Risking the Detective (The Bluestocking Scandals Book 6) by Ellie St. Clair

Author:Ellie St. Clair [St. Clair, Ellie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Prairie Lily Press
Published: 2021-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

Drake turned and began walking up to the building, leaving her with that bit of information and no explanation whatsoever.

Madeline gaped after him, her stomach churning at the news.

“Murdered?” she said, her voice just about a whisper. “But how — how do you know for sure? What happened? Do you know who? Do you—”

“Madeline,” he said with patience yet also a hint of warning, “I will answer your questions later. I promise. But now is not the time. I cannot be thinking of that while I am here, trying to solve this, with you. Do you understand?”

She stood rigidly, suddenly feeling very much the chastised child. Her case was nothing. Inconsequential. People were killed. People were maimed. People were treated in all kinds of horrible ways. This… this was nothing. An inconvenience. No wonder he hadn’t been particularly interested in helping her.

She swallowed her pride as she followed him to the door, now quite embarrassed about it all.

He held it open for her, his face belying none of what he truly felt for her question or for what they were doing there.

“We are here to see Mr. Powers,” he told the clerk who greeted them. He nodded, nothing suspicious about his stare as he bid them to follow him through the brick-walled rooms, full of a wide assortment of various goods. Madeline stared at it all with interest, until she stopped rather suddenly, surprised to find, sitting in the corner, surrounded by all around him like Midas and his gold, a rather circular man. His head was a round egg, void of any hair, but complemented by an extravagant mustache that curled around the corners nearly up to his nose.

“Hello there,” he greeted them. “How can I help the two of you today?”

Madeline allowed Drake to step forward and take charge of the conversation.

“I am Mr. Johnson, and this is my wife, Mrs. Johnson,” he said, and Madeline was so shocked by his flat tone, his usual gravelly baritone, that she only realized belatedly he had referred to her as his wife.

She rather liked the sound of it.

Then she told herself not to be so stupid.

“We are here because we are interested in negotiating a contract with a shipping agent,” he said. “We heard you were the man to speak to.”

“You heard right,” Powers said, his countenance changing to one much warmer and welcoming. “I am the finest in all of London. What sort of goods do you ship?”

“Fur,” Drake said, and Madeline was both impressed and incredulous at how easily the lies slipped off his tongue as he committed to this role.

“Ah!” Powers’ eyes lit up. “How interesting.”

“I do have a concern however,” Drake said, bringing his finger beside his mouth and nose as he actually appeared to be considering his dilemma. “Are you a large enough operation for my business? It seems that you do not have much space for ships to dock, and I hear you are already a very busy man.”

“I am,” Powers said confidently, pulling at the lapels of his jacket.

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