Oliver’s brows knit together. “That doesn’t make sense. I didn’t call them yet.” Then his eyes flared wide and he put a hand to his mouth. “Thad. Did he—”
Her shoulders went up. “I don’t know. I was in the lodge when Detective Inspector something or other showed up. I distinctly heard him ask for you. Didn’t you get my text?”
“Text?” He shook his head. “I was on the phone.” Then, as if remembering, he glanced over his shoulder. “Crap. I’ve got the master on hold. Be right back.”
The three of us left in the hall stared at each other. “I’m Kieran,” he finally said. “Oliver’s cousin.”
“And I’m Molly,” I put in, not wanting to wait for Kieran to continue. I didn’t want to hear any evidence of our rift in his voice or how he introduced me.
“Sophie Verona,” she said, putting a hand to her chest. “I teach in the department with Oliver. We manage the Gothic Literature Institute as well.” She made a face. “Which is supposed to start tomorrow with Oliver’s lecture about The Fatal Folio at Hazelhurst House.”
“Will it be canceled?” I asked, knowing the topic was inane but wanting to say something rather than go back to staring at each other.
Thad must have died. Why else would a detective inspector show up? They handled major crimes like homicide. My heart skipped a beat. Had they assigned Detective Inspector Sean Ryan? Not only had he and I run into each other on past cases, he was dating my mother. Only occasionally so far, but she was pink-cheeked and happy for days after each of their encounters.
“I sure hope we don’t have to cancel.” Sophie sighed. “That might sound selfish but it’s our signature event. Takes the committee all year to plan. And we have sponsors with expectations…”
“Say no more.” One of the first things I’d done at the bookshop was develop a roster of author signings and book discussions. “Even though events are a ton of work, they’re necessary to stay visible.”
Sophie gave me a closed-lip smile. “Exactly. This year we have the best program ever. The sad part is, Thad was one of our main volunteers. We couldn’t have done it without him.”
That was probably the first nice thing I’d heard someone say about Thad. “How about honoring him at the conference? If you hold it. It would be a nice touch.”
She nodded. “You’re right, Molly, it would. We’ll definitely do that.”
Oliver appeared in the doorway. “The master will be here shortly. Emergency meetings to be convened, at least for our department.”
The phone rang inside the office and he darted back to answer it. A moment later he was back. “I’m meeting the detective inspector in the dining hall.”
“Why there?” Sophie asked.
Instead of answering, Oliver set off down the hall. I followed, wanting both to stay informed and to talk to the police. They’d get back to me eventually as a listed witness so I might as well shorten the process.
After a moment’s hesitation, Kieran came along, as did Sophie. “What’s going on?” she asked us as we clattered down the stairs. We didn’t bother to answer her question either.
We encountered two officers and a porter in the area outside the dining hall. “Ah, there you are, Dr. Scott,” the porter, an older man, said. “If you’re all set, Detective Inspector, I’ll get back to my post.”
“Please do,” Detective Inspector Sean Ryan said. “Thank you for your assistance.” His keen eyes roamed over our faces. “Miss Kimball.” A small, wry smile tugged at his lips. “Fancy meeting you here.” It was always Miss on a job. Molly the rest of the time.
Naturally everyone—except Kieran—stared at me in surprise. Even the porter paused, a bemused expression on his face. I gave Ryan a little wave, including his usual sidekick, the lovely Sergeant Gita Adhikari, in the greeting. “I’m glad to see that you landed the assignment.”
Ryan’s brows rose for an instant, then he nodded. After brief introductions and the display of warrant cards, he said to Oliver, gesturing to the dining hall, “Show me.” As Oliver unlocked the door, he said to us, “Miss Kimball, Mr. Scott, please wait. I’d like to talk to you. Dr. Verona, what is your connection here?”
Sophie bit her lip. “Thad worked for me. He was my office assistant at the Gothic Literature Institute. If there’s any light I can shed, any way I can help…”
“I appreciate that. Give the sergeant your details and we’ll talk. Right now—” He again gestured toward the dining hall.
Ryan and Oliver went into the hall and Adhikari started taking down Sophie’s contact information. I found a bench and sat. Kieran joined me. “What a night,” he said, slumping back and crossing his arms. He gave me a crooked smile. “You didn’t even get to see the bonfire.”
“No, but everything else is burning nicely.” I was sure that Thad’s death would have ripple effects on Oliver, Thad’s family and friends, and St. Aelred. Not that we’d gotten verification that he had died. I found my phone and brought up the local news,
The headline struck me like a blow, making me gasp. “Cambridge Student Dies in Knife Attack.” The story was at the top of the page, above others speculating about the crime, moaning about Bonfire Night violence, and discussing city crime statistics. The identity of the student is being withheld for notification of next of kin.
Kieran’s head swung around. “What is it?”
Unable to speak past the clog in my throat, I showed Kieran the screen. Thad’s poor parents. Tears were pooling in my eyes now, my nose running, and I searched fruitlessly in my pocket for a tissue. That’s right, I’d given them to Tim. To wipe Thad’s blood off his hands.
“Come here.” Kieran put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. No distance between us now. His nose was in my hair and his voice a whisper in my ear. “My parents … they’re close to his family. Everyone is going to be devastated.”
“Did you know Thad well?” I asked, my heart swelling with sorrow.
He shook his head. “Not really. We never hung out. He was quite a bit younger.”
That made sense. Kieran was twenty-nine, a year older than me. Thad had to be what—around twenty-three or -four? Enough of a gap as a child and teen to mean different social circles.
Sophie was leaving now and Sergeant Adhikari went into the dining hall. Somewhere a clock chimed eleven. Being next to Kieran had drained all the tension from my body. I yawned and snuggled closer. “Mind if I take a nap?”
