Questions for a Highlander

by Angeline Fortin

  “Your witness is wrong. I was nowhere near the Grand this morning.” His words were instant and honest and had a ring of truth to them that anyone could recognize.

  “Nevertheless, my lord…” Shaw looked up to see Glenrothes towering over him, large and arrogant. He couldn’t resist taking a small step of retreat. “We will need to place you under arrest, pending a trial.”

  “I don’t think that is necessary, Shaw,” Thompson placated, politically aware of whom he might offend rushing into an arrest. Glenrothes had political power in Edinburgh and elections were coming up soon. “The earl will not leave town, will you, my lord?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Of course not,” Thompson forwarded the assurance to Shaw with a tight smile. “There is not sufficient evidence to make an arrest as yet anyway.”

  “But, sir!” the detective protested. “The witness!”

  “Aye, the witness,” Francis thought about that for a moment. “Who was the witness, if I may ask?”

  “A desk clerk saw you leaving the hotel at half four,” Shaw explained again.

  “He saw me? Knew me by sight?” Glenrothes challenged with a doubtful tone. “I have not been to Town in several years other than to attend Parliament or do business, are you aware of that fact? I have never stayed in any hotel in this town. I would like to meet any hotel clerk who thinks he knows me by sight.”

  “He did not know you by sight, my lord,” Shaw conceded, but added testily, “you asked him to make sure your wife, the countess, was not disturbed as you left.”

  “I find it an appalling insult to my intelligence that I would set myself up so easily to be accused of murder and leave such a blatant trail of my ill deed,” Francis drawled, thinking that the whole deal would be humorous if they were not insulting his hard earned reputation… as well as his acumen.

  “Your apparent idiocy knows no bounds,” Jack agreed with a snort of laughter. “I thought you were smarter than that.”

  “I am smarter than that.” Francis turned to Thompson. “Sir, I would like to meet this witness if I might? It would be interesting to see if I met him whether he would know who I was, because, I can assure you, the man he saw was not me.”

  Thompson considered that a moment and nodded. “That might be enough to clear you of all suspicion, my lord. Without his confirmation of your identity we have nothing other than rumor to tie you to the murder. I will set it up and have a runner let you know what time to come.”

  “I appreciate that.” The two men shook hands as Francis steered the official toward the door.

  “If there is anyone else you can think of who might have motive to harm your former wife, will you please let me know?”

  “I do not know where she has been the last several years, but perhaps her maid might be able to offer some assistance?” Francis offered again, as if he hadn’t given his ex-wife much thought of late. Which, he truly had not.

  “Her maid?” Shaw inquired.

  “There was no maid of hers at the hotel last night.”

  “Well, I would start there then. She went through them regularly, but I have never known Vanessa to be able to get through life without assistance.” Francis ushered them to the door and said their goodbyes. Closing the door, he leaned against it and looked back at his friend. “Vanessa is dead.”

  “Very convenient for you,” came the drawled response.

  “Incredibly convenient,” he answered. “Can you think of anyone that might benefit from this?”

  “There is you, of course.”

  “We already determined that, but someone set me up to take the fall for this,” Francis said. “In fact, laid a very well marked path to my front door. Provided motive with all the recent arguments. Opportunity with the timeline.”

  “Don’t forget the witness.”

  Francis nodded. “There’s much anger behind this whole scenario.”

  “I have an inkling of an idea who might hate you that much.”

  “Indeed, as do I, but it doesn’t quite fit to what we know yet.” The question was obvious to Francis. “Why would Vanessa take part in a plan that ended in her death?”

  “Might have come as a big surprise to her in the end.”

  A corner of Francis’ mouth jerked up unwillingly at his friend’s jest. “Indeed, I would wager she never saw it coming.”

  Chapter 44

  “This just gets worse and worse,” Eve moaned, rubbing her temples, when Francis arrived back at Richard’s at a more proper hour later that morning and told them what had happened. He had taken a long ride in the park to clear his head and consider recent developments before appearing at Moray Place. Jack had gone off to bed with a promise to be woken before Francis went to the police station. The incredulity of the whole situation still amazed him.

