The Inspection of a Curator
DISCLAIMER: All rights belong to Deborah Harkness. Just borrowing the characters for an alternate universe fanfiction story.
SUMMARY: A 1940's Police Inspector gets caught up in the world of rare books when a valuable manuscript is stolen and a murder occurs. Together, with a book curator, this Detective will face obstacles as they traverse the secret world of asylum's, wealth and mystery as well as their blossoming romance.
CREDIT: A huge thank you to Shawna! I wouldn't be the author I am without your editing help, suggestions and ideas!
Chapter EIGHT: Theories, Passages, & Late-Night Visitors
By: Goode Girl
~TIOAC~
"Matthew, I know how they did it!" She exclaimed excitedly.
"You mean the manuscript? Hugh?" He queried.
Diana relayed her theory of events during the crime, only they did not all happen that night.
"Based on what the coroner told you, Hugh died hours before the actual crime and it took him several hours to bleed out, so that means that he must have been attacked around 5:00 to 6:00 PM." She started. "His body not discovered until a few moments after midnight." She added.
"Right," Matthew acknowledged.
"Well, I think Knox used the asylum access point to the tunnels to get to the house at around 3:00 PM, he used the secret passage into the library and took the manuscript, -" Matthew cut her off.
"What about Hugh, how did he see him if he was in the passages?" He interjected.
"I'm getting to that, now…Knox didn't realize there was a lock on the display case that Philippe had kept the manuscript in. I saw it this afternoon." She clarified. "Extra measures of course, so he didn't have anything to pick the lock, and Philippe used reinforced glass so…" She trailed off.
"He had to find something to bust the lock and he used another passage into the house to find something, and that's when Hugh saw him." Matthew deduced.
"Yes, now I still don't know how Knox managed to get him into the passage to the library where his body was eventually found." She added.
"Wait, wait…" Matthew started as he pulled his note pad from his inside jacket pocket and flipped to the pages from the night of the crime. "Ysabeau spoke to one of the constables that night and said that the missing woman, Gillian Chamberlain, was seen in areas of the house she was not needed or required to be in." Matthew informed.
"Maybe it was already planned out." Diana offered. "Gillian was likely aware of Knox and his expected arrival time and was keeping an eye out for him." She proposed.
"That is very possible." He nodded, rubbing at his chin contemplatively. "It would explain why she was found in different areas of the home." Matthew added. "Just standing around and lingering as Ysabeau told the constable." He finished.
"Now, this is another theory of course but…" She trailed off. "Today Miriam mentioned a statue from the library that had blood on it and required more testing." Diana began.
"Yes," Matthew murmured. "Likely the murder weapon." He offered, his eyes meeting hers as he waited for her to continue.
"Well, what we need to find out is if that statue was always in the library or if it was actually on display in another part of the house." She concluded.
"Why, exactly?" Matthew inquired in puzzlement.
"I suspect that when Knox couldn't find something in the library to break the lock on the case, he went through the secret passage to another part of the house to find some kind of tool. That is when I think Hugh saw him and before he could sound the alarm of an intruder, Gillian was in the vicinity and maybe it was she who hit him from behind and together they dragged him back to the library."
"Holy shit, Diana. That makes so much sense." Matthew replied. "I mean, I really can't see Hugh going with either of them willingly into some secret passage. He would have yelled or screamed, anything to bring attention to the intruders." He imparted.
"My thoughts too." She nodded.
"There's one thing that could possibly throw a wrench in that theory." He posed.
"What do you mean?" She pondered.
"Well, based on my study of the tunnels at the archives, they run about two miles long. That's 30 to 40 minutes, each way." He explained.
Diana nodded in understanding. "You think that the travel time would have cut into his time for returning to the asylum to prepare for the party, while also hiding what would be some dishevelment in his clothes and person from his activities." She theorized.
"Precisely." He confirmed.
"Okay, I can see that. Let me think on it." She stated. "Now, let's go up to my office and look at those prints you made. Maybe we can find the route they could have taken before we meet up with Philippe tomorrow." She concluded, finally opening her car door.
Matthew bobbed his head in agreement, and was quicker to exit the vehicle. He rounded the car and held the door for Diana. She shivered from the cool night air as he closed the car door after her. Matthew ran his hands along her arms in a futile attempt to warm her, his gaze soft as he smiled affectionately. She bowed her head, blushing under his gaze, a small smile on her face at his attentions. Dropping his arms from trying to warm her, his eyes moved across the street to her building.
