"What time did you reach the Gillises' home?" I asked.

"About ten o'clock, I think. Many others arrived at that time, as well. I remember that the square was packed with carriages."

"When you walked into the house, did you note who was around you? Who went in before and after you did?"

Louisa's brow furrowed. "I am not certain. I cannot remember, Gabriel. It seems as though it took place in another lifetime."

"Why is it important, anyway, Lacey?" Lady Aline interrupted. "Surely it's only important whether Brandon went near the Turner fellow."

"I am thinking along the lines of the knife. Brandon said he did not even know he had it with him. Perhaps he is lying, perhaps not. In either case, what if someone picked his pocket and obtained the knife that way? In the crush at the front door, with people milling about trying to enter the house all at once, a hand could easily slip into Brandon's pocket and purloin the knife."

Aline gave me an incredulous look. "Do you mean to say that a guest of Lord Gillis was an accomplished pickpocket? All of Mayfair would swoon."

"Not necessarily a guest. Footmen and maids surround their masters and mistresses. Lord Gillis's own servants usher in the guests and take their wraps."

"Well, good Lord," Lady Aline said. "Then everyone in the house, from the master to the scullery maid and everyone in between, could have murdered Mr. Turner."

"Yes," I said, feeling gloomy. "They all could have. We need to pare down the number to the ones most likely, and from there we will find the culprit."

"You make it sound alarmingly simple," Aline said, a wry twist to her lips. "How can we?"

"By asking rude and impertinent questions. Something I excel at."

Lady Aline looked amused. I was not known for my patience, especially in situations with dire consequences, like this one.