Chapter 28

The train's whistle jerked Saffron from a dream. The last visions of it faded in a swirl of steam beyond the window as the train came to a slow stop, something about growths of yellow smothering her Amazonian samples, though Saffron couldn't be sure if she'd dreamed it was the xolotl vine, or if it was Mucor indicus. Regardless, the lingering image bothered her as she made the trek from the train station to the Path Lab that morning.

She'd stayed out far too late with Alexander—thus the impromptu nap on the train—and now felt a bit like a flower on its last legs in autumn. Such flowers had been killed off just a few days ago with the first frost. Perhaps not the best analogy for herself, then.

The Path Lab was quiet with Dr. Calderbrook shut up in his office, as he usually was, and Joseph nowhere to be seen. The door was closed to Sutcliffe's lab. She could hear Sutcliffe's rumbling voice and Mary's bell-like tones, however.

The larger laboratory was empty, with the windows still curtained. Joseph wasn't likely at Number 28 then; opening the lab was one of his first duties.

It presented the perfect opportunity to see what she could find, if anything, in Narramore and Quinn's work that might be worth stealing. She tugged the curtains aside, illuminating the maze of shelves and workbenches.

She approached the corner where Entomology was set up. The wooden workbenches were clear save for the trio of vivariums. Saffron had seen insects skittering around inside them but hadn't paid much attention before. With the curtains open, the wriggling creatures had fled to the cover provided by the foliage growing inside the tanks, but a few stragglers were still crawling around. Earwigs, a crop pest, were the main focus of Entomology. Saffron spotted a few creeping along a bare branch in the middle of one of the vivariums.

Apart from the glass tanks, however, there was little to see. The drawers were locked save for the top one, which contained only pens, pencils, and inexpensive measuring tools. Glancing at the clock on the far wall, Saffron tried to gauge just how long she had if she wanted to attempt picking the drawer locks—

A chorus of voices exploded somewhere down the hall.

Saffron scuttled away toward her own workbench, as the tumult of voices increased in the hall.

Sutcliffe's bellow echoed into the lab. "Absurd! The boy isn't clever enough to even start to—"

"Dr. Sutcliffe, please," came Mary's plaintive voice, quickly overtaken by Quinn's brisk voice saying, "I saw it myself! They were leading the boy away from the house in handcuffs. How else do you explain it?" There was a trace of smugness in her tone.

Someone threw one of the laboratory doors open. The three scientists marched inside.

"He might have broken in to steal something," Sutcliffe replied, his color high. "Calderbrook said yesterday someone had broken in. Place was a mess. No doubt he went back to find whatever he missed the first time 'round."

Mary walked behind him, her hands twisting in their white gloves. She'd pulled her mask down around her chin, so her worry was plain.

Quinn, on the other hand, seemed delighted to be sharing gossip. "I tell you, Joseph was the one to do Wells in. He was caught in the man's house. I'd wager he was hiding evidence." She sniffed, crossing her arms. "I always thought something was off about him. He's far too quiet. He came back from the battlefields with not only an eye missing, if you ask me."

Anger spiked through Saffron with a force that made her breathless. "What a perfectly wretched thing to say."

Quinn, Sutcliffe, and Mary turned to her at once, surprise on their faces. They hadn't noticed her presence.

"Wretched it might be, but true," Quinn said stiffly.

"There could be a dozen reasons why Joseph was in Mr. Wells's house," Mary said, seeming to pluck up the courage to disagree with Quinn now that Saffron had.

"Like what?" barked Sutcliffe. When Mary gave him a hurt look, he added gruffly, "If you're putting forth a hypothesis, you better have some evidence to back it up."

"He might have been looking for Mr. Wells's keys," Mary said. "Dr. Calderbrook might have asked him to retrieve them."

Missing keys, or missing papers, Saffron thought with excitement. "Has Joseph actually been arrested?"

Quinn sniffed again. "I don't know. All I know is that this morning, I saw them leading him away from Poets Court in handcuffs. The obvious conclusion is evident."

"But not proven," Mary said. She was just as stiff as Quinn, her face a little pale. "How dreadful. What are we to do?"

"Hire a new fellow to run errands," Quinn muttered. "One who isn't touched in the head."

Saffron fought to keep her voice cool. "I would appreciate you not ridiculing those who sacrificed in service to our country."

Quinn flushed an unpleasant brick red and began sputtering.

Saffron continued to glare at her. She'd never spoken out about such mutterings before, but she found she couldn't let them go unchallenged any longer.

Dr. Calderbrook hurried into the room. His teeth worried his flushed lips beneath his mustache. "I know we are all in quite an uproar over poor Joseph, but a representative from the ministry just arrived and he wishes to speak to everyone."

Behind him, Nick Hale entered the lab.