GARNET ROSE TO HER FEET, AND SO DID THE OTHER LADY who had been sitting with her in front of the fire. Both wore the unrelieved black of full mourning. The contrast of the black with Garnet’s pale face was startling. She really did look ill, and Sarah wondered if she dared ask if Garnet had found the remedy she had been seeking. Common wisdom said there were mysterious herbs or potions a woman could take to rid herself of an unwanted pregnancy, but Sarah knew such treatments were either completely ineffectual or potentially lethal to the mother as well as her child. She couldn’t ask until she knew who this other woman was, however.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had a visitor,” Sarah said.
“Would that really have stopped you?” Garnet asked.
“Garnet,” the other woman chided in a tone Sarah recognized instantly as one her mother often used on her. That and her slight resemblance to Garnet told her the woman’s identity.
“You must be Mrs. Richmond,” Sarah said. “I’m very pleased to meet you.”
“And, Mother, this is Mrs. Brandt,” Garnet said, “about whom you have heard me complain. Mary Catherine, could you bring us some tea and cakes? I know you’re being run ragged, but I’m afraid my guests might grow faint if they have to wait until the funeral dinner for something to restore them.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When the girl was gone, Garnet turned to Sarah. “I envy you. How delightful it must be to simply go wherever you wish and do whatever you wish with no regard for the consequences.”
Mrs. Richmond gasped, but Sarah smiled. “I assure you, it is far from delightful, and I often must deal with consequences. For example, I must now feel terrible for interrupting your visit with your mother.”
“Don’t do that,” Garnet said. “We actually welcome your arrival. I’m afraid we were simply wallowing in our mutual misery when you burst in.”
Garnet sat down, signaling her guests to do the same.
When they were settled, Sarah turned to Mrs. Richmond. She was a handsome woman, and her gown had been made for her by a skilled dressmaker, but not recently. She, too, was pale and looked as if she hadn’t been sleeping well. She also didn’t know quite what to make of Sarah.
“My daughter is exaggerating,” Mrs. Richmond said with a polite smile. “I’ve just been keeping her company while we wait for the rest of the family to return from the funeral.”
“I’m sure she appreciates that.” Sarah turned back to Garnet. “Someone told me at the church that you were too ill to come, so I thought I should make sure you were all right. I was afraid you might have taken something that didn’t agree with you.”
“Like poor Roderick?”
“Good heavens, Garnet, what a thing to say!” her mother cried.
“Mrs. Brandt isn’t easily shocked. Are you, Mrs. Brandt?”
“Not at all. And I was sincerely hoping you hadn’t suffered the same fate.”
“Your concern is gratifying, but I assure you, I am perfectly safe.”
“If you’re feeling unwell because of the child, I can suggest some things to do that will make you more comfortable.”
“My mother is ahead of you there. The two of you share a touching concern for my well-being. Did I tell you Mrs. Brandt is a midwife, Mother? She is a widow who earns her own bread.”
“Isn’t that really why you envy me?” Sarah asked.
Garnet widened her eyes. “Am I so transparent?”
“Not at all. Any woman could understand your interest.”
“Any woman who had been left penniless and helpless, you mean.”
“You aren’t penniless,” Mrs. Richmond said almost desperately.
“No, I’m not,” Garnet agreed. “At least so long as I stay here, in this house, at the mercy of everyone in it.”
Mrs. Richmond reached out and laid a hand on her daughter’s arm. “But he’s gone now, my darling. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Can’t he? And what about you? He left you penniless and helpless, too.”
From what Sarah knew about Mrs. Richmond, this was certainly true, but to her surprise, Mrs. Richmond stiffened and snatched away her comforting hand. “Penniless, perhaps, but not completely helpless.” For a moment, Sarah and Garnet stared at her in surprise, and seeing their reaction, Mrs. Richmond instantly softened her expression with a smile. “In many ways, we are the stronger sex, are we not, Mrs. Brandt?”
“Anyone who has seen a woman in childbirth would agree,” Sarah said.
“A woman will do what she must to protect those she loves,” Mrs. Richmond said. “My daughter is still learning this lesson.”
Mrs. Richmond and Garnet exchanged a look. Sarah would have given much to know its true meaning, but Garnet said, “And a bitter lesson it is, too.”
