“Victor!” I snapped.

He looked mildly abashed. “I am sorry. I know it is a terrible time. But I cannot deny I am happy to be reunited with you. Even under such circumstances.”

I sighed and closed my eyes again, bringing his hand to my lips and kissing his palm. “There is…something I have not told you.”

“What?”

“In Ingolstadt. I visited some addresses I found in your—” I caught myself. I had pretended I had seen nothing of his laboratory. Hopefully he had been so delirious at the time, he would believe my next lie. “I found on a paper on your table. One of the addresses was a charnel house. The man there—”

“Dear God, you went there?” Victor finally sounded horrified. “Why would you do that?”

“He was awful! And he said you owe him money. He tried to grab me. I stabbed his wrist with my hatpin. Is it possible he followed me here, saw the golden necklace on William, and—”

Victor interrupted. “He was still in Ingolstadt when I left.”

“How can you be sure?”

Victor leaned over me, peeling back my eyelids to examine my eyes. “Your pupils are returning to normal. That is good. I know he was there because he was part of the debts I had to settle. I told you as much before you left. So he was not here, and I do not owe him anything.”

I did not know whether to be relieved that I had not drawn the murderer here, or upset that I could not produce a suspect other than Justine.

Victor put his finger on my chin, tilting my head down so he could check the wound. “Now, tell me what happened in the forest. Why were you out there? What caused your fall?”

I sighed, wishing I were still asleep. “I ran out because I was upset with your father and Ernest for not defending Justine. And I did not want to mention the charnel house man as a suspect until I had spoken with you about him.”

“I am glad you waited. It would only have distracted from the investigation.”

I nodded, then instantly regretted the motion. Sparks danced in my vision, reminding me of the lightning. “I did not mean to stay out there. But I fell asleep, and when I awoke, the storm was in full force. I was running home when I saw someone. Some…thing.”

His hand twitched, and I opened my eyes to see him staring at me with wide-eyed intensity. “What did you see?”

“You will think me mad.”

“I have known madness, Elizabeth. I see none of it in you. Tell me.”