Page 19 of Discovering Dahlia (The Blue Orchid Society #5)

Miles moved aside, allowing Dahlia to step up next to him to better see the magician. Her eyes were darting from person to person in the small space. She looked confused and very concerned.

He touched the small of her back, just to let her know he was there and fully supporting her. She didn’t pull away, which he took as a good sign. Perhaps she had taken his words fully to heart.

“Where is the necklace?” Dahlia repeated herself, looking directly at the magician.

“I don’t know,” the magician said. “It was supposed to be in the cake. But...” He lifted his hand, as if reminding her of the pastry fork it had held moments earlier.

“Tell us what happened, sir,” Inspector Graham said. His words were calm, but his voice was serious, brooking no argument. “Step by step, explain the trick to us, from the moment you took Her Grace’s necklace.”

Lady Sophronia pulled a small notebook from her bag and handed it to her husband, along with a pencil.

He nodded his thanks, opening the book and holding the pencil over the paper, ready to take notes on the interview.

From behind the closed doors of the dining room, the ship’s musicians began to play. Mr. Vandelay, it seemed, was at least keeping a clear head during the crisis, arranging for the entertainment to continue and keeping the passengers distracted.

“I’ve done the illusion hundreds of times,” Hubert the Magnificent said. He truly looked baffled. “The necklace never leaves the assistant’s possession.” He waved his fingers toward his assistant. “The bag that I take to the stage is a duplicate.”

“But we heard the thump when you put it on the table. The bag wasn’t empty,” Dahlia said. “Perhaps you confused the two.”

The magician shook his head. He straightened his arm, shaking his wrist and then digging his fingers into his sleeve. After some wriggling, he pulled out a drawstring bag they all recognized. Dahlia snatched it away from him, loosening the fastenings, and tipped it.

She poured a pile of pebbles into her palm.

“ This is the bag from the stage,” Hubert the Magnificent said.

“You chose the duchess’s necklace because its heft and size would mimic what was already in the bag,” Meredith guessed.

Dahlia tipped the pebbles back into the bag.

The magician nodded. “Exactly. One the exchange is made—a simple switch—the spectators are watching the bag of pebbles as it travels back to the stage, leaving Bertie here free to conceal the real bag—the one with the necklace—inside the cake.”

Five sets of eyes turned to Bertie.

“I did just what I always do,” he said, holding up his hands. His eyes were wide, and Miles wondered whether the man was more frightened of the police detective or the magician.

“Tell us every move you made, Bertie,” Inspector Graham said. He tapped the pencil on the page. “From the moment you took possession of the bag.”

“I walked back through the tables to where I’d left the cake,” Bertie said. “Slowly, like you told me.” He looked at the magician. “So as not to draw attention.”

“And where was the bag as you did this?” Miles asked.

“In my pocket, where Mr. Barbieri left it during the exchange.” Bertie tapped the pocket at his waist. Miles thought it was not the most secure place for a parcel of that value. If anyone knew it was there, it would have been easy enough to slip a hand in, just as the magician apparently had done to put it there.

“Did you stop at all?” Inspector Graham asked. “Speak to anyone?”

“I’m playing the role of a server, ain’t I?” Bernie looked offended. “I stopped when a gentleman asked me to pour a drink.” He looked at the doors to the dining room, as if he were trying to remember what had transpired inside. “I took away some empty plates, brought some clean glasses. Plated some desserts, same as the other servers.”

Dahlia folded her arms, scowling, apparently irritated by the implication that anyone could simply step in and perform the duties of her trained staff.

“Do you remember anyone in particular?” Inspector Graham asked. “Diners, other servers... any who were particularly close to your jacket pocket? Paid you extra attention? Any who may have bumped or jostled you?”

“Long enough to take the pouch and replace the contents?” Lady Sophronia clarified.

“Suppose any diner could have done it when I leaned in to fill a glass,” Bertie said. “A server might have done when we were gathered at the rear of the room, filling and emptying trays.”

“But who would have known the necklace was in your pocket?” Miles asked, frustrated that the questioning was getting them no closer to finding an answer.

Inspector Graham glanced at Miles and nodded, approving his line of thinking. “Did anyone besides the two of you know the method behind this illusion?” he asked.

“Certainly not,” Hubert the Magnificent said, looking appalled at the very idea. “A magician never reveals his secrets. Such a thing would go against our code.”

“I will, of course, need to search your persons,” Inspector Graham said. “And you are to remain under watch until further notice. At the moment, the two of you are the prime suspects.”

The performers both nodded, their expressions worried.

At Inspector Graham’s request, Miles accompanied him and the two men to a cabin on the lower deck. They painstakingly searched through the suspects’ clothing, discovering hidden pockets throughout. There was even a small pouch sewn into the magician’s sock and a false heel on his shoe. But in the end, no necklace was discovered.

They left a steward at the door with strict instructions not to let the two men out of his sight and returned to the saloon.

