“I wish I had been able to examine the body in situ.” He traveled the length of the hallway again, hands clasped behind his back, his shoes coating with ash and his trouser cuffs stirring the dust. “I might have been able to tell you more.” He shrugged. “As it is, I shall take my leave. I have some experiments brewing that need tending. I shall be in touch, Mr. Hoffman.”

“Wait! Do you have a card?” Daniel asked. Such a bright young mind could be useful in future cases.

“Hoffman knows where to find me.” And like a linnet, he was away. Daniel almost imagined he could hear the flutter of wings.

“A most interesting fellow,” Ed commented, a bemused look on his face. Mostly he had stood back and observed, and Daniel looked forward to hearing his thoughts.

“A child, that’s what.” Mr. Earnshaw wrung his hands. “We’ve never had a flour dust explosion here. That should prove him wrong. If this place was prone to such a thing, wouldn’t it have gone up before now? It was the work of someone who did not wish Mr. Montgomery to proceed with his plans for the mill. They shot him and set fire to the mill on purpose to stop the changes.

“Mr. Montgomery was afraid something like this would happen when he started receiving those threatening letters, and it finally did. I only wish I could have prevented it.” He touched the still-healing wound at his hairline. “It’s only the grace of God that I wasn’t killed too.”

“Have you managed to find those letters? You mentioned them once before and said you would bring them to Bow Street.” Daniel moved Montgomery’s office door, which had been sprung on the hinges and dragged on the floor with a wince-inducing squeal. “We’ve taken a cursory glance through most of Montgomery’s papers salvaged from here, and we’ve found no indication of a threat.”

Earnshaw opened his mouth, shut it, and hung his head. “I beg your pardon. I have been remiss. I was able to locate them in Mr. Montgomery’s office at his house, and I will bring them to Bow Street directly. It’s just that with the explosion, and my injury, and poor Mr. Montgomery, and then the solicitors after me to provide all the accounting so they could begin to settle Miss Montgomery’s affairs, I’ve been chasing my own tail lately.” He touched his bruised forehead. “I will get the letters to you as soon as possible. When you read them, you’ll see. The threats were real, and someone acted upon them.”

Hoffman cleared his throat and offered his hand to Daniel. “You have my report. The building is now safe for occupation, and the repairs can begin straightaway. I shall inform Miss Montgomery of the fact, and she can decide what she wishes to do.”