‘My head aches! I was so sure I had it right. Now I may have been right and wrong at the same time.’
Foxe put his head in his hands in such a comical expression of despair that Brock had to laugh. ‘Serves you right,’ he said. ‘Keep things simple, I says. Anyhow, I’m for my bed. Thank you kindly for supper, Foxe. You’ll puzzle it out. You always do.’
#
Foxe had to admire young Charlie Dillon. The boy had sensed some important matter was afoot and there could be a good number of errands as a result. According to Alfred, he had been hanging around close to Foxe’s house for most of the day. Now his patience and persistence were about to pay off.
The day had begun with Foxe’s usual trip to the coffee house, followed by a walk around the Market Place. But as soon as Foxe arrived home, he told Alfred to dispatch Charlie to find Brock and summon him to the house as quickly as possible. It was important that they planned the next stages of this affair with the greatest care. Timing would be crucial. And with so much to be done in the space of a day at most, Foxe would need Brock’s help.
When Brock arrived, Foxe took him into the parlour and called for a jug of punch to be brought. Then, while he served Brock with the drink, he ran through again what they had learned so far. When he finished, Brock grunted his approval and waited for what would come next.
‘There are, as I judge things, only three people involved in this conspiracy,’ Foxe said. ‘McSwiggan carried out the murder. The forger, Joshua Underhill, produced the necessary document. Mr. James Hinman is the mastermind behind it all.’
’No extra person buying receipts for dyestuffs?’
‘No … at least, I don’t think so. If there is, we’ll find out when we question McSwiggan. Until then, I’m following your advice to keep things simple.’ Brock grunted as before, so Foxe continued. ‘Hinman’s plan is to use his forgery to claim ownership of Bonneviot’s large stocks of finished cloth. Thus he will pay nothing and sell them at a huge profit. At the beginning, he may have envisaged a genuine partnership with Bonneviot. I do not know. Then, somehow, he discovered that Bonneviot was planning to back out of the deal. In his anger, he decided on this new plan. It would allow him to make a vast profit and punish Bonneviot at the same time for his treachery. I suppose it might even have been his plan from the start. Hinman uses people to serve his own ends. He has no interest in them beyond that.’
Foxe paused to drink his punch. Since Brock was still silent, he pressed on. ‘What I think he has not found out about – Hinman I mean – is the action by Bonneviot to take out a loan to keep his business going on its own; nor the agreement with Mr. Burford to sell the stocks of cloth on Bonneviot’s behalf. If he had, he would have acted by now. As it is, he’s in no hurry.’
‘Why’s that?’ Brock asked.
‘Hinman is cunning, but careful too. As matters stand, there is nothing to connect him with Bonneviot’s murder. He can acknowledge the proposed partnership and portray himself as just another one of the many people that Bonneviot has cheated and left with debts unpaid.’
‘What about the other creditors? Won’t they want to sell Bonneviot’s stock to raise money to settle their debts?’
‘Assuredly. But if Hinman came forward too quickly, it might look suspicious. He will wait until all the creditors are invited to present their claims. His believes his forged documents will give him the stock in spite of them. Remember, it purports to show that Bonneviot sold all the stock to Hinman well before his death.’
‘When will he make his move?’
‘If I can bring things off as I wish, he will do so at a time of my choosing.’
‘Right,’ Brock said. ‘What’s the plan and what’s my part in it?’
‘First we have McSwiggan and Joshua Underhill arrested. We need to do that as quickly and as secretly as possible. I don’t think it will panic Hinman into making a run for it, but I don’t want to take the chance either. It would make him nervous though and I want him to believe that he can act boldly when the time comes.’
‘D’you think either would testify against Hinman?’
‘It’s up to us to ensure that they will. We may be able to bring him to a successful trial without their help. Yet it would be far easier if we could produce their evidence to back up our assertions that Hinman is behind it all.’
‘Persuasion?’ Brock frowned and bunched his fists. ‘I doubt McSwiggan will be much problem. We think ‘e’s already drunk all his money. Give ‘im another day or so without grog and ‘e’ll agree to anything for a single taste. Underhill, the forger, is another matter.’
