Guy whispered, “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” And though it was the truth, she choked on the word. “Are you?”

“I’m fine.”

Catherine supposed they hadn’t much time, but Guy said nothing of it. The two of them stood, embracing each other in the dimly lit hall, quiet, everything around them still.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

TIME RECOMMENCED JUST before they reached the police station. Guy leaned against the building, his eyes drifting shut, the shadows beneath them noticeable. They blinked open when Catherine took his hand.

“Come,” she said. “We can’t stand out here in the cold.”

Inside, there was a lobby wallpapered in dark green. A line of chairs was set against the wall, thin-cushioned and hard-backed, but Guy dropped into one without complaint, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, closing his eyes again.

Catherine said softly, “I’ll speak with the police, Guy. You wait here, all right?”

When he made no reply, she realized he’d fallen asleep.

The secretary at the desk directed her to a detective sergeant, who sent out a few constables to collect Spencer at the print shop. He then led her down a dimly lit hallway, into his office, where she sat in an armchair across from his desk.

She told him the whole of the situation. She spoke haltingly, her voice sounding too high to her ears, but the sergeant remained patient as she explained. The task Mr. Ainsworth had given her, the suddenness of his death, followed by Henry Nolan’s, and her suspicion of Spencer Carlyle. She continued on, telling him how she and Guy had found the timepiece in Spencer’s room, along with the vial of arsenic. She set the vial on his desk. It rolled a little, the substance inside shifting.

The sergeant clasped his hands atop his desk. His side-whiskers were trimmed neatly, his face pale and haggard in the lamplight. His dark eyes watched the vial of arsenic tip back and forth until it settled. “Miss Daly,” he said, “you should’ve come to us with this sooner, rather than put yourselves in harm’s way. We were aware of the arsenic poisoning in Mr. Ainsworth’s case, as with Mr. Nolan’s.”

“Yes, sir.” Truly, she wasn’t sure what else to say. Any argument she made would do her no favors.

The sergeant let out a sigh, rubbing at the lines across his forehead. “All right, Miss Daly. Thank you. I suggest you attend to Mr. Nolan now.”

Catherine nodded and hurried out of the room, returning to the lobby. Guy was awake, sitting up, and he smiled when he caught sight of her.

“I still have the timepiece,” she told him. “The sergeant didn’t ask for it.”

She passed it to him. He handled it with the utmost care, tucking it away in his coat.

She continued. “I gave him the vial of arsenic. He’s sent some constables to fetch Mr. Carlyle.”

Guy got to his feet, dusting himself off. “If they don’t need anything else, let’s be on our way. I’d rather not be here when they bring Mr. Carlyle in.” He made for the door, and out on the street, he held his arm out for her. “You were incredibly brave back there, Catherine.”