Death of a Patriot by Don Gutteridge

Author:Don Gutteridge
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Touchstone

TWELVE

Robert nibbled at the last of the macaroons. A tasty luncheon had been brought in from the other side of Baldwin House, and its remnants lay forlorn on the silver serving tray.

“All right, Marc, indulge me while I play defense counsel summing up what we know and what we think we know. Stop me when you think I’ve got it seriously wrong.”

“That should help me write up a proper chronology for Dougherty,” Marc agreed. “Go ahead: my pencil is poised.” Over lunch Marc had reprised the drama at Chepstow, and they had mulled over the information Billy had provided.

Robert cleared his throat, focused his gaze on an imagined jury, and began: “This entire sequence of events, of cause and effect, started late last February when Gideon Stanhope, importer of dry goods, enlisted in the St. Thomas militia while on one of his periodic visits to his brother. To his surprise and delight, his unit is involved in the action at Pelee, where he is slightly wounded and comports himself well enough to be hailed, on his return to Toronto, as a hero, indeed as the Patriot of Pelee Island. He may not have been aware of it, but at the same battle his wife’s cousin, Caleb Coltrane, is fighting on the other side and, according to his own testimony, distinguishes himself so conspicuously that it is he who is crowned the Pelee Island Patriot.”

“Perhaps it was those two who should have had the duel,” Marc observed.

Robert chuckled and continued. “Having gotten a taste for military conflict and its attendant honours, our Mr. Stanhope leaps at the opportunity to form one of two proposed new militia regiments here in Toronto. He is eminently successful, enlisting competent and committed officers and men. He spends the summer training them, during which time he gets to know and like Billy McNair, his most accomplished sergeant.”

“Meanwhile,” Marc said, “back in the spring . . .”

“Quite right. In April or May, the Stanhopes go together to St. Thomas to visit the in-laws. Almeda Stanhope seizes the opportunity to slip over to Detroit to call upon her cousin, Gladys—”

“Dobbs,” Marc prompted.

“—whom she hasn’t seen in some years. Gladys’s brother, Caleb, a major in the liberation army and big man in the local Hunters’ Lodge, happens to be there at the same time. Caleb had a passionate affair with Almeda when they were teenagers, and he attempts to rekindle the flame when he discovers her staying at his sister’s house.”

“A house that appears to have been used by Coltrane as a base of operations, since we know that his library and snuff box collection were sent to Chepstow from there and are on their way back there as of yesterday.”

Robert nodded. “Precisely what form this renewed affair took is still an open question. What we do know is that Coltrane wrote to his Duchess, expressing his undying love and indicating that, since her husband had discovered their liaison—”

“Probably because he himself revealed it, or possibly but less likely, if there were other letters lying about to be discovered, the colonel stumbled on one.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.