Page 53 of The Time for Love
Martin nodded. “So the Murchisons could have been responsible.” After a moment of mentally slotting everything together, he summarized, “As matters stand, it’s possible the accidents at the steelworks were ordered by Vince Murchison with the actual sabotage carried out by some of his thugs. And presumably, Vince is operating under the orders of his older brother, Walter, who in turn is acting for whoever has hired them.” He looked at Charlie. “Are those statements accurate?”
Slowly, Charlie nodded. “As far as they go. But the stumbling block for me is that I can’t understand why anyone would want to ruin Carmichael Steelworks.”
“We can’t imagine the reason,” Sophy said, “because we don’t yet know who hired the Murchisons to make trouble for us.”
“And until we know who,” Oliver put in, “we’re just guessing at his motive.”
“We could waste a lot of time trying to find a motive,” Martin said, “so at present, our best way forward looks to be via identifying the person who hired the Murchisons.”
Sophy wondered aloud, “Could it be some company rather than an individual?”
“I can’t see it,” Charlie replied. “The Murchisons are not the sort of helpers any company would think to hire.” Across the table, he met Martin’s eyes. “My money would be on someone to whom using the likes of the Murchisons would come naturally.”
Martin arched his brows. “Any ideas?”
Charlie grimaced. “None at all. It comes back to what I said before—I can’t think of anyone who would want to damage Carmichael Steelworks.”
Oliver glanced at Martin. “What about Edward’s mysterious friend?”
Charlie frowned. “What friend?”
Oliver recounted what he and Martin had learned at the Iron and Steel Club. “Unfortunately, no one knew the man’s name, and the only description is distinctly vague—a hard-faced man in an excellent coat that everyone seems to notice. The coat, I mean, not the man. For some reason, everyone remembers his very nice coat.”
Charlie’s expression cleared. “That sounds like the man I saw in Sycamore Street.”
Oliver straightened. “At Edward’s house?”
Charlie nodded.
“When was this?” Martin asked.
“Several weeks ago,” Charlie said. “The last time I came home. I often stay at the house—at least when I don’t have debt collectors after me—and I came in one afternoon and realized Edward had someone with him in the library. The library door was open, and I could hear them talking. I didn’t want to intrude, so I crept past, but I couldn’t resist peeking in as I did. I was curious because Edward doesn’t have many friends, not of the type he invites into the library, which he considers his sanctum. Your man was seated, relaxed and cozy, by the fire—and yes, his coat is something one would notice. It was black and, even from a distance, looked extremely expensive. It was one of those long coats that can be worn inside or outside—as an overcoat or as a general coat—and it suited him. He wasn’t a small man. I also agree that his face is hard—very craggy and hewn. He and Edward were chatting away in friendly fashion, all very comfortable.”
Sophy leaned forward. “Do you know the man’s name?”
Charlie shook his head. “I never heard it.” Frowning, he added, “And Calwell, the butler, didn’t know it, either, which is rather odd. I was curious, so I drew Calwell out, but he honestly didn’t know.”
“You didn’t hear Edward use the man’s name?” Martin pressed.
“Not while I was listening, which wasn’t for long. I didn’t want Edward to catch me eavesdropping. I wasn’t, not intentionally, but he would have interpreted it that way.” Charlie glanced at Sophy. “You know what he’s like.”
Resigned, Sophy nodded.
Oliver said, “You only heard Edward and this man speaking briefly, but think back. Were they talking in a focused way? Was it about something in particular, or was it more along the lines of the usual rambling social conversation with not much point to it?”
Martin glanced at Oliver. That was an insightful question; clearly, the man wasn’t just a pretty face.
Charlie stared at Oliver, then frowned. “You’re right. They were discussing some subject, but unfortunately, I didn’t hear what.”
Sophy grimaced, and they all fell silent.
After a moment, Martin glanced around the table. From the pensive expressions the others wore, it seemed they’d reached the end of their immediate deliberations.
They’d also finished their breakfasts.
Elliot noticed and asked if he could clear the dishes. Sophy glanced around, then assented.
Martin pushed back his chair. “I’m going to send my men back to town.” He looked at Sophy. “Do you want them to take a message to your aunt and grandmother? I imagine they’ll be wondering what’s happened.”
