“I’ve not had a chance.” He removed his hat as he slipped into the room. “Thank you, Miss Rook. You, on the contrary, are looking quite well.” I felt my cheeks go warm again, and I found myself lifting a hand to my hair, wishing I had stopped to brush and arrange it before coming back downstairs. “Is Mr. Jackaby in, miss? I’m afraid it’s rather urgent.”

I led the man back down the hallway, and poked my head in the laboratory door. “It’s Charlie Cane, Mr. Jackaby,” I said, putting into my tone that touch of professionalism my tousled hair and stockinged feet might have lacked.

“Who?”

“The police detective from yesterday. He says he has some urgent news.”

Jackaby plodded over to the doorway. “Oh, right—you.” He looked Charlie up and down with a modicum of suspicion.

“So, I take it our friend in the red pajamas is dead?”

Charlie nodded. “Mr. Henderson, sir. Yes, sir.”

“Shame.” Jackaby nodded, thoughtfully, but without surprise. “Same manner of death as the last one?”

Charlie nodded again. “Just the same. Only more blood, this time, sir.”

“That accounts for the stains on your knees, then,” said Jackaby. “I take it you’ve been to examine the corpse?”

The last word seemed to thump into Charlie like a sandbag. I watched as he breathed in deeply, collecting himself. His knees were, indeed, stained a deep merlot, but it was hardly discernible against the dark blues of the uniform fabric. Looking more intently, I noted that the mirror polish of his shoe had been marred by a smudge of red across the pointed toe as well. “I was there,” Charlie said. “I was there all night, and I couldn’t save him.”

“Of course you couldn’t,” Jackaby answered dismissively. I shot my employer a stern glance. The junior detective looked stricken. Jackaby caught my expression and reached out stiffly to pat Charlie on the arm. “No one could have saved him,” he amended. “No escaping it, once he heard the cry. Good of you to try, though. The silver lining to this tragedy, of course, is that we have a new, fresh crime scene. After Miss Rook and I have had a quick breakfast, we’ll come see what clues our villain has left for us, this time.”

Charlie shifted his feet impatiently. “Detective, surely time is of the essence! A man is dead!”

“Lamentably so, and no amount of hurry and bother will revive him. He will still be dead when we reach him, I assure you. Now, a good bit of hot breakfast will only help to improve our faculties and ensure that we don’t miss—”