Chapter Five
Arthur and Graham met with the man they’d hired to gather information about Arthur’s parents’ murder.
Mr. Sweeney, a former Metropolitan Police inspector, had been thorough with his investigation.
Now they were at Mr. Sweeney’s office inside an older office building.
Originally planned to hold the meeting at Arthur’s home, Sweeney changed his mind with no explanation, only that he preferred to meet at his office.
They sat across from him at his cluttered desk. Papers and files were everywhere, and for a moment, Arthur wondered how the man knew where anything was. Mr. Sweeney, however, seemed to know where everything was.
“How did we get to this point? Are they sure he’s committed other heinous crimes?” Arthur asked, shaking his head. “He certainly fooled us.”
“Yes. I was told by a source of mine that there was a couple who filed a complaint about a month ago after returning from a planned trip to India. The problem being they never made it to India and nearly fell into Mr. Crenshaw’s trap.”
“They were the lucky ones,” Graham mused.
Sweeney ran a hand through a lock of thinning gray hair, pushing it back in place. “Yes, they were extremely lucky.”
“So what happens now?” Arthur asked, crossing his leg and tapping his finger on his knee.
“The fact he was wearing your father’s signet ring when arrested is the most damning evidence they have. He can deny it all he wants, but everyone knows a duke would not give up his ring. Not willingly.”
Arthur nodded in agreement. “They are something passed to the duke’s heir upon his demise.”
“Precisely,” Sweeney replied.
“What happens now?” Graham asked.
“He’s been charged for other murders, but when you claim the ring, I’m quite sure he’ll be charged for murder in your parents’ deaths. From what I know, he used his father’s business as a guide and used it for his own personal gain. By that I mean robbing and murdering clients.”
“He’ll be executed?” Arthur asked. “I think that’s too easy a solution, but he won’t be a burden to society if he were to be locked away for the remainder of his life.”
“You and Roxanne will have closure,” Graham said.
Arthur nodded. “That is true.”
Sweeney rose to his full height, towering over Arthur and Graham. He was quite a tall man compared to most. “Gentlemen, shall we go? We’re meeting with an Inspector Grady.”
“Yes, I’m ready to get this settled,” Arthur said.
It wasn’t a long walk to get to the Metropolitan Police at their New Scotland Yard headquarters. Located on the Victoria Embankment, the new building made a statement for the agency. A more centralized location for all the ground they covered.
Arthur was quite impressed by what he observed.
Everything seemed to be well organized. They were shown right away to Inspector Grady’s office.
The man sitting behind the desk was quite the opposite of Sweeney.
Where Sweeney was tall, Grady was the opposite; short and squatty, a bit on the rotund side, he wore a reddish mustache and had piercing black eyes.
Everyone having greeted the other, they sat and waited for Grady to pull a file off the corner of his desk and dig something out of a drawer. Whatever it was, his fingers clutched around it so no one saw what he held.
“Your Grace, may I offer my condolences. I had met your father several times about a couple of years ago. I know he’s missed.”
“Thank you, Inspector Grady.”
“I’ll try and make this as brief as possible. Crenshaw right now is a guest of the Crown. He won’t be going anywhere except to trial and its outcome. I have no doubt at all that he’ll be found guilty.”
Arthur sat forward in his chair. “Even with this report filed by this couple? It won’t be a he said, they said situation?”
“No. Their descriptions and details were far too precise. Then, of course, when he was arrested, he was in possession of your father’s ring. He couldn’t explain his way out of that one.”
“What can I do?”
“I will need you to make a statement verifying the ring, and if you could attend the trial or even make an appearance, it would be helpful. I understand you will be taking your father’s seat in Parliament?”
“I can do all that. To answer your question, I have decided to take my father’s seat and participate more than he did,” Arthur replied. He sat back again and glanced at Graham. “The earl is married to my sister, so he represents her.”
The inspector nodded. “I can imagine you’re all relieved.”
“Quite so,” Graham said. “My wife will be glad to see this ended even though it can never bring her parents back.”
“Any idea when this will go to trial?” Arthur inquired.
“I expect it’ll take a couple of months but sooner if possible.”
It wasn’t the answer Arthur wanted, but he knew there was a lot of legal maneuvering to be done with attorneys and filings. Crenshaw’s people would want to make a distraction for as long as possible.
“Does Crenshaw have representation?”
