Chapter 23 #2
We spent the journey going over everything we knew about the case so far, while I did my best to make the baron fit.
“You can’t pin him as the killer just because he lied to you,” Mr. Dorian pointed out.
“I know that. But it’s awfully convenient, isn’t it? He knew Oliver. We know he attended the private auction with Charles—”
“We suspect,” he corrected me.
“Yes,” I amended. “We suspect. And he has an interest in Grecian artifacts.”
“Just like dozens of other wealthy men in this city.”
I let out a short sigh and stared out the window as that very city passed by. “All right. So I can’t explain it all at the moment. But I—”
“I will concede that it is possible he may have some connection to your husband’s …
activities,” he began, taking care not to name them.
“But as for murdering Charles Pearson, you need a motive. And besides, I’m sure the baron has an alibi.
There were dozens of people in his house the night of the murder. ”
“He could have slipped away and come back without anyone noticing. Or perhaps he had an accomplice.” I recalled his large, scary butler, who had been staring daggers at Charles that night.
Mr. Dorian gave a reluctant nod. “I suppose. But Miles will need a hell of a lot more than that for a conviction.”
He was entirely right, but I couldn’t shake the growing certainty I felt. “I’m sure we can find whatever we will need for that,” I said, with a confident nod.
The coach stopped in front of a nondescript brick row house on a quiet road. Mr. Dorian glanced out the window with a wary look.
“If you don’t want to go,” I began, but he turned to me sharply.
“Nonsense,” he said as he pushed open the door. “Let’s get this over with.”
Mr. Dorian handed me down, and together we approached the house. The wary look had now been replaced with a disapproving frown, which I personally didn’t think would be very helpful, but I decided to keep that observation to myself.
When we reached the front door, Mr. Dorian knocked loudly three times, and we waited. “He might not even be here,” he said, clearly agitated before knocking once more.
“I know,” I replied in a gentle tone.
But just as he raised his fist yet again, there was a shuffling sound from the other side of the door. I could feel Mr. Dorian stiffen beside me as we heard the rattle of a lock being released.
I held my breath as the door was pulled open, then let out a gasp.
It was none other than Mrs. Langham. “Hello there,” she said curiously before noticing my companion. “Oh. Oh dear.”
I turned to Mr. Dorian, but he was slack-jawed with surprise. Then he seemed to catch himself and shook his head in disbelief. “What are you doing here, Mira?” he demanded.
Mrs. Langham blinked in panic. “I—I—”
But before she could formulate an answer, someone inside the house called out to her. “Who is at the door, my love?”
Mrs. Langham flinched and glanced back. “Uh … it … it is your brother,” she replied in an uncertain voice.
An ominous silence followed until Mr. Dorian cleared his throat. “Well. Aren’t you going to let us in?” he asked in a dangerously polite tone.
Mrs. Langham’s cheeks turned pink, and she stepped back to let us inside.
She didn’t meet either of our gazes as we entered.
Detective Inspector Dorian was in the hall in his shirtsleeves, with his necktie draped around his shoulders.
I noticed his hair was damp, and I guessed we had interrupted him in the middle of dressing for the day.
But he didn’t look at me once. Instead, his eyes were firmly fixed on his older brother.
“Good morning,” he said evenly. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this unannounced visit?”
“Don’t be an ass, Miles,” Mr. Dorian growled. “You know we are here because of the murder.”
The inspector twisted his lips in a petulant frown and gestured to a small sitting room to our left. “Fine. But make it quick.”
Mr. Dorian immediately stalked into the room, while I followed a few steps behind. “You have a lovely home,” I said to the inspector.
“Thank you,” he murmured distractedly, his gaze never straying from his brother.
“I’ll make us some tea,” Mrs. Langham chimed and then hurried down the hall before anyone could reply.
Mr. Dorian stood by the mantel, while I sat on the sofa. The inspector also stood parallel to him, and I had the feeling this was a strange kind of competition between them. “Will you both sit, please?” I said, exasperatedly.
They each looked a little chastened, but said nothing. Mr. Dorian was the first to move and took the seat beside me, while the inspector occupied a chair. He then crossed his arms.
“I suppose you’ve come here to plead your sister’s innocence?”
“You know she couldn’t have done it,” I said, but the man merely shrugged.
