And there it was, the cold accusation in those gray eyes. Ian had been waiting for it but still his claws itched to break free. "Yes, you would know all about being at crime scenes at the wrong time. Or mistaken ident.i.ties."
Archer flinched. As he should, the blighter. Archer himself had been suspected of murder based on mistaken ident.i.ty. "Fine then, do you know who did it?"
Ian"s annoyed whisper was but a breath. "If I did, I wouldn"t be here, now would I?"
A small twitch moved the corner of Archer"s mouth. "Fair enough." He moved away to join Poole by the examining table.
Poole put on his spectacles and leaned over what had once been Mr. Mark Ashford. "You can see what"s been done to the poor b.a.s.t.a.r.d," he said, oblivious to Ian"s disquiet. And why shouldn"t he be? He"d given Ian several lessons in anatomy, Archer as well. Trained them both to conduct their own dissections at a time when performing one could get them all tossed into Newgate. Thankfully, the law had finally seen the benefits an autopsy provided the medical profession.
Ian had long since worked past every normal man"s fear of blood. The human body, from skin to flesh, sinew, and bone, was a miracle. Every organ, the blood that pumped through its veins, a wonder. The perfect order of it, the way all parts worked in harmony to keep it alive, boggled his mind. Ian had often found himself overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. But the wolf in him hated death. Its natural instinct was to let the dead alone and concentrate on the living. Which was why Ian had given up practicing medicine; one could stave off death for only so long.
The body before them had been all but destroyed. Only the limbs lay relatively intact. Beside Ian, Winston Lane shifted his feet. The man"s skin had taken on a greenish hue, and he"d pulled out a handkerchief to press to his mouth. Archer stood silent and still as a statue, betraying nothing of what was going on in that head of his. A neat trick, that.
"Not much left by way of evidence," Poole went on. "But look here."
Ian let his eyes move past the raw, open ruin of the chest. It was a body. Nothing more. Shapes and colors and smell.
Poole pointed to the edges of the flesh. "See there. The incisions along the pectoralis major. They are still relatively intact for proper study."
Clean cuts, four in an evenly placed row, the flesh, muscle, and sinew severed in one neat swipe. Claw marks. He didn"t need to look at Archer to know the man had picked up on the fact. Ian bent closer, pretending to inspect the wounds, and let Archer do the talking.
"Made from a knife?" Archer murmured aloud, tilting his head.
"I agree," said Poole as Ian took the moment to inhale deeply. "Look there. Ripped into the abdominal cavity like it was soft b.u.t.ter."
G.o.d, the stench of death. His insides rebelled, his morning"s meal threatening to surge up. He forced himself to get past the ugliness of it to the very essence of the body and caught a distinct note on the body"s skin. A slight presence of perfume. The same Ian had smelled in the alley. He lingered on it for a moment, relishing the sweetness, the way it made his wolf relax, then moved on. There. There it was, the scent of sickness and wolf.
Poole bent close as well, startling Ian. "Note the depth on the slash at the trachea. Nicked the spine at the fifth vertebra. The victim bled out within moments due to ma.s.sive hemorrhaging."
Archer and Lane nodded, Lane still looking rather peaked. Ian did not blame him in the least. "Still new to this bit of business, Lane?" Ian asked him.
The man glanced up. "I"ve been to my fair share." Lane"s mouth twitched. "Admittedly, every time feels like the first."
Poole laughed. "Can"t say that about everything, now can you?"
"Quite right, Poole," Lane murmured dryly.
Ian straightened. "The other body, if you please, Poole."
Poole glowered, clearly wanting to give a full lecture, but he shrugged. "Suppose it makes no difference, as they died the same way." His snub nose wrinkled. "At least these two bodies here did."
Lane jerked his head round to Poole. "And the other victim?"
"A bit... more. She"d been violated, I"m afraid."
The men bent their heads for a moment, and then Ian moved to the second body, the widow Alexis Trent. Just get through it. Do not think. "Let us see this one first."
Poole pulled back the sheet, and one of the men cursed. Poor woman was as ruined as the man, but her once lovely face stared up at them as if silently begging for justice. "Not much difference, as I said. Slashed with the same marks." He tossed away the sheet. "The odd bit of it is, were it not for the precision and size of the incisions, I"d be pressed to think this was the work of an animal. But there you"d be looking at lacerations rather than incisions."
Lane perked up. "An animal, you say? Would be a rather large one to do such damage."
"That was why I said *if," " Poole retorted without much heat. "We don"t have anything larger than a dog roaming our city streets, and this isn"t the work of a mere dog."
