Page 90 of In Want of a Suspect

“I have to disagree with you. I found the jeweler who made it, and I can assure you he deals with gold and gemstones, not gilt and paste. And it’s no mere necklace—it’s a locket. He showed me how to open it.”

“Stop!” Mr. Hughes ripped Mrs. Cavendish’s letter from Josette’s grasp. “Leticia is dead. I demand that you leave right this instant! You’re not welcome here!”

“All are welcome in the house of God—” the clergyman began.

“Oh, do shut up!” Mr. Hughes snapped.

“Richard?” Josette asked. Her voice was small, confused.

“If you push gently on the filigree and press down on the topaz, it opens,” Lizzie said. Her heart was pounding as she waited to see if Josette would do so.

“Enough!” Mr. Hughes took Josette by the shoulders. “I don’t know why they’re interrupting our day, but we have wedding vows to exchange —”

Darcy made to grab Mr. Hughes. “Don’t lay your hands on her!”

“Stop!” Josette screamed. Her voice echoed in the empty church. “All of you, stop it this instant!”

They all stilled, unsure of what to do next. Lizzie could feel the angry energy exuding off Mr. Hughes in waves.

“Open the locket,” Lizzie urged her. “It’ll all make sense once you open it.”

Josette looked down at the necklace. She had to feel thesmooth weight of the gold in her hand. She had to realize this was no trifling trinket. Slowly, Josette pushed on the filigree, and with a small click the necklace opened.

Mr. Hughes lunged to take it from her, but Darcy held him back. “‘To L.B., with all my love and adoration. R.H.,’” Josette read in a small voice. “R.H. You.”

“Josette, it’s not what you think—”

“The jeweler named your fiancé as the man who commissioned it,” Lizzie told her, knowing that her words were likely breaking Josette’s heart. “A year ago.”

“A year!” Josette snapped the locket closed. “Explain yourself, sir!”

“She meant nothing to me! It’s you, Josette, you’re the one—”

Josette drew back her hand and slapped him.

The clergyman cried out in surprise and everyone gasped. The force of Josette’s blow sent Mr. Hughes stumbling back a couple of steps. Josette was breathing heavily as she glared at her fiancé. “You! She wouldn’t tell me who, but I knew someone had broken her heart!”

“There’s more,” Darcy said urgently. “Mr. Hughes has been involved in a smuggling scheme. We believe he’s been selling his graphite to French smugglers in exchange for French goods. Just this past night we found the French contraband and apprehended those involved, including a man who worked at my father’s firm. They can all testify that Hughes was involved—”

“This is ludicrous! Are you going to believe them?”

“Your case,” Josette said. “The fire...”

“We think that Leticia found out,” Lizzie explained. “She didn’t set the fire, but she was there when it started. She was angry when she saw what was going on—she broke some bottles of brandy, and when a lamp was knocked over...”

“But why would Leticia do that? Why... why would...?”

“She must have grown suspicious of Mr. Hughes,” Lizzie said, staring the man down. “Isn’t that right? She knew you were shifty, to form a secret attachment to her, only to throw her over in favor of her cousin. But, Josette, you didn’t know he was so unscrupulous, did you? And so Leticia went looking for proof that he was untrustworthy.”

“And when the fire happened, when Simon Mullins was killed, his brother blamed Leticia,” Darcy continued. “And in a way you were right, Josette. We did cause her death because Jack Mullins hired Lizzie and we followed the investigation right to your door. Leticia knew what was going on. She told us about Mr. Hughes’s graphite mines, and she was going to meet us. She had information she wanted to pass to us.”

“She told us to meet her in Hyde Park,” Lizzie continued. “But someone got to her first.”

Lizzie looked at Mr. Hughes, who protested, “I didn’t kill her! You’re mad! Both of you! Josette, you can’t believe this!”

“You knew she would be in the park,” Josette said. “I told you of her plans that evening! But you...”

She didn’t finish her sentence, and Lizzie decided now was the time to share what Mr. Dupont had told them. “You arrived at Cavendish House only twenty minutes or so before Darcy.How long is the ride from Hyde Park to Josette’s house, Darcy? Short enough to kill Leticia and then pop in on Josette for a quick call?”