He whined at my feet.
“Good boy,” I commended him. At least he hadn’t dropped a body part or some dead creature at my feet.
I crossed the office and checked the lock. It worked quite well, yet I did notice scratch marks about the keyhole.
We kept nothing of value there other than the few furnishings, my typing machine, and extra clothes for those days that went long into the night when on a case. Yet, someone had gone to considerable effort to get into the office.
What had they hoped to find?
I made a mental note to have Mr. Cavendish send word to the locksmith that we needed the lock changed and new keys provided, then removed my neck scarf and coat.
There was time before my first appointment, and I wanted to update my notes regarding the Ambersley lost necklace. I paused as I went to the chalkboard.
It was safe to assume that whoever had been there had also seen my notes. There was nothing to indicate that it was connected to the case of the lost necklace. Still…
I decided to update my notebook instead. While it was an extremely remote possibility that whoever had been there was connected to the loss of the necklace, I was not one to take chances. It was a very valuable piece of jewelry.
Instead, I sat at Brodie’s desk and updated my notebook. I then wrote a note for when he returned to the office that I would give to Mr. Cavendish.
With the dreadful weather, I left extra time for travel to my first appointment. As the clock struck the hour ahead of our meeting time, I gathered my notebook and retrieved my scarf and coat. I made certain that I locked the door as I left the office.
Mr. Cavendish was there as Rupert and I reached the sidewalk. I handed him the note for Brodie.
“Please see that he receives this when he returns,” I asked, then waved down a coach.
“Is everything all right, miss?”
“It does seem as though someone visited the office last night.”
He cut a glance to the top of the stairs. “Mr. Brodie perhaps?”
I shook my head. “The lock had been tampered with. Please contact the locksmith to change the lock.”
He nodded as a coach arrived with Mr. Jarvis, who frequently provided transportation, atop with his cap pulled low against the rain.
“Will the lad be accompanying you?” he inquired with a look down at the hound.
“It would be best, with what you just told me,” Mr. Cavendish suggested.
“He’s better mannered than some of me fares,” Mr. Jarvis added.
It did seem that the matter had already been decided.
“Very well,” I replied.
“Up with you,” I told Rupert.
He scrambled into the coach. I gave Mr. Jarvis the address for my meeting with Lady Longridge and then climbed in after.
Five
My appointmentwith Lady Longridge was pleasant.
I had asked Mr. Jarvis to wait. Rupert presented a different problem.
“No worry, miss,” Mr. Jarvis assured me. “The lad can stay with me. We get along right fine.”
That, of course, was always subject to Rupert’s mood at the moment, not to mention his appetite that often took him off on adventures. Yet, Mr. Cavendish had assured me that he’d had a fine meal earlier, courtesy of Miss Effie at the Public House.
