Marguerite took the cue and cleared the plates, even though Emily was not quite finished. Emily rose and helped her to serve the cheese – an assortment of Brie, Gruyère, and Camembert – and open the wine Douglas had brought, which proved to be a fairly pricey port. ‘Parfait,’ Marguerite whispered to Emily as she opened it. ‘He will be most relaxed after drinking this.’
Emily let Douglas get halfway through his port and cheese before returning to the subject of the murder. ‘You say Daniel had sufficient provocation. But so did several other people. You must admit Taylor was a provocative sort of woman.’
Douglas rolled his eyes with a slight head-wobble. ‘She was that. I myself’ – he stopped for a tiny hiccup – ‘I have been provoked by her many a time.’
‘I got that impression,’ Emily said. ‘In fact, I must confess, we happened to be passing her office and overheard a tiny part of one such confrontation.’ She need not admit that they had deliberately stopped to listen.
Douglas’s fair cheeks had already begun to redden from the wine; now they turned purple. ‘That time we met in the hallway and went for coffee.’
Emily nodded. ‘Oui, c’est ça,’ said Marguerite. ‘But, vous comprenez, we did not hear about what you were arguing. Only the angry voices.’ Marguerite was more comfortable with outright lying, whereas Emily could usually go only as far as omitting parts of the truth.
Douglas’s consternation visibly faded. That conversation had been compromising to his manhood, whether or not he had anything to do with the murder. Emily did not blame him for hoping it had been kept private.
‘However, it was our impression that Taylor had won the argument,’ Marguerite said. ‘If I were you, I would not have been content to leave it there. I think I might have gone back later to try to have the last word.’
‘I did,’ Douglas mumbled. ‘Go back, that is. Late that night. But she still had the last word.’ The wine-fog seemed to lift for a moment, and he gazed at them intently. ‘I didn’t kill her, if that’s what you’re thinking. She was alive when I left her.’ He closed his eyes with a tiny shudder. ‘Very much alive.’
The two women gave him a moment to recuperate as they cleared the cheese and made coffee, to be served with a chocolate torte. ‘I think he’s telling the truth,’ Emily whispered. ‘How about you?’
‘In vino veritas,’ Marguerite replied. ‘It is dangerous to assume, but yes, to me he seems sincere. She broke him, but he did not kill her. You have yet a mystery to solve.’
TWENTY
On Friday morning, as she was walking to campus, Emily finally received a call back from Miriam Zimmerman, the doctor at the Bede infirmary. She’d nearly forgotten her intention to work out some sort of health insurance for Daniel or else pay for his medication directly. Now that he was in jail, she wasn’t sure how much point there was in pursuing it. But she would have to trust that he would be free and back at Bede before long.
‘Miriam, thanks for getting back to me. I wanted to ask you about getting some medication for a student – a type that isn’t covered by the regular college plan.’
‘You know I can’t disclose anything about a student’s medical records, right?’
‘Of course. I already know his condition and that he isn’t being treated. I don’t need to know the name of the appropriate medication.’
‘Who’s the student?’
‘Daniel Razumov.’
‘Ah. Terrible business. I’ve seen plenty of health catastrophes resulting from people not taking their meds, but this is the first time I’ve seen it lead to murder.’
‘Don’t jump to conclusions, Miriam. Just because he’s been arrested doesn’t mean he’s guilty.’
‘No, of course not. Sorry. Anyway, I’m happy to work with you on that. I’ve been racking my brains for some time trying to figure out how to help Daniel. But he’s too proud to accept a handout from anyone.’
‘I know. That’s why I want to be sneaky about it. Would it work for me to pay for the medication and you pretend to him that the insurance has changed and started covering it?’
‘Hmm. The coverage wouldn’t be likely to change just randomly. But we do renew the policy each semester, so conceivably it could change at that time. Assuming he’s able to come back for the spring semester.’
‘I’m determined to see that happen.’
‘All right. If you can get him released, we’ll have the meds waiting for him. And I’ll send you the bill. It isn’t cheap, you understand.’
