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“No. I think that should be left to the police. When you speak to Detective Forrester again, you should mention it. I also spoke to Mr. Broadman and learned something interesting.”
“Go on,” he prompted when I hesitated.
“He and Mr. Liddicoat are moving into new lodgings together.”
“To save costs?”
“I assume so. Did you know Mr. Liddicoat was having financial problems?”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t find any significant debts or signs of money troubles. He’s not wealthy, but he comes from a good family, none of whom are in debt either, that I could see. Of course, private arrangements can be made with money lenders.”
“Do you think Mr. Liddicoat is in debt to any of them?”
“It’s impossible to say.”
I watched the shops slip past as we traveled as quickly as the traffic would allow. “Harry…don’t put it into your report to Mrs. Hessing.”
“I won’t speculate on his financial situation, but I will mention he’s moving in with his cousin and provide an address. She can draw her own conclusions.”
“What if she concludes that he’s a fortune hunter?”
“Then so be it. She’s paying me and has a right to know. Besides, it’s best if she does know. Don’t you want to protect Miss Hessing from fortune hunters?”
“Yes, of course, but…” I sighed.
“Just because you don’t want him to be a fortune hunter doesn’t mean he isn’t one.” He sat back and rested his elbow on the windowsill. “Marriage is as much a financial arrangement as a personal one and should be treated with the same precaution taken when going into business with a new partner.”
“I didn’t know you held such a cynical view.”
“I haven’t given it much thought until recently.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Not from the view of wealthy people, like the Hessings. When you have nothing, then entering into marriage with someone else who has nothing isn’t problematic. But a wealthy woman should go into it knowing everything about the gentleman.”
“Very wise. Fortunately, my family are aware of the dangers. Any gentleman who shows an interest will find himself interrogated more thoroughly than any suspect in a murder inquiry.” I laughed.
Harry did not. “I thought you had no plans to marry. Has that changed?”
“I was referring to Flossy.”
His gaze shifted to the view out of the window. “Does Miller know you have no plans to marry?”
“I’ve not encouraged him, so the issue is irrelevant.”
“Is it?” he said dully.
Once we left the traffic behind, the two horses picked up speed. They couldn’t maintain it the entire distance to the club, however. Both Harry and I checked our watches again as we pulled to a stop at the gates.
“Too slow,” I said. “Rosa couldn’t have arrived here in time to murder Rigg-Lyon, even if she departed the moment the dressmaker left her dressing room.”
Cobbit confirmed it. “The horses are spent. I want to rest them awhile.”
“Take your time,” Harry said.
There were no journalists present today and the gates were unlocked. A few grounds staff tended to the garden, and some players practiced on the field. Two little boys played with toy sailboats at the edge of the lake while their mothers or nannies watched on, wide hat brims angled towards the sun. The glassy surface of the water was broken by a pair of ducks gliding effortlessly across the center but was otherwise still. The butterflies and bees dancing from flower to flower were a little more energetic, but their nectar-gathering efforts only enhanced the peaceful scene. It was hard to imagine a murder had taken place here mere days before.
We headed first for the copse of beech trees to the side of the clubhouse where Mr. Liddicoat claimed to have been walking after the post-match presentation, right up until he heard Mr. Broadman’s shout. We walked through it, but there wasn’t a single spot where we could see the stables.
We asked a gardener tending to the rose bushes growing near the clubhouse if he’d been here on Saturday. He had, and we asked if he’d seen a man wearing a brown coat.
“No. I didn’t see anyone wearing a coat, brown or otherwise, but I wasn’t really looking at the people. My attention was on the roses.” He cut off a pink one and handed it to me. “This suits your outfit, Miss, if you don’t mind me saying.”
