Page 36 of Miss Morton and the Missing Heir (A Miss Morton Mystery #4)

“I left right after the Brighams to catch the mail coach to my mother’s and didn’t know that Mrs. Brigham was dead,” Ellie said. “If only I’d gone up there …”

“You did nothing wrong, Miss Noble,” Inspector Ross reassured her. “No one is accusing you of being remiss in your duties.”

“Thank you, because I feel so sorry for the lady. She was so excited to see her husband, and he turned out to be a bad ’un.” Ellie sighed. “Now that you’ve got me thinking about it, who knows what I might remember?”

“If you do think of anything, ask Mrs. Frogerton to send me a note,” Inspector Ross said as he handed her the pen. “Would you care to sign your name at the bottom to certify that these are your own words and that you were not coerced into offering this information?”

“Why do I need to do that?” Ellie asked. “You said I wasn’t in trouble.”

“On the contrary, you have provided valuable evidence that might help convict a murderer. I can only congratulate you for stepping forward.”

“All right, then.” Ellie took the pen and laboriously signed her name. “Although I only came here because Mrs. Frogerton told me it was important.”

“She was correct, and I’m very glad that you came.” Inspector Ross glanced over at Caroline. “May I have a word with you outside, Lady Caroline?”

“Yes of course.” Caroline smiled at Ellie. “I’ll be back in a moment. You did really well, Ellie. I’m proud of you.”

Inspector Ross drew her into the empty room next to his office. “Thank you for bringing Ellie here, my lady.”

“It seemed like the right thing to do.”

“It certainly confirms that the Brighams were on the premises,” Inspector Ross said. “But as to the rest of it …”

“I suppose it’s possible they are so used to killing they thought it amusing and weren’t bothered in the slightest.”

“I’ve met murderers like that before,” Inspector Ross said. “They are quite terrifying.”

“The thing is …” Caroline said slowly. “This might sound indelicate, but why weren’t they covered in blood, and what did they do with the knife?”

“Both excellent observations, my lady. We’ll make a police constable of you yet.

The Brighams were there for a considerable amount of time.

I suppose it’s possible that after dealing with Mrs. Brigham, they took a moment to wash off the blood, conceal the murder weapon, and stroll downstairs as if nothing had happened. ”

Caroline shuddered, and Inspector Ross squeezed her shoulder in a reassuring manner.

“They might have known Ellie would be looking out for them and decided to show her that nothing untoward had happened upstairs. The last thing they needed was her raising the alarm before they were clear of the premises.”

“I suppose that’s right,” Caroline said reluctantly. “But choosing to make such cold-blooded decisions is somehow worse than murder done in a rage.”

“Perhaps that’s what Mr. Brigham does—preys on wealthy women, strips them of their assets, and kills them.

There are people who can’t stop at one.” He sighed.

“I might send someone to Ireland to ask whether Mr. Brigham’s been married before.

At least we’ve got an independent witness to show that both the Brighams were there at the time of the murder.

That might wipe the smile off Albert’s face and stop him taunting me. ”

“I’ll take Ellie back to Half Moon Street, Inspector, and let you get on,” Caroline said. “How is your brother?”

Inspector Ross grimaced. “Defying the odds, as usual, but it can’t last much longer. If I was an uncaring brute, I’d beg him to hold on for another week so that I can at least finish building the case against Albert Brigham before I have to attend to family duties.”

“You’re not uncaring,” Caroline said.

“Thank you.” He smiled down at her. “Now, I’d better send you back to Mr. Scutton before he convinces Sergeant Dawson I’ve abducted you.”

Caroline collected Ellie and went out into the busy entrance hall. At first, she couldn’t see their escort and wondered if he’d gone home in a fit of righteous rage.

“Can you see Mr. Scutton, Ellie?” Caroline asked.

“No, miss.”

“Perhaps we should make our way to the exit. He’s probably waiting outside.”

“Yes, miss.” Ellie grabbed Caroline’s hand.

Just as they approached the front door, two constables came in dragging a man who was fighting them with all his worth and screaming obscenities at the top of his voice.

A loud cheer went up, and several men jostled the officers, causing one of them to lose his grip on the prisoner’s arm.

Before he could reclaim it, the man punched him in the face, and he went down with a roar and disappeared beneath a sea of bodies.

Caroline dragged Ellie away from the brawling men, shouting to her as they struggled to avoid flailing limbs. “Stay close to the wall and make your way out! I’ll find you if we are separated!”

Even as she spoke, someone kicked her ankle and she teetered toward the melee. She was saved only by the helping hand of a bystander.

“Thank you, sir,” she gasped as he winked at her and entered the fight, his fist raised.

Holding tightly on to her reticule, Caroline made her way to the front door where blue-coated reinforcements were streaming in, whistles blowing.

She almost tripped over the step, and when she straightened, she saw Mr. Scutton standing on the opposite corner of the building, deep in conversation with someone.

She immediately looked for Ellie and found her halfway down the steps, breathing hard.

Even though she was fairly certain Mr. Scutton hadn’t seen her, Caroline’s heart was still pounding when she reached out to Ellie.

“Are you all right?” Caroline asked.

“Yes, miss, although I had to throw a punch or two to get out.” Ellie grinned at her. “I have three brothers.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Caroline straightened her bonnet and glanced ruefully down at her best blue boots which were now scuffed to the heavens. “Mrs. Frogerton’s carriage should be just around the corner. Shall we make our way over there?”

“Yes, miss.” Ellie seemed unperturbed by their adventure as she accompanied Caroline around the building.

To Caroline’s immense relief, the carriage was still there. She opened the door and was about to climb in when she realized Ellie was staring back at Great Scotland Yard.

“What is it, Ellie?” Caroline asked as the girl came in after her.

“The strangest thing, miss. I was looking to see if Mr. Scutton was still here, and I just saw him across the way.” She frowned as she got into the carriage. “I could’ve sworn he was speaking to Mr. Brigham.”