Rob was at the desk, scribbling away quickly with the quill.
‘Busy night?’
‘Not really. They don’t seem to like it when it turns cold.’ And winter certainly seemed to have arrived. Sleet had fallen during the evening, and the wind from the west brought the threat of worse. ‘There was one thing, boss. Harris the draper was walking home with his boy. He was wearing a grey suit, his son’s only eight. .’
‘Oh Christ,’ the Constable exclaimed.
‘Three of them set on him, calling him Gabriel. Two of ours were close enough to crack some heads before it got out of hand.’ He nodded at the cells. ‘The ones who did it are in there.’
‘No damage to Harris or his lad?’
‘They’re fine.’
Nottingham nodded and walked across the room, stopping to stare out of the window. After a while he said, ‘Emily told me what happened yesterday. I’m sorry, lad.’
Lister smiled. ‘Did she say she bested him?’
‘No,’ Nottingham answered in surprise. ‘She didn’t mention that.’
‘It was wonderful, boss. Emily left my father speechless, then she stood up, thanked my mother and we left. There’s people who’d have paid good money to see that.’
‘I might myself,’ the Constable laughed. ‘But it still wasn’t good for you.’
Rob shrugged and stayed silent.
‘You go on home. Stay for your supper tonight if you like. Young Lucy’s trying her hand at cooking.’
The deputy arrived a few minutes later, full of the morning, the broad grin making him look like a gleeful child.
‘Looks like you learned something interesting about Mr Howard.’
‘I did that, boss.’
The Constable listened carefully, letting Sedgwick tell his tale in full.
‘Not a pleasant man, by all accounts.’
‘But rich enough. And there’s always Darden to protect him.’
‘We don’t know he does that,’ Nottingham pointed out.
‘Like as not, though. They’ve worked together for years, he must know.’
Maybe, he thought. Certainly he’d heard nothing to persuade him that Howard wasn’t Gabriel.
‘Keep Holden close on him.’
‘We still need proof, boss.’
‘I know.’ And finding something they could use would be the trick. For now he’d do all he could to make the factor feel uncomfortable. ‘See if you can discover anything more about him today.’
He completed the daily report and carried it over to the Moot Hall. Out on the horizon the clouds looked heavy and menacing. If they blew in there could be an early snow. He dropped the paper on Martin Cobb’s desk, half-expecting a demand from the mayor to see him. But in no more than a moment he was back on Briggate.
His body was healing slowly. He felt better than when he’d returned to work, stronger, able to complete a day without weariness. He was still using the silver-topped stick, and by late afternoon, when his muscles ached, it helped, but soon he’d be able to manage without.
Back at the jail he poured a mug of ale and stoked the fire, wondering what else he could do about Solomon Howard. Whatever lingering doubts he’d had about the man being Gabriel had vanished now.
He was still pondering when the door opened and lawyer Benson entered, with the factor right behind him.
EIGHTEEN
‘Mr Benson. Mr Howard.’ He greeted them with a short nod. ‘Sit down, please.’
‘We won’t be staying long, Constable.’ Benson had a bluff voice to match his appearance, the broad, jowly face of a man who knew how to indulge his income. His belly pushed hard against the thick wool of his greatcoat and he pulled off a pair of expensive leather gloves.
‘What can I do for you, gentlemen?’
‘Mr Howard tells me you have a man following him. Is that true?’
‘It is,’ Nottingham said.
For a moment Benson seemed surprised at the admission before recovering. ‘You understand that’s completely unacceptable. Why are you hounding my client this way?’
Nottingham glanced at Howard. The man’s eyes were focused and full of hate. ‘Because I have reason to believe that Mr Howard might be Gabriel.’
‘What?’ The lawyer bellowed the word. ‘Are you accusing my client?’
‘No,’ the Constable replied calmly. ‘If I accuse him, he’ll know. I’m investigating. That’s my job.’
‘What you’re doing isn’t investigation. It’s harassment, and it’s damaging Mr Howard’s reputation.’
‘Is it?’ Nottingham asked blandly. ‘Then my apologies.’
‘Call him off, Constable,’ Benson told him. ‘Or you’ll face a lawsuit.’ He gave a smile that showed a set of white teeth. ‘I’m sure you don’t want that. I’ll bid you good day.’
He turned, the factor following him. At the door Howard glared before leaving.
Half a minute passed before Holden slipped in. ‘Never good news when there’s a lawyer involved, boss.’
Nottingham chuckled. ‘You’ve got that right enough. It seems we’ve upset Mr Howard.’
‘Do you want me to leave him be?’
‘For now,’ the Constable told him after some consideration. He’d rattled the man, that was something. And the factor hadn’t gone to his employer or the mayor. Quite what that meant, he didn’t know yet. ‘Go and find Mr Sedgwick. He’ll have a job for you.’
‘Yes, boss.’
Alone again, Nottingham drained the dregs of the ale and wondered what to do next. Howard was worried if he was appearing with his lawyer. How could he increase the pressure on the man?
‘Any ideas?’ he asked next morning, glancing towards Sedgwick and Lister. A thin covering of snow had fallen during the night, just enough to brighten the land for a few hours. Already it felt a little warmer; by noon it would all be gone.
‘Can we search his house?’ Rob asked.
‘He’d never let us, and we don’t have enough to justify it.’
‘What about that girl’s identification? Isn’t that enough?’
The Constable shook his head. ‘Not this time. Howard’s already threatening a lawsuit for being followed.’
‘What if we search without him knowing?’ the deputy wondered thoughtfully.
Nottingham pushed the fringe off his forehead and looked at him. ‘What did you have in mind, John?’ he said softly.
‘We can’t, boss,’ Rob protested, but the Constable held up a hand to quiet him.
‘See if there’s anything in his house that connects him to the children and take it. If that doesn’t rattle him, nothing will.’
‘How are we going to do that? None of us has the skills.’
Sedgwick smiled. ‘I daresay Hugh Smithson could be persuaded to let me in if I kept silent about his past.’
Nottingham was silent for a long time. Then: ‘You’d better make sure you’re not caught.’
‘I will.’
‘It’s not right, boss,’ Rob said after the deputy had left. ‘Doing it that way.’
‘It’s not right to torture and kill children, either.’ His voice was firm and his eyes hard. ‘I’ll do what I have to in order to find out who murdered them.’
‘You’re certain it’s Howard?’
‘I’m positive. Lucy identified him. Do you still see the faces at night?’
Lister nodded.
The Constable softened his tone. ‘That’s why I’m doing this. He’s one of the people who thinks he can build walls of money to protect himself. But I’ll dig under them.’
He knocked softly on the door. One, a pause, and then two more. Smithson opened it and the deputy slipped in quickly.
‘Be quick, please, Mr Sedgwick. The cook will only be an hour at the market.’