Page 76 of A Whisper at Midnight

Tilda stepped into the parlor, and Hadrian followed her.

“We’ve decided to hold the funeral on Wednesday,” Beryl said as Tilda and Hadrian sat opposite the settee in a pair of chairs. “Oliver has been kind enough to handle the cards.”

“Detective Inspector Teague says the body will be delivered later today.” Oliver’s face was grim.

Tilda didn’t really want to bother him amidst his grief, but she also didn’t want to miss the opportunity to speak with him. “Mr. Chambers, would you mind if I asked you a few questions about Mr. Pollard and the shop?”

Oliver’s dark eyes flickered with something—unease perhaps. “I suppose.”

“I appreciate that,” Tilda said with a supportive smile. “I imagine this is a difficult time. My primary goal is to find the person responsible for your brother’s death.”

“I understand. What do you want to know about Pollard?”

“Did you approach him about investing in the shop, or was it his idea?”

“It was my idea,” Oliver replied. “When I decided the religious life didn’t suit, I needed to find another occupation. I hadn’t considered enterprise, but when my brother was struggling with making his payments, I offered to help. He wanted a loan, but I asked to become an investor.”

Hadrian glanced at Tilda before asking, “You knew he wasn’t making his payments to Pollard?”

“Daniel told me,” Oliver said with a nod. “Daniel has always had to provide financial support to Louis over the years since our father died. Daniel told me that things became particularly dire a few months ago. He’d asked Daniel to help with the payments to Pollard. Daniel refused. He’d advised Louis not to invest in the shop in the first place.”

“Why is that?” Tilda asked.

Oliver frowned. “Louis was never very good with money, and Daniel didn’t think he’d be able to manage an investment like that. He was right, of course. Daniel offered to take over his finances and give him an allowance, but Louis refused.”

“Presumably, Louis had some income,” Hadrian said. “Otherwise, there would be no money at all to sustain the household or agree to an investment in the first place.”

“Louis and I both have a quarterly income from investments our father had made. Louis typically spent beyond that income, however.”

“Did he have debts?” Hadrian asked.

“Yes, but Daniel knows more about that.”

Beryl paled. “I didn’t realize there were debts.” She looked down at her lap. “I have debts too. At the milliner and druggist.”

Oliver gave her a soothing pat on the hand. “I’m sure those are not substantial.”

Tilda again noted their familiarity and wondered if Oliver might be Beryl’s lover. “But your brother’s debtsweresubstantial?”

“I don’t know the specifics. I would say you should ask Daniel, though I would not do so until after the funeral at least.” Oliver grimaced faintly. “Louis’s death has impacted him greatly. In some ways, I think he feels responsible, that he should have done more to protect Louis.”

“From what?” Now that Tilda knew that Louis had debts, she wondered if Louis had owed money to unsavory lenders.

Oliver shrugged. “Probably from himself. If there was a bad decision to be made, Louis chose it.” He glanced toward Beryl. “Except for marrying you.”

“I don’t think that ended up being a very good decision for either of us,” she said quietly, her gaze still on her lap.

An uncomfortable silence reigned for a moment. Tilda looked to Hadrian and inclined her head toward the door to indicate they should go. He nodded, and they rose.

“I saw a man with you and your brother at the inquest,” Hadrian said. “Padgett is his name.”

“My brother hired him to investigate Louis’s death.” Oliver flicked a glance at Tilda.

Beryl looked at Hadrian. “He came here yesterday to speak with me. I was telling Oliver about it before you came in.”

“Did Padgett indicate anything he was investigating in particular?” Tilda asked.

Beryl shook her head. “I had the sense he thought I likely killed Louis.” She shivered. “I didn’t care for Padgett.”