Page 71 of Affair

“The villain we surprised here in this house last night,” she said impatiently.

“What about him?”

“I concluded that he had not managed to steal anything, but I was wrong. I only thought to check those items that I believed would appeal to a thief, the silver and such.” Charlotte drew a breath. “I did not bother to check Drusilla Heskett’s watercolor sketchbook. I stored it in a wardrobe drawer.”

Baxter went cold. “Are you saying it’s gone?”

“Yes. That was no ordinary housebreaker, Baxter. He was after that sketchbook. And he got it.” She leveled an accusing finger at him. “I told you that book contained a valuable clue, St. Ives.”

Baxter adjusted his spectacles absently as he considered the implications. “When you have finished refreshing yourself, come down here at once. Kindly do not dawdle.”

“Damn you, St. Ives. Don’t you dare give me orders in my own house. Furthermore, I do not dawdle. I’m the one who followed Miss Post this morning, if you will but recall. When I attempted to tell you about the incident, you created a … a great distraction right there in your own laboratory. Any dawdling done this day was done by you, sir.”

Baxter closed the study door very gently and went back to the brandy table.

Fifteen minutes later, feeling vastly more composed, Charlotte swept into the study. Ariel and Mrs. Witty followed on her heels. Baxter was seated in the wingback chair in front of the fire. He glanced at the women and put down the half-finished brandy.

“About time,” he murmured as he got to his feet.

Charlotte ignored him. “It is extremely fortunate that I thought to tear out the page that contained Drusilla Heskett’s little drawing.” She went around her desk and opened a drawer. The torn sheet of sketch paper was inside, right where she had put it last night after Baxter had left. “This has got to be the clue. It was the only odd thing in the sketchbook.”

“I thought there were a number of oddities in that sketchbook,” Ariel said cheerfully. “Some of them quite interesting.”

Charlotte scowled at her as she put the ragged page on top of the desk. “That is precisely why I removed this particular sketch.”

Mrs. Witty peered at the pen-and-ink drawing. “Looks like so much nonsense to me. A triangle within a circle, three worms swimming about, and—” She squinted. “What’s that thing in the center? A dragon?”

“Some sort of winged creature, I believe.” Charlotte pursed her lips. “Difficult to be certain. Mrs. Heskett did not possess a great talent for drawing. Except for certain types of anatomical studies, that is.”

Baxter crossed to the desk. “Let me see the picture.”

Charlotte felt a stirring sensation on her skin as he came to a halt and stood gazing down at the sketch. She had his full attention now, she thought. The news of the theft of the sketchbook had caused him to focus his considerable intellect on the situation.

It seemed to her that the quiet power he radiated when he was this intense shimmered around him in an invisible aura. She wondered how Ariel and Mrs.Wittycould fail to notice. And then she saw that both of them had moved slightly, as if to give Baxter more room. But in truth there was ample space at the desk. Neither seemed aware of the subtle change in position.

Charlotte almost smiled. Most people might not be conscious of Baxter’s solid, inner strength, but that did not mean they failed to respond to it in an instinctive fashion.

He picked up the sheet of paper and looked more closely at the drawing. His brows drew together in a dark line above the rims of his spectacles. “There is something familiar about this picture.”

Excitement rushed through Charlotte. “What do you mean? Have you seen such a design somewhere else?”

“Perhaps. A long time ago.” Baxter glanced up from the drawing. His eyes met hers. “I shall have to do some research in my library.”

“You have seen something similar in one of your books?” Ariel asked quickly.

“Possibly.” He eyed the picture again. “I cannot be certain, but if memory serves, it is a very ancient thing.”

“Ancient.” Charlotte shuddered. “Why in heaven’s name would Mrs. Heskett have copied an old design in her sketchbook and why would someone want to steal it?”

“You’re assuming that whoever took the sketchbook did so because of this drawing,” Baxter said.

“The villain must have been after that picture. It was the only one that was different and unusual.”

“Hmm.” Baxter folded the sheet of paper. “It has been my experience as a chemist that the easiest way to go about finding solutions to problems is to begin by eliminating obvious loose ends.”

Mrs. Witty sighed. “Seems to me that all ye’ve got at this point are loose ends, sir.”

“One or two can be snipped off,” he said. “With luck, the situation will become clearer once I have taken care of them.”

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