Page 12 of Honor Unbound

Then there were those like Marie’s brother.

The carriage rolled to a stop. “We’re here.” I forced a bit of cheer into my voice. Dwelling on loss did no one any favors. “Let’s see if Sir Kelsey is available.”

He was, though he couldn’t contain his shock at seeing us. “Did you have anything to add to your statement, Lady Mary? You were telling the truth when you said you knew of no connection between yourself and the victim?”

I drew my shoulders back. “Of course, I was telling the truth. And I have nothing to add to my statement. I came to show you this.” I pulled the folded paper from my reticule and passed it across the desk. “That article there.” I pointed to the piece. “Mr. Trent was suing one Driscoll Gray for selling him defective tins. Apparently some members of the Royal Navy became sick anddied from eating contaminated food, and Trent had to recall the whole batch. He lost a lot of money.”

“Seems more of a reason to want Gray dead.” Burton narrowed his eyes. “A friend of one of the dead men would be understandably angry at him.”

Sir Kelsey nodded. “When was this?” He flipped the paper over. “A couple months ago? I would presume that if Trent were killed because of his lawsuit the murder would have occurred sooner after he filed it.”

“Perhaps that is why the killer waited, so his motive wouldn’t be suspected.” The back of my neck heated. Money was always a strong motive. The magistrate shouldn’t dismiss it. “The lawsuit is most likely still ongoing. Gray might have only recently been ordered to pay Trent a large sum. It needs checking out.”

The smile Sir Kelsey gave me was patronizing. “And we will. That is what Bow Street is trained for, but thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

I debated telling the magistrate of what we’d learned from our visit to Mrs. Trent. If he was going to be superior, I wanted to be recalcitrant. My better angels reigned, however. “You might also want to speak to Trent’s manager, a Fenton Hicks. I heard there was a disagreement between the two men just last week.”

Sir Kelsey made a note. “And you learned of this how?”

“When I made a condolence call on the widow.” I tapped my thumb on the beak of my walking stick’s falcon. “And have you learned anything? Did you find the murder weapon by chance?”

Kelsey leaned back and hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jacket. “Hall is looking into it.” He opened his mouth. Closed it. As thoughhisbetter angels had counseled him not to share information.

I pressed my lips tight. I preferred my angels to his.

“Hall?” Burton asked.

“Bryan Hall, the coroner.” Kelsey sighed. “We’ll get to the bottom of it, don’t you worry, Lady Mary. A woman of your situation has better things to do than to concern herself about such matters, I’m sure.”

The way his gaze lingered on my snowy white hair made me think mysituationhad more to do with my age than my status. I tried not to bristle. The magistrate wasn’tthatmuch younger than me. Young enough though to think a few wrinkles meant one’s opinions were no longer salient or useful. I’d bet my club my mind was more than a match for his.

I stood, annoyed with the magistrate’s attitude. He might not think my judgment was penetrating enough to be of use, but I knew better. “Thank you, Sir Kelsey. We’ll leave you to it.”

He rose, as well. “Oh, and have that maid of yours, Miss Smith, come by. She still hasn’t signed her statement.”

I nodded and turned to go. When we stepped outside, I said to Mr. Burton and Marie, “I want you two to find out where this Bryan Hall is and go question him. Perhaps he’s learned something and will be more forthcoming than the magistrate.”

“I’m supposed to be your companion, not ’is.His.” Marie frowned.

“And if you are to be my companion, you’ll have to learn to be adaptable. Just ask Jane.” I nodded at Ernest as he opened the carriage door. “Take a hackney. Ernest here will give you some spending money.”

“If Miss Murphy doesn’t want to accompany me, I can perform this task alone.” Burton pursed his lips. “In fact, it might be better if I do. A young lady shouldn’t visit the office of a coroner.”

Marie lifted her chin, a red curl brushing against her shoulder. “I grew up on a farm and have seen accidents that would turn your stomach. That’s not where my objection lies.”

“Good, it’s settled then.” I clapped my hands together. “You and Mr. Burton will find this Hall together. And having a pretty young woman along to ask questions can go a long way in loosening a man’s tongue.” It had been a while since I’d had any personal experience to attest to that statement, but I was sure it still held true.

Burton lifted one shoulder. “All right then. You go on home, Lady Mary. We’ll handle it from here and let you know what we find out.”

I didn’t bother correcting him. He was new. He’d learn that I wasn’t thego home and wait for informationsort. I climbed into the carriage and gave Ernest an address that was decidedly not my own. This trip wasn’t short. Trent’s canning factory was in a part of London I wasn’t familiar with and the smells that assaulted my nose when I stepped from the carriage almost made me wish I’d gone to the coroner’s instead.

Located near the London Docks, a situation that made sense for the distribution of his product, the canning factory was a large two-story structure covered in faded black paint. A sign reading “Trent Canning Company” hung over wide barn doors, and a smaller, person-sized door sat off the corner of the building.

I headed for what I assumed was the office and was glad when the door closed behind me. I could still hear the noise from the busy street, but it was no longer ear-splitting. “Hullo?” I’d expected a din of activity from so profitable a factory, but a peek inside the door to the factory floor showed only a few stray workmen and the machines silent. “I’m looking for Mr. Hicks,” I called to one of the workers. “Is he here?”

A man peeled off of the group and clomped toward me. “I’m Hicks. What is this about?”

“The death of Mr. Trent.” I nudged a bit of scrap metal with the tip of my walking stick. “I was hoping to ask you a few questions.”