‘I know. But it’s worth it. Daniel has a lot of potential, and proper treatment could make the difference between him achieving it or not.’
Emily was approaching the entrance to the library when Sidney appeared out of nowhere, doing his Jeeves imitation again. She started, then put on a smile. ‘Hello, Sidney.’
‘Professor Cavanaugh. Just the person I was hoping to see. May I have a moment of your time?’
‘I suppose so. But let’s go inside. It’s freezing out here.’ The temperature was literally below freezing, and the air felt heavy with impending snow. It might not hit today, but it would hit soon, and hard.
They sat on one of the benches in the library lobby, and Emily removed her hat and gloves. Sidney was wearing neither but didn’t appear to feel their absence. ‘What can I do for you, Sidney?’
‘I was wondering if you could tell me anything about how the investigation is going. You do have a sort of “in” with the police, don’t you? And I’m so terribly worried about poor Daniel.’ He put on a sad-puppy-dog expression.
‘I have been talking with one of the detectives, yes,’ Emily cautiously replied. ‘He’s my fiancé’s nephew. But he hasn’t really told me much about what’s going on. The police like to play their cards pretty close to their chest in these matters.’
Sidney gazed at his puffy hands closed around the strap of his messenger bag. ‘Oh dear. I was hoping to hear they had some other suspect besides Daniel. I feel so very badly about being the one to place him in Vollum that night.’ He lifted pained, anxious eyes to meet hers.
‘As far as I know, they aren’t looking seriously at anyone else. Though of course they are open to other suggestions. At least, Colin Richards is. His boss, not so much.’
‘One of the old school, is he? A stickler for procedure?’
‘Somewhat. Or just stubborn, maybe even a little lazy. He has a suspect in custody and isn’t interested in pursuing any others.’
‘That’s so sad. But you will do everything in your power to help the police see sense, won’t you? And let me know if there’s anything I can do to help? I just can’t bear the thought of dear Daniel rotting in prison for the rest of his life.’
Interesting choice of words. Not I can’t believe he’s guilty, just I don’t want to see him rot.
‘Of course. I’m convinced Daniel is innocent, and I’m doing everything in my power to prove it. Unfortunately, not that much actually is in my power. The police hold all the big cards.’ She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. ‘There is one thing you could do. I understand you told the police you saw Daniel near Curzon’s office at ten-fifteen on Monday night?’
He nodded. ‘That’s right. Ten-fifteen. I was on my way out.’
‘Did you see anyone else there at all? Any office doors open, even?’
Sidney frowned in concentration, fingers to his temples. ‘I didn’t actually see anyone else, no. But I think I did notice a door that was open a crack, with a light on. Across the hall from Curzon and down a few.’
That sounded like Richard McClintock’s office. So Richard was fibbing about his alibi as well. Emily’s heart gave a little leap. Her primary goal of course was to prove Daniel innocent, but if Richard turned out to be guilty instead, an old raw place within her might finally be appeased. ‘Thank you, Sidney. That could be very helpful.’
He smiled brightly at her and took his leave. Emily debated whether to pass the information directly to Colin or confront McClintock herself. Sh
e decided she’d like to see Richard’s face when she put the question. Emily wasn’t a vindictive person in general, but it would give her some satisfaction to see Richard McClintock squirm.
Emily knocked on Richard’s door and heard his cautious, ‘Who is it?’ He didn’t sound like a man with a clear conscience and not a care in the world.
She pushed the door open while announcing herself so he couldn’t dismiss her too easily. ‘It’s Emily. May I have a moment of your time?’ She realized after the fact that she’d borrowed her wording from Sidney. Not something she’d want to make a habit of.
‘Oh … uh … hi, Emily.’ He cleared his throat. ‘What can I do for you?’
That was a step up from his usual growled What do you want? He was definitely nervous, afraid of being found out, but whether for murder or only for plagiarism she couldn’t be sure. She’d keep him guessing for the time being.
‘I just wanted to check on something. As you may know, I’m working to prove Daniel Razumov’s innocence.’
‘I think I heard something to that effect.’ He frowned, clearly disapproving of someone from his division – or nearly retired from his division – colluding openly with the police.
