Page 37 of A Whisper in the Shadows (Raven & Wren #4)

Maxwell exhaled before dropping onto the settle opposite them. “Unfortunately, Mrs. Walters did not reveal much beyond what you already know. She did tell us that her husband’s other friendly societies were in Maidstone, Guildford, and Reading. Chisholm considers her a prime suspect in his murder.”

“What is her motive?” Tilda asked.

“That her husband left her and had no intention of living in Cornwall with her.” Maxwell gestured with the wineglass. “So, she came to London and killed him.”

“Seems a reasonable theory to me,” Hadrian said.

Tilda looked to Maxwell. “Was Chisholm able to find out where Mrs. Walters was staying? It would be helpful to search her lodgings.”

“In case she hid a brass candlestick there?” Maxwell asked with a faint smirk.

“Yes, he’ll be going to her lodgings first thing in the morning.

Oh, and the constable who was stationed at Phelps’s house turned up.

He left his post because he’d been lured away by a disturbance.

We suspect Mrs. Walters was behind that, but she would not confess to it. ”

Silence reigned for a moment as they sipped their wine.

“There are other suspects,” Tilda said. “Before we list them, let us tell you what we discovered after you went to the police station.”

Maxwell regarded her eagerly. “Please.”

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 was Giles’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.”

Maxwell’s eyes widened. “Chisholm and the constables missed something?”

“So it seems.”

The inspector chuckled. “Chisholm won’t like that. Did you take the ledger?”

“We did.” Hadrian stood and fetched it from the dining room table where he’d set it earlier. He handed the diary to Maxwell, who first set his wineglass on the floor.

“It seems to be Eaton’s membership record with names of members, the entrance fee they paid, and the dates and payments of their weekly dues,” Tilda said as Maxwell thumbed through the book. “Cardy is included.” She looked to Hadrian.

“I’m going to use the ledger to hunt down those who were admitted to the society fraudulently,” Hadrian said. “I hope Dr. Giles might accompany me.”

“You could ask him tomorrow at the inquest, as he should be there.” Maxwell cocked his head. “What is your goal in identifying all the fraudulent members?”

“They will give us a full picture of the fraud that was perpetrated by Eaton—and likely directed by Phelps,” Hadrian replied.

“I also want a complete record of who will need to be reimbursed. Furnier argued that the society’s coffers couldn’t afford that, which is understandable since the overcharged amount seems to have gone directly to Eaton and, given the money found at Phelps’s house, to Phelps.

I want to ensure the money these people paid to the society is refunded with due haste. ”

Maxwell looked at him with something akin to admiration. “That is commendable of you to care about that.”

Hadrian lifted a shoulder. “It’s the right thing to do.”

“You’ll find Lord Ravenhurst is incredibly kind and generous,” Tilda said to Maxwell, then sent Hadrian a warm glance.

After taking another small sip of port, Maxwell sat forward on the settle. “Tomorrow morning, I must go to the mercantile house, but I will meet you both at the inquest. You’ll interview Jarret before that?”

Tilda nodded. “We will call on him at the bank where he works. I’ve been thinking how to approach him in our disguises, and I think it makes sense for Ravenhurst to want to speak with him about the society before he accepts a position working as the canvasser.”

Maxwell grinned. “Excellent idea.”

Everyone finished their port, and Tilda stood. “I believe I’ll retire.”

Maxwell and Hadrian also rose.

“Good night,” Maxwell said.

Hadrian met her gaze. “Sleep well.”

He watched Tilda depart the parlor and move into the entrance hall. He did not look away until she turned to ascend the stairs and disappeared from sight.

It was strange to be sleeping in this house with her, feeling the way that he did about her, wanting a different relationship than the one they had. Hadrian shifted his gaze to Maxwell and noticed the inspector had been watching her too. Indeed, the expression on his face seemed almost wistful.

Hadrian’s chest tightened.

Maxwell turned to face him. “You’ve known Miss Wren for some time now?”

“Several months,” Hadrian replied.

“She’s very dedicated to her work.”

“She is,” Hadrian confirmed. “She’s also dedicated to her grandmother and taking care of her household. She’s an exceptionally independent woman.”

“I can see that,” Maxwell said. “I imagine you must find that odd, but I quite like it. Indeed, I find the quality most attractive.”

Hadrian bristled at the man’s assumption about him and at him calling Tilda attractive. Which was silly. Tilda was incredibly attractive in a myriad of ways. Maxwell would be a fool not to think so.

“Actually, I admire her independence,” Hadrian said, hoping he didn’t sound defensive whilst also acknowledging that he absolutely was. “It is one of many fine attributes she possesses.”

“Indeed, it is.” Maxwell glanced toward the base of the stairs where they’d last seen her. “I do wonder why she’s not married— precisely because of all those fine attributes. I have to think she’s refused many marriage proposals.”

“I think you know the answer as to why she remains unwed,” Hadrian said flatly. “It lies in her independence. She doesn’t see a need to marry.”

“That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t want to,” Maxwell argued. “How refreshing it must be for her to not feel as though she must. Well, good night.” Maxwell flashed a brief smile before turning and leaving the parlor.

Hadrian frowned at the empty room. It seemed Maxwell was interested in Tilda in a personal manner.

Tilda would not want that. She might accept his friendship, in addition to their current professional association, as she had with Hadrian, but she wouldn’t desire more.

Hadrian wondered if he should have informed the inspector of Tilda’s preference for maintaining platonic relationships, but he didn’t want to speak out of turn. He didn’t think Tilda would appreciate him doing so.

There was also the fact that Hadrian was incredibly jealous. Was his goal to protect Tilda or to dissuade Maxwell in some sort of primal competition for her? The answer was both, and that made Hadrian a trifle uncomfortable.

Did he believe the inspector had a better chance than him? Almost certainly. Maxwell and Tilda had much more in common than she did with Hadrian.

A wave of melancholy swept through him. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to turn into a brooding clod.

Hadrian left the parlor and trudged up the stairs, pondering whether he ought to tell Tilda what Maxwell had asked him, or if he should stand by and allow the inspector to make his move.

He didn’t like either of those choices. He wanted a third option, one in which he expressed the depth of his feelings to Tilda, and she welcomed them.

Unfortunately, Hadrian believed that was impossible.