“I will acknowledge that it is unlikely she possessed the strength needed to wield the murder weapon, but not impossible. And she has the clearest motive by far.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Pray tell, Inspector, what is that?”
Then he tilted his head. “She would hardly be the first person to react badly after learning her intended is already married.”
“Bad enough to suddenly muster the strength to bash his head in?” Mr. Dorian asked.
The inspector shot his brother a dark look, and I cleared my throat.
“Before you decide to charge her, will you at least hear me out?” He inclined his head, and I continued.
“It has come to my attention that Lord Linden has been lying to me about knowing my late husband. And I believe that he may be doing so for nefarious reasons.”
The inspector raised a skeptical brow. He looked so similar to his brother in that moment that I nearly laughed. “What kind of reasons?”
“I suspect it may be connected to the death of Charles Pearson, though admittedly I have not sorted through all the particulars yet. But I do know that they were well acquainted with one another, and both had an interest in the antiquities trade.”
“We’ve already spoken to his lordship, and he has an alibi for the evening of the murder,” he replied. “Over a dozen, in fact.”
“But for the exact time?” I pressed. “You don’t think it’s possible he could have slipped away, killed Charles, and then returned?”
The inspector let out a huff. “I suppose it’s possible, Mrs. Harper. But what reason would he have?”
I pressed my lips together. “Admittedly, I am not certain. But I believe something happened that night between him and Charles Pearson.” I had been thinking through all the seemingly disparate pieces of information I had learned over the last week, and the one thing that continued to connect them all was Charles.
“I want to confront Lord Linden and see if he admits to anything.”
Out the corner of my eye, Mr. Dorian turned sharply to me, but the inspector was more measured. “Confront him about what?”
I took a deep breath, well aware that I could not take back my next words.
Even if I ended up being proved wrong, it would not erase this betrayal.
“That he lied about knowing my husband because they were both involved in some illegal activity in Greece.” I had explored every possibility, but this continued to be the explanation that made the most sense.
I could feel Mr. Dorian’s heavy gaze upon me, but I could not look at him now.
“My father also knew this information and may have unwillingly revealed it to Charles Pearson. On the night of the party, or perhaps even before, I suspect Charles Pearson confronted Lord Linden and promised to keep quiet in exchange for money that he desperately needed.”
“You mean blackmail,” the inspector said.
“Yes,” I replied.
Mr. Dorian swore beside me.
“Charles Pearson was indeed in debt,” Inspector Dorian said. “But according to my sources, he planned to marry your sister, who has a large dowry.”
“That is true,” I conceded. “But then you must also know that he was still legally married to someone else. And I don’t think she intended to go quietly without getting something for her trouble.”
“So the money was for her, then,” the inspector said.
“That is my theory.”
He narrowed his eyes as he mulled this over, then turned to Mr. Dorian. “What do you think?”
“It’s worth a try,” he said. “Unless you have a better idea, of course.”
The inspector barked a laugh. “Unfortunately, we do not. Which is the only reason I’m even considering this,” he said, shooting me a severe look. “What do you have in mind?”
“Well, Lord Linden and I are supposed to attend a lecture tomorrow evening,” I began, and noted Mr. Dorian stiffen. “I thought that perhaps I could confront him there while you waited in a concealed location.”
“That sounds like a plot out of one of his books,” the inspector said dismissively.
“It is not the most elegant plan,” I admitted. “But I do think that if I confront Lord Linden, he will admit to … something.”
The inspector looked unimpressed. “And why is that?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Because men like him do not respond well to being challenged. And I think he is just arrogant enough to believe that he will get away with this.”
“I don’t like it,” Mr. Dorian suddenly grumbled. “It puts you in a vulnerable position. And if we really think this man is capable of murder, then what will stop him from trying to harm you?”
“That is why the inspector will be on the scene,” I said.
“Anything could happen in the space of a moment, Minnie,” Mr. Dorian murmured.
I could feel the inspector’s curious gaze flicking between us, but I remained undaunted.
“I plan to do this with or without you,” I pronounced. “So it is entirely your choice whether or not you attend.”
Mr. Dorian let out an exasperated huff. “Don’t be absurd—”
“Now, now,” the inspector said as he raised a hand. “I don’t think it needs to come to that. I will attend, if only to hear what the man has to say for himself. But if you don’t get the answers you are seeking, Mrs. Harper, then you must promise not to involve yourself any further.”