The Edge of Dreams (Molly Murphy Mysteries, #14)

I had been weighing the facts on the slow ride back to the station, trying to see them impartially.

“Perhaps not so remarkable,” I replied. “I suppose as one of the leaders in his field it was natural that he would be invited to see the patients at such an institution. And, as an expert on dreams, he was the one recommended by Professor Freud to treat Mabel.”

“It just seems strange that Edward Deveraux’s name never came up in conversation,” Daniel said.

“How would Dr. Werner know that Mabel was in any way connected to the Deveraux family? Sid and Gus found him and took him to see the girl at her aunt’s house. All the same, I don’t usually believe in coincidence, and neither do you.”

“You know where this Dr. Werner lives, do you?”

“Sid and Gus do. But he may no longer be in the city. When we last saw him, he had his passage booked on a liner sailing to Germany. He said he was looking forward to going home after being away for so long.”

“So he will not be treating the Hamilton girl after all?”

“He suggested that her relatives send her to a clinic in Switzerland, where he will have time to treat her. He said cases like hers could not be rushed.”

“I can see that,” Daniel said. “All the same, I don’t know whether we can allow her to leave the city. She is our one witness, if she ever recovers her memory.”

“I don’t think she wants to go, actually,” I said. “I wouldn’t, if I felt alone and vulnerable and I was currently safe in the bosom of my family.”

Daniel nodded. “So Dr. Werner wasn’t able to interpret her dreams? Neither was your friend Augusta?”

I sighed. “He seemed to think that the snake in her dreams was a common symbol for a young girl going through puberty. Apparently most of our dreams symbols are connected to sex, according to Professor Freud.”

We had been talking in low voices but there was a horrified intake of breath from the stout matron sitting opposite us, obviously the type who enjoys eavesdropping. I realized that polite society did not condone the mention of any bodily function. It certainly didn’t condone the mention of sex. I looked at Daniel, and we exchanged a grin as the woman pretended to concentrate on her knitting.

“I’m just wondering whether today was essentially a waste of time and police money,” Daniel said as we neared the end of our journey and the Manhattan skyline appeared on our left across the Hudson. “True, we learned that Dr. Werner was there when Deveraux killed himself, and that is indeed an unexpected and interesting fact. But it was also confirmed that Edward Deveraux was essentially a loner who developed no close friends or confidants. Certainly nobody who would have killed for him.”

“I wonder why he suddenly decided to attack Dr. Werner, after so many years of docility?” I said.

Daniel shrugged. “Maybe the doctor’s questions probed too near to the bone for Deveraux’s liking, Dr. Werner may have gotten Deveraux to admit something he didn’t want to face. Werner is a leading alienist, after all.”

“And when Edward Deveraux realized he’d confessed something he should have kept quiet about, he decided to silence the doctor.”

“Or…” Daniel paused, waving a finger as he thought. “Maybe Deveraux had decided to end his life, and killing an eminent alienist before he died was to be his last defiance. I’ve seen it often enough—I’m going to go, but I’m going to take you with me.”

“That makes sense too,” I said. “I hope Dr. Werner hasn’t already left New York. He may have his own thoughts on Edward’s motive.”

“I must go to headquarters when we get into the city,” Daniel said. “Let’s hope I’m not now in more trouble for wasting police money on a useless jaunt. Can you visit your friends and find out Dr. Werner’s address for me?”

“Of course. And should I bring it to you at Mulberry Street?”

“Probably not,” Daniel said. “If we happened to bump into the assistant commissioner again, I don’t think that would go down well. I may have to put off visiting Werner until later.”

“How much time do we have, Daniel?” I could feel the urgency building up inside me. “He’s leaving any moment now. We have to speak to him first.”

Daniel shrugged. “Is it that crucial?”

“Of course it is. We need every detail of what transpired between him and Edward, everything Edward might have said to him. There has to be come vital insight that we’ve all missed. And Dr. Werner may have seen Mabel Hamilton again. She may have revealed something to him that will make sense to us.”