Chapter 29

"Good morning," Nick said, scanning the room before coming to rest on each scientist for a moment. He wore a somber navy suit with a matching tie beneath his fine wool overcoat, which apparently no one had taken. "You might recall that I am Nicholas Hale from the Agricultural Ministry. A member of your staff was arrested this morning by local police after he attempted to break into the home of Jeffery Wells. I am here to discuss this and other recent … developments, here at the lab."

He was utterly serious and had the faintest hint of menace that put Saffron and the others on edge. Another carefully crafted persona he'd slipped on.

His pause was equally calculated to raise the tension further. Mary was pale, while Sutcliffe's color was slowly rising as if he were a kettle preparing to boil. Quinn looked more alarmed than Saffron would have expected. Only Narramore, who'd walked in behind Nick, seemed unaffected.

"You are a new face," Nick said, and Saffron realized he was speaking to her.

"I am, sir," she said. "I was hired last week as the new assistant in Horticulture."

Nick flicked a look at Dr. Calderbrook, who confirmed this with a nod. "Saffron Everleigh," Dr. Calderbrook said, "down from London."

"I'll start with you, then, Miss Everleigh. Dr. Calderbrook, if I may have use of your office?"

Soon, Saffron was sitting before Nick in Calderbrook's pink office. Nick waited until the door was closed and the sounds of Calderbrook's footsteps faded before he broke into a grin.

"Well, well," he said, leaning back in Calderbrook's chair. "We've had quite the development. I assume you've already heard that Joseph Rowe broke into Wells's home this morning?"

"I don't think Joseph killed Wells," Saffron said. "I have no evidence to the contrary, just … just a feeling."

"Unlike you scientific types, I don't need definite proof to believe you. I don't think he killed Wells either. They had no quarrel, according to what I've heard."

The facts and theories about the staff Saffron had collected poured out of her. "Quinn doesn't much like Joseph, though. She just essentially accused him of stealing her notes and materials as well as doing in Wells. And Mary takes issue with Burnwell, the botanist, which means that Joseph had an issue with him too."

"Why is that?"

"Because he's sweet on Mary and finds Burnwell vile," Saffron said.

"I see," Nick said, an eyebrow raised. He reached into his pocket. "Very interesting, then, what was found on Joseph Rowe's person when he was arrested."

He passed her a folded sheaf of papers. Saffron saw Mary's neat script. She flipped through a few of the papers, finding them to be records of the care of a particular specimen, referred to in the top right corner of the paper as Specimen No. 28923.

The papers were daily notes from the twenty-ninth of October until November twelfth. The last in the sequence noted that the specimen had failed, meaning it had died.

She stared down at the papers for a long moment. "These were in Jeffery Wells's house."

"That is my guess," Nick said.

She glanced up at him. "Joseph didn't say?"

"He refuses to speak about it. Admitted to breaking in, said he wasn't there for any reason to do with Wells's death, but won't stay what his actual reason was."

"This is the reason," Saffron said, lifting the papers from her lap. "These papers. He was retrieving them for Mary. I've heard Sutcliffe's reaction to missing papers. She'd want to avoid him learning she'd lost reports."

Nick hummed, a finger tapping his chin. "So Joseph broke in for the girl he's sweet on, or because he wants to sell the papers to interested parties?"

"These wouldn't do much to help someone," Saffron replied. "The specimen they describe ended up dead."

"Perhaps that information is vital to someone."

"It could be …" Saffron shook her head, thinking. "Sutcliffe isn't working on beneficial fungi. He's working on killing harmful ones."

"So you're saying that he was successful."

"Yes, but if that had been the goal of this experiment"—she shook the papers slightly—"then there likely would have been a note about positive results, that they'd gotten their desired outcome."

"This report isn't complete; it's missing a page or two."

"Have you searched Wells's house?" she asked Nick. "Apart from when we visited, I mean. The others mentioned the house was a wreck. It was messy when we went there, but certainly nothing out of the ordinary for an ill bachelor."

One of Nick's brows shot up. "Do the others know that Joseph Rowe was caught with papers?"

So, he was avoiding the question. What did that signify? "I don't think so."

"Good. I can make it seem unrelated. Don't want to spook them with a suggestion that the papers might be linked to the death." Nick sighed, running a hand over his jaw. "Did you find out about the Mucor indicus?"

"I haven't yet," Saffron said, adding dryly, "We've had rather an eventful morning here. I take that to mean that you confirmed that our identification was correct?"

"A severe infection would cause the sort of necrosis we saw in his wound. The coroner did seem puzzled by the severity of his, ah"—he lifted his brows—"gastrointestinal symptoms, however. A cutaneous infection doesn't generally cause that level of disruption, apparently."

That was a delicate way of saying that Wells ought not to have been relieved of all but his intestines from an infected cut. "Will they continue looking for an explanation?" she asked.

"They will. Ask about the fungus today, and if you find out the mycologists are working with it, get me word. I'll be here all day." During the pause that followed, his gaze turned unreadable. "How are things?"

Saffron blinked. "Things are fine."

"Going back and forth between here and London isn't too much?"

She hadn't thought much about it. "I don't care for it, but it's not a burden."

"Must be hard, not working alongside your beau."

Ignoring his mischievous grin, she replied, "I do enjoy sharing the North Wing with Alexander, but the place is a hotbed for gossip. As soon as word gets 'round that we're seeing each other …" She sighed, just realizing it herself. The chin-wagging would be endless.

"Good to know," Nick said. He propped an elbow on the desk and gave her a perfunctory smile. "Well, off you go. We can catch the train back to town together if you like."

Saffron gave him an indifferent reply, unsure if she wanted to invite more time with Nick, and returned to the lab.