Page 36 of The Trick of the Treasure
Terrance blinked at such unexpected bluntness. Oh yes, they suspected him. Which meant Lloyd did too. That pleased him rather than worried him unduly. “The one on the ground floor.”
“And your wife?”
“Likewise. Young woman—”
“Were you the only guests on that occasion?” Grey interrupted, distracting him so that he forgot to be offended.
“No—the Graftons were there, as I recall, with their daughter and several young men I imagine were there to admire Jemimah Lloyd and the Grafton chit.”
“I don’t suppose you noticed,” Grey said, “whether any of the other guests left the company for any length of time?”
Terrance stared at him. “You suppose rightly.”
“From your knowledge of this world of discerning collectors,” Mrs. Silver said, “are you aware of any who might be unethical enough to steal or cause to be stolen?”
“Of course not,” Terrance said, genuinely shocked.
“Well, thank you for your time,” Grey said, rising. “Might I ask you to inform us should you see or hear of any such items as are listed there?”
Terrance rose with Mrs. Silver, to whom he returned the interesting list. “Of course.” He rang the bell beside the fireplace. “Becky will show you out.”
Chapter Eight
“Well,” Constance said,as the carriage rolled through the gracious Mayfair streets, “he could hardly contain his delight at Lloyd’s misfortune.”
“Did it seem unalloyed delight to you?” Solomon asked, for in truth he was having difficulty concentrating. He owed Constance and their client his best efforts, and under normal circumstances he was good at locking away matters that had no bearing on the task in hand. But this—this was no normal circumstance. In fact, the hugeness of his discovery overwhelmed him. He needed to be pursuing it instead of fulfilling lesser obligations.
Only the knowledge that a couple of hours could make no difference, and that his time was already promised to the case, kept him in the carriage.
Constance was considering his words. “He might have been a little ashamed of his instinctive reaction.”
“Or guilty?”
“He is very single-minded,” she allowed. “And it’s interesting that he actually went to the docks and saw the treasure chest being unloaded. But I can’t imagine his creeping about the Lloyds’ house in the dead of night. Even less, dealing with the criminal underworld to arrange the burglary. Perhaps we should have spoken to his wife as well.”
“She clearly has no interest in his collection. It’s all banished to the one room, along with Terrance himself.”
She sighed. “We did not learn anything new, did we?”
“I think we learned not to rule him out of this crime. Thehowmay not be immediately obvious, but thewhygoes very deep.”
“Perhaps the Graftons will prove more useful.”
She lapsed into silence, which left his mind too much space to veer off course. He held it to the case almost desperately, going over Terrance’s responses and expressions, speculating on how he might have done it.
Constance was gazing out of the window. She might have been thinking as he was. Or she might have been waiting. She was nothing if not perceptive, and she would have noticed his reaction to the photograph. He didn’t have the words to explain just yet. Soon, he would find them, one way or the other.
In the meantime, there were Mr. and Mrs. Grafton.
Judging by the number of carriages waiting outside the Grafton house, its mistress at least was at home. This was, after all, one of the prime hours for morning calls. Solomon again asked at the door for Mr. Grafton, hoping that the man might well welcome a respite from tea and feminine chatter.
“We don’t need to disturb Mrs. Grafton when she is entertaining,” he added.
The footman took him at his word and ushered them into a small reception where, in due course, Mr. Grafton himself joined them, the Silver and Grey card in his hand.
“Sir. Madam.” He bowed so minimally that he might as well not have bothered. “I confess I am at a loss as to the reasons for your visit. I don’t believe we are acquainted, andInquiriesgives me no clues except ones I dislike.”
“Forgive our intrusion, Mr. Grafton,” Constance said with a winning smile. “It must seem unforgivable on our part. But the truth is, we come on behalf of a friend of yours, Mr. Barnabas Lloyd.”
