A small group of people had gathered in the common room of the servants’ quarters. The butler was accompanied by a swarthy, well-muscled woman with close-cropped, pitch-black hair, two red-haired lads that appeared to be twins and a young woman with ghostly pale skin, icy blue eyes and thin, wispy hair as white as snow. “Is this the entire staff?” Alden asked in surprise. “Surely such a large home would call for a larger staff?” “Dr. Rawleigh never entertained guests, and most of the rooms are locked up and unused.” The butler explained. “As such, only a small portion of the house requires regular cleaning, and there’s never many people to cook for.” “Fair enough, I suppose. So, who all do we have here, then?” “Well, there’s myself, of course. I’m not sure I ever did introduce myself properly. I am Martin Hope, and I suppose you would call me the butler of the household. Although given the lack of a wine cellar, I mainly serve in the capacity of a head of staff. Next we have Samira Bakshi, the cook. She has worked for Dr. Rawleigh the longest of us, having worked as his cook long before he moved to this house. Then there’s the lads, Liam and Kieran Tully. Their main duty is to keep the facade and the roof clean and to help with any tasks that involve heavy lifting, but they also sweep the chimneys, help with the cleaning and perform other odd jobs. Finally, there is Ada Waller, Dr. Rawleigh’s personal maid. She is the one who first discovered the regrettable incident.” “I see…” Alden considered exactly how to go about this. The obvious thing to do would be to simply discuss the events of the fateful day with the group to try to form a cohesive picture of the sequence of events, but he was worried they might end up talking over each other and distorting each other’s recollections. “I will speak with each of you in turn.” He decided. “The rest of you are to wait in here while my interviews are ongoing. I would appreciate if you didn’t discuss the events of that day with each other in the meantime.” The gathered staff nodded their acknowledgement. “Very well. Then I will start with Mr. Hope. If you would show me to a suitable room to hold a private interview?” “Certainly, sir. Right this way.” The butler led him to a side room of unclear purpose. Perhaps some sort of small tea room? It was extensively decorated, but in terms of actual functional furnishings it didn’t contain much more than a table with four chairs around it. Then again, it was situated near the guest rooms, so maybe it was a tea room for guests? Not that it mattered. “So…” Alden began. “Could you please tell me of the day when the unfortunate incident took place?” “Of course, sir. The day began in a mostly normal manner. As usual, I informed Dr. Rawleigh of various minor matters regarding householding and handed him the overnight mail and the morning paper as he broke his fast.” “Was there anything unusual about his behaviour?” “Now that you mention it, he was in rather higher spirits than usual. Dr. Rawleigh was typically a very even-tempered man. Decisive and ambitious, perhaps, but not given to moods either good or bad. But in the last few days before he met his end, he was acting rather more sanguine than usual.” “Now that is noteworthy. I was given to understand that he took daily doses of a tincture that ought to have thoroughly suppressed any overly sanguine tendencies.” “I wouldn’t know about that, sir. He never discussed matters of medication with me. You would have to ask the cook or the maid.” “Very well. Please, continue with your story.” “There isn’t much more to tell. I performed my duties as usual. At the usual time, Ada brought Dr. Rawleigh his lunch, then returned with the tray as she always did after he had finished. That evening, Ada returned to the lab to ask if Dr. Rawleigh would be taking his supper in the lab or in the dining room, but she came back upstairs shortly thereafter and came to find me in my office. There, she informed me that she had found a large pile of ash in the room with no sign of Dr. Rawleigh. She appeared very upset and frightened, and was speaking with some difficulty. Fearing the worst, I called for the constabulary.” “Why call for the constabulary and not a medical professional?” “Well, if Dr. Rawleigh was simply injured I would of course have done so. But since he had apparently vanished, that would logically imply he was either lost somewhere in the lab or he was dead, either of which would be more properly addressed by the constabulary and their sniffing dogs than by a medical professional.” “And at what time did the constabulary arrive?” “Less than an hour later, at around half past eight. I let them into the laboratory using Ada’s keys, and they began their investigation. By the next afternoon, they had ruled it a case of spontaneous combustion and considered the matter closed.” Alden nodded along, though he couldn’t help but frown. The constabulary was certainly more squeamish than he had imagined, if they hadn’t discovered the melted keys among the ashes… “And what of yourself, Mr. Hope? How long have you been working for Dr. Rawleigh?” “He hired me as he was preparing to move into the house, once construction was close to complete. That would have been just over three years ago now.” “I see you’re wearing the pin of the Lily Lane Gentlemen. Have you worked as a butler before?” “Ah, you know of the Gentlemen, then? Yes, up until approximately four years ago I was the butler of the late Sophia Apricot.” “The writer?” “The very same. I was employed at her estate as a stable