“The Sarge give me the news just as I wasleavin’,” Cobb said, reaching for a sweet before peering up andadding, “We been given ten days.”
“To continue with the investigation?” Marcsaid, hoping he had heard aright.
“Yup. Sir Gorgeous is gonna schedule aninquest inta Dick’s death an’ Epp’s hangin’ – in ten days. TheChief is free to gather any evidence he needs until then.”
“Splendid!” Marc said.
“That ought to be enough time,” Robert said.He looked at Marc. “You know why Sir George has given in, don’tyou?”
“I think I do,” Marc said. “He’s terrified ofgiving the Reformers and Durhamites a rallying cry outside of theReport itself. Thorpe has admitted that there areunexplained aspects in the case which he cannot keep from beingmade public and which would have to come out at any subsequentinquest regardless. The slightest hint of an official cover-up,especially one seen to be protecting a possible conspirator amongsttheir own, could be utilized by our party in the Assembly and byyour committee organizing Durham Clubs in the countryside.”
“We’ve got to get you inside the Assembly aswell as writing pamphlets for us,” Robert said, reaching across andpicking off a macaroon with the tips of his fingers. “Added to thisconcern,” he continued, “is the fact that the speech deliveredSaturday evening by Mowbray McDowell has given the Tories a senseof unity they haven’t had since last Fall. Sir George doesn’t wantto disturb that delicate soufflé.”
“So we’ve got free rein?” Marc said toCobb.
“Well, not quite, major. No rain is free isthis town. Sarge said that we was not to ruffle any feathers. Butthe governor did tell him if it turns out that some bigwig is mixedup in the stew, then so be it.”
“Arthur’s a hard man,” Robert said, “but he’shonest and shrewd. If someone in the Family Compact or thegovernor’s party bribed Epp and assisted him in the commission ofthe crime, then Arthur wants him exposed quickly and just asquickly disposed of. He knows he has six months or more before theMelbourne administration in London decides to move on Durham’srecommendations. Chief Justice Robinson is already there lobbyingthe House of Lords, and John Strachan has booked his passage. It’sto Arthur’s benefit to have this murder and suicide cleared up andoff his plate as soon as possible.”
“But I can’t see him extending the deadlinemuch,” Marc said. “He’ll call the inquest, claim every reasonableeffort has been made to investigate the crime, and let any looseends hang loose. The jury’s verdict will be final.”
Cobb finished off his coffee. “They why don’twe start investigatin’?” he said.
***
Marc began, as he usually did, by laying out thelines of enquiry they ought to pursue. They had three pieces ofphysical evidence. The American ten-dollar bills helped point themto someone with adequate means, but otherwise they were not useful.The Melton Bond was likely to prove much more productive because,in the course of interviewing suspects, the subject of suchnotepaper could be raised, tactfully or obliquely, and evensurreptitiously checked out. Likewise, the presence of calligraphyinstruments and a red-ink bottle in a suspect’s study could be usedto press the fellow and perhaps jar loose an admission or two.
“What about the torn-off bit?” Cobbasked.
Marc felt it was unlikely that Epp’smanipulator had done the ripping, but if he had – in order tofurther suggest the killer’s “frenzy” – then surely he would havedestroyed such incriminating evidence by now. If it did turn up,though, it would be the definitive proof they needed. The secondline of enquiry, Marc continued, should focus on connecting Eppwith his manipulator. If this was a conspiracy, it appeared to onethat had been developed after the Archdeacon’s sermon onSunday and before the murder on Monday morning.
Robert mentioned here that Epp was alwaysgiven Sunday afternoon off so that he could return and assist withthe clean-up after the evening service. Where, then, did he go onSunday afternoon? Who was he seen talking to? And so on. Cobb wouldneed to alert Nestor Peck and his other snitches: triple the usualrate would be offered for useful information. (Any snitch who hadbeen foolhardy enough to supply Cobb with false leads had felt thetoe of his boot on a sensitive body part!) With any luck, theywould have a genuine lead in a day or two.
“I hate to bring this up,” Cobb said at thispoint in the discussion, “but so far we got plenty of lions toinquire about but no suspects with names attached to‘em.”
“Oh, but we have,” Marc said.
“You’re thinking of people like EverettStoneham, who threatened Dick at the Assembly?” Robert said.
“I am. He fits the bill on all counts. He iswealthy, arrogant, a pew-holder at St. James, and he has a powerfulmotive. If we can place Epp anywhere near him on Sunday afternoon,we could get a warrant and go looking for the Melton Bond.”
“Who else?” Cobb said, somewhat discouragedat the task ahead.
“Bartholomew Burchill, the silversmith.”
“Just ‘cause he wrote thatscourge-i-lous letter last week?” Cobb said. “We’d have halfthe people of Toronto in jail if that was made a crime.”
“What I found out only yesterday,” Marc said,“was that Celia Langford and young Matthew Burchill have beenmeeting secretly and are, I gather, very much in love.”
Cobb whistled through the generous gaps inhis teeth. “You figure the old man found out an’ went afterDick?”
“It’s possible. We’ll need to check that out.Certainly Burchill is wealthy enough. He’s a notorious skinflintand, from what I’ve heard, a tyrant who keeps his apprentice-sonpractically under house arrest.”
“Anybody else?”
“Well, who else had ready access to Epp and astrong motive?” Robert said.
“Quentin Hungerford, for one,” Marc said. “Heis in a contest with David Chalmers for the rectorship of YorkCounty when it comes open after Strachan is mitred.”
“An’ the fella was Epp’s protector at St.James,” Cobb said, delighted to have a priest tossed into the stew.“Covered fer him whenever he toppled off the wagon – which wasquite regular.”
“Still, I find it hard to believe the manwould plan a murder just to ingratiate himself with thebishop-in-waiting,” Robert said. “That sermon fanned a lot offlames, but only one person out of a thousand took its messageliterally.”
“Perhaps murder was not planned,” Marcmused. “As I said yesterday, the manipulator may have prodded Epptowards a little mischief with the scurrilous note, and things gotout of hand.”
“Fifty dollars is a lot of bribe money for aprank,” Robert said.
“I agree. And I can’t see why Chalmers wouldget similarly involved when Dick’s letter to Strachan may well havehelped resolve the embezzlement charges made against him.”
“Are you planning to go into that hornet’snest at St. James and get yourself tangled up in church politics,”Robert said, “on the off-chance that someone in there is remotelyconnected to Epp’s actions?”
“I feel I must,” Marc said.
No-one mentioned John Strachan, but hisspectre was uppermost in their minds.
“What about them law-benders?” Cobb said.
“They may shed a few crocodile tears,” Robertsaid.
“And I have a feeling,” Marc added. “thatStoneham was their designated bowler – speaking aloud what many ofthem felt.”
“So we start with him?” Cobb said.
“Yes.”
“Well, at least we’ve started,” Robertsaid, reaching for a macaroon only to discover the dish wasempty.
***
Marc walked back with Cobb to report to Chief Sturgeswhat they had decided to do. They would wait until after Dick’sfuneral tomorrow morning, in the hope that Nestor Peck would comeup with a positive lead, after which they would begin accostingtheir shortlist of suspects. Sturges was just emerging from policequarters as they came up the Court House walk.