Page 80 of In the Midnight Hour

“What’s under there?” Hypatia asked. “Something you want to play with?” Exhaling, she bent her head and looked for whatever had caught Quill’s attention. She didn’t see an object, but a dark spot caught her eye.

Reaching in, she pressed her bare hand against the wood floor until she found the spot—it felt like something had dried there. Quill nudged her arm, and her hand jerked. Her nail scratched across whatever it was, and she pulled her hand back. “Thank you, Quill.”

Looking down at her nail, she stared in disgust and then horror. Whatever was stuck beneath the nail of her forefinger was a dark reddish-brown. It almost looked like dried blood.

Hypatia scrambled to her feet and hurried to the room next door where Northwood was looking. “You need to come move the dresser in the other room,” she said urgently. “I think there’s blood.”

He accompanied her back to the first bedchamber where Quill had managed to get even farther under the dresser. “Did the cat find it?”

“Yes,” Hypatia replied. “I pulled him away, but he’s insistent, so I looked beneath and saw a dark stain. I scratched my nail across it.” She showed him the flake of reddish-brown still stuck under her nail.

His nostrils flared. “That does look like blood.” As he hastened to the dresser, he asked Hypatia to grab the cat.

She snatched Quill out from under the dresser, much to his chagrin, and Northwood pushed it away from him, exposing the wood floor beneath—and a reddish-brown spot about the size of Quill’s paw.

Northwood dropped down and inspected the spot whilst Hypatia held her cat.

“That is most definitely dried blood.” Northwood looked up at her. “I think we’ve found where Sir Radnor was killed.”

Hypatia felt as she had when she’d reached the top of the stairs a short while ago. Her breath was short, her pulse fast. She set the squirming Quill down, and he immediately went to sniff the dried blood. “Whose room do you suppose this is?”

“We need to find out.” Northwood stroked Quill’s head. “Good boy.” Standing, he met Hypatia’s gaze. “You’ve a very clever cat. I’m glad he insisted on joining us.”

“He’s proven most helpful.” She sent him a fond look before fixing on Northwood. “Now what do we do?”

“I would suggest we call everyone in the household to the drawing room—save the retainers in the mews, as I don’t think they’re involved in this,” Northwood said. “That is what my brother would do—he says it pressures people to talk. However, given the sensitive nature of what’s happened, I think it’s best if we only summon the female servants.”

Hypatia could no longer deny that she liked Northwood. “You continue to surprise and impress me. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

“This is a monstrous situation. The least we can do is handle it as carefully as possible.” Northwood gestured to the door. “After you.”

Hypatia wrinkled her nose. “I’d like to wash my finger, but I suppose I can show it as evidence that we found blood.” She walked into the corridor.

“Still, we’ll have someone fetch you a wet cloth as soon as possible,” Northwood said from behind her. “Come, Quill.”

They started down the stairs to the second floor, and Hypatia was relieved that her cat was accompanying them. The spot had apparently become uninteresting now that it was fully exposed. Quill often preferred things he could not easily obtain. Such was the way of cats.

As they approached the first floor, they had to stop short on the stairs as they encountered Mrs. Babcock on her way up.

The housekeeper jolted upon seeing them. She grasped the railing to steady herself. “Where did you come from?”

“We need you to gather the female servants to the drawing room,” North replied crisply, ignoring her question.

“Why?” Mrs. Babcock’s eyes narrowed in a thoroughly suspicious manner.

“We found evidence someone in this house killed Sir Radnor, and it’s past time the truth is known.” Hypatia noted that the housekeeper’s features tensed. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us now? Perhaps about the housemaids?”

Mrs. Babcock hesitated.

“If someone killed Sir Radnor in an act of defending themselves, they would almost certainly not be prosecuted,” Northwood said.

Surprise flashed briefly in Mrs. Babcock’s eyes.

“There’s no hiding the truth anymore, Mrs. Babcock,” Hypatia gently prodded.

“I’ll fetch everyone.” Mrs. Babcock abruptly turned and hurried down the stairs.

“What did you make of Mrs. Babcock’s reaction?” Hypatia asked as they walked into the drawing room to wait.