“Because he’d been shot, but James wasn’t the type of man who’d accidentally shoot himself, because he knew his way around a weapon.”
“And yet I distinctly recall that all the articles in the newspapers stated that’s exactly what he did.”
“I might have convinced the coroner who examined the scene, as well as James’s body, that he’d been cleaning his pistol and had, unfortunately, discharged it by accident.”
“And this coroner didn’t question your story?”
“Not when I’d made a point of dropping James’s pistol beside him in a way that looked as if he’d dropped it as he fell to the ground.”
“Why would you have set up a scene that disguised the truth?”
“That almost sounds as if you’re asking me if I murdered James.”
Daphne abandoned her notes and caught his eye. “Did you?”
He held her gaze for a moment. “I’m curious what your reaction will be if I say Ididmurder James because, if you’ve neglected to realize, you are two women alone, in the company of a man you believe possibly capable of murder. You could have just put your lives at stake.”
A blink of an eye later, Arthur found himself staring into the barrel of a pistol Eunice was leveling on him, held in a steady hand.
“I assure you, Mr. Livingston,” Eunice began in a voice no louder than a whisper, “our lives are not at stake, but yours could possibly be, unless you answer the question. Ifyou’veneglected to realize, Daphne has also brought out her pistol, and while she has developed some skills, she’s still somewhat unreliable with a weapon. Why, she’s been known to pull the trigger by accident, and because she’s sitting remarkably close to you, I doubt you’d want that to happen.”
Arthur glanced to Daphne, who was holding a tiny derringer pistol in a hand that was trembling just the slightest bit. He refused a shudder and returned his attention to Eunice.
“My apologies. I should have known that inquiry agents would be prepared to deal with a would-be murderer, which I’m now going to emphatically state I’m not. That means you can lower your weapons, or better yet, put them away before someonedoesget shot.”
“The only one who’ll get shot is you, and to be clear, I won’t be stowing away my pistol. I’m a practical woman at heart, Mr. Livingston, and that practicality tells me you could be a threat. If I decide that’s no longer the case, then, and only then, will I lower my weapon, although I’ll keep it easily accessible. Women alone cannot be too careful these days.”
Unable to help but wonder how his time at the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency had unraveled so spectacularly, Arthur inclined his head. “Fair enough, but to reiterate, I did not kill James.”
“Then how did you come to discover his body?”
“I was staying at Mason Manor, and James had a maid deliver me a message that morning, asking me to join him on the target field at eight sharp.”
“Why?”
“I assume because he wanted to revisit the discussion we’d had the night before, not that I know that for certain since James was dead when I arrived on the target field.”
Daphne cleared her throat. “Was there anyone else on that field when you arrived who could verify your story?”
“Eugenia Howland was there, but she’s, of course, missing. That means there’s no way to verify my account, but I assure you, I would hardly seek out the services of an inquiry agency if I were the guilty party in James’s death. Seems to me that would be opening myself up for questions I wouldn’t want to answer.”
“Unless you’ve decided that by seeking out our services you’ll be distracting us from your culpability in the matter,” Eunice said before turning to Daphne. “You may want to stow your pistol for now, Daphne. Your hand is shaking like mad, and it’ll be safer for everyone involved if you don’t try to concentrate on holding your pistolandasking questions at the same time.”
“Thank goodness,” Daphne said, slipping her pistol into the large bag currently at her feet. “It would hardly do the agency’s reputation any good if I were to accidentally shoot a potential client.” She returned to perusing her notes. “If you’re to be believed, Arthur, and you did not shoot James W. Mason, could you have possibly set up that scene because you thought Eugenia murdered her grandfather and decided to conceal her guilt for some yet undisclosed reason?”
“An interesting question since I did think Eugenia killed her grandfather at first.”
“Because?” Daphne prompted.
“What else was I to conclude after I arrived on the field and discovered Eugenia leaning over James? At first glance, I thought he’d suffered some manner of attack, such as from his heart, but then when Eugenia turned to me, I realized she was splattered with blood. I then noticed her very distinctive pistol on the grass beside her. At that moment, I thought she’d shot her grandfather, that belief increasing when she snatched up the pistol and pointed it at me. When you add in the fact that I overheard Eugenia and James engaged in a heated exchange the night before, it was the most logical conclusion to draw at that time.”
Eunice sat forward. “What happened after Eugenia leveled her pistol on you?”
“She shot me.”
Daphne jotted something onto her notepad. “I suppose I can understand why you came to the conclusion she murdered her grandfather after shooting you.”
“On the contrary. Her shooting me is exactly why I realized shewasn’tresponsible for her grandfather’s death.”
