Page 47

“Frye.”

“You brought me visitors, I see.”

“I did. Detective Inspector Pierce and⁠—”

“And a lady. Pretty lady.” Frye smiled an almost mad smile. All teeth. “That’s a treat.”

“Behave yourself, Mr. Frye,” Hardy admonished. “This is Miss Poole, who is assisting us.”

Frye looked shocked by that detail, but kept his dark eyes fixed on Electra. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Poole. Have we met? You look at me like you know me, but I’d remember if I met you.”

“I’ve seen you before, Mr. Frye.” Electra didn’t know why the admission left her lips.

He smirked at that. “I do get about. And where did you see me, love?”

“Watch how you speak to her,” Gideon growled.

“Just being friendly,” Frye whined, then leaned forward. The prison official who’d remained in the room clapped a hand on his shoulder to keep him from going far. “So tell me, miss, where did we meet?”

“I never said we met. I only said I’d seen you before.” Electra felt Gideon’s gaze on her, felt him shift a bit closer. To stop her from saying more? To offer support? She wasn’t certain which.

“Well, what was I doing when you saw me?”

“Shouting at Calliope Collier.”

Frye scoffed. “This again?” He sneered at Hardy. “Come to accuse me of this again?”

“I have not yet accused you of anything, Mr. Frye.”

“No, just asked your bloody questions till I wanted to climb the walls. Go ahead, ask the same questions. Treat yourself to the same answers.”

After his rant, Electra added, “I saw you shouting at Iris Delacourt too.”

Frye blinked at that, his mouth falling open slightly before he recovered. “What of it? Both worked at the museum, didn’t they? As did I.” He shrugged his bony shoulders. “Now the papers say she’s bunked off somewhere.” He swung a look at Hardy. “Gonna try to pin that on me too?”

“Did you threaten her?” Gideon asked.

Frye shook his head. “I had nothing to do with her. She was quiet as a church mouse, wasn’t she? Didn’t interest me at all. Couldn’t understand why Calliope took to her so. They were as different as two sides of a coin. Like fire and water.”

Frye sank into one of the chairs and assessed Electra from boot to brow.

“Miss Delacourt was such a serious little thing. Barely spoke to anybody but Calliope and Mr. Kerrigan. Kept her nose in the air, if you ask me. Thought she was better than the rest of us.”

“So you disliked her?” Gideon asked.

“Didn’t think much of her one way or another. As I said, only confusing bit was why Calliope had taken to her. She took to everybody, I guess. Gave it away for free.” He gave a mirthless laugh at that.

“Gave what away?” Electra asked.

“Her attention, her time, her affection.”

“And you were jealous?” Hardy asked.

Frye crossed his arms. A flush had ridden up over his sharp cheekbones. “A bit. But I wasn’t leg-shackled to the girl. She could do as she pleased.”

“Then why shout at her? Why shout at Miss Delacourt?”

Frye flicked his fingers as if to push the question away. “Over that nonsense about the coins, wasn’t it? Told Calliope something she was only supposed to look on with admiration, and yet here she goes accusing me of a crime. And Miss Delacourt had heard the tale from Calliope, and so she believed I was a thief too.”