Murder in Highgate by Irina Shapiro

Author:Irina Shapiro [Shapiro, Irina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798351136677
Amazon: B0B1Z3Y4C8
Barnesnoble: B0B1Z3Y4C8
Publisher: Merlin Press LLC
Published: 2022-09-07T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Once outside the Dixon residence, Daniel checked Timothy Latham’s address. It would make sense to stop by now, since it wasn’t too far, and he hoped to catch Belinda Latham alone. He doubted she would be too forthcoming under the watchful eye of her husband, and Daniel wanted to get an unimpeded impression of the woman and Timothy Latham’s marriage. There had been something in Latham’s demeanor toward the end of the interview that had made Daniel want to dig a little deeper, even if only to put his mind at rest. Reluctant to waste time, Daniel found a hansom and was at the Latham door within a quarter of an hour.

The Lathams lived in one of the recently constructed houses in Camden Road. The location would have been more desirable five years ago, before the mainline railway had been slated to cut through Kentish Town and overshadow the newly laid-out square to accommodate Camden Road station, which had opened just that year. The railroad tracks were clearly visible from certain vantage points, and the sound of the approaching train utterly dispelled the aura of genteel tranquility that the builders had originally hoped for when choosing to build in this part of London.

Daniel knocked on the door and was surprised when a woman in her thirties opened the door. She had to be at least ten years older than Timothy Latham, so perhaps she was a servant. He produced his warrant card and smiled in a friendly manner to put her at ease.

“I’m Inspector Haze of Scotland Yard, and I would like to speak to Mrs. Latham.”

“I’m Mrs. Latham,” the woman replied.

“Belinda Latham?”

“Yes. Please, come in, Inspector.”

Mrs. Latham led him to a comfortable parlor and invited him to sit. “Would you care for some tea?”

“Thank you, no. I’m not staying long,” Daniel said. “I just need to ask you a few questions, and then I’ll be on my way. I have a few more people I need to call on today.”

Mrs. Latham sat across from him and folded her hands in her lap, waiting for him to explain the reason for his visit. Daniel took a moment to study her. She had light brown hair, parted in the middle and wound into a neat bun at her nape. Her dark brown gaze was calm and introspective, and her round face had a fresh, country look about it, not the often-unhealthy pallor of those who’d lived their whole lives in London and breathed in coal smoke and the oppressive stench from the river since birth. Her gown was of dark blue calico, a modest lace collar its only decoration. She wore no jewelry except for a thin wedding band that glinted in the sun from the window.

Mrs. Latham’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion when Daniel failed to speak, and he roused himself from his reverie and smiled at her again, hoping he hadn’t put her on her guard with his watchful stare.

“A friend of your husband was found dead on Tuesday morning.

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.