Aidan looked pensive. “I wonder how long ithadbeen going on.”
“Did the magistrate say anything about how long Haines was under watch?” Owen asked.
Annie shook her head. “I am sure that will all be investigated, but the paperwork Mr. MacQuarrie had was from a shipment sent several weeks ago.”
“Before or after ye started working there?” Aidan asked.
“Only two loads of barley went to the States since I began working in the office.” Annie tried to remember the dates and then felt most of the blood drain from her face. “Oh, dear God.”
“What is it?” Niall leaned forward in his chair. “What is wrong?”
She put her hands to her cold cheeks. “The shipment the agent was on went out ten days after I started working there.”
“That does nae mean ye kenned anything about the opium,” Niall said.
“Nae, but I signed my name confirming the contents of the barrels.”
“You would have no way of knowing about the false bottoms,” Owen said, “since they were full when they arrived in the warehouse.”
Aidan nodded. “That’s true.”
“Aye, but…” Annie paused as another memory jarred her. “But there were empty barrels brought in. I counted them. I moved them.”
“That still does nae implicate ye,” Niall said.
“But it might. I could be accused of kenning the false bottoms were there or even kenning about the opium.”
“Highly unlikely,” Aidan replied.
“I hope ye are right. I doona want…” She stopped as another thought abruptly hit her. “But ye could be implicated too.”
The men frowned and spoke in unison. “How?”
“Ye—especially Niall—have spent a lot of time at the office—”
“Escorting ye to and from,” Niall said. “’Tis only proper.”
“But ye also spent time in the warehouse,” Annie answered. “Ye wanted to check on Kingsley as well as all the workers, remember? And Aidan and Owen both requested being shown around too.”
“Only to see where my kelp shipments would be held,” Owen said.
“Aye, but all that looking around could be misinterpreted.”
Aidan shook his head. “I doona think anyone is going to question two prospective clients for wanting to inspect the warehouse.”
“Perhaps nae…” Annie’s voice trailed off as one more fact invaded her memory. She felt what little blood left in her head leave.
Niall left his chair to kneel at her side. “Ye have gone white as a Highland blizzard. Are ye ill?”
“I…I just remembered…those empty barrels I inventoried came back filled with barley. The shipment went out a few days after our protest.” Annie fought off a wave of dizziness and then whispered, “It left on one of the boats belonging to Henderson Shipping.”
****
“Ye do ken this is completely daft?” Niall asked Annie as they left the boardinghouse just past dawn the next morning.
“Ye are calling me stupid again,” Annie picked up her pace to leave him behind—with no luck even though she was practically running.
“I am nae calling ye stupid,” Niall replied, easily keeping up with her. “I am calling theideaof ye going to work today stupid.”
