Free Death and the Jubilee by David Dickinson

the investigation of a number of serious crimes, including robbery and murder. He has usually managed to secure
the return of stolen jewellery or paintings to their rightful owners. My informants believe that he has been involved with one murder, if not more. But he is said to be eager to publicize his
successes to advertise for more business in the future.’
    ‘Is he a full-time investigator who earns his crust through the payments made by his clients?’ asked Williamson incredulously.
    ‘He is, Williamson. Such is the proliferation of crime in these times that it is apparently perfectly possible for a man to make a very respectable living in this field.’
    ‘Who would have thought it,’ said Williamson, shaking his head, ‘who would have thought it?’
    ‘Candidate C is a former officer in Army Intelligence in India. He has been involved in a number of murders and serious crimes in London and the Home Counties. He has friends in high
places. He is said to be a man of great discretion and very considerable professional ability. But he has no knowledge of banking.’
    The discussion took its course. Williamson was very firmly against Candidate B.
    ‘If we are going to employ a man who will trumpet his mission about the place, it would never do. Discretion, we must have discretion.’
    Charles Harrison was equally firmly against Candidate A.
    ‘This fellow may know his way around the mills of Yorkshire and the cotton towns of Lancashire,’ he said dismissively, ‘but surely he would never do in the City.’
    ‘We do not know, or at least we do not know until somebody begins their investigations, that the murder had anything to do with the City,’ said his uncle, browsing through the
letters of his informants.
    ‘If we employ Candidate C, won’t we have to spend our time explaining our business to him?’ said Williamson, who seemed to favour hiring nobody at all. ‘That could waste
a lot of the bank’s valuable time.’
    ‘Let me tell you what I think,’ said Frederick Harrison, eager to sum up before the meeting degenerated into discussions about trivia. I believe Candidate A lacks the right
experience for our purposes. I believe Candidate B may be a competent investigator, but his love of publicity makes him totally unsuitable. I believe we must choose Candidate C – and that, I
should tell you, is also the verdict of the vast majority of opinions canvassed.’
    Frederick Harrison did not say that the hardened criminals in Her Majesty’s prisons, to a man, had said that the investigator they would most fear was Candidate C. Frederick Harrison did
throw one name into the ring: ‘Lord Rosebery says he is the best man in the kingdom for this sort of work.’
    The name of a former Prime Minister, a man connected through marriage with some of the great princes of the City, a man known to have very considerable investments of his own, had great
influence with Williamson.
    ‘Rosebery said so, did he now,’ he muttered to himself ‘Rosebery.’
    Frederick Harrison chose his moment.
    ‘Could I ask you, gentlemen, to concur with me in the choice of Candidate C?’
    All agreed, Williamson nodding furiously, Charles Harrison looking suddenly apprehensive.
    ‘Might I ask, Uncle,’ he said quietly, ‘if we could now know the name of Candidate C?’
    ‘Of course,’ Frederick Harrison smiled. ‘I am going to write to him directly. I shall ask him to call on us at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. Candidate C, gentlemen, is
Lord Francis Powerscourt.’
    At half-past ten that evening Lord Francis Powerscourt was taking tea with his sister Mary in Berkeley Square.
    ‘William will be back any moment, Francis,’ she said. ‘You must be very anxious to see him tonight.’ She peered at her brother as if she suspected he might be in some
sort of money trouble. You could never tell with Francis. ‘Lucy and the children are well?’
    ‘Splendid, splendid, thank you,’ said Powerscourt. ‘I should tell