Page 36 of A Whisper in the Shadows

“We questioned most of the neighbors around Phelps’s house,” Chisholm said. “One or two were not at home, so I’ve assigned a constable to hopefully catch them this evening.

“We learned from one neighbor that Mr. Nevill, one of the society administrators, walked home with Phelps to his house last night, following the meeting.” Chisholm didn’t know that Tilda had heard that from Mrs. Burley or that she’d already shared that information with Maxwell. “I questioned Nevill today at his tailoring shop in Moorgate. He said he left before eleven and Phelps was fine at that time.”

“How did Nevill seem when you spoke with him?” Tilda asked.

Chisholm turned his attention to her, and his brows arched briefly before he replied. “He was upset to learn of his friend’s death. He did seem surprised, but he could simply be a good actor.”

Tilda noted Chisholm’s description of Nevill as a friend. “Were Nevill and Phelps actually friends and not just colleagues?”

“Nevill referred to Phelps as such,” Chisholm said. “He said they met about seven months ago, not long after Maxwell moved into the neighborhood. They were acquainted through a friend of Nevill’s, a man called Isaiah Jarret.”

Maxwell looked to Tilda. “I haven’t heard that name before. Have you?”

Tilda shook her head.

Chisholm went on. “Apparently, he was the person with whom Phelps was originally going to start the society, but they had a disagreement of some kind, and Phelps ended up working with Nevill and then Furnier.”

“I wonder what that disagreement was about,” Tilda mused. “I don’t suppose you were able to speak with Mr. Jarret today?”

“No, but I have his direction and will do so tomorrow morning,” Chisholm said. “He lives off Old Jewry and works as a senior clerk for the Imperial Bank on Lothbury.”

Tilda was surprised but pleased that Chisholm was sharing so much. She’d been prepared to have to pry information from him.

“So, Phelps originally planned to work with Jarret, the two had a disagreement, and Phelps moved on to Nevill. They joined with Furnier after that?” Maxwell summarized.

Chisholm nodded. “I confirmed this with Furnier, as I interviewed him and his wife after I spoke with Nevill.”

“How did they take the news of Phelps’s death?” Tilda was curious if they’d been upset, or if they were even capable of expressing such emotion.

“They were more reserved in their reaction than Nevill, though they did seem troubled.” Chisholm made a sound in his throat that was almost a scoff. “Furnier seems a cold bloke.”

“That was our impression as well,” Maxwell said. “What did they know of Jarret?”

“Nothing. Furnier only vaguely knows the man. Neither the Furniers nor Nevill had any idea who might have wanted to kill Phelps—outside of the Cardy family.”

Tilda noted Chisholm’s use of the wordfamily, and not just Mrs. Cardy, the widow. The family would include Mrs. Cardy’s cousin, Mrs. Kilgore, as well as Mrs. Kilgore’s husband, Sergeant Kilgore. Were the Kilgores suspects? Tilda would find that surprising, given the effort the sergeant was devoting tothis investigation. “Did the Furniers or Mr. Nevill have any information that would support Mrs. Cardy or another member of her family committing the murder?”

“No, they didn’t provide any evidence,” Chisholm replied gruffly. “Mrs. Cardy was just the only person they could think of when I posed the question.” Since he now saidperson, perhaps he’d only meant the Widow Cardy.

Chisholm straightened in his chair, appearing to stretch his spine. “Mrs. Cardy was my final interview today. I can’t imagine she has the strength to kill Phelps. He was bludgeoned in the head with something quite heavy, given the damage it made, but she is petite and slight. I would describe her as overworked and undernourished. She has five children, one of whom is not even a year of age.” He gave his head a sad shake.

The inspector’s wordless reaction to what he said improved Tilda’s impression of him. She thought of the poor woman with five mouths to feed and no husband to provide for them. Nor would she receive a death benefit after paying into the Amicable Society. Tilda shared Maxwell’s thoughts about people who took advantage of others who were already at such an extreme disadvantage.

Chisholm continued. “Mrs. Cardy also had an alibi provided by her oldest child, a nine-year-old daughter. Mrs. Cardy takes in sewing, and the daughter helps her now. They were working late to complete their work for the day, so they were together at home. I can’t completely discount her as a suspect, but I prefer Nevill at the moment.”

In the interest of establishing a mutually beneficial working relationship with Inspector Chisholm, Tilda wanted to share what she and Hadrian had learned. “I was able to gather some information today about Timothy Eaton, the canvasser who solicited Mr. Cardy’s membership.”

“What’s that?” Chisholm turned his attention toward Tilda.

She repeated everything she’d already told Maxwell, leaving out Hadrian’s visions, of course. When she mentioned Rippon from the Prudential Assurance Company, she did not share their plans to have Clement interview him. Nor did she reveal Hadrian’s scheme to potentially infiltrate the Amicable Society as their new canvasser. She would leave it to Maxwell to disclose that information to his colleague. Or not.

It happened that Maxwell did not inform Chisholm of those plans.

Chisholm rose. “I appreciate you sharing what you’ve learned. I would advise you to steer clear of conducting any inquiries that will intrude on my investigation.” He gave them each a pointed look, his gaze lingering on Tilda, as if he expected her to disobey his edict. Or perhaps he was simply trying to assert his authority. Whatever the reason, Tilda maintained a serene expression.

After Chisholm departed, Tilda turned to Maxwell. “You didn’t tell him about using Clement to interview Rippon or about Lord Ravenhurst angling for the canvasser position at the Amicable Society.”

“Chisholm made it clear that our investigations are separate. I saw no need to inform him of our plans. If we find Eaton, I’ll inform Chisholm, as interviewing him could help the murder investigation.”