When Dahlia saw them approach, she raised her brows in question.

Miles shook his head.

Dahlia blew out a heavy breath. “What do you propose?”

“We must narrow down the pool of suspects,” Inspector Graham said. “As of right now, it consists of every person on this ship. Who would have reason to take the necklace?”

“None of the passengers, surely,” Sophronia said. “I can’t believe any is in a financial circumstance that would lead to the necessity of thievery. And that must be the motivation, mustn’t it?”

“I know each member of the crew personally,” Dahlia said. “And the staff. None of them are thieves.”

“I cannot imagine any would take such a risk either,” Miles said. “Not when the penalty would certainly be death—or, at the very least, transportation.”

“And yet the necklace has been stolen,” Inspector Graham said. He fingered the fob on his pocket watch chain. “There is a high probability it is still in the dining room,” he continued. “I will station a steward to guard the door and not allow anyone out until they are searched.”

“Certainly not,” Dahlia snapped. “I will not have my guests treated like criminals. There must be another way.” She started to pace. “People will start to ask questions—likely they already are. The duchess...” She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “We must find the necklace as soon as possible.”

“While it is impractical to keep everyone in the dining room,” Miles said, “it is not impractical to keep them upon the ship. Nobody has reason to disembark tonight. It is my opinion that we should allow the evening to proceed as if nothing is wrong. The necklace will be found eventually.”

Dahlia gave him a grateful look.

“The thief is likely hiding it right this moment,” Inspector Graham said. “Or at least searching for a suitable spot where they can return and collect it when nobody is around.”

“Then, we should look for anyone who appears suspicious,” Sophronia said.

“Easier said than done,” Inspector Graham said with a wry smile.

“We should return to our seats,” Dahlia said, turning toward the dining room. “The necklace is not out here.”

“Agreed,” Inspector Graham said. “We will keep our eyes open for anything unusual, and once the after-dinner entertainment is finished, Lord Meredith and I will search the ballroom.” He glanced at Miles, who nodded in agreement.

“I will have Victor direct stewards to assist you,” Dahlia said.

“Vivian, Hazel, Elizabeth, and I will mingle among the crowd,” Sophronia said. “Watch and listen for anything abnormal.”

“And if the necklace is not found tonight,” the inspector said, “we will need to revise our plan. Increase the search area to the saloon, the other public areas.” He turned to look at Dahlia directly. “And, if needed, the passenger’s cabins.”

Her jaw tightened.

“As a last resort,” Miles said, hoping to reassure her.

The inspector nodded.

“I shall need to hold a conference with Captain Carmichael and Mr. Yeates,” Dahlia said. Her voice was heavy with discouragement. “I do not know if the cruise can continue under these circumstances. Legal action may need to be taken.”

Now that they had decided on a plan, they went about setting it in motion. When the music in the dining room ended, the four of them returned inside.

If they’d thought the other passengers would have forgotten about the missing necklace in the past half an hour, they were sorely mistaken. All around them, gossip abounded.

Miles heard snatches of conversation as he passed between groups of gathered passengers. All referenced the missing necklace and Inspector Graham’s removal of the magician and his assistant.

Across the room, Mr. Vandelay was leading the duchess toward the doors with her companion following behind. Dahlia met them, and the four of them talked in a small group. The duchess appeared upset, but she also appeared to be listening graciously as Dahlia explained the situation.

Miles caught Inspector Graham’s gaze. Seeing the man’s nod, the two of them made their way to the stage and started a systematic search of the magician’s trunk. In another circumstance, Miles would have enjoyed the activity enormously. The contents were intriguing. He studied a pair of rings, discovering a nearly invisible gap where they could be pulled apart. There were scarves, silk flowers, and even a container of what appeared to be explosive powder, but no diamonds. He knocked around the sides and lid of the chest, but he could discern no hidden compartments.

The room eventually emptied, save for the servers who were still cleaning off the tables.

One approached where Miles and Inspector Graham knelt on the stage.

“Inspector?”

Inspector Graham nodded his head in the affirmative.

“Adam Keller, head steward, at your service. Mr. Vandelay has directed myself and the staff to await your instructions.”

Miles left the chest and went to the magician’s table, lifting the tablecloth to have a look beneath it.

“As you know, we are searching for a diamond necklace,” Inspector Graham said to Mr. Keller. “I believe it may still be in the dining room. Look beneath the tables, in the curtain folds, inside teapots, under carpets... search every inch of this place.”

“Yes, sir.”

Miles pulled off the tablecloth, tossing it to the ground, and crouched down, looking under the table. He felt along the table legs, searching for any crack or opening.

“And if you find anything at all, notify me or Lord Meredith immediately,” the inspector said.

He helped Miles tip the table onto its side for a closer inspection of the underside.

“What if one of the staff is the thief?” Miles asked, wiggling a table leg. He motioned with his chin to where the servers were looking beneath tables and chairs. Since the dining room furniture was bolted to the deck, they were unable to turn them over.

