Deciding that more mundane tasks would help keep her demons at bay, she added, “Then perhaps Mac will give you some milk and biscuits while I make a trip to Mr. Mattison’s art emporium. I need to purchase several new sable watercolor brushes.”
“Biscuits will be forthcoming if a certain Weasel washes his hands and combs his hair,” announced McClellan. “Oh, and by the by, m’lady, if you’re going out, might you make another stop . . .”
As she and McClellan compiled a list of items to purchase for the pantry, Hawk hurried for the stairs.
It wasn’t until a little later, after Charlotte had left on her errands and the biscuits had been served, that Hawk went into the parlor to fetch his sketchbook.
And spotted the sketch that Moretti had received from Becton lying on the tea table.
CHAPTER 18
“Must you keep serving up such damnably complicated murders, milord?” said Griffin as Wrexford entered his tiny office.
“Unpalatable as they may be, the government can’t ignore the ramifications. And as you’re the best of the Bow Street Runners, I feel I must put them on your plate.”
“Don’t try to sweeten me up,” groused Griffin. A sigh. “I never thought I would say such a thing, but the sight of you is beginning to rob me of my appetite.”
Wrexford chuckled. “My purse will be happy to hear that.”
Griffin didn’t smile. He rose and shut the door. “All jesting aside, milord, I must ask you a very serious question, and I hope you’ll give me an honest answer. I wouldn’t blame you, given your relationship with Lady Charlotte and what happened to her in that devil-cursed place. But if—”
“No,” answered Wrexford, before the Runner could go on. “I would never put you on the horns of such an impossible choice.” He brushed a mote of dust from his cuff. “If I had anything to do with DeVere’s death, I would have made sure that the bodies were discovered by another constabulary—one far less skilled than yours.”
A look of relief softened Griffin’s scowl. “Thank you. I trust you understand it was a question I had no choice but to ask.”
“Of course,” replied the earl. “However, kindly hold your thanks, for you’re not going to find what I have to say next very pleasing. I think I know who killed both DeVere and Quincy. And the government isn’t going to like it.”
Muttering an oath, the Runner sat down heavily in his chair. “They are already unhappy that I’ve begun asking the symposium committee some uncomfortable questions about Becton’s death.”
“This will make them even more unhappy,” said the eail. “I happened to spot Captain Samuel Daggett racing away from the scene of the crime.”
“The naval officer who is part of the American scientific delegation?”
“Yes,” answered Wrexford.
“Why the devil would he want to murder those two men?” A glimmer of hope lit in Griffin’s eyes. “Unless, of course, it was some personal quarrel involving Quincy, his fellow American, and DeVere, who spent the last year in that country.”
“I’m afraid it’s not going to prove that easy,” said the earl. “You see, I have reason to believe that DeVere’s insatiable hunger for fame and glory had not slacked . . .”
The Runner’s expression turned grimmer and grimmer as Wrexford explained about the dead men’s connection to Becton and the information Sheffield had passed on about their sending money to the notorious rogue ship captain Reginald Lyman.
“Bloody hell,” muttered Griffin, once the earl finished. “I need to take this to the head magistrate.” He grimaced. “I’m glad I’m not the one who will have to inform the Foreign Office and the Admiralty—”
“Before you do so, I have an idea . . .”
* * *
The head porter of the Sun and Sextant Club bowed a polite greeting to Wrexford. “If you are looking for Sir Darius, milord, I’m afraid he left last week for a visit to the Levant.”
“Actually, I’m seeking another guest—Samuel Daggett, a visitor from America.”
“Ah, yes, the captain.” The porter pursed his lips. “Alas, he went out a short while ago.”
“Did he say when he might return?” asked the earl.
“No, milord.”
Holding back a huff of frustration, Wrexford thought for a moment. “It’s rather pressing. Perhaps I should check his rooms, just in case he returned when you were otherwise engaged.”
