Page 58 of When a Lady Kisses a Scot
“A week. Perhaps ten days.”
“Her fare will be limited, to say the least.”
“I can live with that. Thank you.” He shifted his attention to Sophie. His expression went grim, his jaw rigid with tension. “I am aware of a recent development in your mission. We need to discuss the matter, but it may be best to wait until Jennie is here.”
Sophie shook her head. “I see no point in waiting, Mr. Colton.”
“I need to be tendin’ to my customers,” Gerry said, moving to the door. “At this time of day, the gents are ready for a cold brew and a warm meal.”
“Indeed. I’ve always had a taste for your fish chowder,” Colton said. “Any chance you’ll be whipping up a pot tonight?”
Gerry’s smile brightened her careworn features. “I’ve got a pot simmerin’ as we speak. I’ll be sure to put some aside for ye.”
“Thank you.” He watched as the door closed behind her. “Please, take a seat, Sophie.”
She settled into a comfortable chair upholstered in a rather garish flowery print. “I take it you’ve learned of the brutes who accosted me. I’m confident there’s no need for further concern. Should they put in another appearance, I will be prepared. I now carry a pistol at all times.”
“That may be of some help,” he said, taking a seat beside her. “But it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve been targeted. You are in danger. It’s time to take a different approach to this mission.”
“I’ve made strides in garnering intelligence from Trask’s clients. One fellow in particular, a particularly nasty man who goes by McNaughton, is a promising source.” She contemplated the best strategy for presenting what she’d learned without stoking Colton’s apprehension that she might well be in over her head. “I’ve quite recently uncovered evidence that may have bearing on the case.”
“Very good. Do you have this evidence on your person?”
“Yes. Might I trouble you to look away?”
A hint of a smile tugged at his mouth. “Of course. Never let it be said Matthew Colton is not a gentleman.”
He averted his gaze, seeming to study the paisley wallpaper. “I really do need to encourage Gerry to change this abominable print. It’s enough to give one a headache.”
Lifting her skirt, Sophie retrieved the documents she’d hidden in her petticoat. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.”
“Indeed.”
“You may turn back now,” she said.
He met her gaze. She handed him Trask’s notes and waited as he gave the documents a brisk perusal.
“Your efforts have been productive,” he said. “You’ve developed valuable avenues of inquiry. Have you uncovered any direct link between Trask and the men who were killed, other than their patronage of his studio?”
“Not yet, but I’m close to unearthing evidence we can use against him. As it stands, I’ve witnessed considerable trickery and deception, and I believe he’s made enemies along the way. I’ve also uncovered evidence of another party involved in his enterprise. It’s possible the men who died crossed Trask or his silent partner. If they threatened to reveal Trask’s fraudulent practices, to put him out of business, they may have been silenced.”
“A man like him would not risk facing the hangman to protect his interests. He’d abscond across the Channel with the money he’s conned from his clients. If he had those men killed, the reasons go deeper than greed.”
“Quite so. I shall tailor my inquiries along those lines.”
Leaning back, Colton steepled his fingers. While playing chess with him, she’d noticed he tended to do just that while he puzzled out his next move. What was he contemplating that had his features so drawn and serious? Tension formed a lump in Sophie’s throat. Whatever he was thinking, he knew she would not like it.
“A complication has arisen,” she went on, pushing her concerns aside. “That archaeologist—Stanwyck’s his name—he’s been sniffing around Trask’s studio. I have not been able to deduce his motives. Clearly, he is not in search of a long-lost treasure, as he claimed in his initial meeting with Trask.”
“From what I’ve been told, the man has taken a special interest in you. Jennie informed me that he took it upon himself to come between you and the blighters who attacked you. On one hand, I owe him a debt for coming to your defense. On the other, his appearance at the scene may have been all too convenient.”
Sophie met his questioning gaze. So, he’d also harbored doubt over the timing of Gavin’s gallant arrival upon the scene. She swallowed against the sudden dryness in her throat. How much could she reveal without risking being pulled from the case? She certainly could not confess that he’d warned her that she was in a killer’s sights.
She pulled in a breath. “I believe he is a skeptic, out to prove Trask a fraud.”
Colton nodded. “What would drive a man who’s spent much of his adult life traipsing across a desert in search of antiquities to shift his focus to exposing a phony medium?”
“I cannot say at this time, but again, you’ve posed an excellent avenue for further inquiries.” Even as she spoke the words, they seemed a lie of omission, bitter on her tongue. Should she inform Colton of the clipping she’d found, evidence that someone connected to Trask viewed Stanwyck as a threat?
