to tell that it might be better if we were all sitting down.'
Susan led the way into the house and once she had recovered from the shock of seeing his lacerations, Lucy added her own welcome. Christopher had hoped to speak to Susan alone first in order to savour the joy of her response, but he had to settle for a general announcement. His face lit up with a smile.
'We have caught him,' he said.
Sir Julius let out a yell of triumph, Susan felt a surge of relief and Lucy was so overcome that she burst into tears. Christopher waited until she had recovered enough to let him go on. Sir Julius was impatient.
'Who is the rogue?' he asked.
'He will not give his name, Sir Julius.'
'But you have him in custody?'
'Mr Bale is with him now,' said Christopher, 'though he denies any claim to heroism during the actual arrest. He gives the credit to Sam.'
'Sam?' repeated Susan.
'A dog belonging to Mr Warburton, another constable. I suppose it was only fitting that Sam should help to catch the killer,' he decided. 'It was he who found Gabriel's body on Paul's Wharf that night.'
'Tell us about the arrest,' urged Sir Julius.
'I can only give you Mr Bale's account. I have just left him.'
Christopher did not mention that he had first visited his brother, interviewed Henry's former mistress, repaired to Bedford Street again to confirm what Lady Ulvercombe had told him about her chambermaid then called in at his own house. Jacob had passed on the urgent message left there by Jonathan Bale. Christopher had ridden hard to the gaol to see the captive for himself. Without even referring to the diary, he gave his listeners an account of how a trap had been set outside a printer's shop in Fleet Lane. Two constables and a dog had caught the man who murdered Gabriel Cheever. The prisoner was also responsible for the attack on Christopher and was unrepentant about it when his victim confronted him.
'He admits the attack, then?' said Sir Julius.
'He almost gloried in it.'
'Wait until I get my hands on the villain!'
'Let the law take its course, Sir Julius.'
'I'll tear him limb from limb.'
'I think it best if you keep away from him until the trial,' said Christopher. 'Mr Bale is with him now, trying to get more information out of him. But he'll yield up neither his name, his address nor the identities of his accomplices.'
'How many of them were there?' asked Susan.
'Two at least.'
'Oh,' she said with disappointment. 'So it is not all over yet?'
'Not yet, Miss Cheever, but our main task has been accomplished. The killer is behind bars. He was the most dangerous of them. It is only a matter of time before we track down the others,' he said confidently. 'We are all but there.'
'You and Mr Bale have done wonders.'
'Yes,' agreed Sir Julius. 'I'd like to meet this brave constable of yours.'
'You may already have done so, Sir Julius.'
'Oh?'
'Mr Bale would never tell me this himself,' said Christopher, 'but his wife has confided in me that her husband bore arms at the Battle of Worcester.'
Sir Julius was cautious. 'On which side?'
'The winning side.'
'Then I insist on meeting the fellow!'
'He was very young at the time, Sir Julius, but he's a born fighter. I've learned that on more than one occasion. You might wish to meet Mr Warburton as well. He assisted in the arrest.'
'I would like to meet the dog,' said Lucy quietly.
'You will meet them all in time,' said Christopher.
'What about the accomplices?' asked Lucy. 'Do you have any idea who they are?'
'I believe that I know the name of one of them.'
'Tell me who he is,' demanded Sir Julius, 'and I'll help in the arrest myself.'
'More evidence is needed before we can move to that stage, Sir Julius. As it happens I will need some help in obtaining it.'
'Count on me, Mr Redmayne.'
'Actually, I was hoping that your daughter might be able to assist.'
'Me?' said Susan in astonishment.
'Yes, Miss Cheever.'
'What can Susan do?' said Sir Julius with mild scorn. 'Make use of my experience here. I am skilled in the art of interrogation. Tell me who the man is and I promise to get the truth out of him in no time at all.'
'I still think that your daughter would be more suitable.'
'Why?' asked Susan.
Sir Julius was hurt. 'Are you spurning my offer?'
'I have to,' said Christopher. 'The suspect I have in mind is a woman.'
Celia Hemmings was scolding her dressmaker when the letter arrived at her house in Covent Garden. Having paid so much for it, she expected every detail to be exactly as she had prescribed, but her new dress fell short of perfection in several ways. With a final burst of vituperation, she packed the dressmaker off to make the necessary alterations before she snatched the letter from her servant's hands and gave it a casual glance. It was only when she returned to her bedchamber that she thought to open it. The letter was short, polite and written in the most elegant hand. What made her blink was the name of the sender. Celia read the letter through once more.
'Susan Cheever?' she said to herself. 'Why does she wish to meet
The prison cell was small, dark and fetid. The hot weather served to intensify the stink. Manacled to an iron ring in the wall, the man crouched in the corner. He was wearing only shirt, breeches and shoes now. When Christopher arrived Jonathan Bale was still trying without success to elicit the truth from the prisoner. It was arduous work.
'What has he told you?' asked Christopher.
'Nothing at all, Mr Redmayne.'
'Were there no clues on him as to his identity?'
'None,' said Jonathan. 'All that he was carrying when he went into the printer's shop was a leather satchel. It contained two more extracts from the diary.'
Christopher turned to the man. 'Where is the rest of the diary?' he said.
'Search for it up my arse!' sneered the other, offering his buttocks.
'Show some respect!' ordered Jonathan.
'I respect nobody.'
'You'll respect the hangman, I dare say,' observed Christopher.
The man spat into the filthy straw that covered the floor and glared at him with open defiance. Christopher was interested to take a longer look at him. The prisoner was exactly as Henshaw had described him. He was young, dark, brawny and until his nose had been broken, passably handsome. His manner was uncouth. Even though he was chained to the wall, he still possessed an air of menace. There was great strength in the broad shoulders and long arms. Having fought with the man himself, Christopher could see how Gabriel Cheever had been overpowered by him.
'Someone helped you to kill Gabriel,' he said.
'Did they?' replied the man with mock surprise.
'Who was he?'
