Page 65 of Death of a Courtesan
‘They were,’ Jake replied, ‘but Isaac was having none of it. Tom was relieved. He is a barrister with a conscience and it doesn’t sit comfortably with him if he is required to defend a man whom he considers to be guilty.’
Tom was Olivia’s son from her first marriage—a marriage that seemed to have been as unhappy as Amelia’s, but with more devastating consequences. Olivia had been arrested on suspicion of murdering her first husband and only Jake’s investigative efforts had prevented a disastrous miscarriage of justice. Tom had adopted Jake’s name when Olivia married him, but was not Jake’s heir. That privilege fell to their son Sebastian, born shortly after the marriage took place.
Riley recalled first meeting Tom when he had been an inquisitive, easy-going and mischievous four-year-old, at the time when Riley’s father had been in such urgent need of Jake’s services. Tom had excelled at school and university and settled upon a career as a barrister. Still only twenty-four, he was rapidly making strides in his chosen profession, thanks in part to Jake persuading his friends, Lord Isaac Arnold and his partner Otto Milton, to take Tom on as their junior. Isaac’s growing empire of exclusive defence barristers had earned a reputation for ruthlessness and dogged determination to see truth prevail in a system still heavily biased towards the crown.
‘I am glad that Tom is maintaining his standards,’ Riley said.
‘He can afford to,’ Olivia replied, her voice bursting with pride. ‘Everyone who is anyone who is accused of a crime of any sort seems to wants Isaac’s firm to represent them and Tom thrives in that environment.’
‘Then I am relieved that his growing reputation hasn’t gone to Tom’s head and he still listens to his conscience,’ Riley said, smiling. ‘Otherwise those of us employed to bring criminals to book would have an even harder time proving the guilt of those who are clearly guilty.’
‘Tom should be home soon,’ Olivia said. ‘Stay and dine with us, Riley. I am sure he will be pleased to see you.’
‘Thank you, but I am otherwise engaged this evening.’
‘Tomorrow then. Amelia is coming and I have invited your sister too, which means Cabbage will be with her.’
Riley smiled at Olivia’s persistence. ‘In that case, how can I refuse?’
‘Obviously you cannot.’
‘What brings you here, Riley?’ Jake asked. ‘Not that you aren’t always welcome.’
‘My latest case, it’s a bit of a puzzler and I would welcome your insight.’
Jake put his glass aside and spread his hands. ‘Then I shall be more than happy to oblige.’
‘And I shall be forever in your debt for taxing his brain,’ Olivia added. ‘He’s like a bear with a sore head when it is clicking away on idle.’
‘I’ve gone from one extreme to the other with my investigations, at least on the face of it.’ Riley smiled at them both. ‘My last big case involved the upper echelons of society. This one centres upon the death of a courtesan.’
‘I read a small piece in today’s newspaper but it didn’t say much,’ Olivia remarked.
Riley filled them in on the particulars. Jake flexed a brow when he learned of Henry’s involvement but didn’t interrupt Riley’s flow.
‘And so, you see,’ he finished, ‘I have all these suspects with compelling motives and absolutely no way of knowing which of them is the murderer. I can imagine what my detractors will have to say if I fail to expose the guilty party—despite the fact that most of them think the life of a courtesan isn’t worth investigating. Salter thinks—’
‘How is he?’ Jake asked. ‘I still recall the fresh-faced young constable with his tall hat and serious expression, all buttoned up in his uniform, when we dealt with that matter pertaining to your father’s unfortunate situation. I was impressed with Salter even then. He was a bit overawed by us all but didn’t let that stand in his way. I always knew he’d do well for himself.’
‘He has made himself invaluable to me. Never lets anything get on top of him and never believes a word that spills from a suspect’s mouth. That said, he’s having trouble looking at this case subjectively.’
‘Because he’s a family man?’ Jake suggested.
‘I would imagine so. He has a daughter not much younger than Adelaide was when she ran away to avoid her uncle’s demands, so I suppose it’s not to be wondered at. Salter has a puritanical streak and doesn’t approve of the world’s oldest profession.’ Riley chuckled. ‘If the uncle does prove to be the killer, I’d best not leave him alone for long with Salter.’
‘Perhaps you should,’ Jake suggested mildly.
‘Don’t tempt me.’ Riley leaned back in his chair, comfortable in the presence of his friends. ‘How the devil am I supposed to flush the killer out, Jake?’ he asked, allowing his frustration to show. ‘I am all out of ideas, so suggestions would be most welcome.’
‘The uncle has the most pressing motive, it seems to me.’
‘He does indeed. And a gap in his alibi that we have yet to ask him to account for. But Ray Clement is also a prime contender. He despises the fact that his mother was a prostitute, even though she eventually married well. We suspect that he can’t forget some of the degrading episodes he witnessed during his early years. He idolises his step-brother but doesn’t have his brains. Michael lets him dabble on the fringes of his wine business, which means he gets to oversee a lot of the deliveries.’
‘Including those to Maiden Lane?’ Olivia asked.
‘Precisely. He could have seen Adelaide there—in fact he probably did, because she took an interest in Mrs Sinclair’s wine cellar. He then saw her with his brother, jumped to the wrong conclusion and…’
‘And knew his way around the premises. He could easily have sneaked in and, as a fishmonger, wouldn’t have felt squeamish about slicing open Adelaide’s throat.’ Jake flashed an apologetic smile at his wife when she winced. ‘My point is that he would know how to go about it without getting splattered in blood.’