  “She’s dead?” Eve asked once again.

  “She is.”

  “Strangled?”

  “Aye, crushed her windpipe, they think.”

  “And you did it?”

  “They think I did it, Eden.” Francis leaned against the mantle as the ladies exclaimed amongst themselves over the morning’s happenings.

  Sensing that she had just wounded his feelings with her thoughtless words, Eve went to Francis and slipped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. “Well, I know you didn’t do it, Francis, really,” she huffed. “But why do they think you did?”

  “Motive, opportunity and a witness,” he replied, rubbing his chin against the top of her head. She tilted her head, brushing a light kiss against his chin before turning in his arms so she could see the rest of the room. A week ago such a public embrace would have been impossible for her to endure without embarrassment, much less initiate. It was amazing how much she had changed, or reverted, in that short time. She had longed to find the girl she had been within herself and it seemed that she was slowly emerging!

  Francis continued, “We all know that Vanessa had been creating a nuisance of herself with all these very public outcries against me. Those confrontations where I have ‘threatened’ her and brushed her aside are being taken as motive to kill her. A demonstration of my tendency to violent behavior. I think it was part of her plan.”

  “Even she was not so brainless as to make a plan that ended with her murder,” Abby snorted in a most unladylike way. “I mean she wasn’t the brightest woman but she wasn’t that stupid.”

  “I’m guessing that she didn’t know the entirety of the plan,” Richard deduced.

  “Obviously,” was Moira’s wry reply. “And of course, she had a partner in crime. The one who put her up to it and killed her in the end.”

  “But who…” Eve’s eyes widened as understanding dawned. “No!”

  “Why not?” Francis tightened his arm around her and glanced down in confusion. “You don’t think he has it in him?”

  “I can’t…” She shook her head in denial.

  “Think about it,” he insisted, not letting her back down from acknowledging the truth. “He comes to town. No one knows who he is. We can’t find where he’s staying. Vanessa was seen last week with an unknown man according to the maid Jack talked to, and I use that term loosely.” He counted these off on his fingers as he went on. “He has threatened you, if you recall.”

  Eve put a trembling hand to her throat, thinking of all the times William’s hand had surrounded it lightly as he had admonished her, his thumb stroking her throbbing pulse in such a menacing manner. The coldness, maliciousness of his eyes, so unfeeling as he watched others administer his punishments. It might have easily been her. It might very easily have been her.

  It still might be.

  For a heartbeat, she almost felt sorry that Vanessa had been taken in by him.

  Almost.

  “No, William was bad before and I think worse now. Unpredictable,” she stammered. “I can easily imagine he is capable of it. I think of all the times…” she trailed off and Francis rotated her back into his embrace.

&nb
sp; “Don’t worry, Eve, we won’t let him get anywhere near you,” Abby assured her as Moira nodded along.

  “So what do we do?” Moira asked.

  “They are going to bring me down later to confront the witness,” Francis told them. “There is no chance he will recognize me when I walk in and that should be enough to clear my name. That Thompson seems a reasonable man. If I can pass on the new information about Shaftesbury, I would wager he will look into the matter, but it would be better if we knew where to find him.”

  “We can have a few footmen campus the area around the hotel with a description and see if they can find him,” Richard suggested.

  “Good idea.” Francis nodded. “Worst case, we might just have to have Lady Roxburghe put about that Eve and I have been engaged this week or two past, and Vanessa’s ranting had been naught but jealousy or spite.”

  “Francis?” Eve bit her lip hesitantly before taking a deep breath. “As to the charges, why do you not just provide an alibi for your whereabouts last evening?”

  He looked down at her for a long moment. “Because I don’t have one, my love. I told them I was home all evening, but if they question my staff they will know it was a lie, providing truth to the opportunity to be the murderer.”

  “You know what I mean,” she insisted with a flush of embarrassment. “Give them an alibi. Your alibi.”

