‘Check his teeth. They will have survived. The man I mentioned, Santo Colangelo is a rival conjurer. He has a small diamond embedded in his left canine.’

Lestrade nodded at the young officer guarding the cauldron. ‘Look at his tooth.’

With a shudder, the fellow leaned into the deadly sphere. A retching noise echoed within it, and he backed out quickly. ‘Ugh. It’s there, sir.’

‘Dario Borelli is responsible for tonight’s drama. I suggest you wire Berlin,’ said Holmes.

Lestrade sighed. To his credit, he knew when he was beaten. ‘All right, Mr Holmes. But you must give me this. I do know when to call you in.’

Holmes smiled, a little too self-satisfied, I thought, in the face of all this tragedy.

‘Please unlock Madame Borelli. She has suffered enough today,’ I admonished. The poor woman was pale with emotion, her eyes closed. She opened them suddenly and handed Lestrade his handcuffs, having freed herself while we had been looking elsewhere.

‘What?’ exclaimed Lestrade.

Holmes shrugged and smiled insouciantly. ‘Child’s play, Mr Lestrade. I warrant your gaol could not have held her. Good evening.’

I turned to Madame. ‘Do you have somewhere to go, Madame, to take comfort?’

She waved me off. ‘I will be fine,’ said she. ‘I have friends here in London.’

CHAPTER 27

Vanished

Once again back at Baker Street, now near midnight, we were surprised to find Mrs Hudson still awake. ‘That young lady, Mr Holmes. She would not stay. Insisted on returning to Cambridge, even at such a late hour. I tried to convince her.’

Holmes shook his head ruefully. ‘What folly! She endangers herself needlessly.’

‘Polly seems like a resourceful young lady,’ I offered.

‘You forget, Watson, the Spinning House. Cambridge at night is not safe for young women like Polly!’

‘Ah, yes, Holmes.’

Holmes had the Bradshaw in his hands. ‘We have missed the last train again! Oh, what a shame. Watson, to bed, quickly! We must be on the earliest train to Cambridge.’

As dawn broke the following morning Holmes and I found ourselves on a train bound for Cambridge with only a few hours’ sleep. We were both attired in our linen summer suits and the day promised no break in the weather. Cambridge, I knew, would be hotter even than London.

To Holmes’s extreme frustration, our train was delayed for nearly two hours due to an accident on the tracks and it was after ten when we arrived at our destination. We headed first to Dillie’s bolt-hole, hoping to find both girls there. No one answered the door. Once again, Holmes used his kit to open the lock and was dismayed to find the room had been emptied. There was nothing left of Dillie Wyndham’s that I could see.

But who had done this?