By the time Officer Huntington was finished explaining, Agent McParland was looking somewhat frightening, the normally pleasant attitude of the detective nowhere to be seen as he kept sending downright chilly glances her way. Taking a moment to shake Officer Huntington’s hand, Agent McParland then stepped up to Harrison and shook his hand, but failed to offer even the slightest courtesy to Gertrude.
“He really is Mr. Harrison Sinclair?” Officer Huntington asked.
“He is,” Agent McParland returned. “Which means the letter from his mother that Harrison turned in to the officer at the front desk is acceptable for having Miss Cadwalader released. All of the charges against her have been dropped.”
“Wonderful,” Harrison said, turning to Gertrude. “Shall I see you home?”
“I’m afraid that while Officer Huntington is done with Miss Cadwalader, I’m going to need her to stay for a little longer because I have some questions for her,” Agent McParland said. He then walked Officer Huntington to the door, thanked him for his time, then firmly shut the door.
“What’s this about, Agent McParland?” Harrison asked.
Agent McParland turned to Gertrude. “Do you want me to tell him, or shall I have him leave the room so you and I can continue this in private?”
Apprehension stole through Gertrude’s veins. “Harrison is more than welcome to stay with me, Agent McParland, although I have no idea what you believe I need to disclose.”
Instead of answering her, Agent McParland gestured to the chairs, waited for Harrison to help her into a seat, then took the chair Officer Huntington had been using. Sitting down beside her, Harrison reached out and took hold of her hand, giving it a good squeeze.
“I’m a man with a reputation of being a good judge of character, Miss Cadwalader,” Agent McParland began, “but I must say, you had me fooled. Why, with those delicate looks and that charming attitude of yours, I truly believed you were a lady above reproach. However, you fooled us all, didn’t you?”
“I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage” was all Gertrude could think to say.
“I believe it’s the other way around, Miss Cadwalader,” Agent McParland countered. “From what I can surmise,you’vehad everyone at a disadvantage, duped into believing you’re simply a retiring wallflower, companion to an elderly lady whom everyone knows is odd.” Agent McParland leaned forward. “But that’s not the truth, is it, Miss Cadwalader? You and Mrs. Davenport are in league together, performing heists all over the place, while muddying the waters by returning some of the items but not all.”
Harrison rose from the chair, a tic throbbing on the side of his cheek. “You go too far, Agent McParland. I demand you apologize at once as well as cease this ridiculous interview. It’s past time Gertrude was allowed to leave.”
Instead of responding to Harrison, a risky move in Gertrude’s opinion because Harrison wasn’t the type of gentleman most men would want to go up against when he was in a temper, Agent McParland leveled cool eyes on Gertrude. “You’re good, Miss Cadwalader—very, very good. But you shouldn’t have stolen from the Manhattan Beach Hotel. One of the victims identified you and Mrs. Davenport as suspicious characters, and to be clear, this victim is a credible one. She told us that you and Mrs. Davenport showed an inordinate amount of interest in her tiara only an hour or two before it went missing out of her room after she’d retired for the night.”
Gertrude drew in a breath, fighting to keep the panic that was now flowing freely through her veins at bay.
Mrs. Davenport had shown a marked interest in the tiara the woman who’d joined them on the veranda had been wearing, but ... she couldn’t have taken it, because...
“What I’d like to know is how this woman identified Mrs. Davenport and Gertrude,” Harrison said, his voice filled with steel. “There were hundreds of guests roaming about that hotel the night we were there.”
Gertrude watched as Agent McParland gave a sad shake of his head. “While I do understand your reluctance to accept Miss Cadwalader’s duplicity, I knew the moment the victim described an elderly, somewhat eccentric lady, that it could very well be Mrs. Davenport. We at the Pinkerton Agency have heard rumors about her odd behavior for years, but we’ve never been able to figure out exactly what she’s been doing. However—” he turned his attention to Gertrude—“the second I learned this lady was in the company of a woman described aswholesomeand possessed of an innocent face and charming demeanor, I realized she was speaking about none other than you, Miss Cadwalader.”
“How would you have deduced it was Gertrude from that less than exact description?” Harrison demanded.
“Because I was fool enough to be taken in by Miss Cadwalader’s appeal—a foolishness that we apparently share, Mr. Sinclair.” Agent McParland sat back in the chair. “She’s not a young lady whom gentlemen neglect to notice, especially because wholesomeness is a quality we gentlemen prize. But it’s now become clear she’s nothing more than a chameleon, her charm and delightfulness a cover for the deceitful and manipulative woman she truly is. Add in the fact that Miss Cadwalader was discovered earlier today with possessions that did not belong to her, and ... I rest my case.”
Swallowing past a throat that was remarkably dry, Gertrude leaned forward. “I’m not a thief, Agent McParland. And, while I willingly admit I was in possession of items that did not belong to me today, I was simply returning them on behalf of Mrs. Davenport. She never keeps the items she takes, although I can’t tell you why she takes them. It’s a mystery to me. But I’d be more than willing to bring you back to search her house, which will prove both mine and Mrs. Davenport’s innocence once and for all.”
Agent McParland pulled out a small pad of paper from his jacket pocket and flipped it open. “So I won’t find a ruby hair comb, sapphire ring, diamond brooch in the shape of a turtle, three strands of pearls, four watch pins encrusted with jewels, three pocket watches, and a tiara?” he asked.
“Goodness, all that has gone missing?” Gertrude whispered.
“Stolen, Miss Cadwalader, not missing. Which means there’s now been a full investigation ordered by the Pinkerton Agency because we’re paid a substantial amount of money to keep the guests at the Manhattan Beach Hotel safe, and yet—”
“You did an abysmal job of that,” Harrison finished for him. “And you’re doing an abysmal job now because Mrs. Davenport did not have a reticule on her while at the Manhattan Beach Hotel, nor did I hear her jingling at all once she returned to the ship, where I personally helped her on board theCornelia. As for Gertrude,” he continued, sending her the smallest of winks, which seemed rather brave of him considering the situation,“I know she did not have any room to stash those items on her person, having suffered an unfortunate incident with her original gown that then forced her to accept a gown from my sister, who is not nearly as ... wholesome in the figure department.”
He moved directly beside Gertrude and held out his hand. “I’ll be taking her home now, Agent McParland. If you happen to uncover any credible proof that warrants a search of Mrs. Davenport’s home, feel free to seek me out and I’ll accompany you to proceed with that search.”
“Now see here, Sinclair,” Agent McParland said, but before he could do more than get to his feet, the door to the interrogation room burst open and Temperance rushed in.
With a flutter of skirts and a flapping of her overly large hat, she stopped right beside Agent McParland, drew in a gulp of air, then nodded to Gertrude.
“I’m so sorry it took me so long to get here, but I’m afraid we don’t have time to linger.” She gulped in another breath. “I went to fetch Mrs. Davenport after I had the hansom cab follow you when I saw you being escorted away from theCorneliaby all those men. I didn’t know what else to do when I realized they’d taken you to jail. But then—” She stopped talking and drew in another breath, almost as if she needed a moment to collect her thoughts. When she’d apparently gathered those thoughts, she looked to Gertrude again.
“I had no money if you’ll recall, so I had no choice other than to hope Mrs. Davenport would lend me the money for the fare to pay for the hansom cab. However, matters took a turn for the concerning when I arrived at her house.”
