Chapter 13

The next morning was miserably cold, suitable to the chilly mood within Saffron's flat. Elizabeth had all but ignored her this morning; she'd left a cold boiled egg and toast for her on the kitchen table, which for Elizabeth was tantamount to active torture.

Romesh Datta seemed pleased to see her, however, when she knocked on the door to his laboratory. He proved himself a much more pleasant fellow when his cousin was not around, apologizing for the delay in having the information prepared and even proclaiming he'd be quite happy to assist her further should she need it.

She accepted the dense packet he offered her and thanked him, adding her hope he'd pass on her thanks to Savita, which he promised to do with a strained smile.

The folder contained a report on each chemical on Inspector Green's list from Petrov's laboratory. She was pleased to see two different sets of handwriting; Savita had gotten to contribute.

Unfortunately, she had to turn the packet over to Spalding, who'd give it to Miller, who'd pass it on to Inspector Green, which meant she didn't have long with the information.

Back in her office, she scanned each document, making hurried notes in her notebook as she did. Most fertilizers were made of some variation of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, and she recognized those easily as she passed through the documents. She'd need to see what an overabundance of each might do to the human body, especially the kidneys or liver.

Other pages listed sulfur and sodium, then the contents changed more toward detergents and cleaning products, no doubt used to keep the lab clean. Petrov would have contact with those also. Bleach was certainly dangerous, she mused, examining the chemical components of the brand used by the lab, which the Dattas had provided, but Petrov would have known if he'd been poisoned by bleach. It wasn't exactly subtle.

At the end of her frantic note-taking, she'd learned nothing useful. It was either time to retire to the library to research the effects of the chemical components, or it was time to return to Harley Street.

The latter was far more appealing.

Lee was pleased as punch to see her, especially as it was the lunch hour.

"We're eating, Everleigh," he declared, and she didn't argue. She was hungry, and Lee's buoyant demeanor was pleasant after the dramatics of the previous day.

Rather than walk down the street to find something, or eat a meal at the Harley Street office, Lee drew her into a cab to Berkely Square.

"Are you sure you want to risk another meal here?" Saffron asked him as they climbed out of the cab before a familiar gleaming window with gold lettering. "Last time we ate at the Grove, I ran out on you."

"You did," he said, opening the door for her, "and missed a delicious lunch. Don't make that same mistake again."

The Grove might have been styled the Orangery, for the cafe was filled with miniature trees that now bore miniature oranges. They stood in earthenware pots strewn across the black-and-white tiled floor, giving diners the sense of dining al fresco. The greenery inside made up for the lack of it outside. Beyond the large glass windows was a view of the square, where few people strolled among the bare trees.

Saffron, for her part, was pleased to be seated inside next to a particularly large tree. It smelled divine and gave their table a sense of privacy, which she appreciated when discussing gruesome matters.

They parried quips as they ate, Lee offering a few amusing anecdotes of his patients, and Saffron explaining about her temporarily missing samples.

Lee patted his mouth with his napkin and eased back into his seat, knitting his fingers over his abdomen. He looked rather more severe than usual in a navy suit and tie, but his pale pink shirt and loudly patterned tie expressed his usual personality. "Now, to the real reason you've torn me away from my work. Let's have it, then."

She passed him her notebook, having given the file to a grateful Spalding on the way out of the North Wing.

"This is absolutely useless," Lee sighed, flipping between pages. "Singular components aren't going to give you answers, Everleigh. Especially when we don't know which he ingested or inhaled. It might be a combination of things, anyway."

"But you can tell me something," Saffron said, taken aback. "These chemicals were things he might have worked with every day. If someone slipped some into his tea, or—"

Lee shook his head. "Even if that was the case, they'd have tested his blood and such to see what chemicals lingered there. If he'd been doused with ammonia or something, his blood and tissues would show it."

"But that would only be if it was an acute poisoning," she reasoned. "Many chemicals don't leave that sort of evidence behind with a chronic poisoning."

He lifted a brow. "Someone has been keeping up with their medical terminology. Yes, an high dose of something would likely be evident in a different way than a poisoning taking place over time."

"But if it was chronic poisoning that killed him, why would they believe it was Adrian Ashton?"

Lee shrugged. "He might have been acting suspiciously, or someone wanted to pass blame on to him. What did the inspector say?"

"Nothing," Saffron said dully.

"And Ashton? The elder one, that is?" He frowned. "Good Lord, that is annoying. Adrian, then."

"I haven't asked him."

Lee blinked. "You haven't asked Adrian, the one accused of murder, about the case?"

Heat rose in her cheeks. "Alexander doesn't want me to speak to him."

"Why the devil not?"

"He's afraid I'll get the wrong impression of Adrian. Or their family. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure."

"Wasn't Alexander the one to ask for your help?" Lee asked with genuine confusion. "And he won't let you speak with his brother?" He scoffed. "Forgive me for saying so, but your beau is an idiot."

"He isn't my beau." Despite herself, she felt the need to defend Alexander. "And he isn't an idiot. He's protective of his family. He'd kept it from me this entire time that his mother and her family are Greek. As if that's something that ought to be some great secret."

Lee's finger traced his lower lip, eyelids lowered as he considered her. "Alexander Ashton is Greek, keeping secrets, and decidedly not your beau. Fascinating."

She scowled at him. "Lee. Be serious."

"I might be, if you'd allow it," he said, winking. He hurried on before she could scoff at him. "What other secrets have you dug up about Ashton?"

"You are a wretched gossip."

"I have only the maid to chat with these days." He wiggled his fingers at her. "Out with it, Everleigh. What gruesome skeletons are in Ashton's closet?"

"He knows Elizabeth's brother somehow," Saffron admitted. It felt good to tell someone other than Elizabeth, who'd not thought anything of it. "They were … having what seemed to be a rather unpleasant conversation just last night. Nick came to the U to see our botany facilities since he works in agriculture, and—"

Lee scoffed again. "Sounds more like he was trying to make nice with you."

"A man might actually have an interest in plants, you know," Saffron replied hotly. "He might actually care about what I have to say about my work."

"Of course. Forgive me, do go on."

"Alexander looked very angry when I saw them from the window speaking on the street."

"And I don't suppose he told you why?"

"I have no reason to think he'd tell me anything," she said. "He's been remarkably opaque. I think they must know each other from the war."

"Well, I can do one thing for you, since I was useless with your chemicals. My Uncle Matt has his finger in every governmental pot, and I daresay he could dig up some information about Ashton. See if he and Nick might have bumped into each other on the march. What's Nick's full name?"

Mattias Lee was a rather important figure in British politics, though Saffron didn't imagine he'd know anything about the average soldier. "Nicholas Andrew Hale. A major, I believe."

Lee rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Very good. I'll see what I can find out for you. I'm guessing they didn't get on in the army and now find themselves butting heads once again. As for everything else, let's just hope whatever secrets Ashton is keeping don't tie a noose around his brother's neck."