“Good, let’s hope we can get in and out of his study before we are discovered,” Caleb said.
“That won’t be a problem.”
Caleb’s mask slipped slightly and he muttered, “I wish I had your confidence.”
Roswell took a sip of his drink before saying, “It is an easy feat. We will slip away when the orchestra starts up and we will be back before the end of the dance.”
“How sure are we that Lord Chester is a traitor?”
“According to the reports, he is trading secrets to France for a hefty sum,” Roswell said. “We just have to prove it.”
The orchestra started warming up and Roswell placed his nearly full glass onto the tray of a passing servant. It was time. The mission was simple: they were to search Lord Chester’s study and look for any indication of proof of his guilt. There was little room for error on this and the stakes were high.
As they walked out to the veranda, Caleb revealed, “I paid off a servant to keep the study window unlocked.”
“Good thinking,” Roswell acknowledged. “That will save us a considerable amount of time.”
With quick steps, they moved alongside the townhouse until they arrived at Lord Chester’s study. It was dark and there were no signs that anyone was in the room.
Roswell glanced over his shoulder to ensure no one was around before he opened the window and crawled inside. The only light came from the moon that was streaming into the room.
He walked over to the desk and tried to open the first drawer. Locked. He reached into his jacket pocket and removed two long metal pins and slipped them into the lock. He strategically moved the pins until he heard a definitive click.
After he returned the pins to his jacket pocket, he opened the drawer. He started rifling through the papers but he didn’t see anything that would give him pause. That was until he found a small piece of paper that was blank. Why would Lord Chester have this paper tucked away? He had a suspicion as to why that was, but he knew there was a risk associated with proving it.
He held the paper up for Caleb’s inspection. “I think we should test for invisible ink.”
Caleb looked unsure as he glanced up from the ledger he was reviewing. “A servant might notice the light and come to investigate.”
“I am aware, but I fear that we have no choice,” Roswell said.
“Very well,” Caleb responded. “But before you do so, I have noticed many large deposits into Lord Chester’s accounts under the line item ‘BB’.”
“BB? Does that mean anything to you?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Roswell lit the candle and held the paper up to the flame and was mindful not to set the paper on fire. The message grew bright before the ink cooled.
Roswell reviewed the paper and said, “It appears to be some sort of code.”
“I agree,” Caleb said as he closed the ledger. “You should bring it with us now that the ink has been exposed. If we leave it behind, Lord Chester would know what we are about.”
“But if we take it with us, Lord Chester will know someone was here.”
“Either way, it is a risk,” Caleb said. “Besides, it might be days before Lord Chester discovers the missing letter.”
As Roswell slipped the paper into his jacket pocket, Caleb placed his hand on his arm and pointed towards the door. A shadow passed under the door, causing Roswell to blow out the candle. It would appear that someone had indeed noticed the light.
The door handle slowly turned and Roswell ducked under the desk. He saw Caleb hide behind the thick curtain.
A man’s voice came from the doorway. “I thought I saw a light coming from the study.”
“You were just seeing things,” another man said. “There is no one in there.”
“I suppose you are right.”
The door closed and Roswell waited for a moment before he came out from under the desk. “We should go,” he said.
