped into the corridor and motioned to me.
How wonderful. Another opportunity to commit murder before the day was through. Dr. Wadsworth paused, glancing between the ringmaster and me, silently demanding that I act like a proper gentleman and not end up in a cell adjacent to Andreas. It was the cruelest request he’d ever made, but I inclined my head.
“I’ve been thinking about our conversation,” Mephisto said, crossing his arms once the doctor was out of earshot. Today’s suit was a deep eggplant with silver fringe. It was horrible. “I… it is possible I may have twisted the situation a bit.” I stared at him until he sighed. “I’m normally consumed with crafting bargains and playing a role for people—I—” he exhaled, and even with his dumb mask on, I saw the true person behind the tricks and games. “I never should have made that bargain with her, knowing that she was in love with you. I should have been decent and helped her anyway, without strings.”
It was more than I expected. I grudgingly respected him a bit more. “What, exactly, were the terms you struck?”
“I’d teach her sleight of hand and grant access to the performers, so she might discover whether or not the murderer was one of mine.” He held a hand out and buffed his nails against his chest. “I also might have sweetened the deal by promising to sever Liza and Houdini. Another deplorable manipulation, but I justified it by the overall good it would do. Liza needed to go back home to her family; this carnival life is not for her. As much as I respect Houdini, I didn’t want to watch her throw her whole life away.”
“And in turn, you got what, exactly? Access to Audrey Rose?” I narrowed my eyes, taking swift measure of him. “Ah. You truly wanted her to solve the mystery, didn’t you?”
