“Are you ready?” he asked. “You are the investigators, are you not?” The words were fast and clipped, and he turned his eyes on Daniel. Remarkable eyes, pale blue with dark rings around the iris, but the color wasn’t the most striking feature. It was the undeniable intelligence gleaming there.

“We are. Swann and Beck. And you are?”

He was already walking toward the gate and spoke over his shoulder. “You can call me Rhynwick. This should not take long …”

Mr. Hoffman’s lips twitched as the young man disappeared into the warehouse. “His name is Rhynwick Davies. Forgive his manners and mannerisms. His mind races at top speed, and the rest of the world must keep up or be left behind. But he’s the best man for this job.”

“Are you certain he has the experience?” Daniel asked as they followed in Rhynwick’s wake.

“Why don’t you try him and see? I can find someone older, but no one better to walk you through what we believe happened.” Hoffman nodded to the guard at the gate and slipped through.

Ed shoved his hands into his pockets, and Daniel took out his notebook and pencil. They went into the warehouse and found Rhynwick with his nose almost against a wall. He sniffed, rubbed his finger through the soot, and stood back to examine it in the light streaming through the doorway. He rubbed the soot between his fingers, then smelled it again.

Daniel quirked his eyebrow at Ed, who shrugged.

The young man worked his way quickly down the hallway toward the offices, studying the floor and ceiling, stretching his arms out to measure the width of the passage. He paused at the mangled cart—the place where the two millworkers had died—stepped into Montgomery’s office, and half closed the door. In a trice he bounded out into the hallway once more and strode into the working area of the mill. In there he moved from place to place, climbing on the machinery, poking into the gears, and yanking on various levers and pipes. Soot and damp covered everything, but the young man was not deterred.

“What is he looking for?” Daniel asked the engineer.

Hoffman shook his head, spreading his hands. “His methods are his own. He will explain everything once he is finished, and not a moment before.”

“I say, who are you?” Rhynwick asked from around the corner.

“I could demand the same information from you. Get out of here.”

Rhynwick backed into view, an angry man poking him in the chest at each step.

“Mr. Earnshaw.” Daniel recognized the accountant. His bandage had been removed, and his bruises had healed to the point of being yellowish green. “I’m pleased you are here. You may be able to assist the investigation. These gentlemen are with me. Go about your work, Mr. Davies.”