"Diana, stay here." He stated in trepidation.
"Why?" She questioned in bewilderment.
"The lights in your office are on, and there's a shadow moving about. Now, please, stay here." He reiterated. His gaze followed the shadow and he watched closely as the office suddenly goes dark.
Matthew dashed across the street and drew his service weapon, and turned the safety off. He opened the front door marginally to peek inside, and saw the shadow again.
Running into the lobby, he rounded the corner to the bank of mailboxes to see the back door to the building closing slowly. Sprinting to the exit, he pushed it open and aimed his weapon in each direction hoping to find the culprit. But whomever had been there was now gone.
"Matthew?" Diana called uncertainly, her head peaking in the front entrance.
"Looks like they made a run for it." He stated, making sure the safety was in place before returning his service weapon back to its holster.
"Did you see who it was?" She asked, her voice quivering worriedly.
Matthew shook his head dejectedly. "We need to go to your office and call Miriam." He informed.
"My apartment might be safer, the bugs." She proposed softly as she began to traipse up the stairs.
"Let me go first, please. Just in case." He pleaded, his hand on her arm to dissuade her from going ahead of him. Diana nodded mutely, and allowed him to precede her.
Diana was visibly shaken at the thought that once again her office had been broken into. She clutched at the back of Matthew's coat as he once again drew his weapon, as a precaution. They moved slowly up the stairs and Matthew peered through the railing at the landing. When they reached the top, he surveyed the area and noted that it appeared empty.
"Wait here while I check things out." He whispered, gently pushing her into the corner at the top of the stairs and out of view of any perpetrator that might still be on the premises.
Matthew moved quietly to the office door and used his foot to softly push at it. It swung open easily and only the street lights faintly illuminated the dark space. Reaching to the wall on his left, he flicked the light switch, his service weapon at the ready in his right hand. He took a few steps in, his eyes scanning the room before he moved to the door to Diana's apartment. He was happy to find it still locked and his arms dropped in relief, as he replaced his weapon in the holster.
Matthew walked to the office door, poking his head out "It's safe." He whispered. Diana followed him into her office a few moments later with the index finger of her right hand over her lips in the 'Shhh...' gesture as a reminder about the bugs. He nodded in understanding and nodded to the door as a signal they should leave. He turned off the light and closed the door as she led him down the hall to her apartment.
…
Matthew and Diana were seated at her kitchen table, quietly sipping at some tea while Miriam and her team did another sweep of her office. Matthew had requested, for safety's sake, that they sweep her apartment first, just in case. Happily, it remained intact and there was no visible evidence of anyone trying to break in and no bugs found.
"I know this might be a silly question, but are you okay?" Matthew murmured, watching her for her reaction.
Diana set her tea cup down, and met his gaze of concern. "I just don't understand why they're so focused on me." She replied, her bottom lip trembling as she tried to contain her emotions.
Matthew rose from his seat and rounded the table. He crouched next to her and pulled her into his arms, trying to comfort her. She wound her arms over his shoulders in return, her head resting on his shoulder. But Diana couldn't calm herself. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared.
"I wish I could tell you why, sweetheart." He replied, pulling back slightly and using his thumbs to brush away the trace of tears on her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, I know it's silly." She replied, trying to laugh off her reaction.
"It's not silly, not at all, Diana." He calmed. Diana nodded mutely, biting at her lip to keep from breaking into tears again. "Why don't you go pack a bag, you'll stay with me from now on." He suggested. "I don't want to leave you here alone." He confessed. "At least not until we've closed this case." He added.
Diana rose from her chair as Matthew stood, and just as they passed through the kitchen to the living room, there was a sharp knock on her apartment door. "Matthew?" They heard as Miriam's voice filtered through the hardwood.
He strode over and unlocked the door, opening it to allow her access. "Finished?" He queried, leaving the door ajar as Miriam stood just inside the entry way.
"Yes, and while it doesn't really make sense, whoever was in your office…" She trailed off. "Well, they removed all the bugs. They're gone." She confirmed. "They picked the lock, which to me suggests that they didn't know you knew about the bugs in the first place." She relayed. "They were trying to be sly about it, clearly." She offered with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.
