Sir Avery had recommended that she contact Brodie and myself. He assured her that we could be trusted to use complete discretion in looking into the matter.
More recently there had been a serious argument between mother and daughter in the matter of the young woman’s choice to marry another, which I had already discovered.
As we now were aware, Amelia Mainwaring had taken herself off to meet Captain Mathison but had never arrived at the appointed time and place. The Mainwarings then received that second photograph and the horrifying certainty that their daughter had been murdered.
And now it appeared there was a second, similar murder. Sir Avery studied the photograph that Sir Abbington-Thorpe had received.
Sir William had immediately contacted him in the matter. In the case of his missing daughter, two constables had found her body, positioned much the same as Amelia Mainwaring’s body.
“I’m well aware of your… dislike for Abberline,” he told Brodie now. “Not unwarranted, I grant you.”
“How long have ye known of Miss Thorpe’s? Ye should have made us aware of this from the beginning.” Brodie snapped.
“Yes, I’m aware of that. Be that as it may, I want you to continue in the matter. I trust your discretion and your ability to see this most delicate matter through.”
And not Abberline? Most interesting. I looked over at Brodie.
He said nothing at first and it occurred to me that he might well refuse under the circumstances that involved Abberline.
“I have conditions,” he finally said.
“I thought you might,” Sir Avery replied.
I listened, fascinated by this verbal sparring of two men who obviously respected each other— to a point, however wanted something from each other.
“I want full authority over Abberline. I will not have him interfering or expecting me to inform him on the progress of the case.”
“Granted.”
“I want to bring in someone else since it seems we have a most complicated case. I am to have full authority over that person with no interference from anyone, including yerself.”
There was one person I thought of that he trusted beyond all others in such matters— Munro.
Sir Avery nodded.
“And I will not have any of yerother people,whom I know full well ye employ— spying on me or my associates.”
Brodie had suspected that Sholto McQueen from a prior case was spying— as he called it —and then reporting back to Sir Avery regarding Brodie’s inquiries in what was a very private matter at the time.
The man’s involvement might very well have jeopardized the outcome of the case. Not to mention the lives it might have endangered. And it had gotten him killed in that previous case.
“And the full cooperation of the agency if need be, and without question. If ye canna agree, then we will take our leave,” Brodie added.
In the silence that followed, I was fairly certain that Sir Avery wouldn’t agree. Brodie gathered his umbrella and abruptly stood.
“Agreed, to all your demands,” Sir Avery replied. “With one of my own. You are to keep me apprised of each development in the case.”
Brodie nodded.
Sir Avery rose and held out his hand. Brodie did not take it.
“If a man’s word canna be trusted, his handshake is nothing more than an insult,” he told Sir Avery. “I trust yer word, that ye willna break it.”
There was more behind the comment that had me looking over at Sir Avery. “Agreed upon as well, Mr. Brodie.”
“What was that about?” I asked as we left the Tower offices of the Special Services Agency.
“That was about giving fair warning to the man.”
