Read Online Otherwise Engaged by Amanda Quick - Free Book Online Page B

Doncaster,” Logan said. He set his cup and saucer on a nearby table and took out a small notebook and a pencil. “Please accept my sympathies. I have read my predecessor’s reports and I have the greatestadmiration for you. Your quick thinking and bold action no doubt saved your life and may well lead to the capture of the monster.”
    “I was fortunate,” Amity said.
    “Yes.” Logan eyed her with a thoughtful expression. “How, exactly, did you manage to escape? The reports I inherited from my predecessor were rather vague.”
    “That is very likely because your predecessor displayed little interest in the details I tried to supply.” She touched the fan that dangled from her chatelaine. “In my travels abroad I have picked up one or two odd skills. An acquaintance of my father’s gave me this fan and taught me how to use it in self-defense.” She gripped the fan and snapped it open with a sharp, practiced motion to display the elegant painting. “The ribs are made of sharpened steel. The steel leaves can be employed to deflect a blade. The top edges of the leaves are honed. In effect, my fan is a knife.”
    Logan looked first stunned and then intrigued. “Good lord. I’ve never seen anything like that. Every woman should carry one.”
    “It requires some training and considerable practice,” she said. “I do not claim to be an expert. Nevertheless, a sharp object of any kind can be extremely useful in the sort of situation that I was forced to deal with.”
    Logan nodded. “Indeed. But it also requires clearheaded thinking and the will to employ the weapon.”
    “My sister possesses both qualities,” Penny said calmly. “I cannot imagine her panicking under any circumstances. I sincerely doubt that I would be so coolheaded in such a situation.”
    Amity snapped the fan closed. “I must tell you that although I have traveled around the world, the only place I have ever had to employ this fan in self-defense was here in London.”
    “London has never been known as a safe place,” Benedict observed.
    “Certainly not now with that dreadful killer on the loose,” Penny said.
    “I regret to say that the Yard has not distinguished itself in this case,” Logan said. “To be quite honest, we are at a standstill. That is why my superior put me in charge of this investigation. He is hoping that fresh eyes will see clues that have been overlooked.”
    Benedict lounged against a wall and folded his arms. “What do you know of this killer, Inspector?”
    “Over the course of the past year the bodies of four women—all of whom appear to have been murdered by the same individual—have been found dumped in various alleys around the city,” Logan said.
    Penny stared at him. “But I thought the Bridegroom was believed to have committed only three murders, Inspector.”
    “Three bodies have been found in the past three months,” Logan said. “However, a year ago a woman was murdered in an identical manner. We—I—believe that she was the first victim.”
    Benedict frowned. “If that is true, there was a considerable gap in time between the first death and the next three murders.”
    “Approximately eight months,” Logan said. “That time factor is one of the many mysteries involved in this case.” He looked at Amity. “We are in desperate need of information.”
    “I will assist you in any way I can,” Amity said.
    “Can you describe the man who grabbed you off the street?”
    “I did not see his face,” she said. “He wore a mask made of black silk. I can tell you a few more things about him but I fear they may not be terribly helpful.”
    “At this point any details would be better than what I have now,” Logan said.
    “Very well, then, I will give you my impressions. His speech was that of an upper-class gentleman.”
    Logan appeared quite startled. Benedict, however, took the information in stride. Evidently the notion of a well-bred, aristocratic gentleman who was also a vicious