The Last Days of Newgate - Andrew Pepper [131]
Tilling stared at him coldly. ‘Do you have unequivocal proof that Magennis committed those murders?’
Pyke thought about what he had learned from the priest in Ireland.
‘I know Edmonton meant me to find Magennis or at least find out about him. Whatever else I am, I’m a good investigator. Edmonton knew this, too.’ Pyke shrugged. ‘Edmonton also knew that Hume’s attempts to threaten me and close down my investigation would spur me on.’
‘That was the whole point, wasn’t it?’ Tilling looked at him carefully, waiting. ‘Once you had decided that Magennis was the killer, and then witnessed Peel’s investigation go after the wrong suspect, and then discovered the connection between Magennis and myself, what other conclusion could you have drawn?’
‘You mean that Peel was implicated in the murders?’
‘Of course.’
‘And Edmonton gets what he wants; the events stir up a hornet’s nest of anti-Catholic sentiment and threaten the smooth passage of the Catholic Emancipation Bill. By getting me to expose Peel’s alleged culpability in the murders . . .’
‘Edmonton might have been able to bring down the whole administration and ruin Peel’s political career in the process.’ He regarded Pyke with a quizzical stare. ‘I suppose we should be grateful to you - now that Edmonton’s plans have been foiled and he’s taken it upon himself to destroy you.’
‘I am glad to be of service.’ Pyke couldn’t help but smile. ‘But I’m not naive enough to think that such a notion will persuade the Home Secretary to come to my assistance.’
Tilling’s gaze slid away from Pyke’s face. ‘Assuming that Edmonton did manage to set this whole thing up, I still don’t understand how he found Davy Magennis in the first place and made the connection back to me.’
Pyke thought about what he had discovered in Ireland but said nothing to Tilling; he wanted to keep all knowledge of Swift to himself.
‘Perhaps we might go for a walk on the heath. Get some fresh air and continue our talk outside.’ Tilling must have noticed Pyke’s reaction because almost at once he laughed and said, ‘What? You don’t trust me? You don’t think I could have had you arrested already?’ He shook his head jovially. ‘When I returned home, I noticed the gate at the side of the house had been tampered with. I thought initially it might have been house burglars but then I remembered you.’ He picked up his brandy glass and drained it. ‘Come on, Pyke. Accompany me on a walk.’
It was a pleasant evening and some of the smog had cleared, affording them an arresting view of the city.
‘Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in another town or in the country perhaps, but then I come out here on an evening like this, the sun just about to set and everything looking so peaceful, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.’
Pyke paused for a moment, to take in the view. ‘There,’ he said, pointing towards the giant dome of St Paul’s. ‘Just to the right, you can see the Sessions House and, next to it, Newgate prison.’
They had walked almost to the top of the hill. Tilling turned to face him, hands in pockets. ‘I take your point.’
‘Do you?’ This time Pyke allowed himself to show his anger. ‘Can you imagine what it was like, being locked up in that God-forsaken place, knowing I was to be executed for something I hadn’t done?’
Tilling started to walk again. ‘You might not believe me, but Peel liked you. He wanted to help you, Pyke, but given what happened at your trial, the manner in which you ran your own defence and the fact the jury found you guilty, there was nothing at all he could have done.’
‘I think Peel had done quite enough already.’
That seemed to confuse Tilling.
Pyke laughed bitterly. ‘Once you realised I had found out about Magennis, you moved quickly.’
This time Tilling touched him on the arm. ‘You think that business with your mistress was our doing?’
‘That business? Let’s call it by its proper name, Tilling. Murdering Lizzie in cold blood and then making it look like I had killed her.’
Tilling stared at him, incredulous. ‘My