Page 26 of Courier of Death
“I’m still waiting on the postmortem results, but at the moment, it appears he drowned.”
The knight repeated that last—drowned—as if the word did not make sense.
“Where was this?” he then asked. But Jasper knew better than to allow the person he was questioning to seize the reins.
“Sir Elliot, I’m looking into Mr. Foster’s final hours and what might have led to his death. You say you last saw him yesterday, early in the afternoon. Can you provide a specific time?”
He blinked and nodded. “Yes, yes. Of course. Let me see. Niles informed me that he had an appointment and that he would not be present when I emerged from chambers. I went in at one o’clock, so that was the last time I saw him.”
“Did he say anything about the appointment? Where it was, or with whom?”
He shook his head. “I don’t become personal with my aides. What they do in their off-hours is their business.”
It was understandable. A man as important as Sir Elliot Payne wasn’t likely to care about Niles Foster’s private life.
“How did he seem before he left? In good spirits?”
He shrugged, and his expression was one of ignorance. “I suppose. I noticed nothing amiss.”
Jasper thought of Foster’s appearance. “Did he have any bruising on his face?”
This seemed to interest Sir Elliot. “Bruising? None at all. I thought you said he drowned?”
“It appears he met with some violence beforehand.” The bruising had looked fresh, and now Jasper knew for certain Foster had received the beating after one o’clock in the afternoon. What he wanted to know was if the man had been alive or dead when he went into the duck pond. The ormolu clock in the knight’s study read a quarter past noon. Claude might have performed the postmortem exam by now.
“Did Foster associate with other parliamentary aides? Clerks?”
“Not that I am aware of, but as I said, I was not on familiar terms with him,” Sir Elliot answered. “He never caused any fuss.”
“Didn’t he? I’ve been told his argument with Viscount Hayes outside chambers last week was loud and very public.”
The MP hitched his chin. “I heard of their dispute, though I didn’t witness it myself. I should think you would wish to speak to Lord Hayes about it.”
That Niles Foster had been found in the viscount’s duck pond wasn’t something Jasper wanted to share. It didn’t look good for Oliver. Of course, Sir Elliot would eventually learn of it anyhow.
“Thank you, I will.” He stood. “One more thing, Sir Elliot. A woman has been arrested in connection with the bombings at Scotland Yard two days ago. Mrs. Geraldine Stewart, with whom, I am told, you are acquainted.”
He furrowed his brow. “Mrs. Stewart? I cannot believe it.”
“You were to attend the Women’s Equality Alliance meeting last night but canceled shortly before,” Jasper said, disinclined to reveal where he’d gotten this information. “Can you tell me where you were instead?”
The MP didn’t seem to have any motive for harming his aide, but it would be good to have his alibi, nonetheless.
“Yes, it was unfortunate to have to cancel so late in the day, but another meeting came up that I could not miss. I had a message delivered to Mrs. Stewart, giving her my apologies.”
“With whom did you meet?”
Sir Elliot seemed perturbed by the pointed question but gave an answer just the same. “Sir Charles Ralston. A fellow member of the House of Commons.”
Jasper made a note of the name. He would, of course, need to run the name down and verify Sir Elliot had been with him last evening.
“From what I hear, you were to speak in support of the women’s suffrage movement,” Jasper said.
Sir Elliot, still seated in the leather club chair with his legs crossed, rotated his left foot in slow circles. “It is only a matter of time before women can vote. I am a progressive, after all. Labor usually is,” he added. “It’s the Tories who are perpetually stuck a decade in the past.”
“Do you think her a violent sort?”
He kept his foot swirling as if in deep thought. “I never saw it. But she is quite passionate about women’s equality, and when passions run high… Well, one never knows, does one?” He sighed. “Mr. Stewart won’t come out well in any of this. Surely, it will reflect poorly on him.”