boy shortly after I finished my schooling and worked my way up the ranks. That was where I performed the six years of service as a butler required to seek admission to the Lily Lane Gentlemen. When Lady Sophia passed without heirs, she had decided to turn the estate into a clinic for the mentally infirm. But she left me glowing references signed and notarized by her solicitor as part of her will and testament, and those references are what saw me employed by the late Dr. Rawleigh.” “I see. You certainly seem to be a man of dependable character. Very well, I believe that concludes my questions for the moment. Would you be so kind as to bring Miss Bakshi here?” Samira Bakshi was an imposing woman to be sure. She appeared to be in her late forties, but her robust, muscled frame and severe features gave her an air of subtle menace. She also wore her hair so short that Alden suspected she might shave it rather than cut it, and simply had not gotten around to doing so for a month or two. Trying to ignore the intensity of the woman’s eyes, Alden sought a good way to open the conversation. “I don’t see any pins, badges or marks.” He remarked. “Are you not a member of any clubs?” Samira scoffed. “I don’t care for that sort of thing. If I have time to spare, I spent it reading. And on the rare occasions I find myself in want of a drink, I prefer to drink alone. I leave the social clubs to people who have any interest in being social.” “I would imagine that such an attitude cannot possibly do your social standing much good, Miss Bakshi.” “Never you mind my ‘social standing’, Mr. Stowe.” “Very well, I will move my questioning to more pertinent topics. How long have you worked for Dr. Rawleigh?” “Almost fifteen years now, I should think. We met when I was working as a laundrywoman up at the university of Glasgow. He came there as a guest lecturer and decided he required a personal cook. Since he was offering almost twice what I was making as a laundrywoman, I decided to apply. And out of all the applicants, I was the only one who could make something vaguely palatable out of the odd ingredients he presented to us as a test, so I was hired. I’ve been his cook ever since, no matter where he was living at the time.” “That is certainly a robust employment record… Very well, now please tell me about the day of the incident.” “I got up early, as always, preparing breakfast for everyone. A fairly rote task, since everyone here is fairly set in their preferences for morning meals. Once breakfast was cleared away, I got started on the odious task of preparing Dr. Rawleigh’s lunch.” “What was so odious about Dr. Rawleigh’s lunch?” “That man firmly believed that fish stimulates the mental processes, and that the more thoroughly the fish is processed and cooked, the greater the effect. As such, he imported large amounts of that canned, pickled herring that the Swedes are so fond of. Every day, I had to make him a stew consisting of large quantities of that pickled fish along with a number of other ingredients that he claimed were good for the brain. I never could stand the smell of it.” “How very eccentric. I can certainly see how that might have been an unpleasant chore.” “It’s only a miracle that he didn’t seem to know the Swedes also ferment fish. If he had started asking me to cook him that kind of garbage I would have quit on the spot.” “Understandable. So, did anything unusual occur while you made the lunch?” “Nothing out of the ordinary, although shortly after I finished one of the lads came down to put a wire mesh over the kitchen window. I swear there’s been a crow or rat or something that’s been coming and going through there.” “Would this have been Liam or Kieran?” “Who can say. If you can tell those boys apart, you’ve got sharper eyes than mine.” “Very well. What happened next?” “Well, Ada took Dr. Rawleigh his lunch as usual, and then we all had ours, blessedly free of Swedish herring. After that, I cleaned up the mess that the lad had made while putting up the mesh, and then I got started on supper. But when Ada went down to ask Dr. Rawleigh if he’d be taking his supper in the dining room or off a tray in the lab, she came back quickly afterwards, looking fearful as anything. Told us Dr. Rawleigh was missing and there was a big pile of ash in the lab. I mostly kept out of the way past that point. Once the constabulary gets involved, it’s none of my business.” “And at what time did the constabulary arrive?” “Sometime past eight, I think? I was busy making sure people remembered to eat despite all the ruckus, so I wasn’t paying close attention.” “I see… Thank you for your time, Miss Bakshi. Please send Liam here to speak to me.” Liam Tully was a sprightly young lad, looking barely into his twenties. His features were sweet and boyish, though his facial expressions leaned more towards the mischievous. He was dressed in rough workman’s clothes that showed signs of having been both scrubbed and patched with great regularity. Alden also noticed he was wearing the badge of the Winsome Lads, though he recalled the other lad hadn’t worn such a badge. “Tell me, Mr. Tully, why isn’t your brother part of the same club as you?” “No big secret there, Mr. Stowe. Poor Kieran ran into a spot of trouble with the constabulary a few year back, and the Winsome Lads don’t allow criminals on their roll.” Alden found himself thinking, a little cynically, that it was more likely they didn’t allow people who got caught, though he kept that thought to himself. “What manner of trouble was this?” “He got caught with loaded