Read A Lesson in Chemistry With Inspector Bruce for Free Online Page A

Father enjoys a bit of sherry—”
    “And I’ll need one after dealing with Reggie Fitzpatrick,” Mr. Rose boomed. A balding gentleman of affable expression entered the room. “I do hope your afternoon was more enjoyable than my own.”
    Archie shot up from the sofa and Fiona hastily made introductions. Her father had the same gray-green eyes, which sparkled with good humor under bushy brows. Archie waited for Mr. Rose to settle into the wing chair opposite. “Fiona has been telling me something of your work in rubber adhesives,” he said.
    “Happy to report there may be a small contract in the offing with Bishop and Sons, medical manufacturers of surgical cloth and various other items. They hope to start shipping a new line of rubber-coated cloth by early next year.”
    Fiona beamed. “That’s wonderful, Father.”
    “Should be a steady source of income for years to come.” As the older man spoke, Archie noticed a drop in one eyelid and a slight speech impediment. “Pour your tired old father a glass of the Tio Pepe, if you would, Fee.”
    Fiona opened a cabinet in a breakfront and removed a bottle. “Would you like a glass, Mr. Bruce—I mean, Archie?”
    “Nothing for me.”
    She handed the sherry to her father. “Archie is interested in malleable adhesives.”
    Mr. Rose looked up at her and over to him. “Is that right?”
    She removed his calling card from a skirt pocket and placed it in her father’s hand. “Archie is the director of the . . . crime laboratory.” She leaned close and lowered his spectacles from his head to his nose. She turned to Archie. “Is that what you call it?”
    He smiled at the sweet interaction with her father, as well as the sway of bustle, as she pivoted to make eye contact. “Crime lab is an excellent way of putting it, yes.”
    Her father took a sip of sherry and narrowed his eyes. “All right, Mr. Bruce, what did my daughter do this time to warrant Scotland Yard after us?” His piercing gaze moved from Archie, to Fiona, then back to Archie. The long silence was dreadful, before he winked.
    Fiona giggled.
    Mr. Rose crinkled his eyes.
    Archie couldn’t suppress a grin.
    SUPPER WAS A casual affair indeed. The Roses employed a Mrs. Gallagher, who, as it turned out, was both a spotless housekeeper and quite a wonderful cook. He devoured his meal and had two helpings of blackberry pie. After dinner, Mr. Rose invited him down to his lab, behind the pharmacy. No lawn or posies in this garden, as the laboratory took up most of the space, along with a physic garden filled with aromatic herbs grown for medicinal purposes.
    “Fiona used to raise a sizable patch of lavender and carnations every summer, but her soaps became so popular, she began purchasing the essential oils from a distillery in France.”
    Archie joined Mr. Rose at the edge of the garden. “It appears you have a thriving family business here.”
    The man’s gaze traveled down a neat row of chervil. “I had a stroke three years ago. Fairly minor, as it turns out, but enough to frighten Mrs. Rose. She’s been pushing Fiona ever since to take the major and become licensed. I’m afraid it’s caused a bit of a distance between the two of them.”
    Fiona’s father gestured toward the shed. “Another commercial contract, and I might be able to leave my wife and daughter some financial security.” He removed the padlock on the large shed that served as the chemist’s lab. “Now, as I understand it, you need to find a way to transfer fingerprints back to your laboratory.”
    “Yes, sir.” Archie ducked inside the door. “Once I have the protocols and procedures in place, we can collect prints from the crime scene for possible future matches—repeat offenders, to start with.”
    Fiona’s father stopped in his tracks and turned back. “Seems to me you’re going to change the way crime is solved in this country—shake things up a bit.”
    The man evaluated him closely and Archie met his gaze. “If I