‘I expect so. We’ll visit each of them together. If you’re right about McSwiggan, the main thing will be to frighten him enough to make him keep his word. I’ll speak to the alderman. We may be able to promise to save McSwiggan’s neck if he turns King’s Evidence. Transportation instead of hanging.’
‘Either way, ‘e’ll be dead soon enough,’ Brock said. ‘He’ll find some way to get ‘is grog, even in the gaol. The state he’s in, it won’t take much more to send him into eternity.’
‘As you said, the forger will be harder. I may be able to offer him a way to avoid prosecution altogether, if he co-operates. Then it depends if he believes me.’
‘Leave that to me,’ Brock growled. ‘I’ll guarantee to make that kind of feeble pen-pusher see where ‘is best interests lie.’
Foxe regarded his friend for a moment. They had known each other for many years and he knew he could rely on the older man for anything. Foxe also knew that Brock’s rugged exterior hid a sharp mind and a good heart. Even so, the man was tall and powerful and not much given to tolerating opposition. To cross him in any important matter would be no small thing. No, the forger would definitely come off much the worst if Brock lost his temper.
‘Very well. We may both need to apply our own methods of persuasion, Brock, since time will be against us. I wish to know I can rely on the witness of the other two conspirators before confronting Hinman. There seems to me to be little chance he will confess. He’ll try to brazen it out to the end. What has he got to lose? If we gain a conviction, there will be no lessening of his sentence.’
‘So … that’s our plan. What first?’
‘An advertisement in the paper asking all Bonneviot’s creditors to present their claims to the lawyer handling probate. Meanwhile, be ready, Brock. If I can, I will induce Hinman to come forward almost at once. The instant he does that, we will have the other two seized and go to work on them.’
‘Fair enough.’
‘In the meantime, have the watch on each applied with even more care. None must escape, especially Hinman.’
Brock looked at Foxe and shook his head.
‘I do not doubt you, friend. You know that. It is my anxiety about this affair that speaks, not my reason.’
‘I know,’ Brock said. ‘Set your mind at rest. Those three can’t take a pee without me knowing of it, much less leave the city. Can I go now?’
‘It’s not like you to be in a hurry, Brock.’
‘I’ve got an hour before I must relieve one of my watchers, if you must know. I’ve also got my eyes on a frisky young mare who needs an old stallion. If I go now, there may be enough time to see ‘er smile and still be on time to let my friend go home for ‘is oats too. Good enough reason?’
‘The very best!’
15
The Trap is Set
The next morning dawned fine and bright, but with a keen wind from the northeast. Not a day to make people stay indoors, but not one to tempt them to wander around Norwich’s great Market Place any longer that they needed. The poor hurried to their hovels to stay warm as best they could. Working men were long engaged in their trades and would not venture forth again until the end of the day. And Norwich’s complement of the better sort of people, together with a good many idle loungers, had mostly decided the best place to spend their time was, as usual, in the coffee house.
Alderman Halloran was a
lready seated at a suitable table when Foxe arrived, precisely at ten o’clock as was his habit. The alderman was not such a constant customer of The Swan as Foxe, but he attended most of the better coffee houses from time to time, so his presence would cause no particular surprise.
Seeing an empty seat at the alderman’s table – exactly as they had arranged the previous evening – Foxe made his way to sit there, showing no hurry. This was a man who had noticed an important business acquaintance and had decided to make use of the opportunity to either improve that acquaintanceship or do a little business. He had no need to order. The waiter knew exactly what he required and had brought it almost before Foxe had seated himself comfortably.
‘Morning, Foxe,’ the alderman said, trying hard to seem off-hand and sounding rather peevish as a result.
‘Good morning, Alderman. I hope you are well. It is a fine day, but the wind makes it chill enough for winter. Seeing the sun from within, by a warm fire, is definitely better that walking outside, is it not?’
‘Damn cold, if you ask me. Nor-easterly wind. Few ships will leave Yarmouth Roads today, I’ll warrant.’