  A long pause. He knew what she was suggesting, what she was willing to sacrifice to see the matter done, but he wouldn’t do it. Wouldn’t put her in a position that would publically humiliate her when his alibi was laid down in the records and published in the local newspapers. Such a confession would garner her no good attention and stain her reputation indelibly. Though he was proud of her for making the offer, Francis would not let that happen unless it came down to having absolutely no alternative to free him of guilt. “No.”

  The three other occupants shared speaking glances, for they all knew as well what Eve was asking him to do and what such an admission would do to her reputation. Richard broke the silence that surrounded her brother’s abrupt dismissal of Eve’s solution, “Francis, perhaps you should…”

  “No,” he repeated flatly.

  “It is not your choice, Francis,” Eve insisted, placing an imploring hand on his chest. “I want to do it. If you just let me…”

  Francis caught up her hand and placed a quick kiss to her fingers before repeating, more tenderly, “No.”

  A throat cleared loudly in the doorway and they all turned to see Hobbes poised in the doorway while Guthrie bobbed behind him nervously. “Excuse me, my lady,” he addressed Eve. “There are a group of common persons at the door insisting upon seeing Lord Glenrothes.”

  “Who are they?”

  “They identified themselves as the local authorities, my lady.” He offered a silver salver from which Eve pulled the called card of Mr. Gerald Thompson, detective. She shot a worried glance at Francis, who merely shrugged.

  “Probably just calling to escort me to question the witness, as promised.”

  “In person?” Abby looked skeptical. “Here?”

  “Thought he said he’d send a runner?” Richard asked.

  “Are they in the hall, Hobbes?” Eve wondered if they might have overheard the discussion they were just having.

  “No indeed, my lady. I left them on the front stoop.”

  Richard swallowed a bark of laughter while Moira smiled outright.

  “Perhaps you should show them in then, Hobbes,” Eve directed.

  “Of course, my lady.” The butler clicked his heels with a snap. “Would you like them at once or at your leisure?”

  “Oh, I suppose we must have them now.”

  “Very well, my lady.” Hobbes turned with a disappointed sigh and slowly retreated from the room and the minutes rang slowly before they heard the group approach them in the rear parlor.

  The two suited authorities that came to the parlor door were backed by a trio of uniformed bobbies and in that moment Eve’s heart leapt with dismay.

  “Lord Glenrothes,” the shorter of the two men rang out with a satisfied smirk on his thin face as he took in Francis’ position with Eve by his side. “By the Crown’s authority, you are hereby under arrest.”

  Calmly, the earl disengaged himself from Eve and approached the group unperturbedly, with all his bearing and authority shouting out his nobility. “Come, gentlemen,” he drawled casually, “I believe we discussed this already. Your witness will not be able to identify me as the person he saw last evening.”

  “We know that, m’lord,” Shaw told him.

  “Then what is all this?”

  “He can’t identify anyone, because he was just found dead in the alley behind the Grand Hotel,” was Shaw’s gleeful reply. “I should have clarified it, huh? You are under arrest for the murders of Vanessa MacKintosh and Jimmy McDugal.”

  “Thompson?” Francis looked inquiringly to the senior detective.

  “You have my most sincere apologies, my lord,” the older man sighed. “There is nothing I can do unless you have an alibi.”

  “When was he killed?”

  “Not long after we met this morning, my lord. He was sent to take a message down the street from the hotel at half nine this morning and a maid found him less than an hour later,” Thompson read from his notes, indicating a period entirely encompassed by the time Francis had been riding. “Have you an alibi for that time period?” He added this last hopefully.

  “Not unless someone saw me riding in the park,” Francis admitted. “That is a possibility if you ask about. Very well, Thompson, what do you require of me?”

  “We’ll have to take you into custody, my lord, until your name can be cleared or until trial,” the detective told him with clear regret.

  “Very well,” Francis straightened his coat, every inch the aristocrat. “Would you like to shackle me or might I just come along peaceably?”

