Late for the Wedding by Amanda Quick

to
    tamper with the laudanum. In the garden below the bed chamber, I
    discovered a scrap of fine black silk that had snagged on a tree
    branch. I eventually located the shop where it had been sold and got
    a description of the man who had purchased it."
      Brilliant work, sir."
      Other clues came to light." Tobias paused.   I will not bore you with
    the rest of the details. Suffice it to say that one thing led to another
    and eventually I identified the killer. But he realized that I was clos
    ing in on him."
      Did he flee the country?"
    Tobias put one foot on the low stone wall and braced his forearm
    on his thigh. He appeared to be lost in whatever he was looking at
    on the dark horizon.
      No," he said eventually.   He considered himself a gentleman who
    had challenged me to a lethal duel of sorts. When he perceived that
    he had lost, he chose to put a pistol to his head."
      I see."
      I found his collection of memento-mori rings together with his
    journal of accounts detailing the crimes stored in a hidden safe in
    his study."
      Good heavens, he actually kept a journal of accounts?"
    Yes."
      What of the rings? Why did he leave them at the scenes of his
    crimes?"
      I believe that the rings were his signature, his way of taking
    credit for the murders."
    She stared at him, appalled.   You mean he signed his horrid deeds
    the way an artist signs a painting?"
      Yes. He took pride in his skills, you see. Obviously, he could not
    risk boasting openly in his club, so he settled for leaving a memento
    mori ring among the victims" possessions."
      Thank God you realized what he was about and put a stop to his
    career."
      The entire affair was hushed up, of course. There was never any
    direct proof of murder, and none of the wealthy families involved
    wanted   to invite the scandal of an investigation." Tobias's voice
    hardened.   I have often thought that if I had paid closer attention
    and acted more quickly, I might have saved some lives."
      Rubbish." She went to stand directly in front of him.   That is quite
    enough of that sort of talk, Tobias. I will not have you blaming your
    self because you did not solve the case immediately. It sounds as if
    no one even realized that people were being murdered until you put
    the pieces of the puzzle together. Obviously you identified an
    extremely clever killer who would no doubt have continued to
    murder indefinitely if you had not stopped him."
    Tobias clenched his hand very fiercely around the ring and said
    nothing.
      Did this man commit murder merely for the sport of it?" she
    asked.   Or did he have some crazed motive?"
      There is no doubt but that he did it, in part, for the money," Tobias
    said.   He took fees for each of the deaths. The transactions were all
    neatly recorded in the journal of accounts, complete with the dates
    of the deeds and the amounts he had received. He was quite careful
    to protect his clients. Their names were not written down. Evidently
    they, in turn, never knew the identity of the man they had hired to
    do cold-blooded murder."
      A professional murderer for hire," she whispered. What a truly
    appalling way to make a living. You said this man was a gentleman?"
      Indeed. He possessed excellent manners, an eye for fashion, and
    a good deal of charm. He was well-liked by both men and women. He
    never lacked for invitations. Belonged to two or three clubs. In short,
    he moved freely in Society." Tobias looked at the little death's-head.
      That was his hunting ground, you see."
      Hunting ground. What an unpleasant turn of phrase."
      He found his clients and his victims in the polite world. He had
    nothing but disdain for ordinary footpads, thieves, and murderers.
    He did not consider himself a common criminal."
      Yes, well, as we have discovered, sir, there are any number of
    criminals born into respectable circles." She paused, concerned more
    than ever by his haunted mood. The events of that case three