“The bookshop? You were just there one day and heard Edwin and a friend talking about Burke and Hare? You cooked all this up from that?”
“No! I was at the bookshop because I figured out my husband gave those two stupid women some of our books to keep them quiet about Mallory and Jack. I found out they’d sold them to Edwin MacAlister! I visited the shop, and he and his friend were talking about Burke and Hare. It was a sign, something telling me I could frame my idiot husband easily. That’s when I started cooking all of this up.”
Oh! I thought. Sophie and Rena were given the books to bribe them to keep quiet about Mallory having an affair with an older man. Who, I wondered, did they think he was? If it wasn’t until after Mallory’s murder that they realized he was Dr. Glenn, no wonder they behaved the way they did.
“Well…” I said. She was brilliant and fierce, but I didn’t want to give her credit for either.
Though I wasn’t sure exactly what to believe, it had become clear that the only thing that could save the people who remained alive, the only hope really, was me. No one would believe anyone but me if they were to hear what had transpired in this anatomy theater. In fact, they might not believe me the whole way, but I stood a better chance than anyone else. I had to survive and talk to the police, tell them what Meg Carson had confessed.
But Lily had to survive too. She shouldn’t have to suffer anymore. I didn’t know how much longer Dr. Carson would revel in her glories. She was going to kill more people if she wasn’t stopped. Immediately. I shared a quick look with Jack Glenn, only long enough so we’d get on the same page, have the same plan.
If he charged at the same time I did, hopefully we could stop Dr. Carson before the scalpel hit home.
A blink and a half later we were charging.
THIRTY-FIVE
I let loose a string of the worst words you could think of, used in the most terrible ways possible.
“I know, that hurt. You’ll feel better in a second,” Jack Glenn said after he put my shoulder back into place.
He wasn’t really a doctor, but he sure knew how to put a shoulder back into place. My arm had been hanging funny, but the paramedics hadn’t arrived yet. He’d offered to put me back together. Caught in the moment and in more pain than anyone should be, I told him it was okay.
We’d charged. And somehow, we saved his daughter from too much damage. The scalpel grazed her forearm before it pierced Meg Carson’s shoe and foot, causing her to forget she was planning another killing spree.
Tom answered when I called, after I called the police while Jack held Meg Carson down. She couldn’t have gone far anyway.
“Where’d you go?” he asked.
I told him, and he and Artair arrived right after my shoulder was fixed.
Inspector Pierce put Dr. Carson, her foot wrapped by a paramedic, in a police car and then turned to face Jack, Lily, Tom, Artair, me, and Dr. Eban, who’d shown up with big freaked-out eyes. He handcuffed Jack even after I gave him a rundown of Dr. Carson’s confession.
“I need a room where we can all go and talk about what’s going on here. You’re probably all going to be under arrest for something, but I’d prefer to get some facts here first.” He looked at me. “Call your attorneys if you want to.”
Artair guided us to a conference room in the library. I’m sure there was a moment of humor in our march across George Square, Artair in the lead, Inspector Pierce and another officer, Reynolds, following behind, but none of us were laughing. In turn, Inspector Pierce, Tom, Artair, and Gaylord asked if I needed to be taken to the hospital. I told them that I was sore, but could move everything just fine. I was eventually going to be really sore and bruised, but I wanted to get this over with.
Tom called Gaylord, who ended up being the only attorney in the room, but stated that he wasn’t officially representing anyone. No protests were voiced.
“What happened to lead you over to the anatomy theater?” Inspector Piece began with me after we all sat down.
Instead of just answering the question, I gave him the entire rundown of what had happened at the bookshop with Bridget beforehand. Those in the room, even those who’d already heard the story, gave me their undivided attention.
“Wait, though,” Inspector Pierce said. “This man,” he nodded at Jack, “was forcing you to go into the theater?” He looked at Lily.
“No, not forcing,” she said. “We were just going inside in a hurry. He’s not really recognizable, but we try to be careful, and we often meet in George Square and Dr. Eban’s theater.”
“Yes,” Dr. Eban said. “They were welcome to go to my theater anytime.”
“How long has this been going on?” Inspector Pierce asked.
Lily looked like she didn’t want to answer.
“I’ve seen my daughter every week since Meg Carson killed her mother, and almost every day since she began school here,” Jack said.
A hum of disbelief filled the room, but Inspector Pierce held up his hand to end it. He looked at Jack. “All the evidence pointed to you. I’m still not convinced you aren’t a killer.”
“She framed me,” Dr. Glenn repeated.
“She confessed in the theater,” I repeated. “She confessed to everything, Inspector Pierce.”
“Did you record it?” he asked me.
“No,” I said. “But I’ll testify.”
Gaylord nodded approvingly.
“You still impersonated a doctor a decade ago,” Inspector Pierce said. “You’re in some trouble.”
“I’m aware.”
“He’s a good man,” Dr. Eban said. “He wasn’t properly educated, but he’s brilliant. I fell for his act at first too, back then, but when it became clear that he really
