Flora's Secret

by Anita Davison

  ‘I agree that Gus Crowe is a sneak thief, not a violent criminal who would stab a woman for a gold bracelet. Parnell died in a botched robbery.’ He took a bite of toast and chewed thoughtfully. ‘Incidentally, Hersch told me at breakfast that they had found the murder weapon. The one used to kill Eloise. He didn’t explain as to what or where and cut me off when I asked.’

  Aware of an uncomfortable buzzing in her ears and strange colours floating before her eyes, Flora decided to explain about the knife later, when her head was clearer. The fact it was found in his care still bothered her on some level.

  ‘Tell me about your plans for your factory in England.’ Apart from not wishing to discuss knives, the reason for her question escaped her. It wasn’t as if she would be a part of it.

  ‘My main problem is finding an engineering firm to make the parts.’ He folded both hands over his flat stomach, his long legs stretched out in front of him. ‘I’ll have to manufacture every piece of the engine and bodywork myself, of course, which will make production very slow. Then there’s the travelling needed to show my designs to possible buyers at the show.’

  ‘What show?’ Flora asked through a yawn.

  ‘There’s an automobile show in Madison Square Garden scheduled for next November.’

  ‘Isn’t that where they hold those boxing matches?’

  ‘It is, although other events are staged there too. The exhibition will last an entire week, sponsored by the Automobile Club of America.’

  ‘There is a club for motor cars?’ Flora asked, incredulous.

  ‘Your scepticism wounds me, Miss Maguire. Motor travel is no temporary madness, I’m confident it has a long and illustrious future. There will be upwards of sixty exhibitors at the show in New York, all displaying at least thirty new autos.’

  ‘So many? I had no idea.’ Flora eased her neck from side to side, but it didn’t help. She felt as though she were underwater.

  ‘You aren’t listening to me, are you, Flora?’ Bunny chuckled, the sound of his hands slapping the arms of his chair bringing her eyes open with a snap. ‘Before you fall asleep again, Dr Fletcher said I was to make sure you took some medicine.’ He circled behind her chair towards the mantle, returning with the bottle and a small glass, which he filled and handed to her.

  She took it with unsteady fingers, staring at it for a few seconds with dismay.

  Bunny turned back to put the bottle back on the shelf and when his back was turned, she tipped the contents into the last inch of coffee in her cup. Licking her lips ostentatiously, she held out the empty glass. ‘There. Now take it away.’

  He hauled her upright, tucked his other arm behind her knees and swept her into his arms, then carried her into the bedroom. Flora tried to say something about wishing the circumstances were different for such a romantic display, but the words came out as an unintelligible slur. The effort to stay awake became too much, and she barely registered the click of the door before sleep claimed her.

  Chapter 25

  Flora dreamed of a violent storm at sea, all black clouds, forked lightning and falling with stomach-churning speed into massive troughs, only to be heaved upwards again into a boiling mountain of water. The sky suddenly turned white and she fell to the floor with a thump in the kitchen with the black range that had been such a strong image throughout her life. The scene played out as it always did, with her tiny self as she crawled on a stone floor, her mother’s skirt clutched in her hands. Then something new intruded.

  Someone was calling her name, over and over.

  With a groan of protest, she rolled her shoulder to rid herself of a disturbing weight that pressed down on her.

  ‘Flora!’ The voice came again, louder this time, followed by a violent shake.

  She prised her eyelids open, bringing a hand to shield her eyes as stark daylight poked the tender spot behind her forehead. A blur of colour and shadows came into focus and turned into Bunny’s worried face, which loomed inches above hers.

  She jerked upright, narrowly avoiding a collision of heads. ‘What’s going on?’ she mumbled, though it came out more like, “Wassgoingon” A shaft of pain sliced through her head and she palmed her forehead with a hand.

  Bunny released a ragged sigh, then gathered her into his arms and held on tight, his hands seeking out the contours of her back. He pressed his lips against her left temple, rocking her gently.

  Flora stiffened at first, confused, until his touch sent ripples of pleasure through her spine. ‘Hmmm, that’s nice,’ she murmured, relaxing into him. Slowly, she opened her eyes, then froze at the sight of Mr Hersch at the end of the bed, Eddy next to him, both staring at her wide-eyed.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ Hersch’s penetrating gaze searched her face.

