“Unfortunate.”
Saffron tapped her finger on the stack of letters. “They weren’t unfriendly at all to each other at the party. Eris fawned all over him, and then Henry followed Eris like a dog to a bone. She didn’t sound angry when she spoke of him. Perhaps it’s an old letter, and they took up again.” Alexander nodded absently. Saffron huffed and set the letter down with the others. “But it could also be an elaborate scheme to exact her revenge on him. So much for eliminating suspects.”
“Did Inspector Green make you an honorary officer, then?” Alexander said, rising from his seat.
“Of course not,” Saffron said, following him to the teashop’s door. They stepped onto bustling Gower Street, and Saffron added, “I thought, since I had some luck rooting out some of the problem, why not try to solve the rest of it?”
His brow furrowed. “And you’re not at all concerned that you are investigating a murder attempt? Your interest is bound to get attention, if it hasn’t already.”
Saffron waved a hand, dismissing his concerns. “Snyder was falling over himself to give me access to Dr. Henry’s office. Eris Ermine couldn’t even remember we’d met before. Apparently no one suspects that I would be up to something.”
* * *
Just as Alexander was packing up his things for the evening, Saffron appeared at his door. Fighting a smile, he said, “Yes, Inspector Everleigh?”
“Going home?” Saffron asked, looking at his bag as he placed a notebook inside.
“I was planning on it,” Alexander said. “You see, those of us that actually do work during the day get to leave at a reasonable hour.”
“Reasonable? It’s nearly seven.” She nodded to the darkened window behind his desk. “Do you always work this late?”
Alexander nodded. “I do, unless I’ve got somewhere to be.”
“Do you often,” Saffron began, a little smile playing on her lips, “have places to be in the evenings?”
Alexander leaned back on his desk as he crossed his arms, enjoying her coy question. “Yes, rather often.”
“Going to dinner … dancing?” She gave him a sidelong glance, taking a few steps and leaning a hip against the couch.
“Occasionally.” The look in her eye was intriguing.
“Really? Not recently, though,” Saffron said. “Not since the party, I believe. You’ve been here, at least when I have been, in the evenings.”
Her line of questioning made him suddenly wonder the same things about her. Why was Saffron here so late? Surely she had better things to do than hole up in an office and stare at dusty old books. Or at least, that’s the way his mother put it when she asked him about his social life. He got the feeling that Saffron rather liked dusty old books, in addition to poking around in police investigations. “Taking an interest in my evening schedule, are we? Am I also a suspect?” Alexander smirked.
“Yes, of course,” Saffron said lightly. “I was quite convinced that you were the would-be murderer, of course. But then you had an excellent opportunity with the xolotl, and you didn’t try to finish me off.”
He chuckled. “I suppose I could have let you die on the floor of the office. That definitely would have cleared my name.”
With a soft laugh, she meandered toward him. “Alexander, do you think you might be willing to help me with something?”
“I thought I had already been helpful.”
She took another step toward him. He was still much taller than her, even when he was leaning on the desk. “You have been, of course. I just was hoping, you know, since I don’t really have anyone else at the university now that Maxwell is gone for the time being …”
“Yes?” What was she asking him to do?
She closed the distance between them. With her came a hint of old books and a feminine freshness like flowers. Her eyes were shining gray in the yellow light of the lamps, and her hand was warm where she’d placed it on his bare arm, his sleeves still rolled to his elbows. Her soft words practically brushed against his cheek, she stood so close. “And it’s been so difficult, trying to solve this mystery. You’re so clever, and so I was wondering if you could maybe help me get into Dr. Berking’s office.”
Alexander’s mind was on all the other possible favors he might do for her, favors he could do right now, with the door closed and the hall beyond quiet, so it took him a moment to realize what she had asked him to help with. “You want me to do what?”