‘Perhaps you’ve heard they have a witness who saw Daniel in this corridor on Monday night.’
His grunt was neither negative nor affirmative.
‘I just wondered if you might be able to corroborate that or dispute it. Since you were here too.’ She gave him her brightest smile.
Richard visibly paled. His hands shook as he capped and uncapped his pen. ‘Wh–what makes you think I was here?’
She moved a step closer to press her advantage, then recoiled from the smell of his aftershave, intensified by the sweat that was beading on his brow. She fought down a wave of nausea. It wouldn’t do to let the memories take over and dictate her actions in the present.
‘That same student says he saw your door open with the light on.’ A bit of a stretch, as Sidney hadn’t named the exact door – but Richard didn’t need to know that.
His hands relaxed slightly. ‘Oh, that.’ So it was his door after all. ‘I, uh – I think I went to the restroom right before I left for the night, and then I must have forgotten to go back to turn off the light and lock the door.’
Emily looked at him quizzically. ‘Even though you had to pass your door between the restroom and the stairs? You must have been quite preoccupied.’
He cleared his throat again. ‘I was. I, uh – I was anxious to get home. I was expecting company.’
‘Oh, really? But didn’t you tell the police you spent the evening alone in your apartment?’
His nostrils flared as he glowered at her. ‘My guest didn’t show. Got sick at the last minute. Didn’t get the message until I got home.’
She was sure he was lying, but pressing him beyond this point was a job for the police. ‘I see. I guess you can’t help me then. Thanks anyway.’
‘Any time.’ He made a painful attempt at a smile.
She turned toward the door, then back again. ‘Oh, by the way – Marguerite and I had a chat with Pacifique Morel yesterday.’
This time his face completely drained of color. His voice shook when he uttered, ‘Oh? What about?’
‘I think we’ll keep that to ourselves for the time being. But it was an interesting chat. A very interesting chat indeed.’
She left him picking his jaw up off the floor. She hadn’t learned anything substantial about the events of Monday night, but she had learned one interesting thing – Richard feared an accusation of plagiarism more than he feared one of murder.
Emily found her quiet corner in the faculty lounge again and called Colin. ‘I have a couple of things to report,’ she told him.
‘OK, shoot.’ She heard paper rustling and the click of a pen.
‘First of all, Marguerite and I had a talk with Douglas Curzon last night. Have you gotten around to re-interviewing him yet?’
Colin cleared his throat. ‘Not yet. I couldn’t reach him yesterday, and I’m just digging my way out of the paperwork this morning.’
‘You may still want to talk to him, but I doubt it’s going to lead to much. Marguerite invited him to dinner, and, well … we sort of got him drunk. Tipsy, anyway. He admitted going back to Taylor’s office Monday night, but he swears she was alive when he left her. And I’m inclined to believe him.’
‘Why, exactly?’
‘As Marguerite said, in vino veritas. And besides, it was so humiliating for him to admit he was even there, I think he would have denied that if he had actually killed her.’
‘Hmm. I’m not sure that’s quite logical, but OK. I will interview him myself, though. Assuming I can find him in.’
‘I expect he’ll be nursing a hangover for most of the morning, so your chances are good.’
‘You said you had a couple of things?’
‘Yes. The second was entirely fortuitous. Sidney Sharpe stopped me outside the library this morning to ask me how the investigation was going. I wasn’t sure how much you’d pressed him about whether he might have seen anyone else in Vollum that night besides Daniel, so I asked him – not only whether he saw anyone in person, but whether he saw lights on or doors open in any of the offices.’
‘Oh, I didn’t think about that. What did he say?’
‘He said he saw Richard McClintock’s door ajar with the light on.’
‘And this was at ten-fifteen, same time he saw Daniel?’
‘Yes.’
‘So McClintock was lying about his alibi too. Ten-fifteen isn’t in the murder window, but the fact that he lied is suggestive in itself.’
‘That’s what I thought. So I confronted him with it.’
‘You did what? Emily, my uncle would kill me if he found out I let you put yourself in any danger.’
