“Then why would he have the jewels?” Walker asked.
“You don’t think the real thief planted them, do you?” Mira said.
“It is something to consider. Now, let’s examine the possibility of Mr. Treadway being our burglar, as it would be quite a tidy explanation. Regardless of whether it was an accident or not, why might he feel the need to steal? Was it a compulsion? Debts to be paid?” Byron spun on his heel, facing her. “Did he strike you as a gambler?”
“No. Though I only spoke with him for a few minutes.”
“An opportunity I did not receive. Think. Did anything stand out to you?”
She furrowed her brow. “Well, he was rather vague.”
“About what?”
“His military service in Sudan. Maureen kept asking him questions about it, and he kept avoiding an answer. Though, perhaps he didn’t want to bring up any memories. He was injured, you see.”
Byron sat in the armchair across from her. “What sort of injury?”
“He didn’t say.”
Walker sighed, pulling a book from the shelf and slumping into one of the chairs. “He wasn’t limping was he?”
“Not that I remember,” Mira said.
“That gives us a line of questioning,” Byron said. “In speaking with the Risewells, I discovered that he and Mr. Corbet have been staying here at the house for the past two months. We might ask any of them if they know more about the injury. Although it seems unlikely that a burglar would be able to workaround a leg injury, especially where ladders might be involved. We will need to check with the coroner to see if there was any sign of a wound there.”
“Under what pretense?” Mira asked. “Or will you be announcing your occupation to everyone now?”
“Inspector Rutledge mentioned that, did he?” Byron chuckled. “I should have warned you. I find it best, in most circumstances, to be as frank as possible with the police. Besides, I think he’s pleased that he ‘solved’ the burglary case before I could.”
Mira sat up. “You don’t think the case is solved, then?”
“Too many unanswered questions. We know that he had the jewels on his person. But, assuming he was the thief, why did he have them with him that night? Had he just nipped outside and up to Mrs. Risewell’s room, nicked the goods, then on his way back to the party got stuck in the snow?”
“There wasn’t a way for him to get up from the outside.” Mira remembered what Admiral Hoddle had said. “There isn’t any ivy or trellising, and I don’t recall seeing any outbuildings near that side of the house where he could have found a ladder.”
“And so he would have no choice but to cut through the house during the party,” Byron said. “Then, why did he go outside? To corroborate his story about getting some air? Or was he bringing the jewelry to another person so that when it was found missing, it wasn’t in the house?”
“He wasn’t wearing a coat when we spoke to him last night. But when we found him this morning he was,” Mira said. “He must have known he would be outside for some time and fetched it after leaving the ballroom.”
Byron nodded. “Usually in cases like these, there’s a partner. Someone who can bring the jewelry to a third party to be sold, or has the expertise to dismantle the pieces and sell the gemstones individually.” He drummed his fingers on thearmrest of his chair. “We’ll need to talk to the jewelers in town and see if any of them have had an influx of inventory.”
“We already know the thief has a partner,” Mira said. “Someone had to have opened the window in your mother’s room.”
“I’d forgotten about that,” Byron said. “Hoddle, Miss Harris, or any of the Risewells.”
Walker gave up on reading his book. “Say, you don’t think the Risewells are framing Treadway for this, do you?”
Byron hummed. “Could be. This could be a ploy to push suspicion off themselves, if they are involved with the burglaries. But would any of them have killed Mr. Treadway, or was his death an accident and they took advantage of the situation?”
Mira frowned. Could Theresia have gotten up to the house, taken the jewelry, and planted it on the body in the time it took her to ride Verona, find the hunt, and return? It seemed unlikely.
“Let’s continue exploring the more nefarious angle. Who else might wish Mr. Treadway ill?” Byron asked.
Mira said, “I don’t know anyone here well enough to say for certain.”
“Oh, Corbet has been obvious enough in his dislike for the man,” Walker said. “Their rivalry when it came to Theresia was clear, at least.”
“Theresia doesn’t care for either of them, though,” Mira said.
