[Berkeley Brigade 10] - Shadow of Murder Read Online Free PDF Page B

and Fitz would be worse than useless.” Then he turned back to Luten and Corinne. “Mr. Pattle and me will be making a few enquiries tonight. I’ll be back around ten-thirty or eleven to check up on things here. You won’t forget to put them jewels in your safe, milady and look after your keys?”
    “I’ll do it right now. Thank you, Black. I knew I could depend on you. And thank you, dear Coffen. I’ll make it up to you somehow.”
    “You can find me someone to take to the ball. Have a word with Miss Lipman. I don’t mind that she’ll have to work while she’s there. It’s just someone to walk in with,” he said, and ushered Black out before they could make any more demands on him.
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Chapter 5
     
    Raven had become so efficient under Black’s firm tutelage that he had his master’s evening clothes laid out when they returned from Luten’s and helped him dress. An excellent dinner of roast beef, a bottle of wine followed by apple tart put Coffen back in spirits. After dinner, Black called for the carriage and he and Coffen headed for the Green Room at Drury Lane. Fitz was so familiar with this route that he made it without going astray.
    Black entered with Coffen to have a look around. Finding nothing of interest, he said, “You’ll do better than I will here. You chat up the girls and see what you can find out about young Chloe and Sean and Vance. I’ll pick you up in an hour or so.”
    “Where are you going?”
    “Just going to look up a few old chums. We’ll make better time if we work separate.”
    A particularly lively redhead in a green gown that showed off her fulsome figure spotted Coffen and came undulating forward. He had often chatted to Cherie and knew she kept up on all the gossip. “Very well,” he said to Black, and turned to greet the redhead, allowing Black to escape.
    “Nice to see you again, Mr. Pattle,” she said, latching on to his arm. “We’ve missed you around the place.” Coffen was well known at the Green Room as a generous, undemanding guest.
    “Could I offer you a glass of wine, Cherie?”
    “I wouldn’t say no.” Her leering smile suggested there wasn’t much she would say no to.
    After a little flirtation, Coffen remembered why he was there and said, “You wouldn’t happen to know a girl called Chloe Chalmers? She works on the costumes, I believe.”
    “She used to, before she landed some good job with a nob. Whatever do you want to know her for?” she asked with a pout. “What’s wrong with me then?”
    “Not a thing. It’s just business about Chloe,” he assured her. He noticed that Chloe had been boasting of working for Prance. She mustn’t have told his name though, or Cherie would have known it.
    She gave a shrug of indifference. “She’s not an actress. Says she did some work with a touring company up north that nobody ever heard of. She just lends a hand once in a while when they need an extra needle downstairs for an excuse to hang around and try her luck here.”
    “What can you tell me about her?”
    “I can tell you she has a fellow. Sean something, a handsome lad.”
    “Sean Everett,” he supplied. “Know anything about him?”
    “Just that he keeps a pretty sharp eye on Chloe, which don’t mean he ignores the rest of us. They ain’t what you’d call regulars here.”
    “Did you ever hear where they’re from?”
    “Here and there. Depends what day you ask them,” she sniffed. “Chloe thinks she’s too good for the rest of us. She’s only after gents, and the only ones she gives the time of day to are well-inlaid ones. Sean don’t seem to mind that.”
    This sounded as though Chloe was just one more girl on the lookout for a rich patron. He wouldn’t have thought it to look at her. And apparently Sean had no objection. An ambitious pair trying to scramble up the slippery slope of success.
    “Any trouble with the law?” he asked.
    “They haven’t been caught yet,” she said, and laughed. Coffen’s blue eyes