He shook his head. “No, I work for Bow Street, day patrol.”
Clara stopped and looked at him. “You seem young for such a job.”
He nodded. “It’s a family tradition. I was prepared.”
She stopped at the end of the block and gazed up at him. “Thank you, Mr. Norton, for your assistance.”
Miss Alberts pushed through the wrought-iron gate, taking the steps down to the servants’ entrance. At the bottom, she paused. “Do you like shortbread, Mr. Norton?”
If you make it, he thought. “I-I do.”
“I will bake you a tin. If you are in the neighborhood tomorrow, I finish around seven.”
He opened his mouth to answer, but she was gone.
CHAPTER 4
Saturday
Hatton Garden
Eli passed the townhouse where Miss Alberts worked and continued to Cross Street. Wells Jewelry was a small shop, with a nice display in the front window. He saw a brooch that his grandmother would like and remembered how much she enjoyed receiving a gift during Christmastide.
A bell tinkled above his head as he pushed open the door. A short man with a mane of frizzy gray hair stood behind a glass counter. He spied the short greatcoat and tipstaff carried by Bow Street officials and quickly walked around to greet Eli.
“Good day,” said the man, holding out his hand.
Elijah shook hands with the man. “Mr. Wells? I’m Mr. Norton, here to investigate the theft.”
“Yes, yes,” said Mr. Wells, “I’ll call my assistant so you can talk to us at the same time.”
“I’d prefer speaking with each of you separately if you don’t mind.” Eli didn’t want either man relying on the memory of the other. Always get yer information straight from da source with nobody else around. People tend to influence each other, Paddy always said.
“Could you tell me about the day you acquired the missing set, then the day leading up to the discovery of its disappearance?” Elijah took out a small notebook and a pencil from an inside pocket of his coat that Maggie had sewn in for him.
“Certainly, though my memory may be a bit vague as far as the first day. It was last September, you see. Lord Clatterson had set up an appointment to design a new ring for his wife. He had a diamond and ruby tiara and necklace set, which had belonged to his grandmother, and wanted to use it toward the cost of the ring.” He tapped his temple, his small eyes squinting in thought. “It was an outdated piece, nothing special. The diamonds were actually paste, but the rubies were of excellent quality.”
“How was the jewelry contained when he gave it to you?” Eli wanted to be sure to get every detail. If he needed help from the family Peelers, they would need every obscure element of the case. Harry had told him once, The most unimportant fact in a case could be the key to solving it.
“It was in a small, square leather box with a C embroidered on the top. When opened, the tiara was nestled inside with the necklace attached to the lid.” Mr. Wells scratched his head, his strand of hair sticking up at an odd angle.
Eli wanted to use his pencil to tamp it down. “What did you do with it after that?”
“After giving his lordship a price for the set, I took it to my office and put it in the iron chest.”
“Could you show me?”
“Of course,” said Mr. Wells, leading the way to the back of the shop. “That is the workroom, where my assistant is cleaning some pieces,” he added, pointing to the left.
Inside the office was a small desk and chair, several stacks of papers, another chair for a visitor, and a stand with a top hat and a greatcoat hanging from it. In the far corner of the room stood a cast-iron chest with a lever tumbler lock.
“It’s a double-acting lock for better security,” said Mr. Wells, crouching down to open the metal box.
Elijah knew that the tumbler mechanism used a key that activated a set of levers which prevented the bolt from moving. The lid could not be opened or picked easily like a padlock, though the single tumbler could be accessed with patience and skill. A double-acting tumbler must be moved to a precise position to open the lock. A tiny bit to the right or left would prohibit the thief from access, making it much harder to open.
The shop owner took the key from his pocket and opened the chest. There was a tray on the top, holding various leather or velvet bags, and beneath that were smaller boxes of different sizes. “This is my collection. Do you need to see anything in particular?”
Eli studied the contents. “I assume the stolen box was under this top shelf?” he asked.
