The Sign of Death (Victorian Book Club Mystery 2)

The devil take it, she actually looked pleased. “I do worry abo

ut you sometimes, you know.”

She waved her hand around. “We’ve done it before.”

“Yes. But it’s not necessary in this case. Since the office is not locked up tight with Mr. Tibbs still a tenant, I think I can talk my way into going through Harding’s files. That is, provided the police haven’t decided Harding’s death was no accident and sealed up his office.”

“Do you think they might do that?”

“Yes. Once they figure out that his death was orchestrated—if that happens—they will obviously look to his business to see if someone there had reason to remove James from this earth.”

“Then we better go there as soon as possible.”

William sighed. “There is that word again.”

“What word?” She actually looked innocent. But it didn’t work.

“We.”

“Well, of course, I will go too.”

William bowed his head. “In this instance, my dear, you are correct. I want to get in and out as quickly as possible.”

“Then when shall we go?”

“Monday. First thing. I want to retrieve my files, but I also want to browse Harding’s files to see if we find anything incriminating in his records, like a double set of numbers, that sort of thing. We know of at least one other client he was doing fancy numbers with.”

They remained quiet for the rest of the ride. William walked Amy to her front door and waited until Stevens opened it. “I will escort you and your aunt to church tomorrow, I assume?”

“Yes. That would be very nice. And you’ll join us for lunch as well?”

He bowed. “It would be my pleasure, and I will see you on the morrow.” Again he contemplated kissing her but decided that, until he had time to seriously consider the situation between him and Lady Amy and speak to her about it, it was best to keep his lips to himself.

CHAPTER 6

William appeared on Amy’s doorstep at precisely twelve o’clock on Monday, as planned. They’d hoped Mr. Tibbs would be preparing to leave for his noon dinner when they arrived at the offices he shared with Harding, leaving the office empty.

It amused William that Amy was so often late for appointments, church, and other outings but whenever they were doing something that involved snooping, she was always right on time.

He took her arm to escort her down the steps to his waiting carriage. “You look lovely, as always.”

Her outfit was very sedate and professional looking. Her dark-brown wool coat and matching hat were certainly not fancy or eye-catching. The perfect ensemble for stealing files. They settled into the carriage and began the ride to Harding’s office.

Amy turned to him with a smile. “I just helped Aunt Margaret pack and leave for a week-long visit to her friends, Mr. and Mrs. Devon Woods. Aunt Margaret and Mary Woods have been friends since boarding school.” She gripped the strap alongside her head as the carriage hit a bump in the road. “Mrs. Woods married later in life and is now rapidly producing offspring, almost as if she were attempting to catch up.”

His brows rose. “Why does that make you smile so devilishly?”

“Because Aunt Margaret will be spending a week with a house full of children, not her favorite humans.” She shook her head, her grin growing. “No, not her favorite at all.”

After a few minutes of silence, Amy said, “Do you suppose Mr. Tibbs locks the door when he leaves for his lunch?” Once again she grabbed the strap hanging by her head as the carriage hit yet another hole in the road. She rubbed her shoulder, which had struck the side of the carriage. “These roads need to be fixed.”

William nodded. “To answer your question, yes, I’m sure he does lock the door. But I remember Harding telling me when Tibbs first took the space with him that he was very particular about his schedule and even had his meals at the exact same time each day. According to Harding, Tibbs leaves for his midday meal at twelve thirty each day.”

“Ah, it is so convenient when one’s investigation involves a suspect with such punctuality.” Her smile turned to a frown. “Is he on our suspect list?”

His brows rose. “I didn’t realize we had a list.”

“As you so cleverly pointed out, Mr. Harding was not a drinker, so it was highly unlikely he slipped into the river while drunk. That means he was helped into the water. Hence, a murder. Hence, suspects are needed.”