Raisins and almonds - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)

Raisins and Almonds 1
Lee’s character, not to mention to ensure the safety of Phryne,
Dr. Treasure and the students.
‘Someone is hunting for that formula,’ said Phryne. ‘He is
so desperate now that he will follow up any hint or rumour. I
intend to supply the hint and spread the rumour. The paper is
in Miss Lee’s shop, I will say. The student did as he was bid, and
placed the paper in a book before he was murdered.’
‘But he must know that we have the formula!’ objected
Robinson.
‘This is a nasty twisty mind, Jack dear. If we have it, why hasn’t
he found it? He can’t get to Dr. Treasure, I fervently hope.’ Jack
Robinson nodded. ‘He can’t get anything from me, either, not
even outright assault worked. Miss Lee doesn’t know anything,
the students aren’t telling, and he hasn’t been able to get into the
bookshop, has he? It was a goodish plan, if you like elaborate
schemes,’ said Phryne, who didn’t. ‘All he had to do was wait. The
formula was hidden so that no one could find it. He just had to
wait until he could walk into the shop and buy the volume. He
didn’t know that Miss Lee would be charged—he didn’t care, may
the fire in his stomach boil his brains. It works for him, either way.
Either she is released and comes back to her shop tomorrow, or
she is sold up and he buys the book from the sale.’
‘So tomorrow he just has to go in and purchase it,’ said
Robinson. ‘We can’t arrest a man for buying a book—not that
sort of book, anyway. He could just claim that he had a taste
for Walter Scott or whichever it was. Or was missing Volume 9
from his 1911 Hansard.’
‘Yes, that’s the flaw. We need to precipitate the action.’
‘And how do we do that?’ asked Bert, with deep suspicion.
‘We announce, in certain company, that Miss Lee has donated
a big box of unsold books to the Fiji and Island Mission. She’s a
Methodist, you know. It’s credible because she did exactly that
two months ago, though what the South Sea Islanders are going
to make of Volume 3 of The Proceedings of The Royal Society
for 1896, Hansard, Walter Scott’s Letters and the Rev. Walters’
Sermons is more than she or I can imagine. She’s packed it in