Page 101 of A Whisper at Midnight

“I was going to offer,” Hadrian replied. “I confess I’m not too keen on helping her any longer. I’m glad this affair is concluded.” He met her gaze. “Are you?”

“I will be, though for me it is not finished quite yet. There are still missing pieces of jewelry that she hired me to find.”

They arrived at Scotland Yard and were shown to Teague’s office where they waited for a short while. A young clerk brought them tea, which was most welcome. Hadrian’s headache finally began to ease.

A constable came to take their statements. Teague arrived just as he was finishing.

The inspector poured a cup of tea and settled into a chair. “I must thank you both for your assistance today. I am rather shocked by Mrs. Pollard’s confessions.”

“Have you charged her with murder?” Tilda asked.

“At the very least, I expect to charge her with manslaughter, but I am still collecting evidence.”

Hadrian was disappointed. He’d seen Joanna push Martha Farrow and hold Louis Chambers down. “Is that because she didn’t stab Louis Chambers?”

Teague nodded. “Nor did she intend to push Martha Farrow to her death—at least not when she went to visit her initially. She says she panicked in pushing her. I’m inclined to believe her. Why would Martha tell anyone what happened? She would only implicate herself.” He shook his head. “Anyway, it is difficult toknow what happened without having a direct witness besides Mrs. Pollard.”

Hadrian kept his face impassive whilst exchanging a look with Tilda. It was moments like these when his ability to see things was both a blessing and a curse. “What about Joanna’s attack on Tilda?”

“And on you,” Tilda added. “She nicked Hadrian’s throat with her scissors. I saw that with my own eyes.” She sent Teague an expectant look.

“She’ll be charged for both those crimes as well—either assault or mayhem,” Teague said.

“Will she also be charged for trying to blame Beryl for her husband’s murder?” Hadrian asked.

“Perhaps, though there’s still the matter of the poisoning. As you heard earlier, Joanna denies having anything to do with that.” Teague had questioned her about that at the shop.

Tilda fixed her gaze on Teague. “Did you know that Beryl Chambers was ill in January for some time? She’s recovered, however. Her symptoms were the same as what was mentioned at the inquest.”

Teague frowned. “You think she was poisoned?”

“I think it’s possible. But if she was, the poisoner stopped at some point.”

“Perhaps they were mistakenly poisoning her instead of her husband?” Teague mused. “It’s peculiar. I suppose I must turn my attention to the household staff. They had the ability to poison both Mr. and Mrs. Chambers. I just don’t know what their motive would be.”

“I believe none of them cared for Mr. Chambers,” Tilda said. “But I don’t know if they felt strongly enough to kill him.”

Hadrian looked from Tilda to Teague. “Perhaps they were just trying to make him ill for a while, as they’d done with Beryl?”

Teague exhaled. “I don’t suppose you could find a way to provoke the culprit to confess as you did with Mrs. Pollard?” He gave them both a sardonic look.

“We can try,” Tilda said.

“I was joking, but I would greatly accept any help you can offer,” Teague replied with a smile. “You are most helpful, Miss Wren. I think I must consider consulting with you in the future.”

“Do you have support for that from your superiors?” Tilda asked drily.

He chuckled. “Not yet.”

Tilda stood, and Hadrian joined her.

Teague also rose. “You’re conveying Mrs. Chambers to her home?”

“If she’s allowed to leave,” Hadrian said.

“She is,” Teague said. “The poisoning investigation will continue, but I don’t have strong evidence against her for that crime. I’ll have her meet you outside.”

Teague left, and Tilda and Hadrian followed him from the office.