"That's good news. I guess." Matthew stated. "Thank you, for coming I mean. Even though it's almost 11:00 PM now." He smiled ruefully, extending his hand for a shake.
"I didn't mind. But it looks as though they were wearing gloves. No prints on the light switch or door, other than you two, of course." She confirmed.
…
Diana was relaxing in a warm bath with a glass of wine, courtesy of Matthew. It was almost midnight and she needed to relax. They decided the discussion over the secret passages and access points could wait until morning.
After finishing the last dregs of her wine, she set the glass down on the floor next to the bathtub before pulling the plug, standing and grabbing for the towel. Once she was dressed in a simple night gown and robe, she grabbed the glass to return it to the kitchen. As she traipsed down the hall, she could hear papers rustling. She rinsed her glass, leaving it in the kitchen sink, and then headed to the living room.
"Hi," She greeted, as she witnessed Matthew hunched over the coffee table with his copied blue prints in front of him and his note pad in hand. He had since changed from his dress shirt and pants to some striped pyjama pants and a dark blue t-shirt.
"Hey, feel better?" He questioned as Diana approached, sitting next to him and tucking her legs under her.
"Much, thank you." She smiled, leaning against his arm, her head tilting to rest on his shoulder as her gaze moved over the papers on the table.
"See anything that stands out?" He questioned, leaning back and tilting his own head towards hers slightly.
"Maybe." She murmured, untucking her legs to move closer to the table.
"What do you see?" He asked, sitting forward once more, his elbows resting on his knees.
"Can I see that pamphlet again, please?" She posed, shuffling a few of the pages around to join up the streets like the map that it was.
Matthew stood from the couch to retrieve the pamphlet from his coat pocket and handed it to Diana. When she opened it to the section of the access points, a huge grin crossed her face.
"What is it?" Matthew urged, interested in what she could possibly be seeing that he wasn't.
"Can I see your notes for a moment? I want to check something first." She requested shyly.
Matthew handed her his note pad and she flipped a few pages and nodded her head before flipping past a few more until she came to the page with his notes from his interaction with Peter Knox at 'La Pierre Asylum'. Another smile crossed her face.
"Please tell me you got the name of the taxi company he used?" She pointed out, showing him the page with the note he made about Knox taking a taxi home from the New Year's party.
"Ahhh…no, why exactly?" He posed.
"To prove his alibi of course." She smirked once more.
"Why does it matter what taxi company he used?" Matthew questioned.
"Because I don't think he caught a taxi at all, Matthew." She smiled. "Look here," she began, pointing to one of the manholes on the map that granted access to the tunnels. "When he left the party, there was no one outside and this access point location would have been close to the sidewalk and hidden behind that tree in front of the house. He could have simply walked down the street, and met a waiting Gillian in the access tunnel." Diana stated triumphantly.
"You think Gillian was already down there?"
"I suspect so, yes. Your notes confirm that she was missing right after dinner. Not even around for the dining room cleanup." She relayed. "This page here shows you spoke with a few of the servers and they had all commented that she was nowhere to be found. So, why not theorize that before dinner had even concluded, she had escaped through a secret passage and lie in wait for Knox." She finalized.
"Okay, but why?" he posed. "Simply because they're working together." He offered in reply to his own question.
Diana nodded, "Earlier, you commented that the time it would take to walk those two miles was 30 to 40 minutes and I can't see Knox running." She explained.
"Yeah, I agree." He commented.
"Well, maybe he came prepared so he didn't have to go back to the asylum at all to ready himself for the party. I mean did anyone actually see him come in through the front door?"
"Shit. That's a good question." He replied. "I mean, Philippe and Ysabeau were greeting guests as they arrived, so I wonder if they remember actually greeting Knox." Matthew wondered.
"Exactly. My theory is, he brought his suit for the party and even toiletry bag with him. Leaving them in the tunnel. Where he left the manuscript after it's theft." She explained. "I figure once he and Gillian secured the manuscript, she went back to her dinner duties." She started, "then, this secret passage here," She pointed to the third page in the copied prints on the coffee table.
"Leads to a guest bathroom on the third floor. My god." Matthew finished for her, leaning back against the couch and running his hands over his face.
"He could have even left the asylum at 4:00PM, arrived in a half hour or a little longer to the house. He did know exactly where to go." Matthew vocalized.