His chest rumbled with a laugh. “Molly,” he began.
I put my hand up, feeling for his lips. “Shh. Not now. I’m sleeping.” Any discussion could wait as far as I was concerned. We still needed to get through interviews with the police so who knew how late we’d finally get to bed. Tomorrow I planned to work at the Hazelhurst House library—thankfully, the start time was flexible—and attend Oliver’s lecture there. If it was still on.
Detective Inspector Ryan interviewed me in the empty dining hall, I’m sure after getting approval from someone. We sat across from each other, Ryan squinting at his tablet in the poor light. Despite the wall sconces and hanging chandeliers, the room was wreathed in gloom.
“Miss Kimball, you placed the call to nine-nine-nine. Can you tell me what preceded your call? Begin with why you were in St. Aelred’s Way.”
I took him through the evening, starting with our dinner at the Magpie and the change in plans requested by Oliver, to meet him at the Master’s Lodge Gate. When I mentioned that Daisy and Tim were with us, he grunted and made a note, probably to circle back with them as well.
“Did you see or hear anything as you came down the lane?” Ryan asked.
“Yes. Footsteps. We were about halfway to the gate when someone came running toward us. Tall, dressed in black.”
He leaned forward. “What did the person look like?”
“I don’t know. They were wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. So was Thad.” For the first time, this really hit me. Both he and the runner were wearing masks. Were they together? Or was it only a coincidence?
Ryan sagged back in disappointment. “Mask. Got it. Any identifying features? Hair? Hands? How about the clothing?”
The jacket. Which was very similar to Oliver’s. I shifted in my seat, knowing that describing it to Ryan was going to open up a can of worms for Kieran’s cousin—and probably affect us. However, if I didn’t mention it and the details were in the original police report, Ryan would want to know why.
Pressure grew in my chest the longer I sat silent, my ears humming in the dense silence of the ancient hall with its thick stone walls. Finally, I let out my breath, knowing I didn’t have a real choice. I didn’t have to say the jacket was exactly like Oliver’s, though. I wasn’t positive, right?
“The jacket had reflective silver trim and logo,” I said, pointing to areas on my person to illustrate. “The brand is a popular one used by cyclists and runners, I understand.”
He nodded, making a note. “What happened next?”
The tightness in my chest was back as I took him through finding Thad on the ground, Kieran recognizing him and trying to help, and Daisy locating the weapon nearby. “As you know, I placed the call for help.”
“Where was Dr. Scott during all this?” he asked.
“He came along right before the police arrived and we’ve been with him ever since.” Grateful someone had provided a bottle of water, I took a drink. I still had a lot to cover. “After the ambulance and police left, we stopped by Thad’s stair to inform the other students who live there about the attack.”
“Do you know their names?”
After listing the three students, I paused, wondering if I should share the rather incriminating remarks Josh and Amy had exchanged.
“What is it, Molly?” he asked, his tone sharp. Then his features smoothed. “Sorry. Miss Kimball.”
I waved his apology off and relayed what we’d heard. “I have no idea if it’s relevant. I thought you should know anyway.”
He gave a quick nod. “What happened next?”
“We came here, to this room, and Oliver realized a dagger was missing. I think he might have recognized it out in the street. Then we went up to his office.” I omitted the drinking whiskey part. “He was on the phone with the master when Sophie Verona came along and told him you wanted to see him.”
Why had Ryan asked specifically for Oliver? I didn’t dare ask. He hadn’t called the police about the knife yet. Had someone implicated Oliver in the attack?
Another missing piece of information—from me—was Oliver’s threat toward Thad, accidently overheard at Hazelhurst House. My tender conscience was telling me I should mention it, as I had Josh and Amy’s conversation. But who hadn’t used hyperbole when angry with someone? Besides, he had been talking to himself, not directly to Thad.
In the end, I kept my mouth shut. It was hearsay, I reassured myself. Any case they built against a killer had to include physical evidence. If Oliver was innocent, there wouldn’t be any.
By the time Ryan let me go, I was wrung out, exhausted, and ready to crawl home and into bed. Kieran and Oliver rose to their feet when I came out into the hall. I managed to muster a half-hearted laugh. “Well, that was fun. He said to send you in, Kieran.”
“Are you going to wait?” Kieran asked.
“Have to, don’t I? I’m not walking home alone.” Vehicles were heavily restricted in the center, so I couldn’t take an Uber all the way anyway.
“I’ll try to make it quick,” he said, ever thoughtful. “You look wiped out.”
“Yeah, I am.” Bottle of water still in hand, I shambled over and slumped onto the bench. “See you soon.”
After the door closed behind him, Oliver asked, “How did it go?” He wasn’t wearing the black jacket with silver trim now. It must be in his office.
“Okay, I guess. I always worry that I might forget an important detail.” When I wasn’t omitting one on purpose.
“They’re searching Thad’s room,” he said. “And the forensics team is out in the alley.”
“Sounds standard,” I said, wondering if they’d turn up anything out there. Probably not with the way we’d all trampled the area. Hopefully they had or would find Thad’s phone. That might give them an idea who he had talked to or met with tonight.
I was dying to ask Oliver questions about the other students—Wesley, Josh, and Amy—but didn’t quite dare. Not here, right outside the interview room. Unless the attack was truly random, which I doubted, one of them might know something. Or even be guilty. Especially since it looked like the murder weapon came from St. Aelred. Someone off the street wouldn’t have had access to the case or even known where to find the weapon.
No, my money was on someone from St. Aelred being the killer. From what I’d learned so far, Thad had been a difficult person. Who had he angered to the point of murder?