Page 39 of Courier of Death
“But it makes perfect sense. Why would the Stewarts go to check their attic for missing items? It would be so easily overlooked. And not only that, but the person who took it knew that it would be there. They knew it would implicate Mrs. Stewart. This person was known to her.”
The temptation to follow this line of inquiry nipped at Jasper’s heels. If it had been his case, he would certainly question the Stewarts’ staff. But he had no role with the bombing investigation, and it left him feeling utterly thwarted. Especially since Leo was so keen to plow onward, with or without him.
“You were listening at the door when I spoke to Lord Hayes,” he said.
She bit her bottom lip and turned to take her handbag from where she’d hung it on a stand.
“I might have been,” she said. “Niles Foster’s murder is connected to John Lloyd’s. You know that as well as I. If Niles had an altercation with a Spitalfields Angel at Bloom’s club, it’s entirely possible John Lloyd did as well. John was forced to bring that bomb to the Yard; I am certain of it. Shouldn’t we askif Mrs. Stewart has any connection to the Spitalfields Angels or why they might wish to target her?”
Disbelief surged just beneath his skin. “Tell me that isn’t your plan. You aren’t going to a prison to ask about the Angels?”
She frowned at him as she went to the back door, which emptied out into a dirt lane behind the former church vestry. “You make it sound like it’s a bad idea.”
He threw out his arms. “It is awretchedidea, Leo. You cannot simply go into a prison asking about members of a gang. My God, have some sense.”
At her peeved glower, he reined in his temper. Taking a steadying breath, he added, “There are members of that gang in every one of Her Majesty’s prisons. If anyone were to overhear you and then send word to someone on the outside, what do you think would happen?”
She held still, visibly mulling over the question. The slightest bit of awareness and understanding shifted across her defiant expression.
“All right,” she said, with a firm nod. “I’ll whisper.” She opened the door and stepped outside.
A knot tangled inside him.Bloody woman. He joined her on the narrow dirt lane, closing the back door behind him.
“You’re not going alone,” he grumbled. It wasn’t as if he didn’t already have plenty to do back at the Yard. Lewis was still going through Foster’s papers, and Jasper needed to find a way to speak to the Olaf fellow. But Leo was going to Holloway Prison, whether he accompanied her or not.
She walked ahead of him. “Maybe I don’t want your company.”
“Maybe I’m not giving you a choice,” he replied, catching up swiftly. “You remind me of my father. He’d get his teeth into something and refuse to give it up—like a stubborn mongrel.”
Leo glanced up at him, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
He held his tongue. It was a compliment, he supposed, even if she infuriated him.
At Trafalgar Square, they hired a cab to take them the five or so miles north of Camden Town. Holloway Prison housed men primarily, but there were two smaller wings, one for juvenile offenders and one for women. Female warders were tasked with looking after both of these smaller groups of inmates. He’d been to Holloway a handful of times, transporting prisoners when he’d been a constable and once, to question a suspect.
“Have you ever been to a city prison?” he asked as they rode along.
“I’ve never had reason to,” Leo answered pointedly.
“They aren’t civilized places. You should prepare yourself.”
Leo only cast him an annoyed glance before turning toward the window again. With no conversation for the first many minutes, Jasper sat back and contemplated the connection between Foster and Lloyd. He didn’t want to approach Tomlin until he had more than similar bruising patterns and a habit for gambling at Striker’s Wharf to link the two deaths. What he needed to do was find out what had happened inside that casino and how Foster had incurred Olaf’s ire.
Leo’s voice broke the quiet. “It is kind of Lord Hayes to see to Mr. Foster’s burial. They must have been close.”
“Their fathers were close. As such, Oliver felt a responsibility toward him.”
“I see.” Leo laced her fingers together in her lap. She wanted to say something more, though it took her a moment to get it out. “And was Miss Hayes also acquainted with Niles Foster?”
Shifting in his seat, Jasper tugged awkwardly on the panels of his coat. “Not that I am aware.”
“You haven’t inquired?”
He supposed there was no need to be secretive about what had happened between him and Oliver’s cousin. Now was as good a time as any to confess. “I’ve ended things with Constance.”
Leo blinked. “Oh.” Her lips parted, as if truly stunned. Jasper noted the full curve of her bottom lip, then dragged his attention away.
“I’m sorry,” she offered.
