Patsy placed the tray on the table. She curtsied to them before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
“You were saying...” Nicole asked in a low voice as she proceeded to pour the tea. The pot clinked against the cup ever so slightly.
“Well, the information you had given to your brother and father about Mr. Lee’s father bribing the other two partners, had us all thinking, which made your father take a different direction with this investigation.” She took the cup, brought it to her mouth and sipped.
“What did you discover?” Nicole asked.
“A few years ago, the elder Mr. Lee wasn’t as prosperous in his banking deals. The other detectives did some searching and found that the elder Mr. Lee was very greedy. He took away many property deeds and houses even if the occupants were only one month late paying their taxes.” A breeze blew in from the nearest window, and Mrs. Phelps glanced briefly in that direction. “Now here is where this tale really gets interesting,” she continued in a softer voice, returning her gaze to Nicole. “We discovered that the elder Mr. Lee took advantage of Mr. Nickerson’s father during this time, and the poor man lost everything. Mr. Nickerson had already moved out of his family’s estate, and he didn’t know about his father until after the elder Mr. Lee had taken over.”
Nicole gasped in surprise. “Do you think Mr. Nickerson still holds ill feelings for Ashton’s father?”
“I cannot say, but I suspect he does.” She shrugged. “After all, if that happened to any of us, we would want revenge, too.”
“Indeed, we would.” Nicole picked up a spoon and slowly stirred her tea. The silverware gently scraped the edge of the cup.
Mrs. Phelps arched an eyebrow. “Right now, your father is doing more intense search into Mr. Nickerson’s life.”
As Nicole studied the older woman, she received the impression that Angela had her own feelings of resentment for Mr. Nickerson. Every time Angela had said his name, a scowl crossed her brow and the tone of her voice turned nippy.
“Angela,” Nicole kept her voice soft in case Ashton’s servants were outside the door trying to hear their conversation. “Do you have any reservations about Mr. Nickerson?”
The scowl on Mrs. Phelps’ face darkened and she set her teacup on the table in front of them. “I don’t know him personally, but I do know he is not a good man. His morals are low, and he is selfish to a fault. Believe me when I say, he is not a man I would trust.”
Nicole’s mind started piecing things together, and the confusion she’d held since this case started was finally disappearing. “What if—” she said and licked her lips— “Mr. Nickerson did have vengeful thoughts for Ashton? After all, Nickerson’s family home was taken away and then the elder Mr. Lee had to bribe the railway owners just to bring Ashton on as a partner.” Excitement leapt in her chest the more the idea took root in her mind. “What if Mr. Nickerson is the thief? What if he was purposely trying to make it appear as if Ashton was the culprit as a form of revenge for what Ashton’s father did?”
Angela’s eyes widened and she picked up a thinly sliced piece of teacake. “That very well could be what is happening. However, we still need proof.”
Nicole tapped her finger against her cup. “Exactly. So, what kind of proof could we look for?”
“Well, Mr. Nickerson isn’t going to be foolish enough to keep the stolen money for himself, because if we find it in his possession, he will be arrested. And I highly doubt the man would actually do the robbery himself for everyone to see him.” Angela took a small bite of her cake.
“Do you believe he hired someone to do it for him?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it.” Angela’s voice lifted, even though she had fully swallowed the food. “In our reports, there has been a man on the railway during these robberies who resembles Ashton Lee quite a bit. So perhaps—”
“Perhaps—” Nicole took over— “Glynn hired a man who looks like Ashton to steal from the money?”
Angela grinned. “Exactly.”
Exhilaration bubbled in Nicole’s chest. Finally, they had a new direction to take. Hopefully, her father and brother would realize this as well. “We shall have to convince my family that Mr. Nickerson needs to be thoroughly investigated. If that man is responsible, he needs to be thrown in jail.”
A vicious grin stretched across Angela’s face. “Indeed, he does, and the authorities need to toss the key in the river just to keep the despicable man behind bars.”
Nicole received the impression that Angela knew more about Glynn than she led on, but right now wasn’t the time to ask about it. Nicole’s main goal was to free Ashton of these false charges, and then somehow, some way, make him trust her again.
“What about Mr. Larson?” Nicole wondered. “Is there any connection between him and the elder Mr. Lee?”
“Not anything yet, but we are still looking.”
“Well, in your search, be aware that his wife is purchasing opium.”
“What?” Angela blurted out.
Nicole quickly related the scene she witnessed at the park.
“Oh, dear God above.” Angela placed a hand at her throat. “This is very good to know. I’ll get Mr. Banks and Mr. Cartwright looking into Mr. Larson’s wife posthaste.”
“Yes, I think they should.”
