House of Salt and Sorrows(48)

“No!” The collar of my dress felt unspeakably tight, and I was certain my cheeks were stained apple red. “I just…There’s a bakery down the road that’s well known for it…if you like that kind of thing.”

“I love strudel,” he confessed. “Cherry is my favorite, and I find it even better when shared in pleasant company. But I really must go today. Could I meet you there tomorrow?”

I opened my mouth, eager to accept, but a scream cut me off. It came from outside, followed by shouts for help.

Cassius leaned over me, peering out the window. For a brief second, I could smell his cologne, warm and amber. As he pulled away, I longed to smell it again.

He and several patrons rushed out of the tavern. There was another scream, and my blood ran cold. It sounded like Camille. Had something happened to one of the triplets? The Graces hopped down from the barstools, looking as if they were going to run into the street as well.

“Stay here,” I told them, throwing my cloak over my shoulders. “At the table. I’ll be right back.”

A group gathered farther down the street outside the clock shop. I let out a sigh of relief as I saw Camille and all three of the triplets on the outer edge. They clung to each other, tears in their eyes.

“What’s going on? What happened?” I asked, unable to keep from squeezing their arms, making sure they were all right.

“He’s dead,” Camille sobbed, trembling hands wrapping around me. “He’s really dead.”

My heart stopped as I searched the crowd, looking for Fisher. “Where is he?”

She shook her head and folded herself back into Rosalie, brushing away tears.

“Fisher?” I called out, pushing my way through the pressing crowd. “Fisher?” My voice cracked, turning into a shriek as I shoved my way to the front of the circle.

“Annaleigh, no!” Cassius said, suddenly beside me, pulling me back, away from the rain puddle.

Glancing down, I screamed.

It wasn’t rain.

Edgar lay in a growing spread of blood, his body broken and smashed on the cobblestones. His spectacles lay feet away, one of the lenses cracked. Fisher knelt next to him with his ear pressed to Edgar’s chest, searching for signs of life. After a long moment, he looked up at the crowd and sadly shook his head.

A woman fainted, falling into a deep swoon and causing a flurried commotion as her companions tried to catch her.

“What happened?”

“He was at the second-story window and just…fell,” a man near us said, pointing up at the storefront.

Cassius tried shielding me from the chaos, turning me away from the sight of the body, but I squirmed free.

“He jumped?”

The man shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I heard his sweetheart died recently,” a woman near us mentioned, overhearing our conversation. “It was all too much for the poor man.” She made a tsk of sadness before returning to her business.

This didn’t make any sense. I’d just spoken with him. We had a plan to meet next week. He wanted to find out what happened to Eulalie. To find out who had…

Who had killed her.

I looked up to the sharp pitch of the shop’s roof and the open window, remembering the creaking floorboard. Someone had been up there with him. Edgar hadn’t been alone.

Whoever pushed Eulalie from the cliffs had been with Edgar before he fell. I was certain of it. Breaking free from Cassius, I rushed toward the shop, ignoring his protests. If I didn’t get up to the second floor right now, I would miss the killer.

I skirted around where Edgar lay and smashed into Fisher’s chest.

“Annaleigh, what are you doing?” he asked, grabbing at my wrists to stop me.

“I need to go in there. To go upstairs. Fisher, you have to help me!”

“Help you what?”

“Find the killer! They’re inside!”

“Killer?” he repeated, fumbling to keep hold of me as I writhed from his grasp. “Annaleigh, there’s no killer. I saw it happen. He jumped.”

“He was pushed!”

“No, he wasn’t.”

“Let go of me!” I screeched, stomping at his feet.

Fisher’s arms surrounded me, holding in my flailing arms. “Calm down, Annaleigh. You’re making a scene.”

He pulled me against his chest, and I caught sight of my sisters, their eyes wide with horror. Cassius’s eyebrows were furrowed with concern. Dozens of onlookers surrounding Edgar’s body watched my fit. I let out a shaky breath, feeling myself deflate.

I turned away, unable to stand their gazes upon me. I looked up to meet Fisher’s eyes, beseeching. “Fisher, I know you’re mad at me, but please? Please come with me and look? I was visiting Edgar earlier. We heard a floorboard creak upstairs. Someone was there. Someone was listening to us! I have to know who.”

“I’m not mad at you, Annaleigh. I—I’ve been embarrassed about what happened, but not mad. I could never be mad at you.”

“Then help me, please? We need to find them before they get away.”

He raked his fingers through his hair with a loud sigh. “I’ll go look. But I promise, there was no one at the window but Edgar. Stay here.”

“Be careful!” I called after him.