"Yup." Diana agreed.
"Cutting the travel in half, and then he lies in wait to just emerge from another secret passage and join the guests that had already arrived." Matthew continued. "Something else to think about as well, is guests said they witnessed Gerbert and Knox speaking." Matthew informed. "They were here," Matthew pointed to a spot on the blue prints, ", when this conversation took place."
"There's a secret passage under the stairs?" Diana queried.
"According to the archives, yes." Matthew nodded.
"The only way to prove this is to get Knox to tell you what company he used to taxi his sorry ass home." Diana stated in irritation.
Matthew laughed lightly, "Sorry ass?" He smiled.
Diana giggled, "Sorry, I'm tired but I can't stop thinking about this."
"I know, trust me, it's quite the mind f-…" Matthew trailed off, not wanting to curse in front of her.
"Mind fuck?" She giggled, leaning against his arm once more and tilting her head to rest on his shoulder.
"Yeah, that." He agreed.
"I'm not that fragile, you can curse in front of me." She stated.
"You know this all makes sense in how it was done, but tomorrow, I think it would be prudent to request Miriam and her team join us. We don't want to disturb any possible evidence that could still be in these passages and tunnels that can confirm our theories." Matthew suggested.
"I agree." Diana replied.
"The last thing we need to do, is erase a trail they could have left." He added.
Diana yawned, big and wide. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you to bed." Matthew stated, standing from the couch and offering her his hand.
They moved towards the hallway when they were startled by a strange knock on the door off the kitchen with a weird cadence to it.
"What's that?" Diana called in surprise, clutching at Matthew's arm.
"Shhh… It's okay. That's Gallowglass's knock, so I know it's him." He soothed. Diana released her grip on his arm in relief.
"Well go get it then, I wanna know what he has to say now." She teased with a smile, pushing him gently ahead and following him into the kitchen. She grabbed a couple tumblers from the cupboard and the whiskey that Matthew likes, before pouring out about two fingers worth into three glasses.
"Matthew!" Gallowglass called urgently as Matthew let him in.
Diana noticed that he looked disheveled, as though he'd run the whole way here. "Looks like you could use this." Diana offered, handing him one of the tumblers.
"Aye, thank ya, lass." He nodded, downing it all in one gulp. Without a second thought, she handed him a second before handing the third to Matthew and he nodded his thanks.
"Sit down, what has you so frazzled?" Matthew inquired, as they all took seats at the table.
"Knox has this woman locked up." He began, sipping at the second glass this time. "The fourth floor is solitary confinement and she's been there since the night of that party." He relayed.
"Do you know her name?" Diana interjected.
"Gillian Chamberlain." He stated. Matthew and Diana looked at one another, knowing they'd finally found their missing server from the New Year's party. "But it's what they're doin' to her that has me rattled." He confessed. Diana retrieved the whiskey and poured a bit more into each glass, taking one for herself.
"What do you mean what they're doing to her?" Matthew questioned, sipping from his own whiskey.
"ECT is what they're doin'. Shock Therapy." He clarified. "And they're druggin' her up so she spends the day either high or sleeping from the ECT." He explained.
"What's shock therapy?" Diana questioned.
Gallowglass turned his attention to her, "It's when they use a pulse of electric current that's around, I'd say 800 milliamperes, which is equal to about 0.9 volts." He explained. "Then, they attach two electrodes on each side of your head, around the temple, for several seconds." He continued. "It causes a seizure and is supposed to treat things like depression." Gallowglass ended.
"That sounds awful." Diana commented.
"Aye, it can be, especially because Knox is torturing the poor girl." He admitted.
Diana gasped in surprised horror that such a method is disused for torment.
"How so?" Matthew asked.
"They're supposed to give the patient an anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant so that when the current passes through them, the convulsions that start are not as bad because of the muscle relaxant." He breathed deep. "But they're not using 800 mA or muscle relaxants or any anaesthetics. This poor girl is thrashing about like a fish outta water!" He exclaimed. "I'm surprised they haven't killed her yet!"
"These electric currents, how much are they giving her?" Diana questioned. Matthew noted the scared tone in her voice at the treatment of this woman.
"Closer to 2000 milliamperes."
"Shit, that's insane." Matthew murmured.
