The Sign of Death by Callie Hutton (children's books read aloud .TXT) 📗

seemed reluctant to share a copy but bowed to the man’s request when Mr. Nelson-Graves mentioned getting the court involved.

At the end of it all, William’s head pounded, and he felt as though he’d been in the interview room for days instead of hours.

“I believe we are finished for now.” Detective Carson turned to William. “Do not leave Bath for any reason.”

As William breathed a sigh of relief, Mr. Nelson-Graves and Mr. Lawrence gathered notebooks, pencils, and files in preparation to leave.

“Detective, I wish to put you on notice that my client is not guilty of any crime. It appears from this interview and your evidence that crimes have been committed against him.” Mr. Nelson-Graves looked every bit the well-respected and powerful barrister he was.

“That’s your department, barrister. Our job is to find the person who most likely got Mr. James Harding drunk, then enticed him to walk along the river, and then shoved him in.” Carson pointed a finger at William. “Your client had every reason to commit the crime.”

“I suggest you turn your attention elsewhere, Detective. I would hate to see the department appear foolish to the public by falsely accusing a man of the nobility and member of the House of Lords of a horrendous crime.”

As they turned to leave, Detective Marsh spoke, one of the few times he had, since he’d spent most of his time scribbling in his notebook. “I wish to remind you, my lord, that we await the information you intend to provide showing that you were nowhere near the pub in question a day or two before Mr. Harding was found.”

William nodded, anxious to get home and check his appointment book to see what he’d been doing that week. Hopefully there was a notation that would jar his memory and provide an alibi. Right now, as frazzled as he was, he could not remember what he’d been doing the night before, let alone the week in question.

The three men reached the outside of the building. Fresh air had never smelled better. Mr. Nelson-Graves addressed William. “I will need you to meet me in my office either tomorrow or the day after.”

“Yes. I will send a note around as to the time and day I will be available for you.” William then turned to Mr. Lawrence. “I hope the police provide the copy of the file to you quickly. I need to begin my campaign to restore my good name with the individuals and businesses that Harding lured into false contracts.”

“You have a lot of work ahead of you, my lord. If there is anything I can do to assist in that matter, please let me know.” Mr. Lawrence gave a slight bow and walked away, heading for his carriage waiting at the end of the pavement.

“I will see you, then, in a couple of days.” Mr. Nelson-Graves also took his leave, heading across the street to where his office was located.

William waved his carriage forward and climbed in. He rested his head on the back of the squab and closed his eyes. He’d never been in such a mess in his life. The murder charge hanging over his head was bad enough, but the predicament Harding had created for him in the business community was almost as daunting.

Feeling like he needed to speak with someone who understood his dilemma, he tapped on the ceiling of the carriage and instructed his driver to take him to Amy’s house. Hopefully she would be home and could offer some peace of mind just by being herself.

He spent the ride trying to clear his mind of the session he’d just gone through with the police.

Stevens greeted him and opened the door to allow him entrance. “Yes, my lord, Lady Amy is at home and was expecting you. Her ladyship is in the drawing room.”

He made his way down the corridor and stepped into the drawing room, feeling a sense of peace just being there. Amy hopped up from the settee and hurried over to him, wrapping her arms around his middle. Startled, he pulled her closer, and his eyes shuttered as he held her, his chin resting on her head.

They said nothing for a full minute, the sound of his heart pounding in his ears, then slowly returning to normal. Finally Amy pulled back, and he immediately missed her warmth and the scent of lavender that always surrounded her.

“Was it terrible?”

He thought of playing the cavalier and making light of it, but then realized he wanted her to know the truth. He didn’t want to hide this from her. Or anything else, for that matter. What that meant, he didn’t have the energy to analyze right then. He looked down into her deep-green eyes, full of caring and something else warm and inviting, and said, “Yes.” He closed his eyes and tucked her against his body, resting his chin on her head again. “It was terrible.”

CHAPTER 21

Three days later, William arrived back at Amy’s house in the early afternoon to escort her to the Pump Room. She hadn’t seen him since the day he’d been interrogated by the police. He’d told her he would be busy for the next few days, gathering whatever information he could to give to his solicitor and barrister.

He’d sent a note to her saying that he needed a break and a distraction and suggested an outing to the Pump Room and then maybe a walk in Victoria Park. While he was busy with his issues, Amy spent her time making a list of all their suspects. She’d added Mrs. Ethel Burrows from the ledger to her original list of Mrs. Whitney, Patrick Whitney, Miss Gertrude O’Neill, and Mr. David Montrose.

Five suspects. All with a reason to kill Mr. Harding. They’d yet to find Mr. Montrose. William had checked his clubs, and he and Amy had attended the Assembly dances since all of this had started, and so far Mr. Montrose had not yet made an appearance.

Although Mr. Lemmon had admitted