The Dark Between Part 23

He continued to stare.

Kate swallowed nervously. "But everything's gone wrong, and I've come to beg you to leave Cambridge." She paused, then added softly, "And to please take me with you."

He held her gaze, still silent.

"Think about it. We could start a new scheme together, working for another medium. Or, or ..." She paused, her mind racing. "Or I could work up an act as a medium. After all those years with Martineau, I know exactly what to do."

He frowned. Then he stepped toward her and knelt to pick up the roll of papers.

"Billy stole those during a detecting job for Martineau," Kate said. "He hid them here and tried to blackmail the man, but ended up getting himself killed. You were right-it's too dangerous to stay here any longer. Come to London with me. We can leave first thing in the morning."

Tec crumpled the papers in his hand, and in one swift movement opened the door to the stove and shoved them inside. The sudden violence of the gesture left her speechless. Smoke billowed, giving way to flames as he shut the door again. He straightened, staring down at her with the same blank expression as before.

Kate cleared her throat. "We might have used those papers, but I suppose it's safer to destroy them if we're off to London." She stood and smoothed her skirt. "You will come with me, won't you?"

His head tilted oddly. He raised a hand, and she leaned in slightly, thinking he might touch her cheek. Instead he shoved her hard. She fell backward onto the rough wooden floor, the impact so jarring that she bit her lip. She stared up at him, the taste of blood bitter in her mouth.

"Tec, what in G.o.d's name-"

He stepped toward her, the emptiness in his eyes more menacing than rage. She scrambled backward, then flipped over and pushed herself to her feet. She'd barely cleared the doorway when he slammed the door shut. She heard the bolt slide into place, locking her out.

Kate staggered down the street, her mind reeling. Tec was a gentle boy. He cared about her. He could never hurt her.

And yet he had. A sudden, vicious blow from Tec? How could such a transformation be possible? His eyes were vacant as death, but his hands were cruel. Once more the tears welled as she patted her bitten lip. Her sleeve came away marked with blood.

When she finally made it through the back gate at Summerfield she saw the bicycle standing close to its usual place outside the Gatehouse. Who could have taken it out this late at night? Not Mrs. Thompson-surely that was impossible. Kate approached it slowly, considering. And then she knew.

Elsie.

The girl had asked about her nighttime ventures, but Kate hadn't thought she'd actually make use of the information. Where could she possibly have gone?

Kate unlaced her boots and carried them as she padded up the staircase, pausing on the first floor to listen for any disturbance. All seemed clear.

On the second floor she made straight for Elsie's room and knocked lightly on the door.

No answer.

She tried the handle and found it unlocked. Opening the door a few inches, she peered inside ... into darkness.

"Elsie?"

A sludgy sniffle was the only response.

"Elsie, I have to tell you something-are you awake?"

"Don't turn on the light," a small voice said.

Kate rolled her eyes in the darkness. "Fine. We'll talk in the morning."

"Wait!" The sniffle came again. "Don't leave."

The back of Kate's neck p.r.i.c.kled. She set her boots down and felt around for the study lamp that usually rested on the desk. "Sit tight while I light this." Once she got the flame going, she replaced the shade. The soft glow illuminated the room, revealing Elsie curled up on her bed. Her face was wet, her eyes and nose dripping.

Kate stood awkwardly, staring at the girl. "What's wrong?"

Elsie glanced at the bedside table. An open bottle of Chlorodyne sat there. Kate stepped forward and reached for it. She didn't have to shake the bottle to know it was empty. This was familiar ... all too familiar.

"Elsie, what have you done?"

"I think ..." The girl licked her lips and swallowed before continuing. "I might have done something very foolish."

Chapter 29.

Asher's head spun from too much wine and restless thoughts. He'd managed an hour of slumber, but it had been cruelly punctuated by dreams of limbs covered in electrodes, jerking and flailing ... then smoldering, blistering. He could almost smell the singed flesh in the air when he woke. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to push the images away. The room was stifling, and the smell of his own sweat was overpowering.