A knock at the door announced the arrival of the maid with their tea. Mrs. Richmond took charge of serving it, and like the proper hostess she had once been, she directed the conversation to trivialities. By asking Sarah about herself and her family with the skill of one who has been taught from birth how to fill the hours with conversation without ever touching on anything of real importance, she managed to pass the time until the maid came to inform them that the rest of the family had returned.
“Mrs. Devries wants you to help her greet the guests,” the girl told Garnet.
Garnet actually winced.
“Mrs. Paul couldn’t possibly stand on her feet for so long,” Sarah said. “Please tell Mrs. Devries that she will be available in the parlor for anyone who wishes to see her.”
“The rear parlor,” Garnet added with a perverse smile. Few of the guests would find her there.
This time the maid winced, probably dreading Mrs. Devries’s reaction to this refusal. When she was gone, Garnet turned to Sarah. “Will you stay with me?”
Malloy had wanted her to report to him what happened at the house, and she would see little if she stayed with Garnet, but she said, “Of course.”
Garnet turned to her mother and took her arm. “We will be as brave as Mrs. Brandt thinks we are.”
An expression that might have been despair flickered across Mrs. Richmond’s face, and she gave her daughter a brief, fierce hug. Then, smoothing out her expression to cool unconcern, she walked out with Garnet into the hallway.
For the next few hours, Garnet held court in the family parlor. As Sarah had predicted, few of the guests found her there. To Sarah’s surprise, one of them was a handsome young man who greeted her warmly.
“Garnet, my darling,” he said, taking her hand in both of his. “How are you bearing up?”
“I’m so much better now that you’re here,” she said.
“Of course you are,” he said, winning from her the first true smile Sarah had seen that day.
From where she sat unobtrusively in the corner, Sarah was busily rethinking her opinion of Garnet, nearly convinced this fellow was her lover, when Garnet said, “Mother, allow me to present Paul’s oldest friend, Hugh Zeller.”
Hugh and Mrs. Richmond made all the correct responses to the introduction, and he accepted Garnet’s invitation to sit with her.
“Paul sends his most affectionate regards,” Zeller said, “and asks you to forgive him for not attending you sooner, but he will find you the moment the witch is done with him.”
“I know he will. She’s keeping him away from me as a punishment for not going to the funeral.”
“Of course she is, and for not standing at her side while people gush about what a wonderful man her husband was. I keep telling Paul to stand up to her, but the habits of a lifetime are difficult to break.”
“We all do what we must to protect those we love,” Garnet said with a meaningful glance at her mother.
“Now tell me, my darling, are you really ill?” he asked, studying her intently. “You are as ravishing as ever, but I’m afraid now it is more in the manner of the tragic heroine wasting away for love.”
“Not for love, surely,” she said.
He grew solemn. “Tell me the truth. Are you really ill?”
“Nothing that time won’t cure.”
She was exactly right, Sarah thought.
“You know we would move heaven and earth for you. All you need do is ask.”
Garnet smiled at him fondly and patted his hand. “I’m sure I won’t require anything so ambitious as all that. Paul might, however, if you don’t get him away from his mother soon.”
“Have you assigned me a quest, fair lady?”
“I most certainly have.”
He took her hand and bowed over it, then rose. “I will bring him back with his shield or on it.”
“What did he mean by that?” Mrs. Richmond asked when he was gone.
“I have no idea. He always says the most outrageous things.”
Sarah’s parents came in then, distracting her from her eavesdropping. She greeted them, then introduced them to Mrs. Richmond. They didn’t bother to express their condolences to Garnet, for which she was undoubtedly grateful. Sarah’s mother, who was also a master of meaningless conversation, managed to get Mrs. Richmond’s history in a few short minutes.
While the two women were chatting, Sarah’s father drew her aside. “I see Garnet is still alive.”
“Don’t tease, Father. If Roderick was killed because he knew who the killer was, other people might be in danger as well.”
“I wasn’t teasing. I’m as relieved as you are. I just can’t believe Paul or Lucretia would commit murder.”
“Maybe they don’t consider it murder if it’s just a servant.”
She saw her barb hit home, but he said, “Many in their place would not, I’m afraid.”
“I’m glad you aren’t one of them.”
Her compliment seemed to please him. “Where is Mr. Malloy?”
“He’s meeting with the medical examiner to make sure Roderick really was poisoned.”
“Then I assume he’ll question Paul.”
