“Not at all, Mr. Dooley,” I assured him. However, I didn’t reveal who our new ‘client’was.
“Have the police spoken with the family?” Brodie asked.
“Not as yet, but in due time, out of respect for their loss,” Mr. Dooley replied.
“Perhaps we could assist in that,” I suggested and received a dark look from Brodie.
“Unofficially?” he asked. “The MET is short-staffed, as several lads left after the difficulty with Abberline. It seems some of them may have willingly ‘overlooked’ some matters in favor of the man. The new fellow is said to be ‘cleaning things up,’ as they say.”
“Perhaps as consultants,” I then suggested. “The old saying, ‘many hands make light work.’And it might be helpful as well to speak with Mr. Eddington. Perhaps he can provide some insight into the matter.”
Mr. Dooley looked over at Brodie.
“There would be only a small compensation in it, if any at all. But I suppose I could call it that if there should be questions. We have more than our share of crimes to follow, and you do have experience with such things. You would have to agree to share anything you learn with me.”
“Of course,” I replied. I chose to ignore Brodie for the moment. I could imagine what he was thinking.
Mr. Dooley nodded. “Well and good, then. I’ll make arrangements for you as ‘consultants,’ and send word when it’s been arranged. When would you like to begin?”
“The sooner the better,” I replied, keeping my thoughts to myself as we had already started.
“Consultants, is it?” Brodie asked after Mr. Dooley left.
“It was all I could think of in the moment, so that we might not encounter obstacles. Particularly where the family is concerned.”
“Yer determined to humor the girl in this, then.”
“Humor her?” I replied with some pique. “Hardly. You know her as well as I. Do you think she will be content to simply sit idly by while the police go about their business?
“She was quite fond of Charlotte Mallory. If we were to simply coddle her or placate her with excuses, I would not put it past her to simply take herself off and make her own inquiries. She hardly has the experience for that, particularly here in London. She doesn’t know her way about here, and there is the other part of it,” I added.
“Such as?”
“She is part of our family now. The least that we can do is make a few inquiries of our own on her behalf. There is the fact that she has hired us.” I threw that in for good measure. “And, since you are acquainted with Sir Mallory, it would make it easier for us to call on them.”
That dark gaze bore into mine.
“Three against one,” he shook his head. “And all of ye are women. I know well enough that ye will go on yer way whether I say yea or no.”
I smiled to myself. He did know me quite well.
“Consultantsit is,” I declared of our new titles. “Once Mr. Dooley has made arrangements, we need to visit the yard,” I plunged on ahead before he could object.
“It might be helpful to call on the printer as well,” I said now, from in front of the chalkboard where I had made a few notes.
“Perhaps there was something Charlotte might have said, perhaps she had seen someone on her way to the shop… Iwonder if Mr. Brimley might be available to assist,” I added of the chemist who had been invaluable in past inquiries.
To some people he might have been a bit off-putting, with his experiments and body parts in jars and choosing to serve the people of the East End rather than taking up a medical practice in a better part of London. But I had found him to be quite brilliant and an excellent source of valuable information.
“He does have a great deal more experience with bodies and wounds. He might be able to tell us something more than the police surgeon. And we will need the name of the constables who were the first to arrive.”
Mr. Dooley called the office later that day and informed us that he’d made arrangements for us to visit the police holding-facility at Scotland Yard.
Brodie reminded him that we would also like to speak with the constables who were called to the print shop when Charlotte Mallory’s body was found. Mr. Dooley said that he would have the man stop by the office the following morning before he went onto his shift.
I had contacted Mr. Brimley, the chemist, as we waited to hear from Mr. Dooley.
“Another body is it, Miss Forsythe,” he commented.“I suspected that it had been too long since our last adventure into the crime of murder. Of course I will meet you. The murder of the young woman, you say? Most exciting.”
