“What?” Felix asked.
“I’ll tell you this,” Wilmot said softly. “There were times when she was sending out notes and others were sending her notes. She had many admirers. I’m not sitting in judgement just telling you the facts as I saw it.”
“How many would you say?” Val asked. “Admirers?”
“Three, maybe four.”
“Do you know where they lived and their names?”
Wilmot shook his head. “She would often go out to meet them. She would take hansom cabs mostly but once or twice I drove her.”
“Where?” Felix asked.
“Different places. Sometimes I would drop her off at a public house or a tavern. She was a wild girl. I’ll tell you that. She didn’t cater to the rules and norms and the more her grandmother tried to rein her in the more she pushed the boundaries.”
“And Miss Caroline? What was she like?” Val asked suddenly.
“The opposite. Quiet, kind. Not that she hasn’t had admirers too but she never gave them the time of day,” Wilmot shrugged.
Felix seemed to be watching Val until Wilmot spoke again.
“I think it’s a tragedy what has happened to Miss Irene. A real tragedy. But someone killed her and it might have been one of those men. So, I’m telling you it all,” Wilmot said.
“Thank you.” Felix said. “We do appreciate your honesty. A killer is out there and needs to be caught.”
Wilmot nodded and wrote down the names of the men he remembered delivering notes to in Val’s notebook before he left.
Felix watched him leave and then turned to Val. “It seems Miss Irene had a few secrets.”
Val looked at the names he had been given and gave a start. “Yes. And it seems like someone else we’ve talked to had some secrets of his own.”
He turned the list to his sergeant. Two of the names on the list were familiar to them; Simon Eastoft and Odean Barton.
After they spoke to the Cook who had nothing new to tell them, they set out for Simon Eastoft’s office.
Felix let out a low whistle when they entered the cab. “So, our list of suspects just grew.”
Val shrugged. “Perhaps. The fact that Irene seemed to be living a double life no one in her family knew about complicates things. But people see things and they talk. At least now we have names.”
“Interesting that the sisters are so different,” Felix added.
Val gave him a look that silenced him further. When the cab pulled up to the modest two-story building Val didn’t know what to expect. When they were ushered into the room, a short balding man with a large red nose greeted them.
“Hello. My clerk told me you were from the Metropolitan Police Service. I’m Simon Eastoft. How can I help you?” The older man said blowing his red nose.
“Ummm,” Val looked over at Felix then back to the solicitor. “I’m Detective Chief Inspector Pierce. This is Sergeant Felix.”
“Gentlemen,” he nodded. “How can I help you?”
He directed the two men to the chairs opposite his desk and they both took a seat.
“We need to ask you some questions in regards to an inquiry we are investigating. It’s a murder inquiry. I understand you are a solicitor.”
“I am,” he nodded.
“How long have you been a solicitor?”
Simon appeared to give this some thought and then replied, “At least forty years.”