“Yes, but not until tomorrow.”
“Will he be able to find out the truth?”
Sarah didn’t know the answer to that question.
FRANK HAD TO WAIT FOR DOC HAYNES, WHO WAS IN THE middle of an autopsy when he arrived. Sitting in Haynes’s cluttered office, Frank spent the time mulling over all that he had learned about Chilton Devries. Usually, when he investigated a murder, all he needed to do was figure out who would profit most from the person’s death. In this case, however, he wasn’t even sure the person who stabbed Devries had intended to kill him. The weapon-which might’ve been a nut pick, of all things-wasn’t particularly large or dangerous enough to give the person wielding it confidence in its ability to do serious damage.
No, the incident that caused Devries’s death had probably been a spontaneous act of anger or frustration meant only to cause him pain or divert him from causing it to someone else. If Felix Decker had left it alone, that person would have gone unpunished but rightly so, in all probability. And Roderick would still be alive. If Sarah felt guilt about that, Frank felt even more. He should have used his considerable skill to force Roderick to tell him everything he knew about Devries’s encounters with his family when he’d first had the chance. Instead he’d chosen to bide his time and win Roderick’s cooperation. That decision had cost Roderick his life.
When Doc Haynes finally returned to his office, he plopped wearily into his chair and peered at Frank with bloodshot eyes. “Killers have no imagination, Malloy.”
“If they did, maybe they could figure out a better way to deal with their problems.”
“You’re probably right. The whiskey had been laced with arsenic, just like you thought. Rat poison, straight out of the box. It works pretty fast if you take enough of it, and there was plenty in the bottle. I’m surprised he didn’t balk at the taste.”
“He’d only had a glass or so, judging from how much was left.”
“So maybe he did notice the taste, but he’d already drunk enough. Any idea who did the deed?”
“Yes, unfortunately. A bunch of swells.”
Haynes muttered a curse. “Poor fellow. He was the butler or something, wasn’t he?”
“Valet to Chilton Devries.”
“Oh, the one I saw last week.”
“Yeah, and I wanted to ask you something. Do you think a nut pick could’ve made the wound that killed Devries?”
“A nut pick?”
“Yes, that thing you use to pick out the inside of a walnut when you’ve cracked it open. It’s about this long-”
“I know what it is. Would it be sharp enough?”
“It’s got a point, and if somebody stabbed hard enough, I think it would probably break the skin.”
Haynes considered the possibilities. “Could be. It’s the right size and shape. What made you think of that?”
“Devries liked walnuts. He was always walking around, eating them and dropping the shells. And one of the nut picks is missing from a set he had in his bedroom.”
“So you need to find out who has the missing nut pick.”
Frank was very much afraid he already knew.
SARAH’S PARENTS HAD LONG SINCE WITHDRAWN. GARNET and her mother had easily dealt with the trickle of mourners who found them, accepting their condolences with such a blatant lack of appreciation that they soon fled.
At last Paul appeared, followed by Hugh Zeller. He hurried to Garnet’s side. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” she said with a small smile.
“This must be ghastly for you.”
“No worse than it is for you, and Mother has been keeping me company.”
Paul seemed to notice his mother-in-law for the first time. “I’m so glad you could be here for Garnet, Terry. Thank you for coming.”
She seemed almost offended by his gratitude. “I would do anything for my daughter.”
Paul gave her a crooked smile. “I know, but this must tax even your motherly devotion.”
Some emotion flickered across her face, but she returned his smile with a sad one of her own. “Nothing could do that.”
Paul turned back to Garnet. “Have you eaten anything?”
“No, she hasn’t,” Mrs. Richmond said.
“Let me take you to the dining room, then. You can see my mother and my sisters there for a few minutes, then go back to your room.”
“I couldn’t eat a bite,” Garnet said.
“You won’t have to. Just stand there looking appropriately somber and murmur your thanks if anyone speaks to you. I’ll make sure you don’t have to stay long.”
Hugh Zeller stepped forward. “And I’ll escort you, Mrs. Richmond. Two pariahs together,” he added with a knowing smile.
His frankness seemed to disconcert her, but she rose and took his offered arm. They waited for Paul and Garnet to precede them, but as they moved to the door, Garnet stopped. “What about Mrs. Brandt? You’ve been so quiet, I almost forgot about you!”
