If Dr. Henry was amassing a considerable number of supplies, or made it seem like he was, there was only one explanation that made sense to her. “Embezzlement!”
Alexander gave her a searching look before tucking the papers back into his pocket. “It must be. Either he’s found a way to get the money for the supplies directly, or he’s planning to sell them off. Was the poisoning an attempt to cover it up? Perhaps Blake realized too late and was going to get in trouble for not spotting the embezzlement, so he tried to get rid of Henry as revenge?”
“Perhaps.” Saffron tapped her chin, looking hard at Alexander. “It can’t be as simple as handing in a couple of extra forms, can it? That’s far too easy.”
“I’ve no idea what other financial arrangements Henry or Blake make for the journey. But it could be extensive. Excessive equipment purchases may be only part of it.”
Saffron nodded. She had no idea what the financial side of the expedition would be like. But she was sure that few people were involved deeply enough to catch it, and that made for a perfect opportunity to scheme. “If Dr. Henry found out that Mr. Blake knew about the embezzlement, and his wife was having an affair with him, that is a perfect motive. And Henry argued with Dr. Maxwell, who studies poisonous plants. Henry framed Maxwell!”
“Henry tried to poison Blake, but got his wife instead?” Alexander raised his eyebrows.
Satisfaction suffused through her, and her face broke into a wide smile. “I think we’ve got it, Alexander.”
* * *
Alexander was not so easily convinced. No matter how many times Saffron said she felt confident that they had solved it, he was unmoved. “It doesn’t explain the champagne. Dr. Henry poured the champagne into Mrs. Henry’s glass, not Blake’s. Furthermore, we don’t actually know how Mrs. Henry was poisoned. It might not have been the champagne. We also haven’t fit together how—or if—Berking is involved.”
Annoyed her theories were once again proven to have holes, Saffron tugged a book from her bag and set it on a nearby rolling cart. She flipped to the relevant page, a colored illustration of inky purple blooms hanging from a green stalk.
She gestured to the flowers. “Aconitum, the genus collectively and commonly known as wolfsbane. Aconite contains the toxin aconitine, which is annotated”—she unfolded the paper on which she’d copied the formula from Dr. Berking’s office and tapped on part of it—“like this.”
His dark eyes jumped up to hers, making her stomach flutter a little with his intense focus. “And this is in the formula you showed me?”
She nodded, biting her lip as she came to the bad news. “Unfortunately, aconite is very well known. It’s been used as a poison for thousands of years, and poisonings from it are still common enough as aconite is still considered a pretty addition to gardens. A doctor would likely be able to identify the symptoms and could probably find it in her blood or stomach.”
Alexander closed the book. “But that wasn’t the only thing in the formula.” He took the paper from her hands and frowned down at it. “I was never any good at chemistry.”
“Nor I,” Saffron said with a sigh. “It’s the only class I ever failed. Worse than Greek.”
Alexander let out a sudden laugh, and Saffron looked at him curiously, but he shook his head with a small smile. “I can’t make any of this out.”
“This is a preservative,” Saffron pointed out. “But that’s all I could discover this afternoon. It’s possible that the other components could alter the effects of aconitine, and so the doctors or police wouldn’t know to look for it, if this is what Mrs. Henry was given. So, what does it all mean?”
When Alexander didn’t respond, Saffron poked his shoulder. “It means Dr. Berking had something to do with the poisoning, of course!”
Alexander checked his wristwatch and glanced at the fogged door. “Saffron …” he began.
“Alexander …” she said, mimicking his tone.
“Look, I know how important this is to you—”
She felt him trying to temper her enthusiasm, and fought not to become frustrated. She couldn’t have him backing out now, not just when things were getting more serious. “And you. Don’t forget, if Henry and Berking are let off the hook for the poisoning, you’ll be traveling with a treacherous murderer—maybe two. They know that we’ve been spending a lot of time together, and they know that I’m loyal to Maxwell. That might put you in danger too.”