  ‘Fast asleep up until two minutes ago.’ She wriggled out of Bunny’s grasp and brought a hand to her hair, encountered a mass of tousled curls that were past repairing, and lowered it again. ‘What are you all doing in my bedroom?’ She hugged the coverlet up to her neck, despite that she was fully dressed beneath it.

  ‘She’s not sweating from what I can tell.’ Hersch crept closer and peered at her, making the tiny space claustrophobic. ‘No shivering or tremors. Her pupils look clear and are of normal size.’

  Flora jerked her chin back, away from his searching gaze. ‘Would someone explain-’

  ‘How much of that sedative have you taken?’ Bunny interrupted. He wrestled the coverlet from between her fingers, took her hand in his and searched her face. ‘Don’t scowl like that, Flora, this is important.’

  ‘Well.’ She forced herself to think. ‘Dr Fletcher gave me some last night and again first thing this morning.’

  ‘Did you take any more apart from the one I gave you?’

  ‘Um, well actually, I threw that one away. It tasted bitter and I don’t like the stuff. It made me feel as if I was floating.’

  ‘Oh, thank God for your contrary nature.’ The intense look in Bunny’s eyes dissolved with his exhaled breath.

  ‘Will someone please tell me what’s happening?’ Flora scooted farther up the bed, the coverlet still clutched in both hands.

  Bunny tugged the coverlet aside and pulled her gently upright. ‘Come into the sitting room, and we’ll explain.’

  ‘I’ll just settle this young man with Mrs Gilmore.’ Hersch patted Eddy’s shoulder and guided him out of the room. ‘There, you see, Ed, old chap, she’s perfectly fine. All that fuss about nothing.’ His soothing voice receded as they left, followed by Eddy’s half-hearted protest that he wanted to stay.

  Monica Gilmore must have been waiting outside the suite door, for Flora heard her high-pitched greeting to Eddy, followed by an enthusiastic recital of plans she had in store for the afternoon, most of which seemed to involve food.

  Reassured he would be looked after, and with Bunny’s supporting arm round her waist, Flora concentrated on getting her stiff muscles to move into the sitting room, her eyes widening at the sight of not only Captain Gates, but Dr Fletcher and Officer Martin as well. The latter stood by the door, hands clasped behind his back as if on guard.

  ‘To what do I owe the pleasure of this gathering?’ Flora asked, conscious of her rumpled, sleep-heavy appearance.

  ‘Don’t joke, Flora,’ Bunny’s grip on her arm tightened as he lowered her into a chair. ‘We were genuinely worried about you. And for good reason.’

  ‘However, we are very relieved to see you well, Miss Maguire.’ Captain Gates inclined his head, the lines beside his mouth deeper than usual, his eyes lacklustre.

  Flora wished she would smile again. She missed his smile.

  Hersch plucked the brown bottle from the mantle and held it up. ‘Is this what the doctor gave you, Flora?’

  ‘It’s bromide, to help me sleep.’ She looked to the doctor for confirmation which was not forthcoming. Instead he avoided her eyes and started at the floor.

  ‘I don’t think so, my dear.’ Hersch dropped the bottle into his pocket. ‘When we
have this analysed in London, I suspect we’ll find it’s a strong concentration of laudanum. Well, Dr Fletcher?’ He turned to face the doctor. ‘How much of this did you intend her to take?’

  Without warning, Bunny launched himself at the man, both hands encircling his throat as he snarled, ‘you were asked a question! How much did you give her?’

  The doctor’s eyes bulged and he emitted a strangled gurgle as he tried to prise Bunny’s hands from his neck without success.

  ‘Bunny!’ Flora started forwards in her chair. ‘What are you doing?’ She cast a pleading glance at the detective, but instead of intervening, he remained passive to one side.

  Officer Martin looked about to step between them, but Captain Gates shook his head.

  ‘I said, how much?’ Bunny repeated, giving Dr Fletcher a rough shake.

  ‘Four grains,’ he croaked, his voice distorted. ‘Four grains each dose.’

  Bunny released him with a snort of disgust, flattened both hands against the doctor’s chest and shoved him backwards with such force, he staggered against the bulkhead.

  Fletcher righted himself again, a sneer on his mouth, though the hand he pushed through his hair shook.

