possibly a small metal file, was used to breach the barrier that prevented the upper cylinder from discharging.”
“Sylvia means that somebody buggered up the gun so both the fake charge in the gun barrel and the tricky bit beneath it fired at the same time.” Mr. Tewksbury helped himself to another cup of coffee. “That’s what killed the poor devil.”
“As you may imagine, the number of people who would know how to sabotage such a weapon is limited.” Mrs. Hopkins nudged Mr. Tewksbury’s cup with her own and he refilled hers as well. “Not only is Mr. David Nutall one of those people, not only was he at the theater on the night before Von Faber’s last performance, but he actually threatened Von Faber. Several witnesses agree.”
“Who are these witnesses, exactly?” Thalia demanded. “How do we know someone hasn’t paid them to agree?”
“What excellent questions. I have obtained a list.” Mrs. Hopkins handed Thalia a sheet of paper from the portfolio she carried. “See if you can recognize any names.”
“It took special knowledge to rig that murder weapon,” Mr. Tewksbury said. “Nutall had the knowledge. He had the means, the motive, and the opportunity. Nutall did it. Plain as the nose on your face.”
Thalia dropped the list as she sprang to her feet. “That’s not true.”
Mrs. Hopkins was calm personified. “Every witness agrees that Nutall told Von Faber that he would regret it if he didn’t drop the noncompete clause. Von Faber had interfered with Nutall’s livelihood. That will make an impression on the jury it could be hard to counter.”
“What the police are going to want to hear from you, Miss Cutler, is precisely how much you were mixed up in it all. It was your livelihood too,” Mr. Tewksbury pointed out. “You had good reason to wish Von Faber dead.”
“Nutall didn’t do it and neither did I.” Thalia took a deep breath and made herself resume her seat. If storming out would help, she would storm out gladly, but she knew it would only make things even harder. No matter what they said about Nutall, she had to control her anger. “If the police are only trying to frame Nutall, I don’t want to talk to them at all.”
“I cannot recommend that course of action,” said both lawyers in unison.
“Very well.” Ryker sounded soothing. “What course of action do you recommend? What should Miss Cutler do, since she knows that neither she nor her friend Mr. Nutall are connected in any way with Mr. Von Faber’s death?”
“Same thing we would do if she were guilty,” said Mr. Tewksbury. “We petition the court for permission to submit all Miss Cutler’s testimony in written form on the grounds it is unsafe for an immature Trader to risk a manticore attack by going out in public.”
“But the Skinner killed the manticore,” Nell protested.
“More than one recent report of a manticore means more than one manticore,” Mr. Tewksbury stated.
“No, it doesn’t,” Nell said. “Manticores do not share territory.”
“The Skinner is hunting the city on the assumption that the manticore he killed was not alone,” said Mrs. Hopkins.
Mr. Tewksbury added, “For all we know, there could be a pack.”
“That’s ridiculous. Manticores don’t run in packs. They hate each other,” Nell pointed out.
“Hearsay,” Mr. Tewksbury said crisply. “Inadmissible.”
“I believe the court will grant our petition for Miss Cutler to submit her testimony in writing. There is precedent. She is not the only person imperiled by a manticore attack. Other immature Traders could be hurt as well. It is a matter of public safety that Miss Cutler not leave these premises.” Mrs. Hopkins added, “Written testimony isn’t subject to emotional outbursts in court.”
Until now, Thalia had been doing her best to control any emotional outbursts, but now she protested. “I can’t stay here. I have to talk to Nutall.”
“You couldn’t speak with Nutall directly, even if you were already in control of your Trades. Nutall is lucky to be out on bail at all,” said Mr. Tewksbury. “He’s not leaving the Sylvestri embassy, and you’re certainly going nowhere.”
“You can write to Nutall,” Nell suggested. “Or is it possible he might write to you first?”
“Be advised that anything you write to Nutall will be read by everyone who touches it, including the entire embassy staff,” said Mr. Tewksbury. “Don’t get fancy.”
“We need to use our time wisely. Rather than taking the time to confer directly with Mr. Nutall, which the police are bound to consider suspicious behavior, instead we will focus on offering the police a