dice at a games house. A trifle, really, but since all the games houses are property of the crown, he got done for defrauding the state. They only gave him a year in the mines, but the Winsome Lads weren’t gonna keep a fraudster on their roll no matter how minor the matter.” “But Dr. Rawleigh didn’t hesitate to employ him?” “Dr. Rawleigh didn’t know. He employed me, and I asked if he had a spot open for my brother.” “That strikes me as a little dishonest, Mr. Tully.” “It’s not like I lied to him. He just never asked. If he’d asked if my brother was just back from a year of hard labour in the mines, I would have told him so.” Alden frowned, but decided to carry on with his questioning. “Tell me about the day of the incident.” “Well, it started normal enough. We had our breakfast, then Kieran and I got up on the roof to clean the tiles. We finished up just before lunch, and I went to do some cleaning while Kieran had some work to take care of in the kitchen.” “What sort of work?” “Something to do with the window over the stove, I think? Old Bakshi leaves it open when she cooks the good doctor’s lunch to let the stink out, and she’s been complaining about things rattling around.” “I see. And what of after lunch?” “There wasn’t much for us to do that day. Just some cleaning in the sealed rooms, and we felt that could wait a while longer. So we sat down together in the common room for a few hands of poker.” “You and your brother?” “That’s right. It’s always fun trying to sneak marked or smuggled cards past each other.” “And you kept playing for how long?” “Until Ada came running, all pale and shaky. Said the doctor was gone and there was a pile of ash. Thing got a bit hectic after that.” “And what was your reaction to the events?” “Me? I just tried to be as helpful as I could to the constabulary. Me and Kieran don’t like to get into arguments with the Bobbies.” “You don’t say…” “Here now, don’t look at me like that. I just try to avoid any misunderstandings, that’s all.” “Very well. And when exactly did the constabulary arrive?” “Maybe a quarter past eight? Something like that. It’s not like I carry a watch, mister.” “Fair enough. I think that’s it for now. Please send your brother in, Liam.” Kieran really was the spitting image of his brother. The only difference that Alden could spot was that Kieran had a small, pale scar next to his right eyebrow and his facial expressions were more furtive and less mischievous than his brother’s. “Tell me, Kieran, how long have you been employed by Dr. Rawleigh?” “Just a few years. Liam managed to get hired here, and he recommended me to the doc.” “After your stint in the mines?” Kieran frowned. “Told you that, did he? He never was good at keeping his mouth shut. That’s why he could never hack it as a card sharp.” “And you could?” “Didn’t get caught messing with cards, now did I?” “Frankly, I’m astonished the late Dr. Rawleigh hired you young miscreants in the first place.” Kieran shrugged. “We do the job and we do it well. What we do in our off time is no concern of the doc’s.” “I’m not sure I agree, but I suppose that’s all beside the point. I’m not an officer of the law. I’m just here to figure out what happened to Dr. Rawleigh.” “He burned up. The Bobbies said so.” “Nevertheless, I want you to tell me about the day of the incident.” “We were up cleaning the roof in the morning, so I can’t say much for what was happening inside the house between breakfast and lunch. Things seemed the same as always around lunchtime, though. I was in the kitchen fitting a mesh in the window over the stove. The cook keeps complaining about noises whenever she leaves the room with the window open. Said she thought it was a rat or something. Not that I saw any signs of vermin while I was fitting the mesh, but a job’s a job.” “And after you installed the mesh?” “Me and Liam skived off to play cards. We were still playing when Ada came running. Said the doc was gone and there was ash in the lab. Old Martin decided to call in the Bobbies, so me and Liam tried to be real charming and helpful all evening. The Bobbies are a mean lot, after all. Send you off to the mines as soon as look at you.” “You mean as soon as you defraud a games house?” Kieran rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. “Fine. I suppose we’re done here. Call Ada in, will you?” Ada Waller was a pretty young woman, in a sort of unsettling, otherworldly way. An albino, clearly, but not as sickly and frail as some albinos. Alden suspected she had lived her life well away from the sunlight, since sunlight seemed to be the main cause of medical problems for those with her condition. She seemed a little nervous and high-strung, her eyes darting around more than they focused on Alden. “So tell me, Ada, how did you come to be employed by Dr. Rawleigh?” “He came by to the work placement office while I was in there looking for a position. Said he was looking for someone what don’t know their letters.” That caught Alden rather short. “You’re illiterate? That’s a rare thing, these days. At least in people in possession of their full wits.” “That’s what he said, too. Said that a mental competent what can’t do any reading or writing is a rare treasure in London these days. Hired me on the spot once he was convinced I really can’t read.” “Why is it that you never learned? Even just free schooling should have taught you that much.” “My mam didn’t stand for reading, sir. She said it was akin to stealing from the god of the dead, sir.” “My word! In what way?” “Well, my mam always told me the words and thoughts of