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Stokes sat back. “I think we can agree that those two avenues—identifying Keeble as the man who followed Chesterton from the Fox on Monday night and confirming that he possessed the required style of coat and hat—are the most viable paths for us to pursue tomorrow.”

No one argued.

After a moment, Jordan ventured, “I’ve been trying to work out why Keeble killed Thomas. What drove him to such an act?” He looked at the others. “It doesn’t seem to fit with his character.”

Barnaby frowned. “I think we have to start by assuming that, like Thomas, Keeble learned about the guns.”

“That was on Monday night,” Penelope pointed out. “He couldn’t, at that point, have known that Thomas knew about the guns, much less that Thomas planned to alert the authorities to the scheme.”

“No, he couldn’t have known,” Stokes said.

“But what if that’s why he went to see Thomas?

To find out if Thomas—like Keeble himself—had grown suspicious enough to follow Gibson and had subsequently learned about the guns.

Remember, Keeble—if our unknown gentlemen is he—was waiting impatiently outside Thomas’s door that morning.

For some reason, Keeble felt he had to learn the answer right away—and that sort of reaction does fit his character. ”

Barnaby narrowed his eyes, as if imagining the scene in Thomas’s office. “So Keeble goes to see Thomas to find out if Thomas knows of the guns?—”

“And Thomas told him he did and also that he, Thomas, planned to go to the authorities.” Penelope looked around the circle of faces. “Thus far, I can see all that happening.”

“So can I,” Jordan said, “but what I can’t see is why Keeble then seizes the letter knife and stabs Thomas.”

Everyone frowned as they tried to work out a plausible motive to account for that event.

Eventually, Stokes said, “We know that Thomas would have recognized Keeble and not balked at having Keeble come into his office.”

He cocked a brow at Ruth, and she nodded. “Thomas would have recognized Keeble Senior and wouldn’t have seen him as any threat.”

“And,” Penelope stated, “we already know, because Keeble told us so, that given he was in a similar business, he had no need of Thomas’s services, so there was no professional connection between them.”

When Penelope also looked to Ruth for confirmation, Ruth stated, “Thomas never mentioned having any dealings with Keeble, and he most definitely would have if such an interaction had occurred.”

Penelope nodded. “So there was no business connection, and the only reason Keeble could have had for killing Thomas was the guns…or rather, the threat of the gun-running scheme being brought to the attention of the authorities.” She tipped her head and regarded Stokes, then looked at Barnaby and Jordan.

“So the question is, was there a reason that Keeble saw Thomas notifying the authorities of the gun-running scheme as a fundamental threat?”

Frowning, Ruth admitted, “I, too, can’t imagine why, on learning that Thomas knew about the guns and was about to contact the authorities, Keeble wouldn’t have agreed and worked with Thomas to mitigate the effects of any revelation on Josh, as well as Gibson and Harrison.

That was surely Thomas’s intention. That had to be what drove him to write to Roscoe. ”

Stokes nodded. “I agree. Both Keeble and Thomas had the same reason for attempting to approach the authorities in the best way, namely to protect their son and their brother respectively. And given Keeble’s dedication to climbing society’s ladder, doing the right and proper thing and notifying the authorities is exactly what one would have expected him to do. ”

“That’s why Thomas was so surprised.” Jordan glanced at Ruth. “I’m sorry if speaking of Thomas distresses you, but…”

Ruth shook her head. “Better to speak of him and find his murderer. Trust me, that’s what the family wants.”

Jordan nodded and looked at Stokes. “Let’s try the sequence of events again. Keeble learns about the guns, and as soon as he possibly can, he goes to see if Thomas knows, too. He learns that Thomas does know and intends to notify the authorities.”

“We shouldn’t forget,” Barnaby cut in, “that Keeble didn’t go to see Thomas intending to kill him.”

Penelope picked up the thread. “But something Thomas said caused Keeble to panic, pick up the letter knife, and kill Thomas.”

Stokes stirred. “We keep circling the point of Keeble having some unknown but deeply compelling reason for not wanting Thomas to contact the authorities.” He looked at the others. “What could such a reason be?”

Jordan offered, “Because he wanted to protect Josh?”

“But Thomas was already doing his best to protect Gibson, Harrison, and Josh,” Stokes said. “I can’t believe that in telling Keeble he intended to alert the authorities, Thomas didn’t make that part of his plan plain.”

