Page 82 of Not a Fine Gentleman

She huffed. “He threatened to kill my twin. What would you have done?”

“Since I have no siblings, I really can’t say. But I probably would have done the same thing. Still, you should have brought one of your brothers—”

“There was no time.” She made a sharp wave. “He gave me until sunset, which was only minutes away. He threatened to kill her if I didn’t come alone.”

Before Connor could reply, she said, “I want a look at the body so I can tell you if he’s the man I saw.”

Connor shook his head. “I advise against it. Besides, I already identified him.”

“I’m not going to faint or be ill,” Meg said indignantly.

Grant clapped Connor on the shoulder. “Jackson, my lad, you’d best not accuse my sister of being faint-hearted. She’s made of sterner stuff.”

Connor gentled his voice since taking the forceful approach only incited her stubbornness. “It’s not a sight you want to see, and you won’t be able to get it out of your mind.”

She went still.

He focused on her. “I wasn’t exaggerating when I said it will be gruesome—like nothing you can imagine. Because of the water, it will be especially difficult to make out his features.”

“I have to… I need to be sure.” A desperation he’d never seen overcame her.

Christian cleared his throat. “For what it’s worth, I think if Meg needs to see him, she should. It might help her rest easier.”

Grant nodded grimly. “Where is the body?”

This was a terrible idea, but Connor, obviously, had no say in what the Amesburys did. “The Red Dragon Inn next to the docks.”

“You have our thanks, Jackson, for letting us know,” Grant said. “Do you wish to come with us?”

Connor shook his head. “I need to get back to Bow Street to inform Birnie.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d prefer you not volunteer any information about how that shot got into his shoulder,” Grant said. “It might muddy things.”

“I understand,” Connor said.

“If my shot wasn’t fatal, who killed him?” Margaret asked.

“That’s what I mean to find out.” Connor met her gaze, and he could almost hear the wheels turning in her mind.

Gravely, she said, “It was whoever hired him, wasn’t it? Someone else, someone hiring murderers.”

There was no point in trying to protect her. Perhaps he ought to stop trying. “I think so. I have a few more contacts to question.”

“I’ll go with you,” Grant said. “I’ve a few of my own I will try to find.”

Connor nodded.

Margaret touched Connor’s arm. “Be careful,” she said quietly.

Connor almost reached for her hand. Instead, he merely said, “I will.”

He’d probably misread the sentiment. Likely, her words meant she wanted him to have a care with solving the case, or with her brother—not that Grant needed it. After all they’d been through together, Connor would always have Grant’s back. And that included not forming an attachment for his sister.