“Don’t worry about me,” Sarah said. “I’ll find my parents.”
“Sarah?” Paul peered at her with a puzzled frown. “Sarah Decker?”
“I’m Sarah Brandt now, Paul. It’s nice to see you.”
“It’s nice to see you, too, but what on earth are you doing here?”
“Paul!” Garnet said in dismay.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “It’s just that I haven’t seen you in so long and…I’m surprised you’re here today.”
“Mrs. Brandt is my friend,” Garnet said. “She came to support me.”
This news surprised Paul even more, but he seemed pleased by it just the same. “Then I’m very grateful to you.”
“I’m glad I could come,” Sarah said.
“Hugh, would you escort Mrs. Brandt as well?” Paul asked.
“I would be delighted.”
Paul quickly introduced the two.
As they moved out of the room and down the hallway toward the dining room, Sarah tried to hear what Paul and Garnet were saying to each other as they walked on ahead, but Zeller distracted her.
“Paul called you Sarah Decker. Are you any relation to Felix Decker?”
“He’s my father.”
“Ah, then perhaps you know why he’s so anxious to blame someone for old Devries’s demise.”
Zeller’s smile was charming and his tone light, but Sarah saw the sharp intelligence in his eyes. He was more than a little interested in her reply. “He and Mr. Devries were old friends.”
“Then he must know whoever killed Devries did us all a favor.”
Beside him, Mrs. Richmond stumbled, and he caught her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m sorry,” she said unsteadily. “I just…Perhaps I’ll go back to the parlor and wait for Garnet there.”
“Would you like me to go with you?” Sarah asked.
“No, no, I’ll be fine. I just…I’m not looking forward to seeing Mrs. Devries, and I’d rather not cause a scene. For Garnet’s sake, you understand.”
“Of course,” Zeller said. “Although her scenes can be amusing if one isn’t involved in them.”
Mrs. Richmond smiled weakly. “I’m sure. Please tell Garnet where I’ve gone.” Before they could reply, she fled back down the hall.
“Do you think she’ll be all right?” Zeller asked Sarah.
Sarah had no idea. “I’ll be sure to check on her in a few minutes.”
But when she did, Mrs. Richmond was gone.
SARAH HAD BEEN WAITING FOR MALLOY ALL EVENING. AS she had half expected, he didn’t arrive until after Catherine’s bedtime, when he knew her house would be quiet and free from unexpected visitors. Even Maeve had gone to bed.
When she served him coffee, she noticed he wrapped both hands around the cup to absorb its warmth.
“I don’t suppose you learned anything unexpected from the medical examiner,” she said, sitting down with him at the table.
“No. Arsenic, just as we thought. Somebody poured an awful lot of it into the whiskey bottle. I’m guessing nobody had poisoned Garnet Devries.”
“No, and she didn’t seem particularly ill, either, except for the usual morning sickness women in her condition get.”
“I don’t suppose you learned anything interesting today.”
“I did, but not what I expected.”
He perked up at this. “What?”
“You told me that Hugh Zeller is Paul’s…What do you call it when they’re both men?”
“Friend,” Malloy said.
She raised her eyebrows. “That can’t be right.”
“I don’t know any nice words for it, Sarah. Men like that aren’t treated with much respect, and you don’t need to know what the cops call them.”
He was probably right. “At any rate, I guess I expected Mr. Zeller would be jealous of Garnet or at least that he wouldn’t like her very much, but quite the contrary, he actually seemed fond of her and genuinely concerned about her health.”
“What about Paul?”
“I didn’t see much of him. His mother kept him occupied, but when he was finally able to break away, he was just as kind to Garnet. Not like a lover would be, but like a brother, perhaps. He does care for her, at least, so whoever told you that was right.”
“Fond enough to kill for her?”
Sarah shook her head. “I don’t know. Something Mrs. Richmond said made me-”
“Who?”
“Mrs. Richmond. I almost forgot, she was with Garnet when I got there.”
“That was brave of her. Mrs. Devries doesn’t want her in the house.”
“I’m sure she knew her daughter would need her, and braving the wrath of Mrs. Devries would be a small price to pay.”
“She was probably counting on the fact that Mrs. Devries wouldn’t make a scene at her husband’s funeral.”
“She also managed to keep out of her sight, too.”
“You started to say something about her.”