  “Not at all, my lord,” said Thompson.

  “Aye, let’s shackle him,” said Shaw at the same time.

  “Francis!” cried Eve as she and the others gathered in protest.

  “Truly, brother,” Richard interjected. “You can’t mean to go along with this when we all know you didn’t do it!”

  Francis leaned toward his brother. “Truth, brother, it might play in our favor to have it go this way. It might flesh Shaftesbury out and get him to show his hand. Watch over Eve and keep her safe,” he added in a whisper.

  “Have no fears, I will,” Richard assured him. “I just hope you’re right.”

  “I feel I am,” Francis affirmed. “Work out a plan with Jack to locate Shaftesbury and you might want to call in James and the others for some muscle as well. Bring him to the station when you find him.”

  “Will do.”

  The earl stepped forward once more, but Eve could not let him pass. “Francis, do not do this! You have an alibi if you would just use it!?” she hissed.

  “I will not.” His voice was uncompromising. “Nor will you. I want your promise.”

  Eve pressed her lips together rebelliously.

  “Please just trust me, Eden.”

  When Shaw cleared this throat loudly, Francis made a bow to the ladies. “Lady Shaftesbury, I appreciate your concerns on my behalf. Rest assured the matter will be resolved soon.” His voice was formal, showing no hint of their relationship and Eve supposed she should be grateful.

  She was not.

  “Stubborn ass!” Eve muttered under her breath when they had gone. “What can he possibly be thinking?”

  “He’s thinking of you,” Richard said softly, recalling Eve to the fact that there were others in the room.

  “While I do appreciate his heroic endeavors, Richard, I hardly expect your brother to hang for the sake of my reputation.” The words were sharp and Eve cast Richard an apologetic glance as she buried her face in her hands. She was overwrought with emotions. Trembling and fearful one moment, anxious and angry the next. The impossible eve
nts of the past two days had set Eve on edge and delivered an overwhelming megrim that she wasn’t likely to recover from any time soon. Her thoughts were blurred and dashed wildly from conflict to conflict. And now, not only did she have Laurie’s safety to worry over, there was Francis’ fate as well.

  Accused of murder! Was there anything that might make it worse?

  “My lady,” Hobbes called from the doorway. “That odious personage from yesterday has again called requesting an audience. Might I send him away?”

  There was no need to ask who that person was. Eve knew clearly it was the one man who might make it all worse. It was intolerable. “I am not at home right now, Hobbes. Please inform him.”

  “Very good, my lady.” Though his expression never changed, Hobbes demeanor gave the impression in that moment that he was very pleased.

  “Hobbes!” Richard called him as he turned away. “Send one of the footmen to follow him, would you?”

  “With pleasure, my lord.”

  “Was that wise, Eve?” Richard asked, turning back into the room. “We might learn something from him.”

  Moira agreed. “He probably came here to gloat.”

  “I can’t do this right now,” Eve whispered, shaking her head in denial as the trials of the past days again threatened to overwhelm her. “I can’t do this.”

  “Come on, Eve!” Moira chided.

  “Stop, Moira!” Eve ground out, balling her fists at her sides. “I can’t do this! I know you all think I am so strong, that I can handle anything, but I can’t. I’m not a strong person.”

  “Evie,” Abby started.

  “No, Abby,” she begged for understanding. “I might have been sassy, saucy, daring – whatever you might call it – as a girl, but that is not the same thing! I have been tested for the past eight years and I have come out defeated. I can’t fight William when all I have inside of me is fear. Yes, I admit it!” she cried when they all stared at her in surprise. “I am afraid of William and what he might do. To me. To Laurie! Look what he has done to Francis! He would see the man I love dead. Dead! I know it! I should have caught on before, when William said the other night that his punishment wouldn’t be only for me. This is his punishment for Francis and myself as well. He wants to see me suffer. I am! And I am terrified that we cannot stop it! I wish he would just take me and leave Francis out of it! I’d rather he did than let Francis endure this!”