Snyder, eye on the hand which she had put to her throat, leapt to attention. “Most certainly. I won’t be a moment.”
He left the room. Saffron dashed back to the desk and knelt down again to the open drawers, quickly scanning the contents. Ideally she would find something about the equipment orders or missives from a murderous mistress. The first drawer contained a great deal of scrawled notes on a series of notepads. Nothing she read sounded promising. The second drawer had office supplies, but squashed in the back were some opened letters. She grabbed them, and slid the drawer closed just as Snyder returned to the room with a glass of water. Saffron smiled at him and shoved the envelopes into her bag when he gestured again to the map. He insisted she stand next to him to see the movement of the expedition team, so she stayed by his side, agreeing with him as she sipped her water, and feigned interest in another ten-minute-long tale. Just as he was about to launch into another story, she asked him the time.
“Nearly eleven o’clock? Oh dear! I was supposed to attend a meeting.” Saffron added in an undertone, “You know, to discuss what to do about Dr. Maxwell. He’s still under arrest. I can’t imagine what Dr. Berking will say,”
Snyder, with an expression of lofty disdain, said, “I’m surprised they haven’t given old Maxwell the sack yet. If anyone in our department was under such suspicion, Dr. Henry would have them tossed out immediately.”
“Really?” Saffron was tempted to tell Snyder that Dr. Henry was one of the suspects, but didn’t want to disrupt their rapport.
“Absolutely. We can’t have people sullying the name of the university like that,” he said importantly. His small eyes narrowed at Saffron. “Isn’t Dr. Maxwell your professor? You’re his assistant, aren’t you?”
“Oh yes,” Saffron said with an eager nod, “but I wouldn’t go against the police. If they say he’s guilty, I believe them. It is just such a baffling circumstance that someone would try to poison Mrs. Henry. Do you know her well?”
Snyder frowned. “I can’t say I do. Mrs. Henry doesn’t often visit the university. Although she did stop in last week.”
Saffron tamped down on her flare of excitement at that significant piece of information. Keeping her voice casual, she asked. “Did she really? She spoke to Dr. Henry here, in his office?”
“I suppose. I saw her walking into the Wilkins Building when I went to drop off paperwork for Dr. Henry. He’s forming his own department, you know.” Snyder drew himself up. “Forming his own degree program and everything. This expedition will go a long way toward proving he’s prepared for the responsibility.”
Brows arching, Saffron said, “It’s a pity he won’t able to lead it after all.” When Snyder frowned in confusion, she added, “Since Dr. Henry will have to stay behind with his wife.”
Snyder shook his head, his oversized teeth on display in a patronizing smile. “Oh no, Miss Everleigh. Dr. Henry is still leading the team, of course. Who else could do it? It was all his plan to begin with. As I said, it’s the way to convince the College Committee to form a new department. Anthropology, you know. It will be one of the first in Britain.”
Saffron nodded slowly, assimilating all this new information. Dr. Maxwell had mentioned Dr. Henry wanting to form a new department, but she was unclear how it related to this expedition. Circling back around to Mrs. Henry, she asked, “You mentioned Mrs. Henry was on campus not long ago. Did you happen to see Dr. Henry with her?”
“No, he wasn’t. But I wasn’t going to ask the man about her either. Dr. Henry rages quite enough without mentioning his wife.” Snyder let out a laugh that was immediately choked by a look of panic. “Oh no, I don’t mean—that is to say, Dr. Henry would never—”
“Oh, of course not.” Saffron extended a hand to him with a flirtatious smile. “I’m afraid I really must dash. Thank you so very much, Mr. Snyder.”
Mr. Snyder’s ears went pink, and he asked her to come back some time to hear about the ancient vase he had dug up. She would probably have to when she returned the letters.
Saffron nearly broke into a fit of giggles as she strode away from the history building. Was it truly that easy to flirt her way into obtaining information? Passing by the steps of Wilkins Building, she gave up holding back her amusement and actually did laugh aloud.
“Laughing at us studious scholars?” a voice said from behind her, making her jump.