He'd wished to depart from Dr. Marshall's company directly after that alarming visit to the hospital, but the man had invited him to dine with the other Trinity Fellows. It would have been rude-and possibly even suspicious-to refuse. Throughout the seemingly endless meal at High Table he'd avoided Marshall's gaze. He'd sat there, stiff and grim in his boiled s.h.i.+rt and tie, nearly choking on his words whenever Marshall's colleagues tried to engage him in conversation. All the while he'd been preoccupied with wondering. Could Billy have been a part of Marshall's research?

Billy had been tortured, and somehow electricity was involved. At least one other person had died before him-an old vagrant, wasn't it? Had anyone observed the same burn marks on the vagrant's body that he and Kate had seen on Billy's? Dr. Spring had said you could apply electricity to the heart, that it had, in fact, been applied to dogs. But what was the purpose?

He shook his head. He couldn't pull it all together into a theory that made sense and encompa.s.sed all the data. Dr. Marshall's research centered on the untapped potential of the human brain, while his daily work at the hospital focused on electrotherapy. How did the two fit together?

In his detective work, Billy had found information that he used to blackmail his killer. Perhaps someone had tortured him in order to find out what he knew. Or had torture never been the goal? Asher shuddered. Perhaps the electric shock had been merely the most expedient way to silence him. What secrets had the boy been hiding?

Kate might know.

If she didn't ... Elsie could ask Billy.

Kate raced down the stairs as quietly as she could, all the way to the small bas.e.m.e.nt kitchen.

She's still conscious, still awake. There's a chance.

I couldn't save Mum, but I can save her.

In the dim light of the oil lamp, she fumbled through cabinets until she found the medicine store. After scrutinizing a seemingly endless array of remedies-cod liver oil, dyspepsia powders, paregorics-she finally found what she wanted. Kate plucked the bottle from the shelf and ran back up the stairs, sliding in her stocking feet on each landing.

She'd been gone the lesser part of ten minutes, but already Elsie looked worse. Her head now slumped against the wall, and her color was unnatural. Kate set the bottle on the bedside table, then hefted the porcelain basin from the washstand and placed it on the floor. She sat on the bed and pulled Elsie near. The girl was taller and better fed than she was, not to mention heavy with sleep, and Kate struggled to pull her into a half embrace.

"Wake up, Elsie."

When she slapped her cheek, the girl's eyelids fluttered slightly. With her free hand Kate fetched the bottle from the table, pulling the cork with her teeth. Then she tilted Elsie's head back and forced her mouth open with the bottle.

"Swallow this a little at a time. It's nasty, but drink it like a good girl and you'll feel better."

At least a third of the liquid streamed down either side of Elsie's mouth, but Kate thought she'd swallowed enough. She held her breath ... and nearly wept with relief when Elsie finally gagged and heaved into the porcelain basin.

Once Elsie's spasms had eased, Kate bunched the pillow and coverlets together, creating a large bolster at the head of the bed. Lifting the girl's light cloak from the floor, she draped it over her legs.

"Good Lord, that was terrible," Elsie gasped. "What was that stuff? I've never tasted anything so foul."

"It was ipecac, and it may have saved your life. Thank G.o.d your aunt keeps her medicine cabinet well stocked, or I'd have been sticking one of your hat feathers down your throat."

Elsie groaned. "And ruined a d.a.m.ned expensive hat." She squirmed against the makes.h.i.+ft bolster.

Kate's fingers itched to shake the girl's shoulders. "What were you doing? Were you trying to kill yourself?"

"I just wanted to sleep. I didn't want to worry about my mistakes anymore. But after two doses my mind was still racing. I wasn't thinking properly." Elsie yawned. "But I think I can sleep now."

"Not likely," Kate snapped. She pulled a chair near and sank into it. "I should fetch your aunt. She'd be horrified to know what you nearly did to yourself tonight, and she would have my hide if she knew I'd kept it secret."

