Page 6 of Garden of Lies

“I would remind you of your promise to keep my secret,” she said. “Now, if you don’t mind, I really must be going. I will send word as soon as I have resolved the situation regarding Anne’s death. Perhaps you will consider hiring me again to assist you.”

“Stop right there, Mrs. Kern. Do not take another step until I have worked my way through this... this tangled knot of chaos that you have just tossed at my feet.”

She paused, one hand on the doorknob, and turned around to confront him. “Tangled knot of chaos?A foreign expression, perhaps?”

“I’m sure you know full well what I meant.”

“There is nothing to be worked through. The only reason I confided my intentions to you was that I hoped that you might be able to offer some advice or assistance. Yours is an eminently rational, logical mind, sir. But I see now that it was foolish of me to expect any understanding of my plan, let alone some assistance.”

“Primarily because what you intend is not a rational, logical plan,” he shot back. “It bears no resemblance to a coherent strategy.”

“Nonsense, I have given the problem a great deal of thought.”

“I don’t think so. If you had, you would realize that what you are proposing is a reckless, possibly dangerous, and, no doubt, utterly futile, endeavor.”

She had known that he might not be enthusiastic about her decision to investigate Anne’s murder but she had expected him to understand why she had to take action. So much for thinking that she and Slater had formed a connection based on mutual respect.

Now, why did that realization depress her spirits? He was a client, not a potential lover.

She managed a chilly smile. “Please don’t hold back, sir. Feel free to express your true opinions of my plan. But you will have to do so to yourself. I don’t intend to be your audience.”

She started to open the door but he was suddenly there, closing it very firmly.

“A moment, if you please, Mrs. Kern. I am not finished with this conversation.”

THREE

Victory.Perhaps.

Relief spiked with a flicker of hope shot through Ursula. She raised her brows at the cold steel in Slater’s words.

“You have made it clear that you do not approve of what I intend to do,” she said. “What more is there to discuss?”

He eyed her for a long, steady moment and then he seemed to remember that he was holding his spectacles in one hand. Very deliberately he put them on—and she was suddenly quite certain that he did not need them. He wore them for the same reason she wore a widow’s veil, as a shield against the prying gaze of Society.

“What makes you so sure that your secretary was murdered?” he finally asked.

At least he was asking questions now, she thought. That was progress.

“There are a number of reasons,” she said.

“I’m listening.”

“I’m quite certain that Anne did not take her own life. There was no evidence of cyanide or any other poison in the vicinity.”

“Poisons can be subtle in their outward effects.”

“Yes, I know, but even so, Anne was not the least bit depressed. She had recently moved into a nice little house that she was looking forward to purchasing. She had bought new furniture and a new gown. She seemed very happy in her work with a client of long standing and she was making an excellent salary. In addition, Anne hinted that she was occasionally receiving handsome gratuities from her client. In short, Anne was not suffering from any financial problems.”

Slater regarded her with a thoughtful expression and then he walked back across the room. Once again he leaned against his desk and folded his arms. His eyes burned a little behind the lenses of his spectacles.

“I have been told that those who lose friends and loved ones to suicide often say they never saw any advance indications of the victim’s intentions,” he said.

Ursula turned to face him. “That may be true. All I can tell you is that in recent weeks Anne was in excellent spirits. She was so cheerful, in fact, that I had begun to wonder if she was involved in a romantic relationship.”

“That could be your explanation,” Slater said. “A star-crossed love affair.”

“I admit I had begun to wonder if, perhaps, Anne had made the mistake of becoming intimately involved with a man who was connected to her client’s household. I have rules against that sort of thing, of course, and I do my best to protect my secretaries. Forming a romantic liaison with a client or someone connected to the client is always an extremely reckless thing to do. It never ends well.”

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