“At every turn you seem to be ruining my life. Everyone is dying around me and nothing is being done.”
“Caroline—“
“Just leave, please. You’re like the angel of death,” she said with angry tears in her eyes.
Val sighed and left the room. When Caroline heard the door open and close, she sat back down on the couch and closed her eyes tightly. She had handled that all wrong, lashing out at Val when he had done nothing wrong. She felt horrible and angry at herself. When she thought of Prudie lying cold and alone in the morgue she threw an arm over her forehead and let the hot tears spill out.
???
Val felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders as he left Caroline’s townhouse and headed back to the office. He knew she was angry and lashing out but her words stung him deeply. He felt angry and unhappy when he returned to the station. Felix was at his desk reviewing files when he returned.
“Let’s go take another look at the opium den,” he said.
“Right Sir,” Felix said sharply.
It was almost sunset when they arrived at the opium den. Val knocked on the front door but they gained entrance through the back door as they had done before. Once inside they were in for a surprise.
“Oh, Jesus and the saints,” Felix swore as they made their way through the den.
The den was almost entirely empty. There was some trash here and there but no furniture, no red lanterns and almost nothing to give them any clue about the occupants.
Val shook his head as they walked through the empty rooms. He kicked at the trash left behind and bent down to rummage through it. Old newspapers and bits of nothing so he moved on. In the last room that was actually the front room nearest the main door there was another pile of trash. Felix moved away from it but Val bent down to look through it.
When he saw the object he almost started to grin. All this time he had had his doubts, but no longer. He thought perhaps he was trying to make leads where there were none. But now here was the proof in his hand. He smiled and called out to Felix.
He showed him the object and Felix whistled lowly. “I’ll be damned.”
“He’s playing with us. I’ll make him rue the day,” Val promised as he looked down.
Inside the palm of his hand was a beautifully formed primrose left behind by the killer as a token to taunt Val. He placed it in his jacket pocket.
“Let’s go.”
???
Caroline picked at her mutton while her father and grandmother ate their dinner with gusto.
“What’s wrong, my dear?” Her grandmother asked.
“I was going to save it until after dinner. It’s not for table discussion.” She told them both.
“Has something happened?” Her father asked.
“Yes.”
“Something bad.”
She nodded.
“Let’s leave it for after dinner. In the meantime, do you want something lighter? Bread and cheese? Soup? Broth?” Malvina asked.
“No Gran.” She took a long sip of the water.
“Something else is troubling you?”
“I quarreled with the Inspector. With Val. I’m afraid I was very cruel to him.”
Hubert smiled at this. “No doubt he understood you were not yourself.”