‘Indeed not, sir.’
Thus they engaged in polite conversation of a totally innocent kind until the alderman could hold back no longer. Pushing a copy of the day’s Norfolk Intelligencer across the table-top, he tapped a thick finger on a section in the right-most column of the front page.
‘Seen this, Foxe?’
Foxe had, indeed, read the passage most carefully over his breakfast, but he returned the agreed answer instead. The alderman was not a natural actor. It would not be wise to force him to improvise his lines.
‘Hmm …’ Foxe read the brief notice with close attention. ‘Bonneviot’s estate … Do you think there will be many creditors eager to claim their share? I did not know the man, sir, but his business had a reputation for being one of the largest in the city.’
‘You don’t want to believe all you are told, Foxe.’ Alderman Halloran’s voice was naturally loud and deep. He had no need to speak more loudly to be heard throughout the room. Foxe wondered if there was some way to indicate he should speak in a more normal tone, but decided to let him go on as he wished. If he was flustered, there was no knowing what he might do.
‘Was he not a wealthy man, then?’ Foxe dropped his own voice, hoping the alderman might take the hint. Fortunately, his quiet response and attitude of one listening to a confidence seemed to have at least some effect on the other man.
‘Wealthy? Yes, I suppose so, in general terms. But all men of business encounter times when trade turns against them. Then they must weather a period of discomfort until their incomes may once again exceed their outgoings.’
‘Was Mr. Bonneviot in such a state?’
The rest of the conversation in the coffee house had begin to falter and die away, exactly as they hoped it would. Alderman Halloran was an important man in Norwich and known to be close to the mayor. What he said on this subject would be worth hearing.
‘I believe so, Foxe. Fell out with some of his London customers, so he wasn’t getting his finished cloth away as quickly as he would do usually. I expect it would all have been sorted out in time, but when he was killed his warehouses were full of unsold cloth and his out-workers and suppliers tired of waiting to receive what he owed them.’
‘So a good many will welcome this notice. The lawyer handling Mr. Bonneviot’s will, is it?’
‘Standard practice, Foxe. Ask any creditors to come forward at once to make their claims. Until they do this, the will can’t be proved. The executors won’t know exactly what’s left for the beneficiaries after all debts have been settled. Of course, if there isn’t enough money in total, everyone will get less than they hoped for.’
‘Do you think that will be the case, Alderman?’ The whole room was virtually silent now.
‘To be honest with you, Foxe …’ The alderman dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘… I doubt anyone in this city will get much at all – and that includes the widow and son.’
‘How can that be?’
‘As I understand it, Bonneviot needed ready money to keep going until he could sort out his quarrel with the Londoners. He was a proud man, you know, so I expect he wanted no one in Norwich to understand the depth of his problem. That’s why he went to some London banker for a loan. Got it, of course. No problem there. But then he gets himself murdered.’
‘So the loan must be paid back from the estate?’
‘Right enough! And you can be sure these London bankers have some clever lawyers to draw up their agreements. The usual pattern in such matters is that the banker gets his money first, then whatever is left goes to the other creditors. The beneficiaries come last.’
‘And you think nothing will be left?’
‘That’s what I’ve been told. Bonneviot took out a large loan, using his unsold stock as security. Now, that would have been risky, but not unduly so, provided he could sell the stock for a good price over the next few months. Now the bank will seize the stock and sell it all at once for whatever they can get. Sold that way, by auction, when all know the circumstances, I doubt they will raise enough to cover what they lent. That means they’ll claim the rest of what they are owed from the remaining estate.’
You could almost feel the excitement in the room now. This was indeed news! Foxe had already seen his friend Sebastian Hirons, the newspaper editor, seated in a quiet corner. How he must be wishing he could hurry off to his office! There was no doubt this information would be spread around Norwich as fast as feet could walk and tongues could wag.
‘That’s a pretty state of affairs!’ Time to change the subject and let the other customers slip away to tell their friends.
