The Edge of Desire by Stephanie Laurens

killing Randall—quickly and cleanly, even strangling him—but what I cannot imagine is him doing so and then fleeing. If Justin had killed Randall, brutally or not, he would have been the one to raise the alarm. Quite aside from it being unusual for a Vaux to decline to appear in a scene of high drama, they’re incredibly proud, something that goes bone-deep, alongside their stubbornness.”
    Tristan pressed his lips together, then stated, “Everything you’ve said—all we’ve found and all we feel—about Justin Vaux suggests, strongly, that he’s acting to protect someone.”
    Christian nodded. “I agree.”
    “So the question is: Who?” Tristan shifted. “Let me play devil’s advocate. Could Lady Letitia have killed Randall, and Justin then acted to protect her by deflecting attention to himself?”
    Christian had already considered it. “I can readily believe Justin acting in that way—it would fit his character as I know it to a T.” He met Tristan’s gaze. “But equally I know, absolutely, that Letitia did not kill Randall. While I admit she had, on the surface, a motive of sorts in opposing Randall’s plans for her sister, she could have—and would have—dealt with that easily enough by other means. In that disagreement, the power lay with her and she knew it. Beyond that, she has no motive. And beyond that again, I seriously doubt she has it in her to intentionally kill anyone, and if she’d unintentionally harmed Randall, lethally or otherwise, not being the sort to readily lose her wits, she would have summoned assistance immediately.”
    Tristan held his gaze steadily. “As devil’s advocate, I would have to point out that she might not have done the actual killing.”
    It took Christian a moment to realize what Tristan was implying.
    As understanding dawned, Tristan went on, “If, as it appears, the marriage had deteriorated, it’s not inconceivable that Letitia has a lover. Perhaps she schemed with her lover and he killed Randall. Or perhaps the lover acted on his own initiative and killed Randall without her knowledge. As for motive, who can tell what goes on between man and wife—what passions and jealousies might come into play?” Tristan broke off, then continued, “I was going to suggest that perhaps Randall’s death came about in self-defense, but that won’t wash given the injuries.”
    “Indeed.” Christian hesitated. “I don’t believe that Letitia has a lover, certainly not a recent one.” He didn’t want to believe that she might, even now, have a lover in the wings. He forced himself to evenly say, “But I can’t swear to it.” He straightened from his slouch. “I’ll make discreet inquiries.”
    They revisited the items on their investigative list. “So we have three fronts,” Christian summarized. “Justin Vaux—both his whereabouts and any hint of a motive, on neither of which we have any firm information. Secondly, we need to confirm if Letitia has a lover, and therefore some motive beyond what we know, and if said lover might be involved.”
    “And lastly,” Tristan said, “Randall himself. We need to know much more about him, especially if neither Justin Vaux nor his sister are the murderers.”
    Christian grimaced. “Indeed. Once we eliminate them…at present the field is empty.”
    “Which is going to make it doubly hard to argue the Vaux’s combined innocence.”
    Christian nodded and stood. “I’ll look into Randall and his circumstances, and inquire about any lover Letitia may have. But first I’ve an appointment with Pringle—I asked him to take a look at Randall’s body.”
    “An excellent idea. Meanwhile I”—Tristan rose, too—“will scout through the clubs for more pertinent information on Justin Vaux—whether anyone knows of any reason he might have headed to Dover, or if, as we suspect, he was merely blazing a trail for us to waste time following.”
     
    Christian met Pringle in an anteroom off the police morgue.
    While