“It is not yet seven o’clock of the morning. Couldn’t it have waited?”
“I wanted to make certain I spoke with ye before ye were out and about for the day. But with Mr. Brodie takin’ himself off like that… Do ye think he was put out?”
That was undoubtedly an understatement.
“I will speak with him. I’m certain he will understand. Now, the reason you’re here?”
“I want to help.”
There it was. A flash of emotion in that blue gaze, the firm set of her mouth, the care for a friend tragically lost.
I fully understood. It was not unlike my determination when my sister had disappeared and her maid brutally murdered.
“Where do you propose to start?” I asked her, fully aware that any attempt on my part to explain the specifics of murder would only be met with stubborn resistance. A trait I had also been accused of possessing.
She looked around. “I suppose here at the office…”
“And?”
“Ye’ve said there are clues in an inquiry case,” she pointed out, obviously thinking to win a point with my own words.
“Of course. How do you propose to find those clues?”
“I would go to the print shop. She might have said something to the owner that could provide a clue.”
“And if there was nothing he could provide, what then?”
If the brain was a set of wheels, I could almost hear them turning, as her mouth set in a frown.
“I would speak with the police.”
“They are not known to cooperate in private inquiries.” If not for Brodie’s connections after several years with the MET, we would not have been able to obtain some of the information in our past inquiry cases.
“I suppose I would have to rely on ye and Mr. Brodie and what yer able to learn.”
“Precisely.”
The frown deepened. “I see yer meaning. I suppose it’s because I dinna have the experience and no one would be willing to meet with me because I’m a girl.”
“You are a young woman, not a girl any longer,” I pointed out. “However, it often does not matter what your age is. It is a fact that I must often find a way to out-smart or out-maneuver someone from time to time. It is something you will undoubtedly confront at some point.”
“Mr. Brodie?” she asked.
That was an entirely different matter. I had discovered that it was not usually possible to do either where Brodie was concerned. It was difficult to keep one step ahead or even astride with the man because of his experience. Unless, of course, he allowed it.
“He has a great deal of experience in these things. Along with things that he has learned, often the hard way.”
“Ye think it is too dangerous for me, and yet ye make inquiries with him.”
“It is dangerous. However, I have learned a great deal along the way.”
“I could learn.”
I realized that the argument could go on and on. She was most obstinate.
“That is the most important part. There is a great deal you must learn before undertaking such a thing.”
“I know how to read and write now, and I’m good with numbers.”