“Oh, yes. She remarked that a woman would do whatever was necessary for those she loved, and it made me wonder. Would a man do that, too?”
Malloy frowned. “You mean would a man commit murder?”
“Not exactly. I know men commit murder for many reasons that don’t have anything to do with love. I guess I mean would a man sacrifice for someone he loves, whatever that entails.”
“For someone he loves, yes. The question is, does Paul Devries love Garnet-or his mother-enough?”
“I guess you’ll have to ask him that tomorrow.”
“Maybe you could ask Garnet, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’d like for you to go see Garnet at the same time I’m seeing Paul tomorrow.”
“To ask her if Paul loves her?”
“No, to ask her if Chilton Devries fathered her child.”
“Oh, my.”
“It’s not a question I can ask her.”
“I know. I suppose I should also find out if she is the one who stabbed him with…What was it? A nut pick?”
“Yes, a nut pick. And if you could find it in her room with blood still on it, that would be even better.”
“And suppose I do? Suppose she tells me Devries was raping her and she stuck him with the nut pick. Then what?”
“Then we find out who poisoned Roderick.”
“And why.”
“We already know why.”
“Do we?”
“Yes. He knew who stabbed Devries.”
“Are you sure of that?”
Malloy frowned. “I was sure of that. Why shouldn’t I be?”
“Maybe you should be, but you’re always telling me not to jump to conclusions. We think he knew who stabbed Devries and that person poisoned him to keep him quiet.”
“Or someone who wants to protect that person poisoned him to keep him quiet.”
“But maybe he didn’t really know.”
“I don’t think it matters,” Malloy said. “If the killer thought he knew and killed him because of it, then that’s what matters.”
Sarah rubbed her forehead. “I hope I can remember all this tomorrow.”
THE NEXT MORNING, THE MAID INSISTED ON ANNOUNCING Sarah before escorting her upstairs to Garnet’s bedroom. To her relief, Garnet had chosen to be at home to her, even though it was much too early for a formal call.
She found her hostess still in her dressing gown, an untouched breakfast tray on the table next to her chair.
“How are you feeling?” Sarah asked.
“I’m growing bored with everyone being so concerned about my health. Imagine what will happen when my condition becomes apparent to everyone.”
“I hope that means you’ve given up your hope of finding a remedy for it.”
“Not entirely.”
Sarah frowned. “What does your husband say?”
“I haven’t told him yet.”
Sarah blinked. “But you said everyone is concerned about your health.”
“Only because I claimed to be ill yesterday so I wouldn’t have to go to the church. My mother-in-law has promised never to forgive me for that, by the way. If that meant she’d never speak to me again, I’d be ecstatic, but apparently, it just means she’s going to remind me of my thoughtlessness every day for the rest of my life.”
“She would probably forgive you if she knew you were expecting her grandchild.”
Garnet sighed and looked away. Her gaze fell on the tray of food. “Can I offer you some tea? Or coffee?”
“No, thank you, but you need to eat something yourself.”
She considered that for a moment. “Actually, I was thinking I could starve the child.”
“It doesn’t work like that. The baby will take what he needs from you, and you’ll be the worse for it, not him. I’ve seen women in the tenements who give birth year after year. They grow thinner and weaker and lose all their teeth, but the babies are still fat and healthy.”
“How unfair.”
“Not to the babies.”
Garnet closed her eyes, and Sarah had the distinct impression she was fighting tears. Malloy would have told her to exploit this moment of weakness.
Hating herself for it, she said, “Garnet, why haven’t you told Paul about the baby?”
Her eyes flew open. “That’s none of your business.”
“You’re right, it’s not, but I think I know why you haven’t told Paul about the baby.”
“You don’t know anything about it.”
“Yes, I do. I know about Paul and his friend, Mr. Zeller. And I know about your father-in-law and what he did.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“You tried that before, but I know you do. I also think Paul will be very surprised to find out you’re with child, won’t he?”
She lifted a trembling hand to her throat. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“Because two people are dead, and at least one of them doesn’t deserve to be.”
“Who are you talking about? Roderick? That’s no one’s fault. He killed himself.”
“Who told you that?”
“Paul did. No, wait, his mother. She told everyone. He was distraught because Paul told him he had to leave.”
“And you believe that?”
“What else could it have been? You can’t think someone poisoned him.”
“Yes, I can. In fact, I’m sure of it.”