  ‘I don’t even know what that means,’ Flora murmured, staring at a red-faced Bunny, who fought to settle his breathing. Flora was more accustomed to his calm manners and gentle nature, so this burst of uncontrolled anger shocked her; that it was on her behalf was also strangely exciting.

  ‘Six grains is a fatal dose,’ Hersch said finally, one brow raised. ‘The accumulation of that much laudanum over a twelve-hour period would most likely have killed you, Flora.’

  ‘What?’ Flora gaped. ‘But that’s ridiculous. Why would Dr Fletcher try to kill me?’ The remnants of the fog cleared from her mind, but she had no reason not to believe them. Had the doctor pushed her down the steps? Is that why he was so keen to intimate she had imagined it?

  ‘Care to enlighten the lady, Fletcher?’ Captain Gates spoke for the first time.

  ‘Yes, why don’t you do that – Fletcher?’ Bunny came to stand beside her chair, one hand caressing her shoulder.

  The doctor’s eyes flickered with doubt but he didn’t speak.

  ‘Nothing to say, Doctor?’ Hersch snorted. ‘Then let me do it for you. Nine years ago, Mr Parnell was a major organiser of a fraudulent land deal in Montana.’

  ‘Montana,’ Flora repeated, sifting through the fog in her head. ‘Why does that word mean something to me?’

  ‘I sent a telegraph to a contact of mine asking him to unearth a list of people who lost money in that same venture,’ Hersch continued. ‘Their response came through this morning. Gerald Gilmore’s name was there as having lost money in that deal. That first night on board, he recognized Parnell.’

  Flora vaguely recalled Bunny mentioning something like that, then pushed the memory away and concentrated on what Hersch said.

  ‘Dr Fletcher lost money in the same enterprise,’ he went on. ‘A lot of money. He also encouraged some of his patients to invest.’

  ‘I didn’t know it was fake!’ Dr Fletcher interjected. ‘I was swindled like everyone else.’

  ‘Unfortunately,’ Hersch went on as if he hadn’t spoken, ‘the good doctor was hounded out of his practice as a result. Unable to continue his career in an assumed name, so hiding was his only option. He took a position as ship’s doctor to avoid the scandal.’

  ‘You call this a career?’ Fletcher gave the suite a slow, contemptuous look. ‘Handing out plasters and tonics to rich, spoiled hypochondriacs?’

  ‘What he didn’t bargain on,’ Hersch continued, getting into his stride, ‘was that the man he held entirely responsible for his plight would turn up as a passenger on this ship calling himself Frank Parnell.’

  ‘I certainly did not!’ Fletcher growled. He adjusted his tie, though this struck Flora as more a nervous reaction. ‘I spent years rehearsing what I would say if I ever saw him again. Then there he sat, throwing money around without a care. I lay awake half that first night, then rose early and went to his stateroom before I lost my nerve.’

  ‘Did you expect him to apologize?’ Bunny demanded. ‘Or recompense you for your losses?’

  ‘That’s the last thing I expected, though I wanted him to know he had ruined my life!’ Fletcher’s gaze, cold and reptilian, slid towards Flora. He reeked of self-pity, making her wonder how she had ever imagined him attractive, let alone trusted him.

  ‘What happened?’ Hersch said gently, gesturing to Bunny for silence.

  ‘Parnell came to the door with a towel held to a gash on his head.’ Fletcher swallowed before continuing. ‘Nothing serious, but it bled quite a bit. Said Crowe had attacked him. He even assumed that in a fit of remorse, Crowe had sent me along to see to him. When I told him why I was really there, he laughed; said I was simply an unlucky punter and should have got over it by now.’

  ‘I can see why that would enrage you,’ Hersch said. ‘However, that doesn’t explain how Mr Parnell ended up dead.’

  ‘I’m not saying any more.’ Dr Fletcher stared at him, a belligerent, superior stare that was also a challenge.

  ‘I see,’ Hersch mused. ‘Then I’ll speculate, shall I? Feel free to interrupt at any point.’ Hersch jammed his thumbs into his waistcoat pockets, his feet splayed as if he was about to address a courtroom. ‘Parnell’s lack of remorse enraged you, so you picked up the first thing to hand, which happened to be a heavy brass ashtray. Am I right so far?’

