Chapter Eleven

Several patrons had come in for their noon meal, lured either by the scent of shepherd’s pie or by draft ale. Blathers and Alice each decided they also wished to have a serving of Clara’s delicious dish. I was still not feeling quite well, so Jane served toasted brown bread and marmalade for me. As soon as Jane had cleared all the tables from lunch, and the taproom patrons had returned to their daily tasks, we settled in to work on our puzzle.

Alice seemed distracted. “Do you think if we decipher the code it will help us discover who killed my brother? I would rather resolve that question than find untold riches.”

I said, “I am quite sure your brother’s murder, the assaults on Blathers and me, and the message are all connected. The cipher should help in discovering who our enemy is.”

In addition to the coded message, I provided my list of things I had discovered about the cipher. The other members of our group were, quite naturally, impressed. Barkis wrote out a copy of the coded message and my list and went off to a small table by himself. He sat there studying both papers, and the back wall of the taproom. The rest of us huddled together at the large table, squirmed in our chairs, scratched the backs of our necks, stared at the ceiling, shuffled our feet, and occasionally said, “Hum!”

The old oak door creaked open again. “I say, you chaps look quite cozy, all tucked in this lovely bar. What do you have here? Looks like a sort of game. By Jove, I believe I’ll join you. Madam, I’ll have a double brandy, if you please.” Harold Childers made himself comfortable by the fireplace.