Penelope nodded. “Just think of how that discussion must have gone. If Keeble balked on the grounds of protecting Josh, Thomas would have tried to calm his parental concerns by explaining what he hoped to achieve.” She paused, then went on.

“I would be more inclined to think that Keeble feared that any revelation would fundamentally undermine, even fatally damage, his long-standing efforts to socially elevate the family.”

Stokes thought, then grimaced. “That’s possible, but in truth, neither of those motives—protecting Josh or protecting the family’s social status—feel strong enough, compelling enough, to have panicked a man like Keeble into committing murder.”

Barnaby was slowly nodding. “The reason, whatever it is, must be powerful enough to inspire a degree of panic sufficient to make Keeble lash out—unexpectedly and, in many ways, uncharacteristically.”

They all pondered the situation, then Jordan glanced at Stokes. “Perhaps we can approach this from a different angle. If Thomas hadn’t been killed but had proceeded as he’d planned and notified the authorities, what would have happened?”

“Specifically,” Penelope said, “what would have happened to Keeble Senior?”

Stokes frowned. “The guns would have been seized, as, in fact, they have been. Chesterton would have been arrested and interrogated”—he glanced at Jordan—“and I hope we would have eventually hauled in his backers as well. Our three innocent dupes would have been interviewed—as they were.” Stokes paused, then went on, his voice growing firmer, “And to prove that the three gentlemen’s claims of being dupes was, in fact, the truth, and they or members of their families hadn’t been taking a larger slice of Chesterton’s pie, we would have looked into their finances…

” Stokes met Jordan’s eyes. “And the finances of their families.”

Jordan pointed at Stokes. “There it is. That’s what Keeble feared. He’s not unintelligent. He realized it was likely that if the gun-running scheme was exposed and Josh’s part in it investigated, that would have led to his books being examined.”

“He told us he was a financier.” Barnaby straightened. “That he handles the finances of several large investors.”

Stokes smiled wolfishly. “I think we’ve finally seen the light. Keeble’s motive in killing Thomas Cardwell wasn’t anything to do with the gun-running enterprise per se but had everything to do with keeping the authorities away from Keeble’s own business.”

His eyes narrowed, Jordan said, “Most financiers wouldn’t want the authorities poring over their ledgers, yet the threat of that happening wouldn’t drive any to murder.”

Stokes nodded. “So there’s something illegal—possibly highly illegal—that Keeble Senior is a part of.”

“And” Penelope said, “don’t forget Keeble’s lifelong devotion to ascending the social ranks. He’s devoted his entire life to struggling further up?—”

“So the prospect of his illegal business dealings being exposed and bringing his social house of cards crashing down around his ears…” Barnaby looked at Stokes. “ That’s a powerful enough motive to compel a man like Keeble to murder.”

Penelope sat back and declared, “Keeble was living in a glass house. He couldn’t afford any stones to be thrown, and Thomas was preparing to launch a brick.”

Stokes had been thinking. Raising his head, he looked at the others.

“As we aren’t arresting Josh Keeble, until we can arrest Keeble Senior, we can’t barge in and examine his accounts.

That said, I agree that the answer to what got Thomas Cardwell killed lies there.

So our immediate task is to find sufficient solid evidence to make our case against Keeble Senior.

Once we can arrest him, his accounts are the first place we’ll look for the reason he killed Thomas. ”

All agreed, and they settled to make firm plans for the following morning in their push to gain the evidence necessary to arrest Earnest Keeble.

That Sunday morning at a few minutes before ten o’clock, accompanied by Jordan and Ruth, Penelope sat waiting in her carriage, which was parked along the side of Myddleton Square that faced the rear of the church and the bulk of the trees and lawns.

From his position on the box beside Phelps, Penelope’s footman-cum-guard, Connor, had a clear view of the Keeble residence across the corner of the square. Connor had been delegated to keep watch and inform his mistress the instant Keeble Senior departed his abode.

When Connor dropped to the pavement, opened the door, and announced, “He’s just left his gate. He’s striding along the pavement toward the front of the church,” Penelope felt thoroughly vindicated in her prediction that Keeble would attend the morning service.

“Excellent.” She held out her hand and allowed Connor to help her down the steps to the pavement.

Jordan joined her and handed Ruth down.

Penelope cast a glance over the pair, then tipped her head toward Keeble’s house on the north side of the square. “He’ll be out of sight by now. Let’s go.”

She set off walking briskly for the gate, and Jordan and Ruth hurried to keep pace.