Page 21 of Death of a Courtesan
‘Don’t say a word, Jack,’ Riley said, falling back into his chair and laughing. ‘Not one blasted word…’
‘It takes all sorts, don’t it, sir? But I think we can put him to the bottom of the list of suspects.’
‘Not necessarily. He treads a fine line between self-resect and conceit, and probably thought that Adelaide would jump at the chance of marrying him. Even so, he is fastidious and would have been covered in blood himself if he had slit her throat in a jealous rage. I think he would have found that more repulsive than the killing itself.’
‘He might not have had any clothes on at the time,’ Salter pointed out. ‘And there was a bathroom off that bedroom where he could have cleaned himself up.’
‘He thought he was being magnanimous in offering to marry a woman he considered beneath him. He referred to her as a whore, if you recall. She turned him down, probably laughed at him, and his pride took a denting. We’ve seen more than once during the course of our work that wounded pride can drive the most unlikely people into murderous rages.’
‘But we wouldn’t have suspected him of being anything other than harmless if he hadn’t told us that he’d proposed to Adelaide. Why would he do that when it must have been obvious to him that we didn’t know anything about it?’
‘As he said himself, he wasn’t sure if she had told any of the other girls about the proposal. He wasn’t to know they weren’t on friendly terms and probably assumed they compared notes on their customers when alone. Mirabelle and Adelaide put on a show for them at the beginning of every party that would have made them seem, quite literally I’m sure, like bosom friends. If Grant was her first customer, he would have witnessed their act and been taken in by it because Adelaide’s words and actions were never to be questioned.’ Riley laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back in his chair. ‘No, I think Grant is very clever and may possibly be trying to mislead us. His name stays on the list of suspects.’
‘He says he’s a God-fearing man, but engages in unnatural practises. Makes you wonder.’
‘One of Adelaide’s customers last night was a minister,’ Riley reminded him.
Salter grimaced. ‘There is that.’
‘Grant may have told the truth when he said that he didn’t love Adelaide, but there’s no question that he was obsessed with her. And we’ve frequently seen where obsessions can lead. I think he hated the thought of her being contaminated by other men who were not as fastidious as he is when it comes to cleanliness. With no other hobbies to occupy his leisure time, I’m guessing that obsession grew to epic proportions, resulting in a proposal that he hadn’t imagined for one minute would be declined. Grant thinks highly of himself and probably considered that he was paying her the ultimate compliment. As a professional, Adelaide had probably left him with the impression that she admired him, giving Grant the courage to propose. Only imagine his humiliation when she rejected him not once, but twice.’
‘Right, his name stays on the list then. What next?’
Harper put his head round the door. ‘We’ve found the identity of the remaining man, sir,’ he said. ‘Took a bit of digging ’cause he hadn’t used his real name. It was Sergeant Barton who recognised his alias. He’s been arrested once for causing an affray in a tavern frequented by prostitutes, but he was never convicted.’
‘Why not?’ Salter asked.
Harper shrugged. ‘Connections in the right places. He’s a senior clerk in the Home Office. He called himself Mr Bertram when he visited Mrs Sinclair’s but Bertram is his Christian name. His actual name is Bertram Wallace.’
‘Well done, Harper.’
Harper beamed at the praise and left the room.
‘Wallace is our most senior man, apart from Danforth, with arguably the most to lose,’ Riley said in a considering tone. ‘Which probably explains why he used an alias.’
‘Shall we pop off and see him now, then?’ Salter asked, rubbing his hands.
‘We’ll talk to the remaining four tomorrow. I want to speak with Adelaide’s family today.’ He stood up. ‘Come on, Jack. We’d best take the train to Hertfordshire.’
