“Leona briefed him on her plans,” Benedict said.
“Yes, but that still doesn’t explain why he killed her,” Declan said.
“Leona had her own agenda,” Benedict pointed out. “But she was also working for the Russians. It’s the only reason she would have gone to great lengths to obtain the Foxcroft notebook. Trust me when I tell you that she had no personal interest in engineering and scientific matters.”
Amity looked at him. “During our encounter in the ladies’ room, she made it clear that all she cared about was the Rose Necklace. She also said that she had not brought the notebook with her, but aside from that she did not seem concerned with it. She was fixed on going to the American West to reinvent herself.”
“Did she say anything else?” Declan asked.
Amity wrinkled her nose. “Well, she did admit that she was the one who aimed Virgil at me. She wanted you to suffer, Benedict. She seemed to think that if I was murdered in a spectacular fashion because of my connection to you that you would feel some responsibility.”
Benedict had been about to slather some butter on a slice of toast. His hand tightened into a fist around the knife. “That would be putting it mildly.”
Penny set down her coffee. “It makes sense that Leona went a little crazy with rage after your engagement was announced. But why did she want Virgil to murder Amity before that announcement? After all, as far as she knew, the two of you had merely indulged in a shipboard liaison.”
“Penny is correct,” Logan said. He frowned. “There was no mention of a formal engagement until you returned from America. Yet Leona started the rumors about an affair some three weeks before you returned to London.”
Amity felt an awkward warmth rush into her cheeks, but no one seemed to notice her embarrassment.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Benedict asked around a bite of toast. “It probably wasn’t Leona who decided to murder Amity back at the start. More likely it was her Russian contact. He simply used Leona and her crazed brother to accomplish the mission. As soon as he realized that Amity had saved my life on St. Clare and that we had been quite close for the duration of the voyage to New York, he leaped to the obvious conclusion.”
“Yes, of course.” Amity set her cup down with a clang. “The Russian contact assumed that I was also a spy and that I was working with you, Benedict.”
“I’m sure he knew that I was not a professional espionage agent,” Benedict said. “After all, everyone knows that I spend a great deal of my time locked away in my laboratory. But the master spy in this affair could not be certain about you, Amity. He probably views you as his rival or even as his nemesis. What better cover for an agent of espionage than a career as a lady globetrotter?”
Amity smiled slowly, pleased. “An excellent point, sir. What better cover, indeed?”
He glared. “You needn’t look so thrilled with the notion.”
Declan stepped in before Amity could respond. “So it was very likely Leona’s Russian connection who decided to get rid of Miss Doncaster at the start of this business.”
“Yes,” Benedict said. “But I’m afraid that after I announced that Amity and I were engaged, Leona took it personally. I imagine the Russian spy connection started to lose control of her and of the situation at that point.”
Declan nodded. “Because Leona proved to be as unstable and as obsessive as her brother.”
“Right,” Benedict said. “The master spy is the one who shot Leona at the ball last night. He is also the one who murdered Mrs. Dunning and set the explosive device at Hawthorne Hall. He’s been masterminding this affair from the beginning—or, rather, trying to mastermind it. But things keep going awry. Must be very frustrating for him.”
They all stared at him for a moment.
He looked at Logan. “It occurs to me, Inspector, that your career would benefit nicely if you happened to be the detective who arrested a spymaster who tried to steal a certain notebook containing secrets that the Crown would prefer to keep out of the hands of the Russians.”
Logan’s brows rose. “Doing a favor for the Crown never hurts a man’s career prospects. Can I assume you are aware of the identity of this spymaster?”
Benedict looked at Amity. “I think so, yes. We are looking for someone who arrived on St. Clare shortly before I did, murdered Alden Cork and stole the plans for the solar cannon. That same person was still in the vicinity when my ship docked. He watched me go to Cork’s laboratory and realized that I was very likely working for the Crown.”
“Why try to murder you?” Amity asked. “After all, the spy already had the plans for the solar cannon.”
“We may never know. But for whatever reason, Cork did not give him the name and address of the inventor with whom he was collaborating,” Benedict said. “Cork may have realized that he was dealing with a Russian agent at that point. Perhaps at the last minute he was struck with a burst of loyalty to his country.”
“He refused to tell the agent about Foxcroft,” Logan said. “The agent killed him and then you showed up at the scene.”
“He had no way of knowing that I had discovered Foxcroft’s letter to Cork, but he decided it would be best to get rid of me just to be certain I would not prove to be a problem,” Benedict said. “He must have been furious when he realized that Amity had managed to get me safely on board theNorthern Star. At that point all he could do was hope that I succumbed to my wound. He booked passage on board another ship bound for New York and, ultimately, London.”
“You survived and headed west to California,” Declan said. “All the spy could do at that point was sit back and wait to see what you discovered.”
“He assumed that I had found something useful when I returned with a certain notebook, which I delivered almost immediately to my uncle. Cornelius let it be known in certain circles that he had Foxcroft’s notebook and that it was the real secret to the solar cannon. As far as the spy knows, he possesses the correct version of Foxcroft’s design.”
“So now we are looking for the Russian spy.” Penny said, “The puppet master who has been pulling the strings.”
