Free 02 - Mrs. Jeffries Dusts for Clues by Emily Brightwell Page A

a hired carriage.”
    “I don’t suppose you managed to find out what day the gentleman came for his wife’s belongings, did you?” Mrs. Jeffries asked.
    “Now, that’s where I had a right bit of luck,” Betsy said with a grin. “Mrs. Rose remembered because he come on her daughter’s birthday. It were September 11th. She was right irritated with ’im because she had to leave off in the middle of the noon meal and let ’im into Cassie’s room. He tipped her a ’alf a crown.”
    “Very good, Betsy,” Mrs. Jeffries said. The more excited the girl became, the worse her pronunciation. But that was understandable. She’d learned a great deal in a very short time. “It’s a pity Mrs. Rose wasn’t able to give you a better description of the man.”
    “Yes, but like I said, all the woman saw of ’im was a bit of his ’air stickin’ out from under his top hat…Oh yes, he had a funny hand too.”
    “Funny hand?” Mrs. Goodge repeated with relish. “What’d you mean by that? Did he have webbed fingers? I knew a girl that had a hand like that. Worked for Sir Richard Morton out Richmond way.”
    “It weren’t webbed fingers,” Betsy replied impatiently. “It might not be much of anythin’ really. Mrs. Rose said she thinks the man had a crooked little finger, only she in’t certain. Sheonly had a quick look when he was handin’ her the coin.”
    “Well, that’s something at least.” Mrs. Jeffries started to turn her attention to Smythe.
    “But that’s not all I’ve found out,” Betsy protested. “The girls at the shop had plenty to say about Cassie too. Ellen Wickes, that’s the one that seemed to be the best acquainted with her, says that Cassie quit her position a few days before she got married. Well, the manager was livid because Cassie was leavin’ without givin’ notice. He threw her out of the shop and told her never to come back. But Ellen claims she did come back.”
    Smythe finally looked up from his potatoes and beef. “Why?”
    “To get the five shillings Ellen owed her. Ellen had been hopin’ that Cassie had forgotten about the loan,” Betsy explained quickly. “But she ’adn’t, of course. Anyways, Ellen claims that Cassie showed up the day after she got her pay packet—that was on the mornin’ of the tenth and demanded her money.”
    “What’s so interestin’ about that?” Smythe demanded. “All it tells us is that Cassie Yates wasn’t one to forget who owed her money.”
    “If you’d just let me finish, you’d know.” Betsy straightened her spine. “The money wasn’t important. What’s important is what happened when Ellen was tryin’ to pay the woman. Ellen says she’d had to nip into the back room to get the coins, and when she come out, Cassie was runnin’ out of the shop like the devil ’imself was on ’er heels. Ellen went to the door and saw Cassie chasing another girl around the corner. Well, whoever this girl was, she made Cassie forget all about the money. Ellen waited all day, but Cassie never come back.”
    Mrs. Jeffries frowned thoughtfully. “Did Ellen see the other girl? Would she be able to tell us what she looked like?”
    “No.” Betsy sighed. “I asked her. All she could remember was seeing a bit of dark blue skirt disappearin’ around the buildin’. She said it looked right funny. Cassie was wearing a fancy pink dress that had a bustle as big as a bread basket.The skirt was so tight she could barely walk, let alone run. Ellen had a right good giggle over that, watching Cassie tryin’ to chase this girl without lifting her skirts too high. Not that Cassie wasn’t the type to lift her skirts now and again, according to what Ellen was tellin’ me…” Betsy broke off and blushed as she realized everyone was leaning forward and hanging on her every word.
    Mrs. Jeffries cleared her throat. “Yes. Thank you, Betsy. Smythe, would you like to speak next?”
    “Not much to tell,” the coachman muttered.
    “I take it you