Jack hesitated outside the stout front door of Captain Hogg’s cousin’s house. Though apprehensive, he didn’t wait long. He had managed to give Old Faithful the slip in the crowded Flesh Market; his sinister shadow would already be suspicious of the bundle Jack was carrying – it was imperative that he didn’t find out his destination.
Jack was shown into the drawing room by a sniffy servant (weren’t they all?). This one obviously hated having to wait on someone as low on the social scale as an actress, even one with the outstanding charms of Miss Balmore. He had offered to take Jack’s parcel, but Jack had fiercely hung on to it. With an audible sigh, he had stalked out of the room saying that Miss Balmore would be down presently.
The room was pleasantly furnished, though rather old-fashioned. Years ago, when someone cared, it would have been considered smart. There were sufficient paintings, some passable landscapes among the obligatory portraits, to stop one lingering on the faded state of the walls and furniture. The room smelt musty, testimony that Hogg’s cousin was not a regular visitor to Newcastle.
How would Catherine react to seeing him again? At the morning rehearsal, she had whispered ‘God speed’ as they left the stage. She must have thought that it was the last she would ever see of him. There had been too many people about for him to say that he needed to speak to her urgently. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to involve Catherine in this business any more. Surprisingly, it had been Bessie’s idea. He had told Catherine about his various suspicions all along. But he had done so for self-serving reasons, giving himself an excuse to talk to her, share his secrets, to be near her. This was different.
Catherine was taken aback when she entered the room. ‘Jack, I did not think to see you again. Have you come to say one last farewell?’
‘No, Catherine.’
‘Surely you are going, are you not?’
‘Circumstances have changed.’ Bessie had seen to that. ‘I cannot leave yet.’
A troubled expression crossed her beautiful face. ‘Is it wise for you to stay? Is it that you require more money?’
‘Dear Catherine, that is not it. However, I need your help and I need it urgently.’
‘If there is anything within my power, please ask.’ She indicated that he should sit, and she gracefully took a chair opposite him.
‘I need you to speak with Captain Hogg on my behalf.’
‘Can you not speak to him yourself?’
‘It would be too dangerous, and it might show Bowser the hand that I am playing.’ He might as well take the credit as Bessie was not here to contradict him.
‘I do not understand, Jack.’
Jack opened up the bag and carefully brought out the tea caddy. ‘This is what I took from Bowser’s home.’
‘A tea caddy!’ Catherine exclaimed with a tinkle of laughter. ‘He must prize his tea greatly if he goes to such lengths to retrieve a caddy.’
‘It is not the tea he is missing,’ said Jack removing the two compartments full of tea leaves. ‘It is these papers underneath. They prove beyond doubt that our Mr Bowser is in league with the French.’
Catherine gasped in disbelief. ‘Jack, you have told me some extraordinary things, which I believed for your sake, but this accusation is just too fanciful to be true.’
She took some persuading that Bowser was indeed in league with Britain’s deadliest enemy. She examined the notes, newspaper stories, the lists and the maps. ‘Has this anything to do with Mr Acorn’s murder?’ she asked eventually.
‘Something, though I am unclear as to exactly what, sparked off the killing. There is no doubt that Bowser did it. What is more pressing is that all this information needs to be shown to Captain Hogg.’
‘Why not to Sheriff Ridley?’
‘The town authorities are idiots; they would mess matters up. Anyway, if I told them how I had got hold of the caddy, I would be admitting to a hanging offence. No, Captain Hogg must act. You see the numbers on this map? Well, I worked them out. The first three refer to a date – the first of March.’
‘That is tomorrow. Mr Garrick arrives the day after.’
‘The other two,’ Jack hurried on, ‘point to a meeting, which I believe to be with a French contact. The seven refers to a warehouse Bowser owns on the Gateshead bank of the river. I followed him there,’ he lied. ‘The last number indicates the time of the meeting.’ (This Bessie had deduced.) ‘If Captain Hogg can see these tonight – and as you can witness, they condemn the man – he must be persuaded to bring troops along to the warehouse and catch Bowser in the act of treason.’
A little frown creased the milky skin on Catherine’s forehead. ‘Jack, I still do not comprehend why you cannot lay out the selfsame argument to Captain Hogg in person. He will give you a fair hearing.’
‘That is possible. However, Bowser has had me followed these past few days. I think I lost his man on the way here. But it might not be so easy next time. If I am seen with the captain, Bowser will hear of it and he will be alerted. If Bowser fails to turn up tomorrow night, we might never prove his guilt.’
‘Nay, all these papers you have shown me do that sufficiently.’
‘Unfortunately, it is only my word that the tea caddy is Bowser’s. And my word is not highly regarded in many quarters in this town. After all, I stole it. Are they going to believe a man who admits he is a thief?’
‘I see.’
‘Even if they did believe me, Bowser would plead ignorance. No one can prove this ever belonged to him. That is why I need your assistance. Catherine, if Bowser is not arrested tomorrow night, I am dead.’