doctor mused, eyes roaming the board. “And why would that be? We’ve only spotted two of his victims, and them somewhat close together. There’s not enough to establish a pattern.”
“There’s not much of a pattern when our killer has stopped killing,” Grace said.
“He can’t have stopped,” Thornhollow said over his shoulder. “I’ve told you. A man like that doesn’t indulge in a passion and then move on.”
“What if it’s exactly that? What if he has, in fact, moved on?”
“It’s possible,” the doctor acknowledged. “But I’ve been keeping tabs on the medical men, and they’re all still in practice. None of them have died, either. I’d have noticed.”
“You’ve had an eye on them all this time, even when we saw them face-to-face and you were sure our theory was wrong?”
“Off,” Thornhollow corrected, a finger in the air. “Our theory is off, not wrong. I may have made a mistake or two in guessing how our man would react to you, Grace, but that doesn’t unravel all the threads.”
“Well then,” Grace said, joining him by the board. “Let me review. We’re looking for someone familiar with ether who is strong enough to hold a girl against her will long enough for it to act. He may be healthy physically but he’s unable to be intimate with a woman, possibly connected to the idea that he had an overbearing mother. He’s intelligent but socially awkward, perhaps mostly with women.”
She thought a moment, hands on her hips. “I’m sorry, Doctor, but we could be talking about you.”
“I’m offended. You’ve never met my mother,” he said. “One other thing makes me unfit for the profile, but we need not get into that.”
Grace rolled her eyes but let the comment pass. “Our visit to the brothel only solidified the idea that a doctor is at work here. And if, as you say, none of the locals have moved practice or died, I suppose this leaves us with nothing more than to wait. And watch, although it sounds as if you’re doing that rather thoroughly.”
“And not just the local medicals, Grace,” Thornhollow said, his eyes not meeting hers. “I have some news from Boston.”
Grace’s knees were suddenly weak, her vision fuzzy on the edges. “Is it Alice?” Her voice barely made it past her lips, her treacherous throat closing on itself.
“No, nothing like that. Grace, please sit down.” His hands were on her shoulders, and she leaned into him gratefully, all her strength sapped at the mere mention of her birthplace. Thornhollow set her back in the chair by the fire and returned with a glass of amber liquid.
“Is it that bad?” Grace asked, taking the drink and sniffing it cautiously.
“No danger has come to your sister, I know that is your main concern,” he said, standing in front of her to gauge her reactions to his words. “After I learned that you were in correspondence with Falsteed, I began to take the Boston papers. I agree that Heedson’s mouth is forever shut to protect his own skin and that both Falsteed and Reed are more than trustworthy. However, the efficacy of a secret is strained thin the more people who are drawn into it, and I thought it best to stay apprised of news in Boston.”
“If not for Alice I’d be happy to never hear of that place again,” Grace said, taking a drink. It burned a path down her throat and heated her belly, bringing a false relaxation in its wake that was welcome nonetheless.
“I quite agree,” Thornhollow continued. “But both our pasts are anchored there. Your father is a highly prominent man. Heedson, as the head of a major medical facility, does merit mention from time to time in the papers, and I thought it best to be aware of their movements. If Heedson were to suddenly be replaced, your father to travel unexpectedly, any indication that their normal lives were disrupted could indicate that tongues may have loosened and our secret was a secret no more.”
“And?” Grace’s hands went to her scars, fingers massaging the smooth skin there for the comfort it brought.
“And there’s no reason to think either of us is in any danger.”
Relief swelled along with exasperation as Grace swallowed another mouthful of her drink. “Really, Doctor. I know that you’re not terribly good with people, but you need to learn how to deliver news so as not to needlessly—”
“Your father is coming here, Grace.”
“What?” Her grip on the glass loosened, and it wobbled along with her quickened heartbeat. “You said