‘Indeed it is, Foxe. I expect a representative from the bank will be on the next stage from London, brandishing a fistful of legal papers.’
Don’t overdo it, Foxe thought to himself. Let them think there may be even more to this story. That way, each will add his own embellishments to supply what he feels has been left unsaid.
‘I feel somewhat sorry for the out-workers, sir. They do not receive high wages at the best of times. If they are thrown now into want, they may even cause some disturbance in the city.’ Foxe sat back in his chair, trying desperately to signal to the alderman that it was time to move on. Fortunately, the topic of riot and disturbance was well chosen. Alderman Halloran could be depended upon to run after that hare whenever it crossed his path.
‘Damned fellows!’ he said loudly. ‘Always causing some problem or another. Ought to be glad they have work at all! Many who labour on the land are facing far harder times, I dare say. But no, our Norwich men are the most quickly roused of any in the land. The slightest excuse … Well, the mayor will quickly settle their disturbances, if they try it. If the constables can’t bring them to order, he’ll have the dragoons to them. Blackguards!’
And so he rambled on, while Foxe sat quietly watching one customer ofter another decide it must be time to drink up any remaining coffee and keep some other appointment, forgotten until now. Mr. Hirons hurried off to his newspaper office. Mr. Brandon Seager, editor of the rival Norwich Advertiser, was not far behind him. Others made off in ones and twos until the room seemed nearly empty. Hinman would be bound to hear the news within an hour or so at the most. Now all they could do was trust that the alderman had briefed the lawyer well.
Alderman Halloran seemed to realise on a sudden that the place was nearly empty.
‘Good enough, Foxe?’ he said.
‘Good enough and better, sir. Now, I am sure you have much to do, so I will not keep you. I had best stay a while longer. We have quite ruined the owner’s trade for an hour or so, though I daresay it will recover. At least I can make good a little of his loss by ordering more coffee. The matter I spoke to you about – the personal business matter, you understand – is progressing nicely, so we may have occasion to meet in more pleasant circumstances before long.’
It was past the middle of the afternoon when Alfred brought Foxe a note from Alderman Halloran. He found his master in the small room just behind the bookshop. It seemed ages since Foxe had purchased these books from the eighth Earl of Pentelow. The affair of Bonneviot had taken up so much of his time that only now was he able to unpack them and check their condition. Even today, he had found himself unable to concentrate on the task as he should. So much hung in the balance. He had just decided to set them aside again and return to his study, when Alfred came to him.
‘The alderman’s man said you were to open this note as soon as it was in your hands, sir,’ Alfred said. ‘He said his master told him it was most urgent.’
Foxe needed no encouragement. Taking the note from Alfred, he broke the seal at once and scanned the contents. Then he sent his man to find young Charlie and tell to run as fast as he could to call Brock to the house.
‘Tell him there’s a full sixpence for him if Mr. Brock is here within 30 minutes,’ Foxe said. ‘That should add speed to his legs.’
And, as soon as Alfred left, he read through the alderman’s note a second time. In an almost triumphant tone, Alderman Halloran announced that their plan had worked just as they had wished. Mr. James Hinman had called on Mr. Septimus Frewin, the lawyer, at about two o’clock. He had announced his claim, saying he already owned all Bonneviot’s unsold stock. To support his claim, he showed Mr. Frewin the bill of sale as evidence. Exactly as they instructed him, the lawyer examined the bill and asked if he might keep it to show it to the executors. He made no comment on its authenticity.
Unfortunately, Hinman refused to allow the bill out of his hands. Mr Frewin showed some presence of mind here, the alderman said. He told Hinman that it was for the executors of Bonneviot’s will to decide upon the matter, not him. Until they had accepted the genuineness of Mr. Hinman’s claim, they would not release any goods to him. When Hinman still hesitated, he added that he was surprised that the bill was not accompanied by a detailed inventory of the cloth to which it referred. That was the usual practice. Such an inventory was important to ensure that the correct cloth was delivered to the correct purchaser.
The Fabric of Murder (Mysteries of Georgian Norfolk Book 2) Page 13
