Greydon leaned forward in his seat. “What of motive?”
“Jealous lover,” Sir David replied, placing the paper back down onto the pile. “Your brother was not one to keep just one lover.”
“And the murder weapon?”
Sir David opened a drawer and pulled out a cloth that held a long-bladed dagger with a plain wood hilt. “It is a dirk dagger,” he replied, placing it down onto the table for Greydon’s inspection.
“That is an odd weapon of choice for an English lady,” Greydon pointed out. “How did she get her hands on a Scottish dagger?”
“She hasn’t been forthcoming with that information.”
Sir David scooped up the dagger and cloth and returned it to his drawer. “As you can see, we have a strong case and you do not need to worry. It shouldn’t be long before Lady Eugenie will have a noose around her neck.”
“Has she retained a barrister?”
Sir David bobbed his head. “Her guardian immediately hired Mr. Samuel Moore upon hearing the news.”
“Mr. Moore is a highly competent barrister. I would not discount him or his connections,” Greydon advised.
“Even he won’t be able to save Lady Eugenie,” Sir David asserted. “The evidence is stacked up against her.”
Rising, Greydon said, “That is good to hear.”
Sir David looked up at him with pursed lips. “By chance, are you acquainted with Lady Enid Longbourn?”
He gave the coroner an odd look. “I am.”
Leaning back in his chair, Sir David asked, “Will you kindly inform her that she is not welcome here?”
“I am sure she is aware that a public house is no place for a lady.”
Sir David huffed. “You would think, but she accompanied Mr. Moore to see Lady Eugenie. He claimed that he had hired her to assist him on the case.”
“Why would she do such a thing?”
“Again, women are such complex creatures. No one can seem to follow their trains of thought, but I suppose she wanted to see her friend,” Sir David remarked.
“How long did she speak to Lady Eugenie?”
“Only for a few minutes,” Sir David replied. “I had a few questions I had to ask Lady Eugenie so I broke up their meeting.”
Greydon frowned. “I shall speak to Lady Enid at once.”
“Thank you.” Sir David paused and his face grew solemn. “Do you wish to see your brother? His body is just down the hall in the makeshift morgue.”
Did he want to see his brother’s corpse? He was conflicted. He had seen many dead bodies over the years as he worked cases as a Bow Street Runner, but he had never had a personal connection to any of them. But this was entirely different.
He wanted to see Phineas one more time, but he also didn’t want his last memory to be of his brother’s lifeless body.
Sir David’s eyes held compassion. “I can see you are not ready but I would not wait for too long. I am preparing the body for burial.”
“I would like to see my brother,” Greydon said.
“Follow me, then,” Sir David ordered as he headed down the corridor. He came to a stop at the last door and opened it.
Greydon followed him inside, ignoring the putrid smell that hung in the air, and saw Phineas’ body was laid out on a table in the center of the room. A dried bloodstain was on his white shirt, and he still wore a pair of tan trousers. Greydon walked closer and saw his face was bloated and discolored.
Sir David pointed at the bloodstain and said, “That is where the dirk entered. It punctured his heart, making his death rather quick.”
