Domestic Medicineby William Buchan.
Not the least bit unusual for a man with a medical profession, Samantha mused.She flipped the book open and leafed through it quickly only to conclude that it probably held no importance.
Brow knit, she turned from the room and went to check the one opposite, only to pause at the sight she encountered in what was surely Preordian’s bedchamber.
Or had been, until he’d made a hasty departure.Just as Adrian theorized.
The wardrobe doors gaped open, revealing the clothes that were left behind, besides those carelessly strewn across the floor.They told a story of a man who’d grabbed what he could and shoved it all into a trunk, perhaps?
A closer inspection of the room gave no indication that the physician had owned such an item.There were no markings on the floor where it might have sat, besides which it would not have aided a swift departure.It was far more likely he’d used a traveling bag of some sort, fashioned either from textile or leather.
In truth, the type of bag he’d used was insignificant.What mattered was the fact he was gone, and the speed with which he’d left after Kendrick had come to see him.From the looks of it, he’d started packing as soon as the chief constable departed, determined to vanish before Kendrick put two and two together and returned.
A definite indication of guilt on Preordian’s part.
Satisfied with her discovery, Samantha returned downstairs and conveyed her findings to Adrian.“Though it doesn’t confirm his involvement in Miss Griffin’s disappearance, it’s enough for me to suspect the man played a part.”
“I agree.”Adrian glanced around, his expression grim.“Unfortunately, nothing here implicates him or tells us where he’s gone.”
“Perhaps not, but maybe his neighbors can help.We could try asking them a few questions.”
“An excellent idea,” Adrian agreed.
They left Preordian’s home and headed next door, to the house on the left.A young couple lived there and the wife, who was home alone with the children, didn’t have much to share.She kept her responses brief, uninformative, and was keen on getting Adrian and Samantha to move on.
When no one answered the door at the next house, Samantha and Adrian moved on to Number 10.This turned out to be occupied by Mrs.Gates, an older woman who looked to be in her sixties.A widow, they learned after a brief chat.
She invited them in for tea as soon as she learned their reason for calling.
“Always seemed like he might be hiding something,” she said, offering them some biscuits.Unlike Preordian’s parlor, the room Mrs.Gates had shown Adrian and Samantha into was brimming with energy.A colorful rug covered the floor, potted plants stood in each corner, and a caged starling injected the conversation with lively chirps.
“What makes you say that?”Adrian asked.Neither he nor Samantha had suggested Preordian might be up to something illicit.They’d merely inquired about his whereabouts.
Mrs.Gates set the plate of biscuits aside while taking a seat.She shrugged one shoulder.“It’s one of those feelings, you understand?Never took a liking to him, though I can’t say why exactly.All I know is that I never felt comfortable around him.”
“And were you around him often?”Samantha asked, intent on discerning the likelihood of Mrs.Gates forming an accurate opinion.
“Not really.We met from time to time in the street.”
This had Samantha straightening.Adrian too.“That would suggest you’ve both lived on this street for a while.”
“Oh yes.I’ve been here over thirty years.”
“And Preordian?”
“At least two, I would think.”
Samantha shared a puzzled look with Adrian.Two years in a home that looked as though it hadn’t been lived in was rather odd.It was almost as though he’d deliberately kept things that way so he could be ready to leave at the drop of a hat.
Adrian leaned forward, his forearms resting on his thighs.“Do patients visit Preordian regularly?”
“Oh yes.”Mrs.Gates picked up her teacup.“He’s been very popular since he moved in and opened his practice.”
“I don’t suppose you’d happen to know if one of his patients was a young woman by the name of Polly Griffin, roughly twenty years of age with dark brown hair?She was employed as a maid at Ottersburg House.”
“I’m afraid not.The patients came and went without stopping to chat, and I didn’t pay that much attention to what they looked like.Certainly didn’t know any of them by name.”Mrs.Gates sipped her tea.“For the most part I happened to catch a glance through the window.Just enough to realize the physician was keeping busy.I’m not the nosy sort, you see.In general, I prefer to keep to myself.”
“We didn’t learn much,” Samantha said once she and Adrian were back in the carriage and headed for home.“Where do we go from here?”
