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S ilas was sent to fetch Pemberton and bring him to Ormond Yard so they could consider how to help Ezra. He hurried to Pemberton’s flat on Tilney Street and knocked on the door once more. This time Pemberton was fully clothed and ready for business.

“I am sorry to trouble you again, Mr. Pemberton,” Silas began.

“It’s no trouble, Silas. Is there any news about your friend?”

“I spoke with Mr. Wigton, and he has agreed to investigate the charges against Ezra, and with his permission, represent him. I also went to Ormond Yard.”

“Ah, yes. Magnus and Toby are good friends of yours.”

“They are. And they can substantiate my testimony as to Ezra’s alibi.” He explained how he and Ezra had been at the soirée at the time of the murder. “Could you possibly come to Ormond Yard to consult with us on Ezra’s defense?”

“Certainly. Let me get my hat and cloak.” They took a carriage to Ormond Yard.

Toby answered the door. “Will was sent to John’s apartment, though he returned with a message that John was out researching, and he and Raoul will arrive as soon as they can.” He took their coats and Pemberton’s hat and hung them on pegs by the door.

They walked into the lounge, where Magnus awaited them. Pemberton sat, and Silas began to take notes.

“We shall need a great deal of research,” Pemberton said. “First, to establish Mr. Curiel’s alibi in a way that does not open him to public scorn as man of our ilk. It would be easy enough for the prosecutor to demean Silas’s testimony because the sexual relationship between them would be sure to come out.”

“Could one of us testify to Mr. Curiel’s presence at the soirée?” Magnus asked. “Or would someone use that against him?”

“I’d like to see a list of all the guests,” Pemberton said. “I know that you have in the past invited numerous artists and other public figures whose sexual bona fides are clear.”

“I can take care of that,” Toby said. “Though eventually we would need the guests’ permission to reveal that they were with us. What else?”

“We need to identify the witness who says he saw Mr. Curiel in the alley after the fight. To determine why he has made such a statement.”

“Obviously under some sort of pressure,” Silas said. “It is a serious offense to lie under oath, so this person must have a strong motivation.”

“Indeed,” Pemberton continued. “We also need to understand why Mrs. Curiel made her statement. Is she under a similar sort of pressure? Or is she angry about her husband’s proclivities and sees this as an opportunity to be rid of him?”

“Perhaps our friend the Honorable Sylvia Cooke could be of service there,” Magnus said. “She is acquainted with Mrs. Curiel through her charity work.”

“Excellent. Now, we must turn our attention to preparation for the trial, should we be unable to provide the police with a convincing alibi for Mr. Curiel.”

Pemberton pulled out the article from the Times and read aloud: “The coroner has determined that he suffered a severe body blow to the stomach, which pushed him backwards so that he hit his head on the cobblestones. The subsequent injury caused his brain to bleed out and resulted in his death.”

He put the paper down. “If the case comes to trial, we might argue that Mr. Walpert’s death was an accidental one. Silas, you will need to do some research for me. Identify other cases in which a death occurred by accidental means. Ideally under similar circumstances—an ill-timed or ill-directed physical assault.”

“I can do that.”

“Then we need to set up some distractions for the judge to consider. Mr. Walpert was a banker involved in the financing of the Suez Canal acquisition. Could we speculate that his death was somehow involved in that operation?”

“I have a contact with the Foreign Office,” Toby said. “I can speak with Gervase Quinn and see if he has any insights that might prove useful.”

Pemberton picked up the newspaper again. “There is a gambling angle we might pursue as well, since the Times has been good enough to mention the presence of betting at the boxing hall. How can we discern if Walpert was indeed a gambler?” He turned to Silas. “Would you recognize Mr. Walpert? Could you have seen him at the ring?”

Silas thought for a moment. “I have,” he said. “I remember he introduced himself as we were waiting for a round to begin, and spoke of betting. And then he called Ezra ‘my fellow’ which surprised me.”

“Could he have been seeing Ezra as you were?” Pemberton asked. “Perhaps Ezra is being framed as part of a lovers’ quarrel?”

Silas shook his head. “I thought I saw something in this Walpert’s eye, but he said that he thought of Ezra as a co-religionist, a fellow Jew.”

“And Walpert’s religion was established by the Post,” Magnus said. “Was he a significant bettor, do you recall?”

“I believe he wasn’t very successful,” Silas said. “He was reluctant to bet on Ezra because the odds were in his favor. He seemed like a man in search of a big payoff.”

“Which is always a bad strategy in betting,” Magnus said.

“He did place a wager on Ezra that night, because I said I had been following Ezra’s form, and that he was quite likely to win.”

“So we have established that Walpert was a gambler, and not necessarily a successful one,” Pemberton said. “So he might have accumulated some debts and the punch was a threat against him.”

“But why kill a man who owes you money?” Toby asked.

“Perhaps it was an unfortunate accident,” Pemberton said. “Another possible distraction away from Mr. Curiel.”

By then Silas had covered two pages of ways to approach Ezra’s defense. He had helped Cyril take such notes in the past, but he had never felt such a close connection to a case before.

He had the suspicion that Ezra meant more to him than he had previously realized, and that was a dangerous situation to be in. And not just because his heart might be broken, but because he could be drawn into the case personally, with potentially life-threatening consequences.