“He does, but I don’t think they are who he wanted. From what I understand, his own family’s firm wanted nothing to do with representing him. Not for the charge of murdering a duke and his wife. The man he has is competent but has very little experience in this type of law.”
Arthur nodded thoughtfully. “I see.”
Grady extended his closed fist to Arthur. “Your Grace, I thought you might like to have this back.” He opened his hand and there sat his father’s ring.
“Don’t you need it for trial?” he asked as he reached for the gold ring.
“No, but if it is needed, we know where it is. I couldn’t see it sitting in an evidence box when it could be returned to the rightful owner, so I made some inquiries and got the approval.”
“Thank you. This means a lot,” Arthur whispered.
Grady said nothing but nodded his response.
Sweeney, who had been quiet throughout the meeting and stood in a corner, made a sound in his throat. “Unless there’s anything more, I guess we’ll be on our way, Inspector.”
“Yes, we should be on our way. Thank you for your time,” Arthur said. “Please keep me updated.”
“My pleasure and I shall, Your Grace.”
The threesome walked silently out of his office and exited the building without a word amongst them. They crossed the street. The Thames was within view, making a walk back more pleasant.
“I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted,” Arthur finally announced.
“I’m sure you do. I’m sure Roxanne will feel much the same,” Graham agreed.
“I’ll be sure to stay apprised of the case in case Grady gets busy and forgets to let you know,” Sweeney said.
Arthur nodded and slid a hand inside his jacket and pulled out an envelope. He handed it to Sweeney. “I believe this is what I owe you. If it isn’t, send me a final bill and I will have it taken care of immediately. There’s also a little something extra for all your hard work.”
Sweeney’s eyes bulged as he looked inside the open envelope. Arthur had given him cash as a bonus. “Your Grace, I can’t accept this. It’s far too much.”
“You earned every pound, Sweeney. Take your wife out to dinner or take her on a holiday. You both deserve it.”
“Very well. My thanks, Your Grace.”
“Take the afternoon off. The earl and I are planning to!”
The men shook hands and Sweeney began to depart. “Thank you again, Your Grace. I’ll be in touch if I hear anything about the progress of Crenshaw’s case.”
“I know you will. Take care,” Arthur replied. He and Graham stood for a moment and watched Sweeney disappear into the crowd.
“Fancy a walk?” Graham asked.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Parliament is not too far off. We could go give your office a look over since you’re going to be representing the people as an MP. Lunch if we find some place we like.”
“I thought you had errands to do for my sister?”
“They’re done. I wrote each one of them and asked them to have her order sent to your house,” Graham said with a grin.
“You’re a sly one. Wonder if she asks for something else from any of them?”
“Then I’ll take care of it. I can’t see wasting time going to all these shops when the orders already have been placed. With what Roxanne’s spending on this party, the merchants can deliver.”
They continued towards their destination. It wasn’t a far walk and the day was incredibly nice with a slight breeze and blue skies and barely any clouds. It would be a perfect day for a ride in the park; the crowds would be sparse and the temperature comfortable, but that was for another time.
Soon, the massive neoclassical Westminster Palace, which was commonly referred to as the Parliament Building, came into sight. Arthur had only been inside once since his father’s death and that was to inform the proper channels.
He turned to Graham. “There is plenty of time for that. Today is a time for celebration. Why don’t we go back to White’s, have lunch.
If all of your wife’s purchases have arrived, I suggest we head home.
It’ll be late when we arrive, but frankly, I’m ready to return.
Before you know it, it’ll be time to return. ”
Graham was still staring up at the Parliament Building. “I can understand your point of view and quite frankly, I concur. If we stay, we’ll only get into business and find excuses for staying. Roxanne’s house party begins next week. I don’t want to disappoint her. Let’s go get something to eat.”
“I’m glad you agree. To be honest, I’m not sure I’m up to talking with colleagues about finding my father and mother’s killer. You know the madness is going to begin as soon as it hits the newspapers. I haven’t had time to digest what just happened.”
Nodding, Graham laid his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I understand. It’s a lot to digest. Going to White’s may not be the best place to go.”
“We’ll request a table in a corner or a private room if one’s available. I’ll be fine.”
“If you’re sure, let’s be on our way. After the morning we’ve had, I’m famished.”
Arthur bit out a laugh. “You’re always hungry.”