the people what died all belongs in the land of the dead, sir. But if you’s reading, you can’t know if the words you’s reading was written by one who’s living or one who’s dead. And reading the words of one who’s dead is tantamount to stealing the words from the god of the dead.” “What a remarkable worldview. I don’t think I’ve ever head of your mother’s particular faith before. But I suppose it takes all kinds to make a world.” “Just as you say, sir.” “So, Dr. Rawleigh wanted a maid that couldn’t read?” “Yes sir. On account of since I can’t read, I can go down into the laboratory while he’s working without being able to read his notes, sir.” “He sure seems to have been rather secretive and protective of his work.” “The work meant the world to him, sir. I don’t know what any of it is about, but I could always see in his face just how important it was to him.” “I see. Please tell me about the day of the incident. Start from the beginning.” “Well, sir, I got up early in the morning as usual, because Dr. Rawleigh is… was an early riser, and he wanted me to fix up his bedchamber and make it ready the moment he left. Then I had breakfast with all the other staff. After that I just did the cleaning like usual until lunch came around.” “And you brought Dr. Rawleigh his lunch.” “Just like always. A bowl of fish stew and a pot of tea on a tray. Same every day.” “And everything was as usual when Dr. Rawleigh took his lunch?” “Well, sir… He was a little excited. Talked about how he was sure he was close to something big. He usually never talked that much about his work.” “Did he make any indication of what that big thing might have been?” “No sir. He never told me anything specific about his work.” “I have heard that he took a tincture of saffron and thornroot every morning. Was he still taking it in the days leading up to the incident?” “I believe so, sir. The bottle and the measuring glass were on his bedside table each morning, just like normal. And the glass had clearly been used.” “Do you know where he purchased his tincture?” “Yes sir, he had a standing order from the Silver Crown apothecary. A bottle arrived every other week.” Alden frowned disapprovingly. “He purchased his tinctures from an apothecary, not directly from a licensed tincturer?” “Yes sir. But the Silver Crown is a very big, fancy apothecary that sells things to rich, important people, sir. I can’t imagine they would water down their tinctures.” “Perhaps not… Getting back to your retelling, what occurred after lunch?” “I took the tray back up like always and had my own meal. Then I went back to cleaning. Didn’t know anything had happened until I went down to ask Dr. Rawleigh where he wanted to take his supper.” “Describe the discovery and the time leading up to it, please. One thing at a time.” “Well, I was walking down the stairs as usual. Always took a while to get through, since I had to unlock every door and then lock them behind me, one after the other. I remember thinking Dr. Rawleigh sure is careless with his keys, since the plates around the locks are all scratched up. I was thinking I should polish them proper, see if the scratches were just in the finish or if it went all the way to the metal.” “And then?” “Well, I got to the laboratory, but I couldn’t see Dr. Rawleigh anywhere. I called out, but he didn’t answer. So I took a look around. First thing I noticed was that the safe was closed up and locked. That was unusual, around that time of the day. Dr. Rawleigh usually didn’t bother to close it while he was working, since he updated the notes he kept in there all the time as he was working.” “But the safe was closed?” “Closed and locked up tight. I was just thinking about how strange it was when I saw the ashes.” “How did you know the ashes were Dr. Rawleigh?” “He never kept much that could burn in the laboratory, sir. A few pieces of wooden furniture and that was it. I couldn’t think of anything else that would make a big pile of ash like that.” “So what did you do?” “I ran back upstairs as fast as I could, sir. I was proper frightened. Told everyone about the ash and everything. I haven’t been so scared since my mam passed, sir.” “Who did you tell first?” “The lads, sir. They were in the common room playing some sort of card game. Quinze, I think. They told me Mr. Hope was in his office, so I ran to get him.” “And then Mr. Hope called for the constabulary?” “That’s right, sir. There’s always runners on the streets around here, waiting for people to send them off with messages. Mr. Hope sent one of them to fetch the lawmen.” “And when did they arrive?” “Oh, I’m not sure, sir. I don’t think it took very long, but I was so shaken up I wasn’t keeping track of the time.” Alden nodded as he considered what he had learned. The stories all seemed to line up pretty well, though he wasn’t sure he was getting much closer to an answer… “Tell me, Ada, would it be fair to say that you are more familiar with the laboratory than most anyone else?” “I suppose so, sir. I was down there more than just about anyone but Dr. Rawleigh and maybe Missis Baines.” “Well then, was there anything unusual about the lab after the incident, besides the safe being closed? Anything missing or out of place?” “I’m not sure, sir. I was running scared the moment I saw the ash, and I haven’t been down there since.” “You haven’t? They didn’t bring you down at any point in the investigation?” “No sir.” “Well then, Ada, I think it’s high time you go back down there for a proper look.” Motioning for Ada to follow, Alden went to fetch the keys from Mr. Hope.