‘You didn’t let me – I did it all on my own. And I would hardly consider Richard a danger.’
‘But if he’s killed once—’
‘Yes, but if he did that, he must have been in a rage. He couldn’t kill in cold blood, simply out of fear. He’s too much of a wimp. And anyway, I’ve learned a thing or two from Luke about self-defense.’ Luke had indeed taught her one or two moves, mostly designed for escape from a threat rather than for retaliation. ‘And there were other people in the neighboring offices. I would only have needed to scream and someone would have come running.’
‘I hope you’re right. Well, you’re talking to me now, so obviously he didn’t attack you. But what did he say?’
‘He claimed he left earlier and forgot to turn off his light and lock his door.’
‘Did you believe him?’
‘Not for a second. He was sweating so hard he must have gone home by now to change his shirt.’
‘Still, it’s a damned hard thing to prove or disprove, unless somebody else saw him. Or went into the office and saw he wasn’t there. Of course, that could also mean he was in Curzon’s office murdering her.’
‘And I will very graciously leave figuring all that out to you.’
‘Gee, thanks.’ He gave a grim chuckle. ‘You’re something. I bet you keep Uncle Luke on his toes.’
‘I certainly try.’ Emily was assailed by a wave of missing Luke. She’d have to call him soon, maybe even get him up for the weekend again.
She signed off with Colin and decided to call Luke then and there. She gave him an update, then asked if he could possibly get away in the next couple of days.
‘I wish I could, but Pete and Heather were on last weekend, and we’re kind of busy with the weather still being bad. I can’t leave them on duty alone again.’
She sighed. ‘I suppose not. We’ll just have to muddle through as best we can.’ She didn’t tell Luke, but she had an eerie feeling things were soon going to become far more muddled than they had been yet.
TWENTY-ONE
That evening, since she was going to be on her own for the weekend, Emily attended a concert in the college chapel �
� a lovely wood-paneled room at one end of the second floor of Eliot Hall, where the vaulted, beamed ceiling created excellent acoustics. The chapel had once been a place of worship but now hosted concerts, films, and the very occasional wedding. Tonight the Collegium Musicum, Bede’s chamber ensemble of vocalists and Renaissance instruments, performed motets, chansons, and madrigals by Thomas Tallis, Josquin des Prez, Monteverdi, and Palestrina. The women’s voices finished off the concert with an a cappella chant by Hildegard von Bingen.
As the final pure, high notes of the chant echoed through the rafters and deep into Emily’s soul, she felt a peace and serenity that had eluded her all through the last two weeks. People filed out all around her, but she remained seated with her eyes closed, holding the music in her heart, unwilling to end the moment and return to ordinary life.
‘Emily?’ She came back from a great distance to register that a familiar voice was calling her name. She turned to see Oscar and, behind him, Lauren. She’d been so preoccupied with matters surrounding the murder that it hadn’t even struck her that she hadn’t seen either of them since the night of her dinner party a week and a half – or maybe a lifetime – before. Oscar shared a hole-in-the-wall office in a different part of the library from Emily’s table, so she had not run into him either there or in Vollum.
‘Oscar! Lauren! How lovely to see you. I was just trying to prolong the moment here. But I guess I’ll have to admit it can’t last forever.’
‘We were thinking about going out for dessert,’ Lauren said. ‘Would you like to join us?’
Emily glanced from one to the other, gauging the sincerity of the invitation. Both looked as though they genuinely wanted her company, so she said, ‘I’d love to. If you’re sure I won’t be in the way.’
The night was clear and lovely, if cold; the clouds that had threatened snow had dissipated without delivering on their promise, though Emily suspected they would return. She was pleased to note the way Oscar and Lauren clung to each other’s hands as the three of them walked up the hill to Baumgartner’s. The deli stayed open late on Friday and Saturday nights to serve the post-event crowd with luscious concoctions such as blackberry cheesecake, mocha torte, and flourless chocolate cake. Emily chose the torte, Lauren the cheesecake, and Oscar the chocolate cake, and they settled into a booth in a back corner.
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