Murder on Charles Street - Leighann Dobbs Page 0,51
idea that Lord Westing’s daughter hired an assassin, then I’d argue Dr. Sumner could have done such a thing as well. He could have used his absence from London as an excuse.”
The longer they spoke, the more the pain in Katherine’s ankle mounted. She let out a strangled, frustrated sound. “We are no further along today than we were yesterday.” If anything, they only had more suspects and more possibilities.
“Actually…” Pru trailed off, taking a sip of her tea. “Didn’t you say that the particulars of Lord Westing’s treatment were missing from Dr. Gammon’s notes? Why would his daughter take the file? We’ve been working on the premise that Dr. Gammon and Dr. Sumner killed her father either by design or mistake. The evidence would be in that file, would it not? If so, she would want everyone to see it, to know the proof of Dr. Gammon’s wrongdoing.”
Harriet added, “Perhaps that’s precisely why his daughter took the file. She wants to ensure that people do see it. When a man dies, his things are boxed and shoved in the attic of the nearest relative. If I was in the daughter’s place, I would not want to leave it to chance that the file would be found and read.”
Wayland paced as he added, “And other people had access to the house. What of Dr. Gammon’s son? Katherine, you said he’s been acting strangely. He might have taken it.”
Katherine pointed out, “He only acted toward me in that way after his father was killed. The file might have been taken by the killer while he was there poisoning Dr. Gammon.”
They each frowned, deep in thought, until McTavish summed up the situation several minutes later. “So we’ve come full circle, then. We dinnae have more than a handful of suspects that grow more suspicious by the hour.”
Katherine sighed deeply and sank back into the armchair, using its bulk to shield her expression from as many people in the room as possible. With her ankle in such a state, she couldn’t speak with the suspects on her own. Her father had expressed his confidence in her ability to solve the mystery without leaving her chair, but she hadn’t done it yet. Would he lose faith in her if she couldn’t prove him right? Not to mention, sending out Pru, Lord Annandale, or even Wayland to search for her was not the same as doing it herself. In the case of Pru and her fiancé, they might be too preoccupied with each other and their upcoming nuptials to notice key pieces of evidence. If only there were a way for her to speak with these people on her own.
Unless… Katherine straightened. “I have an idea.”
The quiet rustle of clothing silenced as the group fixated upon her.
She smiled. “We will make my injury work in our favor. We’ll make them come to us.”
With a frown, Pru fiddled with her teacup. The clink of porcelain mirrored the pulse of Katherine’s heart—and the throb in her foot. “How so?”
“I admit, it won’t solve everything. I’ll still have to deal with Lady Dalhousie—”
“Lady Dalhousie?” Wayland asked with the raise of his eyebrow.
Katherine swallowed yet another sigh. In as even a voice as she could manage, she said, “Lady Dalhousie approached me with the request to match her niece. You know how persuasive she can be. I cannot say no.”
“And what does this have to do with the investigation?”
Wearily, Katherine admitted, “It doesn’t. And my idea won’t help with her at all, either. I warned Lady Dalhousie and her niece, Miss Ball, that if she wished for a love match, it could not be rushed. Even so, I know Lady Dalhousie will not rest until she sees my ankle for herself. She simply won’t believe that I’m injured if I write to her of what happened, which means she will certainly come to call and harangue me.”
Lord Annandale chuckled, a sound that was soon stifled as Pru poked him with her elbow.
Pru asked, “What is your idea for the investigation?”
Katherine brightened. “Obviously, we cannot invite our suspects here to confess, but we can do the next best thing. If we make certain each of the suspects knows that I’m injured and at home unable to defend myself, and if we spread a rumor that I discovered among Dr. Gammon’s notes a titillating piece of evidence of wrongdoing in Lord Westing’s case—”
Pru interrupted, “Perhaps something more vague. For the rumor. We don’t know for certain that his death is connected