“So he still traded with the French?”
“Of course he did. They all do, you know. The Continental System and the Orders in Council are inconveniences, but nothing more.” Yates summoned up a ghost of a smile. “That’s why God invented smugglers.”
“Which is where you come in, I presume?”
Yates nodded. “Most of Eisler’s diamonds came from Brazil, through a special arrangement he had with the Portuguese. But he also had agents buying up gems across Europe. A lot of once-wealthy people there are facing ruin, which means they’re looking to raise money any way they can.”
“Selling the family jewels being one of those ways?”
“Yes.”
Sebastian studied the other man’s tired, strained face. “So what happened last night?”
“I went to Eisler’s house to finalize the details of an upcoming transaction. I’d just knocked on the door when I heard the sound of a pistol shot from inside the house. The door was off the latch, so I pushed it open and like a bloody fool went rushing in.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
“Why put yourself at risk of being shot too?”
Yates stared back at him, his eyes narrowed, the muscles along his jaw working. “If you were standing on the steps of a business acquaintance’s house and heard the sound of a shot from inside, would you run away?”
Sebastian smiled. “No.”
“Exactly.”
“Where were Eisler’s servants while all this was going on?”
“The man was a bloody miser. He lived in a decrepit old Tudor house that was falling down around his ears and retained only an ancient couple who tottered off to bed every night after dinner. Campbell, I think their name is. As far as I know, they slept through the whole thing. I sure as hell never saw them.”
“What time did this happen?”
“About half past eight.”
“So it was dark?”
“It was, yes. He’d left one measly candlestick burning on a table in the entry, but I could see more light coming from the parlor just to the right of the stairs. That’s where I found him, sprawled some eight or ten feet inside the room. His chest was a bloody mess, but I went to see if by some chance he still lived. I was just leaning over him when a man came barreling in behind me and started screeching, ‘What have you done? Good God, you’ve killed him!’ I said, ‘What the devil are you talking about? I found him like this.’ But the bloody idiot was already rushing off yelling ‘murder’ and calling loudly for the watch. So then I did the second stupid thing of the evening: Rather than stick around to explain myself to the constables, I ran. I didn’t realize the bastard knew who I was.”
“And who was he?”
“Turns out he’s Eisler’s nephew—a man by the name of Samuel Perlman.”
Sebastian went to stare thoughtfully out the small, high window.
After a moment, Yates said, “It doesn’t look good, does it?”
Sebastian glanced back at him. “To be frank? No, it doesn’t. Can you think of anyone who might have had reason to kill Eisler?”
Yates laughed. “Are you serious? You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who ever did business with Eisler and didn’t want to kill the bastard. He was a mean, nasty son of a bitch who enjoyed taking advantage of other people’s misfortune. Frankly, it’s amazing the man managed to live as long as he did—and I suspect that was only because people were afraid of him.”
“Afraid of him? Why?”
Yates twitched one shoulder in a shrug and glanced away. “He had a bad reputation for being vindictive. I told you: He was an ugly bastard.”
“And did you have a reason to want to kill him?”
Yates was silent a moment, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. Then he turned his head to look straight at Sebastian. And Sebastian knew even before the man opened his mouth that he was lying. “No. No, I didn’t.”
Chapter 5
S
ebastian studied Yates’s strained, beard-shadowed face. “You know, unless you’ve a hankering to dance the hempen measure to the toll of St. Sepulchre’s bell, you’re going to need to be honest with me.”
Yates’s jaw hardened. “I told you: I’d no reason to kill the bastard. I didn’t like him, but if we all took to killing people we don’t particularly fancy, London would soon be mighty thin of company.”
Sebastian pushed away from the window and went to signal the turnkey. “If you think of anything useful, let me know.”
Yates stopped him by saying, “Why are you doing this?”
Sebastian paused to look back at him. “You know why.”
The two men’s gazes met and held. Then Yates looked away, and Sebastian knew a moment of deep disquiet.