Archer remained impa.s.sive, but Ian knew he"d gone on full alert. "I should think the populace of London would notice a large predator walking its streets," Archer added and then leaned in to study the wounds. "And Poole is correct. Wounds from animals are usually more ragged lacerations than clean incisions."
Ian had to give the man credit; he was excellent at diversion. When Winston blinked in confusion, Ian said, "Lacerations have jagged edges, such as might occur when an animal tears into a body. Incisions are clean, deep wounds as occur from the slash of a knife or sword." Or the razor-sharp claws of a were or lycan. Now as to a were"s teeth, they certainly would cause lacerations. Ian wondered at the lack of bite marks. There were none he could see on the organs or interior cavity either. Had the thing not wanted to eat its prey? Odd. If it hadn"t been eating, what was it doing?
The only possibility that came to him was that the were was scenting the body. But why? What about Mrs. Trent would attract the beast so intently?
Archer tilted his head as if contemplating. "Mmm... Curved blade. Something extremely sharp." He accepted the pair of forceps Poole handed him and delicately peeled the skin back from the flesh along the upper edge of a cut, which also quite effectively disturbed a set of the incisions, ruining the shape of them. Poole was too intent upon Archer"s lecture to notice. "Sliced down to the bone in some places. A single-edged knife. And large."
Poole nodded. "Exactly."
"Well, that narrows it down a bit," Archer said wryly.
Poole"s grim smile widened in response. "Yes, quite. Knives in London being as common as a crab in a wh.o.r.e"s... ahem... But why always four even cuts, each obtaining the same depth, as though the b.a.s.t.a.r.d used four knives at once?"
Rather pasty and swallowing quite frequently, Lane clearly forced himself to study the marks. "Perhaps a torture device of some sort?"
Ian leaned in, pretending to decipher the nature of wounds so obviously left by a full-fledged werewolf. "I agree. Well done, Lane." Bracing himself for the hit, he breathed in. Wolf. Sickness. Something inside of him stilled.
Again came the scent of spring, sweetness, and decadence. Delicious. It was Daisy"s perfume, he realized with a hitch in his chest. That maddening woman who"d called him out and left him to hang in his humiliation. d.a.m.n if her sa.s.s didn"t stir him. He"d thought of little else since, and though it rubbed him raw, he itched for another encounter. At the very least, a chance to best the clever little c.o.c.k tease.
Alexis Trent had worn the same perfume. Odd. She was a friend to Daisy. Perhaps they had shared?
He stood back. "The other body, Poole. The poor la.s.s." The police had found her tossed like rubbish in some dark bowery corner not three days before the attack in the alleyway. According to Poole"s report, they"d only made the connection between the three bodies due to the violent abuse done to each of them.
G.o.ds, this poor girl had died days ago. Days, and his kind had done nothing to stop the mad werewolf or protect the people of London, as was their duty. Anger boiled within his veins. The Ranulf, the b.l.o.o.d.y king of Clan Ranulf, was supposed to act, not sit with his head stuck up his a.r.s.e. Even Ian, who"d willingly turned his back on the clan, knew as much. The stink of it was Ian could not even approach them to ask why. He was in exile.
"One Miss Mary Fenn of Camden Town," Poole said, bringing Ian"s attention back to the fore. "Found her reticule with the body, if you can believe. Seems even the lowest of scavenging thieves hadn"t the stomach to approach her." Poole shook his head sorrowfully, but then hesitated. "See here, she isn"t..." He glanced at Lane, and the man bristled. "Well, inspector, you usually just read the reports. These men are used to such sights, being surgeons in their own right. This poor girl"s been dead much longer. Given the recent heat and the work of rats, there isn"t much left of her. The rate of decay is quite advanced."
"Then how do you know she"d been violated?" Lane countered, his skin pebbling with sweat.
"Found her with her skirts tossed up." Poole flushed crimson. "Legs spread apart."
Lane nodded. "Of course. It was in the report, was it not?" He touched the side of his head as though pained by his lapse in memory. Ian knew it was the morgue, the specter of rot and death at work on him.
Lane suddenly looked tired. "Same marks? From what you can tell?"
"Yes, sir. We needn"t view her."
Oh, but it was most certainly needed. Ian had to compare her scent. He glanced at Archer. The man"s eyes narrowed a touch. Ian pressed his lips together. He didn"t know how to insist without it looking odd. And there was the grim fact that the more subtle scents would be overwhelmed in a highly decayed body. Ian would have to all but stick his nose into it, a notion to which his wolf, and his stomach, thoroughly rebelled. Unfortunately, Archer"s expression made it clear that he hadn"t any brilliant ideas either.