  Fletcher didn’t react at first, then his mouth twisted as if the memory gave him a certain satisfaction. ‘That gash was a darned sight worse when I had finished, I can tell you,’ he muttered, so low, Flora had to strain to hear him.

  ‘Then,’ Hersch paced the room, stroking his chin. ‘You cleaned the wound with a towel, then removed as much of the blood as you could from the bathroom. I should imagine it was almost six by then, when you knew the crew would be round to wash the decks. Hmm, not everyone would know that.’ The detective raised a finger as he spoke, obviously enjoying himself. ‘You waited in his stateroom until the cleaning crew had finished, then intended to throw him overboard. Isn’t that right, Fletcher? After all, no body, no crime, eh?’

  ‘You tell me.’ Cruel pleasure poisoned his words.

  ‘All right then,’ Hersch continued, unperturbed. ‘You dragged the body as far as the companionway, but something disturbed you. A passenger maybe, or a member of the crew? Whichever it was, you panicked and dumped it down the steps. You went back to collect the bloodied towel and the ashtray, because the maid noticed they were missing when she went in that morning. All you had to do was wait to be summoned and told a body had been found. How am I doing, Fletcher?’ He grinned at the doctor, whose surly expression had not changed. ‘Once the body was taken to your office, you stripped and washed it to ensure no evidence remained to contradict your report that he had died from a fall.’

  Faced with the stark facts of what he had done seemed to dawn on the doctor. His arrogance dissolved and he shifted his feet, unable to meet anyone’s eye.

  ‘What did you do with the towel and the ashtray?’ Bunny asked.

  ‘I threw them overboard.’ Fletcher snarled. ‘Which proved more difficult than I anticipated. Whenever I left my cabin, a passenger would waylay me with a minor complaint. You’d be surprised how little free time the crew get aboard this ship.’

  ‘I cannot comment on your conditions of employment,’ Hersch sniffed. ‘You’ll have to take those up with the captain.’ He slid a conspiratorial look in Captain Gates direction.

  ‘I still don’t understand why you tried to kill me,’ Flora said. ‘I never suspected you.’

  ‘It would have come back to you.’ Fletcher’s lip curled as he spoke, contempt in every syllable. ‘This morning, you mentioned that accursed land deal. It was only a matter of time before you told someone else, so to buy some time I swapped the bromide for laudanum. Another day and I would have been able to get off this w
retched ship and disappear.’

  ‘You weren’t supposed to wake up, Flora.’ The weight of Bunny’s stare sent Fletcher back a pace, though his chin still jutted angrily ‘Our good doctor had already prepared the ground about a possible head injury.’

  ‘Which I didn’t have,’ Flora murmured. Tipping the medicine into her coffee was a momentary impulse. She could just as easily have drunk it to keep Bunny happy. Although had it not been for that awful drug, she wouldn’t have been so voluble with Fletcher in the first place.

  ‘I think we’ve heard enough.’ Captain Gates gestured to Officer Martin to escort the doctor out, though Fletcher shrugged off the man’s retraining arm with a harsh, guttural snort, and stomped outside to where two more crewman waited.

  The captain replaced his cap, tipped the peak at each of them, then followed.

  ‘It never occurred to me it was him,’ Flora said softly, still stunned. She glanced at Mr Hersch. ‘Did you know all along he had been swindled by Parnell, or rather, Marlon van Elder?’

  ‘No,’ Hersch replied. ‘I only received the list this morning by wireless telegraph. I was as surprised as anyone to see his name on it.’

  ‘When I saw Mr Hersch and the captain drag Fletcher out of his office, I tagged along,’ Bunny gently massaged Flora’s shoulder as he talked. ‘Never been so angry in my life.’

  Flora smiled, glad of it, but it was a subject for another time. ‘I wonder if Seaman Crofts is aware his telegraph machine has captured a dangerous criminal?’ She rubbed her upper arms with both hands to still a shiver that wouldn’t go away. ‘And how did you know about the sedative?’

  ‘Eddy told me,’ Bunny said. ‘We met on his way back from breakfast. When I asked how you were, he said you were sleeping and the suite smelled like a sweet shop. That’s how I knew something wasn’t right.’

  Flora stared at him. ‘What has that got to do with anything?’

  ‘Cinnamon,’ Hersch interjected. ‘It’s not used in the administration of bromide, but often mixed into laudanum to disguise the bitter taste.’