Elsie's eyes widened. "Please don't tell her. I'll be sent away to some horrid sanitarium, perhaps never to come out again. It was just a mistake, Kate! I didn't want to die. I know that now, don't you see?"

"Well, then, I'm going to keep you awake until dawn at least. There's no way to be certain all that filthy drug is out of your system."

Elsie swallowed another yawn. "What if I fall asleep anyway?"

"You won't. I'm going to keep you talking." Kate quietly scooted the chair closer. "You can start by telling me where you went tonight."

Elsie's mouth dropped open. "How did-"

"You took the bicycle."

"Oh."

Kate waited a moment. "Where did you go?"

Elsie opened her mouth to speak, but a strangled sound was all that came out. Finally her face crumpled. "Stonehill. I had to see Simon Wakeham."

"Oh, Elsie. Why would you do that?"

"Because I wanted to make an idiot of myself, apparently."

Kate gentled her tone. "You're in love with him?"

"Yes. And I ... well, I needed to tell him before he left Cambridge, but it all went horribly wrong."

"How? Surely he didn't hurt you?"

"No, much worse than that. He told me he loves someone else-someone who happens to be dead."

"That's why you swallowed too much Chlorodyne?"

"I don't expect you to understand." Elsie turned away and closed her eyes.

Kate looked up at the ceiling and sighed. How to keep the girl talking now? If the conversation weren't steered away from Simon Wakeham, Elsie would be reaching soon for the spare Chlorodyne bottle. Kate looked around the room, desperate for inspiration, until her eyes settled upon Elsie's camera. Perfect. A neutral topic, and one that Elsie understood better than anyone she knew. "I want you to tell me everything you know about photography. Starting with all the important parts of the camera. Explain it to me like I'm a child who's never seen or heard of one of these contraptions before."

A faint smile played at Elsie's pale lips.

"Thanks, Kate."

"Just tell me about your camera, Elsie. Start with the lens. I've never understood how it works."

Chapter 30.

Asher woke late, having stayed up half the night wondering at the horrors Marshall might have committed. His head and stomach ached, and his mouth tasted sour. He rose from bed and bathed his face at the washstand, then dressed quickly and packed his things.

Marshall's sitting room was quiet, his bedroom door still shut. Asher scribbled a quick note of thanks, making vague mention of a morning appointment, and crept quietly toward the door. It was only once he was past the porter's gate that he could breathe normally.

The Summerfield Gatehouse was a pleasant prospect in the late-morning light-a most welcome sight. When Millie opened the door, her face broke into a broad grin.

"Mr. Beale!"

"Where is Miss Atherton, Millie?"

The grin faltered. "Why, she's in the garden with Miss Poole, sir. Shall I take your bag?"

He wanted nothing more than to go directly to them, but his clothes were sadly rumpled and still reeking from the cloud of cigar smoke in the Senior Common Room. "I fear I must make myself more presentable," he said.

Millie nodded knowingly, and he flashed her a grateful smile before bounding up the stairs to quickly bathe and dress in clean clothes. Before leaving his room, he retrieved the notebook containing their notes from under his mattress.

When he finally saw Elsie and Kate sitting comfortably in the gra.s.s near one of the younger trees, the tightness in his chest eased a bit. He took a deep breath, removing his hat as he approached them.

Kate was the first to notice him. "Asher!"

A smile widened her thin face. Asher wasn't sure if her cheeks were flushed from the sun or at the sight of him. Next to her Elsie was pale, her eyes shadowed.

"We've missed you, Asher," said Elsie.

"I've not been gone that long." His heart swelled at the greeting, but there was something odd about her manner. She looked beaten down, listless. When she averted her eyes from his, he turned a questioning eyebrow to Kate, but she merely shook her head and frowned.

"May I sit?" he asked.

"Of course." Kate s.h.i.+fted closer to Elsie and patted the blanket. After stifling a yawn, she smiled at him. "How was Trinity?"