Murder in Bloody Weald: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 16 (Redmond and Haze Mysteries) by Irina Shapiro

Author:Irina Shapiro [Shapiro, Irina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Merlin Press LLC
Published: 2025-06-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

It was still early in the day when Jason and Daniel met at a chophouse in Fenchurch Street. They had planned it that way in case they intended to pursue another London lead. The idea was to have a meal, compare notes, and set off from the train station, which was a central location and the best place to find a hansom during the busiest time of the day. And they could return to Essex if there was no good reason to remain in London.

Once they had ordered roast duck with a cherry glaze, scalloped potatoes, and pints of ale, they exchanged news, which did little to help the investigation when it was Jason’s turn. He was glad to have seen Captain Needham and was assured of the captain’s continued recovery, but Jason’s hunch about the knot had proved a disappointment, and he was glad to hear that Daniel had fared better with Simcoe.

“What are your thoughts on Naomi Tipton?” Daniel asked after the waiter had brought their drinks and disappeared into the kitchen.

“Naomi Tipton certainly has a motive. Her husband was publicly disemboweled,” Jason said grimly. He’d thought he had understood what Tristan Carmichael was capable of, but to hear that he had tortured a man to death still came as a shock. “But even if Mrs. Tipton is skilled with a bow and arrow, I find it hard to imagine that she traveled to Birch Hill with a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a length of rope, contacted Tristan Carmichael, lured him to Bloody Weald, which is nowhere near the Carmichael home in Brentwood, then shot him through the heart and tied him to a tree once he was dead.”

“That does sound a bit far-fetched,” Daniel agreed. “But we can’t discount her out of hand. If anyone would want to murder Tristan Carmichael, it would be her. Were you able to get a lead on the knot?”

“The knot is a dead end,” Jason said with a shake of his head. “Captain Needham wasn’t able to identify it, but he did say it could be known to foreign sailors.”

“I can’t think of anyone in Birch Hill who is or was a sailor. And we don’t have any suspects who are foreign.”

“O’Keefe is an Irish name, is it not?” Jason asked.

“Yes. What of it?”

“Might Irish sailors have used knots different to those of Englishmen?”

“I suppose that’s a possibility,” Daniel agreed. “But we don’t know anything about his background.”

“No, we don’t,” Jason agreed, “but as Tristan Carmichael’s second, O’Keefe has much to gain from his boss’s death, but only if Lance Carmichael allows him to remain in charge. Carmichael could just as easily bring in his own man.”

“Harvey Boswell might be a candidate,” Daniel mused. “Simcoe did say that he and Tristan Carmichael didn’t see eye to eye, but that doesn’t mean Lance doesn’t trust the man.” Daniel looked thoughtful. “Boswell made it sound as if moving up the ranks was the furthest thing from his mind, but he could have been playing a part.

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