Part 11 (2/2)

*I don't know, but I have a feeling.'

*Euphemia, you can't go to that man with a feeling! Do you realise how important he is?'

*I don't know what he is,' I admitted. *But I think we need his help.'

We argued for a while, but the concierge came back to say the doctor had arrived and they were now having a discussion as to whether the room should be opened before the police arrived. The doctor thought it should and George disagreed. *My manager is still on his break, sir. So it's a bit of an awkward one. I thought you might be the best person to sort this out?'

Reluctantly Bertram went off with him. His parting shot to me was, *And don't go anywhere, Euphemia!'

Of course I waited for them to clear the stairs before heading to my room and fetching my coat.

I gave the address Mr Edward had given me to the cabbie and was surprised when in a very short time we pulled up outside a large building. It seemed to be comprised of offices and apartments and did not in any way look like a government building. I climbed the dingy staircase feeling more and more as if someone was playing an enormous joke on me. When I arrived at the right floor the door in front of me bore the legend of a private detective agency. Had Mr Edward changed jobs? However, I had come this far. I knocked on the door and went in.

A smart young woman was sitting at a desk. She looked up brightly and smiled. *How can I help?'

*I fear I may be in the wrong place,' I said. *I was looking for Mr Edward.'

*And you are?'

I hesitated a moment and then gave my real name. Fitzroy had indicated he knew it and I was fairly certain what he knew Mr Edward would also know. The young woman gave me another bright smile and reached into her desk. She brought out a clipboard and traced her finger down a list of names. *Ah, here you are. Is this a matter of urgency?'

*To be perfectly honest I don't know. There has been one serious attack, possibly a potential murder, and another young woman died today, but that may have been due to natural causes.'

*Were any of these persons of significance?'

I repressed the urge to retort that all human life was of significance. *One was the housekeeper at Stapleford Hall, the home of the Staplefords, and the other a daughter of the Wilton press family.'

The young woman nodded. *I think that will suffice,' she said. *If you will follow me.' She stood up and opened a door to the left. We entered a short pa.s.sageway with no windows that led to another door. She opened this and showed me into a small room with a table and two chairs. There was a window, but it was grimy and barred. *Mr Edward will be with you shortly,' she said and left closing the door behind her. I was relieved not to hear the sound of a key turning.

I went over to the window and tried to make out the view below, but it was too dirty for me to do so. I sat for a while, but found I could not easily stay still, so I contented myself with pacing and thinking about what I would say. By the time Mr Edward entered the room I had convinced myself this was a foolish errand, but had marshalled my facts into good order.

He looked much the same as he had in the Highlands. There was no reason why he should have changed but in this strange and shabby setting I had expected him to be different. But he remained a man in his middle years, with a mild and unprepossessing face except for a pair of extremely bushy eyebrows. He was wearing a very well-cut but underplayed brown suit. His voice, when he spoke, had lost none of its authority.

*Miss Martins, I hear you have been troubled by inconvenient corpses again.'

*Only one corpse so far, Mr Edward. The fate of the other victim hangs in the balance. But I am not at all sure this is something for you. If you are indeed ...' I looked around helplessly. *... what you were before.'

Mr Edward chuckled. *You of all people, Miss Martins, should know that appearances can be deceptive. Have a seat and tell me why this particular puzzle will not interest the bureau.'

I related the facts in order and in some detail as I was unsure what was important and what was not.

*So it is your belief that the message about a lost child was what caused Mrs Wilson distress?'

*I may be making too much of what Dr Simpson said, but I got the impression there was some secret in Mrs Wilson's past. His warning to me also of not allowing history to repeat itself lends credence to the suggestion.'

*Do you know if the late Lord Stapleford's rather eccentric will applied to all his children or only his legitimate heirs?'

*I have no idea,' I said startled.

*In my experience most men repeat their mistakes.'

*You mean there may be other children?'

*It is an avenue worth considering.'

*Is it too much to think that Miss Wilton may have pushed the gla.s.s?' I asked.

*She is a was a an ambitious young lady. We have been aware of her activities for a while.'

*Do you mean she was a foreign spy?' I asked breathless.

Mr Edward gave a bark of laughter. *I do enjoy your company, Miss Martins.' He took out a handkerchief and dabbed at one eye. *No. Merely that in her attempts to become a journalist of note rather than a mere society writer she was asking a lot of awkward questions in a lot of difficult areas. You see, most women of note longed to appear in her column, mentioned favourably, of course, and most women of note ...'

*Are married to men of note,' I finished for him.

*I was considering recruiting her,' said Mr Edward. *She had a fine network of information, but further study suggested her personality as well as her health made her unsuitable for our work.'

I blinked at the word ”our” but decided he was adopting a royal stance.

*The asylum she took you to is one of the very best in the country. Dr Frank is extremely well regarded.'

*I fail to see the connection,' I begun.

*But that is it exactly, Miss Martins. It is all about connections.'

*Miss Wilton kept notes.'

*I shall have them retrieved from the local police force. As to this matter of a second doctor. Was she, in your opinion, the kind of woman who would have told her admirer that the doctor had been merely so he would leave her alone?'

*No, she was the kind of woman who revelled in attention.'

*Perhaps not if she was feeling extremely unwell?' suggested Mr Edward with a fierce frown.

*Sir, my head is going round. I cannot see how all these pieces are connected.'

*Neither can I. But I can see certain lines of enquiry to follow.'

*So you think it is worth pursuing?'

*If there's an outside chance of getting Richard Stapleford under control it's worth investigating.'

*By under control, you mean?'

*I mean what I mean, Miss Martins. The man's a d.a.m.ned loose cannon in more ways than one and now he's a member of parliament he has even more potential for causing harm.'

*What should I do?'

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