Free Death at Glamis Castle by Robin Paige Page B

lordship’s son Patrick was a classmate of Eddy’s at Cambridge. I suppose it was natural for them to offer Glamis as a place of safe-keeping.”
    â€œI know Lord Strathmore quite well,” Charles said, “and Patrick and I were once friends, although we haven’t seen one another recently. I’ve visited Glamis Castle on several occasions—the last time around ninety-four, I think.” He paused, recalling that Prince George, Eddy’s younger brother, had been one of the party, as well. “That would have been two years after the so-called death. Was Eddy here then?”
    Kirk-Smythe nodded. “Immediately after his death was staged, the Prince was brought here, under the name of Lord Osborne. Since you’ve been in the castle, you know that there’s ample room for someone to live in complete privacy.” His grin was wry. “An entire cricket squad, come to that. Biggest damn castle in Scotland. Hundreds of places to hide a fellow—like that ‘monster’ who’s said to have been locked up in some secret place.”
    â€œBut Eddy’s not hiding there now,” Charles said gravely.
    Kirk-Smythe gave him a wry look. “He was discovered missing on Monday morning.” He paused uncomfortably. “But that’s not the whole of it, I’m afraid. That same morning, the body of one of the women who attended to Eddy, a long-time employee of the Strathmore family, was discovered in the park. Her throat was slit ear-to-ear, in the manner of the Ripper.”
    â€œUh-oh,” Charles said in a low voice, seeing the difficulty at once. “Bad business.”
    â€œVery bad business indeed,” Kirk-Smythe said. “Angus Duff telegraphed word of the escape and the murder to Whitehall, and the Prime Minister relayed it to King Edward, who devised the plan that I’ve communicated to you. He has instructed me to tell you that the woman’s murder must be resolved expeditiously, for obvious reasons. I’m speaking of the similarity to the Ripper’s method, of course.”
    Charles could only imagine the Royal reaction to this horrifying tangle of events. “But Prince Eddy wasn’t responsible for the Whitechapel killings,” he said. At least not directly, he added to himself, although it had been the Prince’s illicit marriage to Annie Crook that set the stage for the Ripper murders. 3
    â€œThat may be true,” Kirk-Smythe replied. “But the King is concerned that this murder be solved as quickly and quietly as possible. If word gets to the Edinburgh newspapers, a great deal of unwelcome attention will be focussed on Glamis, and another safe haven will have to be arranged for the Prince—when he is found.”
    Charles shook his head. “My God,” he said softly. “This is an unholy mess.”
    Kirk-Smythe made a rueful face. “I’m afraid it’s likely to get even messier. For some time, we’ve been aware of a German agent—his code name is Firefly—who is operating in and around Edinburgh. One of Gustav Steinhauer’s men, perhaps. He has recently been seen in this district. I’m attempting to obtain a photograph from our archives, so that we can keep a lookout for him.” He paused and added reluctantly, “I fear that we must face the possibility that the
    Germans are somehow responsible for Prince Eddy’s disappearance.”
    Charles let out his breath slowly. “You’re suggesting that the Prince did not simply escape? That he was kidnapped ?” The thought left him cold, for he knew very well that the Kaiser wouldn’t hesitate to use Prince Eddy to embarrass the British Crown, even to the extent of endangering the monarchy.
    â€œIt’s a likelihood that we must consider,” Kirk-Smythe replied gravely, “although I should hope we won’t have to reveal the possibility to Colonel Paddington. The fewer people who