That evening when the Flavershams arrived for dinner, Olivia immediately asked Dr. Dawson if he'd heard from Basil.
"Not yet, my dear," he responded, trying to mask his worry. "But hopefully soon. Now, head into the kitchen and help Mrs. Judson with dinner."
He and the girl's father watched her exit the room, and then Mr. Flaversham stated, "You have heard something. What have you found out?"
Dr. Dawson sighed. "Basil lied to us. The queen had no assignment for him. She banished him."
"She blames him for the murder?"
"I'm not sure she believes that; I think she wanted to prevent an uprising, and if she had allowed Basil to remain here, there surely would have been."
The pair was silent for a moment. Then Mr. Flaversham inquired, "What will you do? Certainly you won't let things stay as they are."
"Absolutely not. I must find him, wherever he is. I'll find a way to bring him back and we'll solve this case the way we always have—as a team."
"I don't want Olivia to know what's happened. I'm having enough trouble keeping what the neighbors saw away from her; if she found out about his banishment, it would break her heart. But what about Mrs. Judson? What will you tell her?"
"The bare minimum. Just that I'm going after him." Dr. Dawson thought for a moment, then walked over to Basil's maps shuffling through until he found the one he wanted. "In order for to leave the country, Basil would have to go by ship. Now the closest dock is…here. And if I'm not mistaken, it heads straight into the ocean. It's also very close to the street where the murder took place, so my guess would be that most, if not all, of the sailors coming on and off of the dock heard of Basil's predicament before he ever left. Knowing they wouldn't be willing to help a 'criminal'—even if he was doing as he was told—Basil likely disguised himself in order to get a job on a ship, so he should have a disguise missing from his wardrobe."
Dr. Dawson turned from the map and found Mr. Flaversham smiling quietly, with his arms crossed. "Suddenly you sound exactly like a certain detective we know. What do you plan to do with your deduction?"
"Go to the dock early tomorrow morning and ask about that certain detective. The disguise I'm thinking of his very unique. If someone hired him, they'll remember."
The doctor walked into Basil's bedroom and began rummaging through his friend's disguises. "It's gone, Flaversham, just as I suspected."
"What's gone? Daddy, what are you doing in Mr. Basil's bedroom?"
Mr. Flaversham turned quickly to look at his daughter. "Aren't you supposed to be in the kitchen?"
"Dinner is ready. Mrs. Judson asked me to tell you." She turned her gaze to Dr. Dawson. "What's wrong? Dr. Dawson, have you heard something that you're not telling us?"
The two adults glanced at each other. Mr. Flaversham knelt down and put his hands on Olivia's shoulders. "Darling, you have to trust him. He knows what he's doing, and when he thinks we need to know something, he will tell us."
Olivia bit her lip thoughtfully. "Daddy, when is Mr. Basil coming back?"
Mr. Flaversham glanced again at the doctor before responding. "As soon as he can."
Upon hearing his words, Olivia buried her face in her father's shoulders and began to cry.