Page 75 of A Whisper in the Shadows

Tilda exchanged a look with Hadrian. “We decided to call on Mrs. Burley to see if she’d seen Mrs. Walters visit Phelps’s house.”

Maxwell cocked his head with a faint smile. “I don’t doubt that you came up with a reasonable excuse for making this inquiry. What did you say?”

Tilda shrugged. “I played the part of a gossip. What better way to obtain information from Mrs. Burley?”

“Indeed.” Maxwell took another sip of port and, this time, did not make a face. “Was Mrs. Burley inclined to exchange gossip?” Maxwell asked.

“I imagine she would have, had she been home,” Tilda replied. She went on to explain all they’d learned from Mr. Burley, including what he’d omitted telling the police and why he’d done so.

“So, a female entered Phelps’s house after midnight on the night he was killed. That is a fascinating piece of information,” Maxwell said. “Well done.”

“We’ll need to interview Mrs. Burley when she returns tomorrow,” Tilda said.

Maxwell pressed his lips together. “We should not. We are not assigned to investigate Phelps’s murder.”

Hadrian sensed Tilda’s frustration as she leaned slightly forward, the muscles of her jaw tight. “Surely we can help Chisholm, since he is busy with Mrs. Walters.”

“Eaton’s inquest is tomorrow too. Two o’clock at the Swan and Hoop again.”

“We should attend.” Tilda swirled the small amount of port she had left in her glass. “All of these matters are connected. Whilst I understand we have not been assigned to investigate Phelps’s murder, can we agree that we must?” She met Maxwell’s gaze with an expectant expression. Hadrian didn’t think she would be pleased if Maxwell disagreed.

“Yes, because it pertains to our investigation,” Maxwell allowed. “However, we must be discreet.”

“Then let us discuss the potential suspects,” Tilda said crisply. “Since Phelps’s killer may, in fact, be a woman, we can start with them. There are several women who had a motive for murdering him. Most obviously, there is Mrs. Cardy. Her motive is revenge. Then there is Mrs. Walters, whose husband left her and apparently stopped sending her money. He may also have been unfaithful with Mrs. Atkins. As stated earlier, Mrs. Walters’s motive is revenge as well.”

“And money,” Maxwell said.

Tilda looked over at Hadrian. They had already talked through the suspects before Maxwell arrived.

Hadrian continued where Tilda left off. “Mrs. Atkins may also be a suspect. Her motive is not as clear as the others, but we know she possessed some level of interest in Phelps—interest of a personal nature. Perhaps she’d learned he was lying about his wife being dead.”

“Now Mrs. Burley is also a suspect?” Maxwell mused.

Tilda nodded. “Her motive is that she was upset about Mr. Cardy being defrauded and Mrs. Cardy and their children suffering as a result.”

“There are plenty of male suspects too,” Hadrian said. “There’s Nevill and Furnier, of course. They would perhaps have wanted to remove Phelps from the society because he’d hired Eaton who was committing fraud.”

“There is also Phelps’s relationship with Mrs. Atkins. It may be that Nevill or Furnier didn’t care for her involvement with the society, particularly since she is not a member.”

“I could see that troubling Furnier especially,” Hadrian noted.

“Dr. Giles is another suspect,” Tilda said. “He was upset to find out that Eaton was admitting men who were ill, and it wasGiles’s responsibility to ensure that didn’t happen. He indicated that he didn’t like his reputation being impugned. He had plenty of reason to be angry with Phelps.”

“And with Eaton,” Maxwell noted with a tip of his head. “Perhaps he killed both men.”

“That is a possibility,” Tilda allowed.

“Jarret is also a suspect,” Hadrian said. “He and Phelps disagreed about the society, and Jarret indicated he was suspicious of why Phelps might want to start the friendly society.”

“He also failed to mention that he’d called on Phelps last Sunday,” Tilda said. “If not for Mrs. Burley pointing it out at the inquest, we might not know about that. I find him suspicious. I’d like to interview him tomorrow too, if we have time.”

Maxwell’s gaze turned wary. “We must be careful that we aren’t caught investigating Phelps’s murder. I am hoping to become a detective inspector.”

Hadrian watched as concern filled Tilda’s gaze. “We won’t do anything to risk your position,” Tilda vowed.

“I appreciate that,” Maxwell said with a faint smile. “Did you find anything helpful at Phelps’s house?”

“Yes,” Tilda replied. “We found a ledger under the false bottom of a drawer in Phelps’s desk.”