Sebastian nodded grimly, and the two men silently left the building, heading down the street to their favorite pub. Neither of them said a word until they’d settled in a booth near the back with frothy pints setting in front of them.
“What the hell is wrong with Blackstone?” O’Brien asked at last. “He doesn’t seem himself.”
“I thought the same,” Sebastian agreed, glad he wasn’t the only one who’d thought the entire exchange had been strange. “Perhaps he’s just upset about Lady Evelyn. I doubt he’s ever had to deal with the murder of someone in his own circle.”
O’Brien nodded and drank deeply, staring at a spot over Sebastian’s head as he obviously tried to work it all out in his head. “This is a hell of a thing.”
“I can’t stop thinking that we should know who it is, that there’s a clue we’re missing. I think we should talk about Prometheus again.” He took a deep breath, about to explain once again why his theory made sense. The bastard who’d thrown O’Brien off the back of that carriage and had caused his injury had been wearing a cloak and the Prometheus mask, for God’s sake.
But O’Brien held up a hand, stopping him. “You have to let go of that idea,” he said firmly. “I can’t tell you how, but I know with one hundred percent certainty that Prometheus is not The Viper.”
“How could you possibly...?” Sebastian trailed off. “You know who Prometheus is, don’t you?”
O’Brien nodded grimly. “For quite some time now, actually.”
The look of pained loyalty on his friend’s face made the last of the pieces fall into place. “It’s one of your brothers-in-law, isn’t it?”
“Someone used the Prometheus mask to throw us off their trail,” O’Brien said, and the fact that he didn’t deny Sebastian’s accusation was not lost on him. “Prometheus has been a friend to us, helping clean up places that sold children for nefarious purposes. While I haven’t always appreciated his methods, I can’t argue with his results.”
Nodding, Sebastian sank back against his seat. “I suppose you’re right. But damn it. That leaves us with nothing.”
“A snuffbox. A woman who is nothing like the others. The location of Postman’s Park, his familiarity with the gardener’s cottage.” O’Brien grimaced. “I’ve been over this in my head a million times, and adding Evelyn Lindsay to the bastard’s victims makes no sense.”
“Well, we better figure it out. We have to catch this bastard,” Sebastian said grimly. “I simply cannot abide this monster killing again.”