The Apothecary's Poison (Glass and Steele #3)(60)

Brockwell scratched his other sideburn and took his time answering. I had to clutch the chair arm to stop myself from shouting at him to say something. "I can't accuse Lord Coyle of murder based on your account," he finally said. "The connection is tenuous."

"The connection is very real," Matt snapped.

"The evidence is flimsy."

"Even flimsy evidence should be followed up. You forget, Brockwell, that I am well aware of what a man in your position should do at this juncture. My job in America was much the same as yours."

"That's not what I heard," Brockwell said with bland indifference, as if he didn't care. But his eyes gave him away. They may be half hidden beneath lazily lowered lids, but they were intently focused on Matt.

"I've already told you," Matt said, his jaw set hard, "Payne is lying. Do you have fresh evidence against me or are you merely his puppet, repeating his nonsense?"

Brockwell tensed. It may not have been a good idea to call him a puppet. "I have a list of all your family's misdeeds." He rifled through some papers on his desk and pulled one out. He handed it to Matt. "Every crime and misdemeanor committed by every member of your extended family is on there."

Matt gave it a cursory glance then handed it back. "None of those are news to me, Munro, or any American lawman worth his salt."

"That list wouldn't be half as long if Matt didn't work for the American police," I said since Matt didn't elaborate. "It's precisely because of his connection to the Johnson clan that he has been so successful in bringing outlaws to justice."

Brockwell dipped his chin in a slight nod. "Your devotion to your employer is admirable, Miss Steele."

"It isn't devotion. It's the truth. Kindly refrain from pre-judging me as you have done Mr. Glass."

"Pre-judging?" It was the most rapid response he'd given yet, coming before I'd even finished speaking.

"Yes, Detective, you have pre-judged Matt, taking one man's word as gospel. I may not be a policeman, but even I know that is not the best way to approach an investigation. Now, are you going to speak to Lord Coyle or not?"

Brockwell considered his answer. "Not without more evidence. I can't accuse a man in his position of being involved in murder. There will be consequences for me."

"If anyone else had come to you with this information," Matt said, "would you investigate?"

Again, Brockwell thought through his answer before finally speaking. "You are a suspect, Mr. Glass. It's possible that you are trying to lead me astray. So I would have to say yes."

"If we wanted to lead you astray, we would not have chosen someone like Lord Coyle, previously unrelated to this crime. Further, you may cast doubts on my character to your heart's content, but do not accuse Miss Steele of deliberately trying to mislead you." Matt stood and held his hand out to me.

"If I have offended Miss Steele then I am deeply sorry." Brockwell rose and bowed to me. "It's not my intention. As to your accusation, Mr. Glass, I am merely being cautious. To be fair, I trust very few people, but in your case, I have even less reason to believe you, considering what I know." He tapped the sheet of paper listing the Johnson family's crimes.

"You have no difficulty trusting Sheriff Payne," I shot back.

"Do I, Miss Steele?"

I strode toward the door, my skirts swishing violently around my legs. I assumed Matt followed me but when I turned at the door, he was still with Brockwell at the desk.

"You should make up your mind who to trust soon," he told Brockwell. "Or you may find yourself with enemies."

"And you, Mr. Glass, ought to be careful not to go about accusing noblemen like Lord Coyle without very solid evidence of guilt. Your English family will not be able to save you if you make a mistake, nor will Commissioner Munro."

"I am well aware of that."

"I believe your man, the one with the eye patch, is watching the premises of Mr. Pitt today," he went on.

"Is he?" Matt asked idly.

"Don't play me for a fool, Glass. You know he is. I first saw him that day at your house. He's very distinctive. Kindly tell him not to return. Pitt is a suspect. If he notices him, it could ruin the investigation."

"Why is Pitt a suspect?"

Brockwell smirked. "Nice try. Good day, Mr. Glass, Miss Steele."

"I don't like that man," I grumbled as we headed out of the building into a rain shower. "He believes everything Payne told him."

"Home, Bryce," Matt said before climbing into the cabin after me. "I don't know," he said. "I'm beginning to see him a little differently. He didn't like me calling him Payne's puppet."

"Oh," I murmured. "You think I'm wrong about him too?"

He looked pained. "Perhaps. I don't know. But you're not wrong about everyone. You are a good judge of character, India. The only people you misjudged are those deliberately trying to dupe you."

"Brockwell isn't?"

"To be honest, I don't know what Brockwell's up to either."

I turned to the window with a sigh and said nothing. I found it hard to believe that Brockwell wasn't in Payne's pocket. He certainly didn't like us interfering and he didn't believe his own commissioner when it came to Matt's innocence.