“But why? What had he ever done to anyone?”
“He knew who stabbed Mr. Devries.”
“How could he know that?”
“He knew everyone who had been with Mr. Devries that morning, Garnet. And he knew everything that had happened.”
Garnet uttered a strangled cry, bolted to her feet, and ran across the room. Dropping to her knees, she began to wretch into the chamber pot that had been beneath her bed.
Sarah hurried over, grabbing a towel from the washstand, and knelt down beside her. When Garnet had finished, Sarah handed her the towel and helped her to her feet and back to the chair, where she slumped wearily. Sarah rang for the maid, then went to get the chamber pot so she could set it outside the door, but when she knelt down again to pick it up, something shiny lying under the bed caught her eye.
A nut pick.
FRANK HAD BEEN DREADING THIS CONFRONTATION, BUT he’d given Sarah enough time to get in to see Garnet Devries, and he could put it off no longer. The maid who answered the door didn’t bother to conceal her concern when he asked to see Paul Devries alone. To his credit, Paul didn’t keep him waiting.
The maid showed him into the formal parlor, where Paul stood stiffly in the center of the room, his face pale and his hands clenched at his sides.
“Have you discovered who attacked my father?” he asked when the maid was gone.
“Not yet. I need to ask you some questions, Mr. Devries. Could we sit down?”
“Yes, yes, of course.” He cast about and chose a pair of chairs near the fireplace.
Frank cleared his throat. “I understand that you met with Roderick after supper on the night he died.”
Paul seemed momentarily confused, but he recovered quickly. “Yes, I did.”
“Can you tell me what you talked to him about?”
“I had to tell him we were dismissing him. He was my father’s valet, you know, and with Father dead…”
“Why didn’t you keep him on as your valet?”
“I already have a valet.”
“But wasn’t Roderick more experienced?”
“I’m perfectly satisfied with Winston.”
“Does that mean you weren’t satisfied with Roderick?”
Paul frowned. “I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, you understand, but I never cared for Roderick.”
“Why not?”
He shifted in his chair. “I always thought he was a bit…sneaky.”
“Sneaky? You mean he stole things?”
“Oh, no, at least not that I ever knew, but he was a sly one. In fact…”
“In fact what?”
“Well, I hadn’t thought of it until this moment, but that last time we spoke, he seemed to think I should be afraid of him for some reason.”
“Afraid of him? Why?”
“I’m not sure, but he was quite shocked when I told him we were letting him go. He could stay until the end of the month, I told him, and I would give him an excellent reference. He should have been expecting it, but he tried to argue with me.”
“What did he say?”
Paul frowned as he tried to remember. “He said I was making a mistake because he knew what had happened.”
“What did he mean by that?”
“I had no idea, and I told him so. That seemed to surprise him, too.”
“What did he do then?”
“Nothing. I mean, he didn’t argue anymore. He seemed very…This sounds odd, but he seemed disappointed. He’d obviously thought he could convince me to keep him on.”
“Is that why you gave him the whiskey? To cheer him up?”
“What?”
“The decanter of whiskey from your father’s room. You gave it to him and told him to drown his sorrows.”
“I most certainly did not! I would never encourage a servant to drink alcohol.” His outrage seemed genuine.
“But you knew he would.”
“Knew he would what?”
“You knew he liked a nip now and then, and he’d need one that night, after you told him you were letting him go. You knew he’d go to your father’s room and take the whiskey and drink it.”
“That’s ridiculous. How could I know a thing like that?”
“You said yourself he was sneaky.”
“I also said I’d never known him to steal. Besides, what harm would it do if he did take it?”
“Because you’d put arsenic in the decanter.”
Paul jumped to his feet. “What?”
“You put rat poison in the decanter of whiskey-”
“Rat poison?”
“-and you told Roderick he was losing his job, and maybe you even suggested he help himself to the decanter because you felt so bad about having to dismiss him and-”
“Are you insane? Where did you get an idea like this!”
“Because that’s how Roderick died, Mr. Devries. He said you gave him the decanter of whiskey, and it was full of rat poison, and that’s what killed him.”
Paul was scarlet with fury. “Why would he say I gave it to him when I didn’t? No one encourages their servants to drink! That would ruin your staff.”
To door burst open and Mrs. Devries came charging in. “What on earth is going on in here?”