Irritation swelled and then a thought hit Ian. "Have you her clothing, Poole?"
Poole"s eyes widened but he went to a storage locker. "Certainly."
Under the watchful eyes of Lane, Ian accepted the ragged bundle of clothes. Archer stepped back toward the body of Alexis Trent. "If you would, Poole, I"ve a question about the damage done to the greater omentum."
At Lane"s look of confusion, Ian smiled. "Fancy physician speak for that fatty looking ma.s.s in front of her intestines. You know, the lumpy yellow-gray bit hanging before them." His grin widened as Lane went decidedly green. "If you are feeling faint, you can stay with me. I wouldn"t blame you in the least."
The man glared at him, but strode off on wobbling limbs to stand by Archer"s side as the men waxed lyrical on many methods of evisceration. Ian shook his head, his smile remaining. Predictable as the sunrise, calling a man"s courage into question to get him to react.
But his smile faded as he studied the gown he set on a working table before him. It was in tatters but once quite respectable. A machine-made, plain cambric dress with wide skirts and a bodice slightly out of date. The clothes of the middle to lower cla.s.s. And most thoroughly soaked in the same perfume as worn by the other victim-and the luscious Daisy Craigmore. He needn"t even inhale. It was there, just beneath the muck and dried blood crusting the fabric. Dread sucked at him. The were wasn"t attacking at random. It was attracted to the perfume. Daisy"s perfume.
Chapter Five.
Ian tracked her easily through the crowded streets. Though her mourning gown blended well within the sea of working-cla.s.s worsted, the widow Daisy Craigmore stood out. Her pace was steady and serene as a lady"s ought to be and yet that stride of hers was pure eroticism, hypnotic in its b.u.mp and sway. The elaborate gathering of fabric over her bustle only served to highlight the motion, enough to glue more than one man"s gaze to her rear as she walked. And though his hackles rose with each covetous glance, she paid the men no notice. Beneath the black taffeta, her shoulders were set and tight, and he wondered if she thought of that night when death brushed its hand too close to her cheek.
That Daisy had chosen to walk after the funeral of Alex Trent wasn"t so strange. He understood the need to clear one"s head. Only he"d expected her to find a pretty park in which to take her promenade. Instead, she moved farther away from the safety of Mayfair. The neighborhood they entered was working cla.s.s, but not so poor as to be dangerous. Simply a place decent men lived, worked, and played. Ian stuck out like a bra.s.s tack in old leather.
Not breaking stride, he took off his ruby stickpin and stuffed it into his pocket, along with his gold watch. He didn"t fear theft. Pity the man who tried it. But he"d rather not shout out his presence; the cut of his suit and the cost of the cloth already did that enough.
At the corner, a paperboy stood, his little voice a mighty shout as he waved the latest edition over his head. "Mad killer stalks the fair people of London! Victims" livers eaten for his supper!"
Daisy"s pace faltered, a small bobble of her feet that had Ian wanting to stride ahead and take hold of her arm for support. He needn"t see her face to know she was as white as milk.
"When will he strike again?" cried the paperboy. "Who among us is safe? Read all about it!"
Daisy moved past the boy without a glance. With the ease of a frequent patron, she walked up to a tavern, the Plough and Harrow, and entered. He gave her a moment before following.
The taproom was dim and smelled of ale, men, and roasted meat. Filled with the midday-meal crowd, shouts of laughter and genial conversation rumbled in the air. It was a comforting sound that invited a man to join in.
Ian slid the brim of his hat down low and followed her movements with a sideways glance as he tucked himself into a shadowed corner of the bar. She"d gone directly to a giant old gent dressed in homespun and sporting a stained ap.r.o.n. The man"s bushy brows rose in happy surprise as he caught her in a fond embrace.
"Meggy-girl! Now there"s a sight for sore old eyes." He kissed her proffered cheek lightly. "What ye been up to, darling la.s.s?"
Her laughter brightened up the room. "Oh, a bit of this and a bit of that, Clemens." She drew away and tucked her hand into the crook of the old man"s arm. "Have you a seat in which an old friend might rest her weary bones?"
"Tosh, ye have to ask?"
Clemens led Daisy to a table by the window in the back, where a man sat nursing a pint. " "Tis the best seat in the house for my Meg."
Without ado, Clemens grabbed the idling man by his scruff and tossed him aside. "Out with ye, Tibbs. Go prop up the bar if ye"ve a mind to stay. Miss Meggy needs the seat."
Tibbs grumbled something incoherent as he stumbled to the bar.
Miss Meggy"s protests of Tibbs"s ill treatment were ignored.
