Page 81 of Garden of Lies

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ASHORTTIMELATERSlater escorted Brice outside to the waiting carriage. The rain had stopped but the fog was prowling back into the streets of London. Brice climbed into the cab and sat down. When he did not speak, Slater stepped back and started to close the door.

“Thank you,” he said.

Brice put out a hand to stop the door from swinging shut.

“Did you mean it earlier when you said that you do not blame me for what happened on Fever Island?” he asked.

“None of it was your fault,” Slater said.

“Some people believe I deliberately triggered that trap.”

“I never believed it,” Slater said. “Not for a moment.”

“About the Jeweled Bird,” Brice said.

Slater smiled. “I know it was not stolen. It no longer exists, does it? You took it apart, stone by stone, and sold the gems off very quietly.”

Brice’s expression hardened. “The family was bankrupt. I did the only thing I could think of to do in that situation.”

“You did what you had to do for the sake of the family. I understand.”

“Do you?”

“It is what I would have done in the same circumstances,” Slater said.

Brice was quiet for a time.

“I thought it possible that you might not hold me responsible for the disaster on the island,” he said at last. “But I was certain you would never forgive me for destroying what turned out to be the only surviving artifact of an unknown civilization.”

“My perspective on some things changed during that year on Fever Island.”

Brice looked at him. “If I hear anything else about the Olympus Club I will contact you.”

“I appreciate that. But be careful, Brice. This affair has become dangerous.”

“Yes, I saw that for myself tonight. What have you been doing all these years while you were away from London? It was common knowledge that your father cut you off in an attempt to bring you home. How did you make a living?”

“I did what you and I used to do together—I traced lost artifacts. But I did it for the money, not the thrill of discovery.”

“And is there a lot of money in that line?”

“Enough.”

Brice snorted softly. “No wonder you knew the Jeweled Bird no longer existed. You went looking for it and couldn’t find it.”

“It would have been hard for something like that to disappear altogether into the underground market.”

“And now you’re stuck here in London because your father saddled you with the responsibility for the family fortune. Hard to envision you settling down to city life. You were never interested in Society. Do you think you’ll become bored?”

“I worried about that for a time. But no longer. I have a hobby.”

“Hobby?”

“Haven’t you heard? I practice exotic sexual rites on unsuspecting ladies in my basement.”

Brice laughed.