"The shitty part is it's my job to bring her to the ECT room and strap her down. Then I have to stay and watch." He stated woefully. Diana reached a hand over and placed it on his forearm in comfort.
"I can't stay long, but I just needed to tell you that. Also, I think there are more so-called patients in that place that are not really patients." Gallowglass conveyed.
"What do you mean?" Matthew asked, downing the rest of his whiskey.
"The missing girls, the ones we've been trying to track since I went undercover, I've seen three of 'em." He admitted. "And I got no idea how to get them out. Knox has the only skeleton key and his head nurse, Satu has the only set." He explained.
"Satu!" Diana announced in astonishment.
"Aye, lass, you know her?" Gallowglass probed.
"Not exactly. Satu Järvinen was the name of the woman who first brought the manuscript to Diana." Matthew explained. "And I don't think 'Satu', is a common name. Matthew added. "Does she have straight, jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes?" He questioned.
"Aye, that'd be her." Gallowglass nodded.
"She's his head nurse? Then why did she bring me the fucking manuscript?" Diana spoke with outrage.
"I like you, lass, you curse 'em!" Gallowglass laughed gently.
"Maybe she's his head nurse, but maybe she wasn't working with them but, for someone else?" Matthew suggested, looking to Diana.
"You mean the theory of the third person involved. What we discussed with Baldwin in the De Clermont's driveway." Diana confirmed.
"Bingo." Matthew replied.
"What the hell are ya talkin' about?" Gallowglass interjected.
"I have a hunch that someone has hired Knox and Gerbert to steal the manuscript because of the fact that the asylum has secret tunnels below it that lead directly to the De Clermont's manor home, where they access secret passages in the house." Matthew explained. "This third person likely knew about these tunnels and is takin advantage of Knox and Gerbert's access to them." He concluded.
"You're shittin' me! Damn." Gallowglass replied. "I better get back. I don't want to be gone too long." He added.
"Try to contact Fernando if you can. You know how he worries. I'm planning to give him a call this week to see if we can come by for a visit." Matthew indicated.
"Be safe, Gallowglass." Diana pressed, hugging him warmly. She tugged him down so she could kiss his cheek and patted Matthew's arm as she went to leave the kitchen. The clock on the wall above the door indicated that it was almost 12:30 AM, and she yawned once more as she trudged down the hall to the bedroom.
Matthew and Gallowglass both watched her leave. "So, ya like the little lass, don't ya?" Gallowglass teased, moving towards the door.
"You know I do." Matthew replied with feigned irritation.
"So, sleepovers are now a regular thing?" He joked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"Not all the time, but when I went to drop her home tonight, we found that someone had once again broken into her office." Matthew confessed.
"Fucking hell! Again?!" Gallowglass whispered in disbelief. Although his idea of a whisper, wasn't very quiet.
"Yeah, but they didn't do anything except remove the bugs." Matthew replied.
Gallowglass nodded and moved to open the door. "You didn't wanna leave her alone there, did ya?" He asked.
Matthew shook his head and he and Gallowglass shared a friendly hug and some parting words before Matthew locked the door after his departure. He gathered the glasses and whiskey and rinsed them in the sink before replacing the whiskey in the kitchen cabinet. With a big yawn and a stretch of his arms over his head, he walked towards the bedroom after turning off the lights.
Diana was laying in the bed closest to the door and away from the window, where it was colder.
"How do we get Gillian out? Or any of those other girls?" She whispered into the dark of the room.
"I really don't know. We need probable cause to enter to do a search, and that means getting a warrant." He explained.
Matthew moved to the other bed and pulled back the covers. "Matthew?" Diana spoke as her eyes watched his every move.
"Hmmm?" He murmured, turning towards her.
"Would you please lay with me? Hold me?" She requested timidly.
Wordlessly, he rounded the bed as Diana pulled back the blankets. He slipped under the sheets and pulled her into his arms, her back to his chest as he nuzzled his face into her neck, kissing her cheek once before resting his head on the pillow.
Diana turned over in his arms to face him. Her eyes met his gaze as her hand cupped his cheek. Tilting her head forward, she pressed her lips to his wantonly. Matthew's arms tightened around her frame, tugging her a little closer. He was the first to pull away, resting his forehead against hers for a moment before kissing her nose. She tucked her head under his chin comfortably.
There was a security in their embrace as their breathing eventually lulled one another to sleep.
…