"He"ll be there day an" night if I let him," Clemens said as he swept away all proof of the unfortunate Tibbs before holding out her seat as proper as any Belgravia footman might.
"Will it be your favorite for luncheon then, la.s.s?"
Daisy took off her mourning bonnet, revealing hair of gleaming gold and silver moonbeams parted demurely down the center and gathered in the back in a riot of curls. "Yes, Clemens, thank you."
Ian waited until Clemens departed to pounce. His tread was undetectable in the din of the room, his movements easy and at one with those around him. In short, nothing about him drawing near should have alerted her, yet the moment he pulled away from the bar, her head lifted and her summer-sky eyes pinned him.
He let his stride slow to a leisurely stroll, watching her watch him approach, and d.a.m.n if heat didn"t flash down his groin, his b.a.l.l.s drawing up tight with antic.i.p.ation and the pleasure of having her eyes upon him.
"Daisy." He stopped in front of her and, doffing his hat, gave her a bow. "This is a pleasant surprise."
She sat back against her chair, letting one arm drape over the back of it. The pose was indolent, relaxed, and not at all ladylike. Thank the devil for frock coats or she"d see how it affected him. "Yes, quite, Lord Northrup. One would never presume to find you in such a plebeian establishment."
He didn"t wait for her to bid him to sit, for he gathered he"d be waiting a long time. "It seems I like slumming as much as you." He had to stretch his legs out under the table or risk knocking his knees against the tabletop. "Well, perhaps not as much. You appear to be quite the regular."
Daisy"s soft mouth pursed. "Not that it"s any business of yours, but I"ll tell you for fear of suffering constant prodding."
"The prodding is my favorite part."
"This was my father"s local pub," she said in an overloud voice, all her creamy skin turning rosy. "When he could afford it. I frequent it as well when I can. It"s clean, and Clemens keeps the riffraff away... ah, Clemens!" She looked up with a smile as the scowling Clemens stomped over with a tray in hand.
Clemens set down a tankard of peaty ale with a thud. His small eyes narrowed on Ian. "This nabob botherin" you, la.s.s?" A meaty fist curled near the vicinity of Ian"s head. "Shall I toss him for ye?"
Ian lifted one brow a touch. "Am I, Meggy?" he asked Daisy as he stared down the barman. Ian wouldn"t hurt the man, as he admired those willing to protect women from unknown threats. But there was no reason to let anyone else realize that.
Daisy gave a small sigh. "No need, Clemens." She inclined her head toward Ian. "Mr. Smith won"t be staying long."
"If you"re sure, la.s.s. You can"t be too careful these days, what with a killer on the loose." The man didn"t notice Daisy blanch.
"It is good of you to worry, Clemens. But I am all right."
"So long as you are certain." Though his eyes were hard on Ian, he gently placed a plate of Welsh rabbit before Daisy. "If ye be needing anything. I"m just there." He kept his eyes on Ian as he jerked his head toward the bar. "Right. There."
"And not a step farther," Ian added genially.
With another glare, Clemens thundered off, making a point not to wait for Ian"s order. Just as well since he didn"t fancy drinking anything offered by good old Clemens as it"d likely be spit in, or worse.
"Mr. Smith?" Ian asked when Daisy ignored him and set about eating her meal. He did not miss the way her hands shook just a fraction, but she seemed determined to let her worries go. "Why not simply call me Northrup?"
"Perhaps it is best to keep your anonymity," she said.
He leaned on one elbow and watched as she daintily cut her cheese on toast into neat little pieces. "Perhaps I don"t want my anonymity."
"Mmm." She took a bite, savoring it for a brief moment. "Who says I was referring to your sensibilities? Perhaps I"d rather not be a.s.sociated with you."
He found himself grinning. "Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. You make my head spin, Meggy-girl, with your round-robin talk." She scowled, and he swallowed down a laugh. "It is Meggy? Or Daisy? I wouldn"t want to be confused."
"It is my name. Daisy Margaret Ellis." She took another bite, eating her food with a strange combination of pleasure and economy. "Father called me Meggy before he settled on Daisy. Clemens took to it rather too fondly, I"m afraid. Frankly, I find both names deplorable. Why not Margaret or Meg?" She waved her fork in emphasis before catching his eye and seeing his broad grin. Instantly, she resumed her disinterested air. "You are a pest, you know that? Go away, will you? I"m not in the mood to play."
The pain and sorrow creasing her eyes made him ache in sympathy. He knew that feeling of loss too well. Which was precisely why he would stay. "Ah now, I can"t be too terrible. After all, you are letting me share your table."