“Dahlia doesn’t believe any of her staff capable of the crime, and as for myself, I am inclined to agree with her. I do not believe any but a person who does not expect punishment would take such a risk. As you said before, the penalty for such a crime would surely be the rope.”

Miles was glad Inspector Graham took Dahlia’s opinion seriously, but if the culprit wasn’t the magicians or the staff, and there were no crew in the dining room when the necklace went missing, that left only the passengers. And just like Lady Sophronia, Miles couldn’t imagine any of them were to blame. Each of the guests on board was a personal friend of his in some capacity, and there was not one he could believe capable of thievery.

“You suspect a passenger is responsible?” Miles asked.

The inspector shrugged. “This early in the investigation, I don’t know what to think. But we have no choice but to use the serving staff. The two of us cannot search the whole ship ourselves.” They lifted the table back upright.

Miles looked around the stage, wondering where to search next. “How do you know I’m not the thief?” he asked the inspector.

Inspector Graham considered before he replied. “I fancy myself rather a good judge of character, my lord.” He motioned to the edge of the stage, feeling around beneath the raised lip. “I do not believe you to be reckless, nor do I believe you would do anything that might result in losing Dahlia’s good opinion.”

Miles studied the inspector’s expression, and seeing he was sincere, he nodded at the soundness of his reasoning and crouched down to join him.

Benedict and Chatsworth joined them, and over the next hour, the four men lifted the edges of the carpets, pulled down curtain rods, unpotted plants, and meticulously went through every server’s cart and dining room cupboard. But they found no sign of the diamond necklace.

Once the saloon was empty of passengers, the men and the servers expanded their search into that section of the ship, looking beneath and inside cushions and pillows, beneath sofas, and through the bar.

Lady Sophronia, Lady Covington, and Miss Miller soon joined them.

Just as Inspector Graham and Jonathan were discussing expanding the search into the galley and scullery in case the necklace had somehow been overlooked among the dirty dishes, Mr. Keller approached them, followed closely by Lady Sophronia.

“My lord, Inspector, have a look at this.” He held a napkin by its corners. He set it down on the bar and opened it, revealing a small pile of oysters, their shells cracked open. “We found these hidden throughout the saloon,” he told them.

Miles wrinkled his nose at the fishy smell that rose from the pile. He could only imagine how much worse it would be if the oysters had not been discovered for days.

Oysters? Miles and Inspector Graham looked at one another.

The steward put the corners of the napkin back over the oysters. “I know it’s not the necklace, but you said if anything was found...”

“Thank you, Mr. Keller,” Inspector Graham said. “You did the right thing, bringing this to my attention.”

The steward inclined his head and returned to the search.

“You see, my dear?” Lady Sophronia said to her husband. “It is a scheme after all. A plot.” She motioned to the napkin full of oysters, her eyes fiery. “Oysters don’t simply hide themselves behind books or under sofa cushions. Someone has hatched a cruel conspiracy. The salt and sugar, the greased stair, and now this.”

“It appears so,” Inspector Graham said. “But to what purpose?”

“To discredit the Paragon Line, I believe,” she said.

Miles could well imagine the reports the passengers would bring home to London. A fishy smell in the saloon, serving mishaps, a dangerous staircase, not to mention valuables going missing. Coming from the elite members of Society, word would travel faster than fire in a field of straw, and they would be ruinous to the reputation of the company. And to Dahlia. He felt sick just thinking of it. All of her hard work would be discredited, the reputation of her cruise line ruined.

“We should focus the inquiry on who might have a quarrel against the steamship line,” Lady Sophronia said. She took the notebook from her husband’s coat pocket and opened it. “I will make a list of passenger lines, and—”

Her words cut off when Miss Thornton called her name. The nurse had come into the saloon in a rush.

“What is it, Hazel?”

“Your grandmother, Sophie.” Miss Thornton’s words were breathless. “And yours, Lord Chatsworth. Both have taken ill, as well as Mrs. Griffin.”

“Poor Mimi,” Lady Sophronia said. “I will go to her at once.”

“Do not give her that ginger tea,” Inspector Graham said. “It is terrible.”

“She has already drunk it,” Miss Thornton said, her forehead wrinkling. “As has Lady Chatsworth.”

“Did they drink the tea before or after they took ill?” Miles asked. A terrible realization had taken shape in his thoughts.

“Before,” Miss Thornton said. “I brought it for Mrs. Griffin’s nausea, but she has grown so much worse. And the others...” She looked at Miles and then Inspector Graham. “You don’t think the tea is the cause?”

Inspector Graham frowned, his expression a mixture of intense concentration and anger.

The women looked at him, then at Miles.

“Lord Meredith,” Lady Sophronia’s face had gone pale. She grasped Miss Thornton’s hand, and her words came out in a horrified whisper. “You cannot suspect... poison ?”