The Insanity of Murder by Felicity Young Read Free Book Online

hair, continuing to scatter pins that she had missed. ‘Call Annie, will you please, dear?’
    Dody came over and took the silver-backed hairbrush from her sister’s hand. ‘I’ll do it, Annie’s gone to bed.’ After several sweeps of the hairbrush through Florence’s lush hair, Dody said, ‘Whoever did do it has desecrated bodies, caused extra suffering to those already grieving and needless time and money wasting. Not to mention murder if the night watchman dies.’ Dody paused. ‘He has six children, you know.’ The muscles in Florence’s neck and shoulders tightened. ‘I cannot say yet that all the mutilations were caused post-mortem. I still have several body parts left to examine.’ Dody clattered the brush back onto its silver tray.
    Florence swivelled the pearl necklace around her neck, its jewelled clasp resting against her throat. Emeralds, amethysts and seed pearls shone under the dressing-table lamp.
    ‘I hope the perpetrators are caught and hanged.’ Despite her bravado, Florence’s fingers shook as she attempted to unhook the necklace. Dody helped her and placed the necklace in its velvet box before undoing the back of Florence’s bodice and loosening the ties of her corset.
    ‘Thank you, Dody, I can manage now.’
    Dody placed her hands on her sister’s shoulders and spoke to Florence’s reflection in the mirror. ‘I’ll arrange a meeting with Poppa’s lawyer.’
    ‘Pike wants me to meet him at the station tomorrow morning. I am to be slotted into a line with similar-looking women and the witness is going to try and identify the person she thinks committed the crime.’
    ‘And you are worried, naturally,’ Dody said.
    Florence straightened on the stool. ‘Only that it might be a case of mistaken identity.’
    ‘I’ll make sure the lawyer attends too.’
    ‘Pike’s out to get me.’
    ‘He’s doing his job. He’s very fond of you, you know that. Only the other day he told me how pleased he was to see that you had recovered some of your former spirits.’ Dody paused as a thought struck her. ‘Unless your grief for Tristram has turned you reckless.’
    A ghost of a smile brushed Florence’s lips. ‘I’ve always been reckless, you know that. My fiancé’s death has nothing to do with my returning to the fray.’ Florence’s gaze fell to the black enamelled mourning ring she wore on the little finger of her left hand. The ring contained a tiny slot through which she had twisted one of Tristram’s hairs. ‘I decided my grieving and my moping had to stop. It’s been six months since Tristram fell from his horse. Do you really think I would deliberately inflict on others what I have been going through myself these last months?’
    ‘No, but mistakes are made …’
    ‘Why do you not believe me? It’s Pike that’s sown these seeds of doubt in you.’ Florence’s voice rose. ‘I wish you had never become involved with him. If Mother and Poppa knew you were consorting with a policeman, all hell would break loose. And what about your career? Do you have any idea of the risks you are taking? If Shepherd or Spilsbury found out about this dalliance of yours you’d both be out on your ears. And as for you being a fine example to the sisterhood of a woman succeeding in a man’s world, you can forget that. You’ll be accused of getting where you have through seduction and wily feminine guile. You’ll —’
    ‘Florence, that’s enough! And please leave Pike out of it. I am involved with him, whether you approve or not. To compare my special friendship with Pike to what you have been accused of doing is utterly ridiculous.’
    Florence sprang up from her dressing-table chair and rushed to her bed, throwing herself face down upon her pillow. Her emotions spilled as if from a burst floodgate, the bones of her back visible through the thin fabric of her chemise, rising and falling with each gasp.
    ‘All right, I did it, I did it,’ she sobbed.
    It was all very well to have