“I’d bet an entire year of my wages that she did,” Miss Wheeler said, standing. She watched Oscar tuck the bundle of letters into his inside pocket. “We can’t give those to the police yet. We need to compare the handwriting on them to any similar correspondence Juliette received, if she did receive any.”
Oscar patted the pocket. “Agreed. Now all we need to do is find out if there’s anyone in the area called Jack.”
“Unless Jack is entirely made up,” I pointed out.
“Even if it’s not, Jack is a common name,” Miss Wheeler said. “It will be impossible to narrow down the list of suspects based on these letters alone.”
We crept downstairs and out of the house the same way we’d entered. We found Agnes in the rear courtyard, hanging out washing. Oscar and I gave her a nod of thanks, but Miss Wheeler stopped to speak to her.
“How long have you worked here?” she asked the maid.
“Three years,” Agnes said.
“Does anyone named Jack work here?”
Agnes shook her head. “The police checked, and everyone’s accounted for at the time Mary went missing. It isnae one of us.”
“Do you know of anyone from the area named Jack?” Miss Wheeler asked. “Someone you and Mary would have seen regularly, or would have seen you, but she wouldn’t have met yet?”
Agnes looked confused by the question. “There’s Jack the butcher’s lad, but she’s met him. He makes deliveries twice a week. One of the footmen at number eight is called Jack, but we dinnae see him much.”
“Are either of them handsome?”
Agnes started to laugh, but when she saw that we were all quite serious, she sobered. “Aye, the footman is fair braw.”
We thanked her and headed off. Oscar opened the gate to the mews lane.
“What about Johns?” Agnes called after us.
“Johns?” Miss Wheeler echoed.
“Men named John, who’re called Jack by some.”
“Do you know of one?”
“Aye. I heard our butler call Mr. Redmayne, the butler next door, John once.”
Redmayne—not only did he live and work in the area and therefore could watch both Mary and Juliette, he also worked for a man whose livelihood was threatened by cotton and wool magicians. And if Blackburn could be believed, the butler had left his previous employment after coming under suspicion for kidnap.
Oscar, Miss Wheeler and I exchanged glances. Our next course of action was crystal clear.
Chapter 10
The police had moved the press and angry mob on from the front of Mr. Kinloch’s house, but a few had found their way to the rear mews entrance. We’d planned on approaching Redmayne that way to avoid interacting with Mr. Kinloch, but decided it was better to knock on the front door now. As hoped, Redmayne answered.
He looked annoyed to see us, but did not attempt to shut the door in our faces. “Mr. Kinloch is not available.”
“We don’t want to speak to him,” Oscar said. “We want to ask you about your previous employment.”
Redmayne tried to close the door, but Oscar muscled into the gap, forcing the butler back. We followed and I shut the door behind us.
Redmayne drew himself up to his full, impressive height. He towered over me, and I would have been intimidated if I were alone with him. “This is outrageous! I’ll send for the police.”
“We have D.I. Smith’s approval to investigate,” Oscar said. “Now, about your previous place of employment. Why did you leave?”
“I was ready to be promoted from footman to butler, but that position was already taken there.” Redmayne jutted his square chin forward. “There is nothing suspicious about changing employment.”
“It is a little bit when it’s at the same time a girl living there was kidnapped and later found dead.”
