“The murder in question occurred in 1823 in Radlett. There was no doubt the three men involved were guilty—one of murder and the other two of aiding in a murder. It was a particularly gruesome crime and captured the public’s attention. Thurtell, the murderer, was convicted and hung. Probert, one of the conspirators, was offered the chance to turn King’s evidence against the other two, and, in return for doing so, he received no sentence. Hunt, the third man, had been the most cooperative to the authorities, telling them where to find the body and other very significant details. He was convicted but spared execution, sentenced instead to transportation for life.”

“Probert was given mercy and Hunt weren’t?” Fletcher pressed. “Hunt was the more cooperative of the two, after all.”

“An oddity, to be sure,” Hollis said. “I have not found a good explanation for why that happened.”

“Which one of the fellas did Chelmsford represent?” Stone asked.

“Hunt. And, though it is odd he was not offered the opportunity to avoid sentencing, he was spared hanging, which was a mercy in itself.”

Other than this being a somewhat famous case, there wasn’t any obvious reason why Lord Chelmsford would be targeted for his role in it.

“And Lord Chelmsford was involved in only Hunt’s defense?” Fletcher asked.

Hollis nodded. “It was one of his earliest cases. He’s tried a great many more since then. The crime itself garnered a lot of attention, but the trials are not considered of significant note. Certainly not Hunt’s. He was not actually the murderer, though he was involved in aspects of it, and the ghastly details of the crime certainly made him notorious.”

“Why is the Mastiff using this case for his blackmail, then? Chelmsford’s been Lord Chancellor. It seems there’d be more significant threats to level in that area of his life.” Barnabus was trying to find some connection between it all. There must’ve been something personally significant to the Mastiff. “Do we have any idea what the Mastiff’s actual name is?”

Fletcher shook his head. “I’ve even asked around over the last few months. Been trying to get a handle on the bloke. He’s only known by that name.”

“Any chance his name might actually be ‘Hunt’?” It was all Barnabus could think of.

“He’s not old enough to be John Hunt,” Elizabeth said.

“Could be family to him, though,” Brogan said. “Maybe he’s upset at how Chelmsford handled the trial.”

That was possible.

“If Hunt was going to hang but Lord Chelmsford got the bloke transportation instead, that’d be a mark in his favor with Hunt’s family.” Fletcher said. “Chelmsford kept him alive.”