It could be right under your nose, and you wouldn't notice a thing.

The Marquess of Penderdale to Christian, age eight C hristian watched Kate pale and stepped in front of her, blocking her view of Janson's body.

"When did you find him?"

Gordon gave him a look edged with suspicion. "Just a few moments before I ran into the inn."

He had to think like a Bow Street Runner. However that was. If he could get through this, he would have a legitimate excuse to search Freewater's room-barrier free. He could already feel the leather-bound journal in his grasp.

"Were you in this part of the stables before you found him?"

"Yeah, I do rounds at dawn and get the horses warmed up for the road."

"And you didn't notice the body then?"

"That's what I told you. I found the body when I began mucking out the stables and pitching hay."

Christian searched the ground close to Janson's body. He could see no bloody weapon nearby. He straightened, glancing at the tack hanging from the walls and rails, lots of potential weapons here. The stable was remarkably neat and clean. Well-cared-for saddles, harnesses, bits, bridles, and blankets were neatly stacked. Nothing seemed amiss or bloodstained.

Christian walked the long, brick-lined path between the stalls, speaking softly to the horses as he passed. They were restless and didn't look exercised in the least. Kate seemed more than happy to follow behind and away from Janson's body. Her light eyes were creased near the edges. The urge to smooth the worry lines from her face rushed through him.

He licked suddenly dry lips and turned to Gordon. "You took the horses out?"

"We were going to, but we were already snowed in at that point. Nowhere to take them."

Of course they hadn't taken the horses out. It had been a stupid question-Mr. Wicket must be rubbing off on him. It couldn't be nerves. Christian hadn't had a case of nerves since he had stopped caring.

"You said 'we.' Who else was here?"

"Me and Tom."

"Did Tom discover the body with you?"

"No, he was in the inn with the rest of you."

Tom must have been the square, bulky man near the door. "So how many times did you enter this building?"

"What difference does it make?"

"We need to ascertain what you were doing."

"I told you what I was doing." Gordon looked a bit shifty as he stared at the ground. "I did my work and found Janson, poor bloody bastard."

"So you didn't like Janson?"

"What? No. The man was an ass," he said bluntly.

"Did you ever feel like murdering him?"

"What? No!"

"Your account of the events seems awfully suspicious, Gordon. You haven't answered the question of how many times you were in here this morning."

"Cuz it makes no difference." Gordon kicked a stray piece of hay.

"You couldn't be more wrong. Runner's Code Number Thirty-determine the whereabouts of the person who discovered the body."

From the corner of his eye he saw Kate react, but he ignored her for the moment. Gordon seemed to believe him, and he noted a thin film of sweat had formed on the man's brow.

"I entered the barn twice, but until a bit ago never to this section. Don't know nothing else."

"Was anyone else in here?" Kate asked quietly as they walked back to the body.

"Just Tom. He won't know nothing neither. He lives on the upper floor over the stable office. Uses the straight stairs at the other end. Janson probably got drunk, grabbed his things, wandered outside, and bashed his head into the wall."

Christian looked dubiously at the body with its broken leg and bashed skull. "Are you saying that he somehow managed to bury himself beneath the straw too? A talent, that."

He watched Kate inhale deeply before crouching down beside the body. She tried unsuccessfully to turn Janson over.

"He's stiff, Mr. Kaden. No use you trying to do anything with him."

Kate ignored Gordon and continued to examine Janson. Christian didn't know what she thought she would find-she was less an investigator than he was. She gave him a pointed look, and he crouched down next to her.

He poked through the man's pockets. A pocket watch and two quid were inside one, a letter in another. Kate seemed to be engrossed in examining rips on the front of Janson's shirt, so Christian tried to assist her by moving Janson's stiff right arm. It didn't budge. Pushing to the left, the corpse shifted, and Christian was nearly struck by Janson's stiff left arm.

Beaten by a dead guy. He was sure he would never have lived that down.

Something in Janson's fisted hand caught his attention. A swatch of green was clutched in his fingers.

Kate watched intently as Christian pried the slip of cloth from Janson's hand. He caught her eye, and she shrugged in bafflement.

"Gordon, does this look familiar?"

The servant peered at the cloth. "No."

Christian handed the cloth to Kate, lightly brushing her fingers. She shivered, shook her head, and stuffed the cloth into her pocket.

A search through his scattered belongings turned up a snuffbox, some extra clothes, but little else. Christian sat back on his heels.

"I think it's time to search the rooms." He was anxious to get into Freewater's, and had little notion of what else to do about Janson.

"Don't you think we should move the body back to the inn?"

"Why? I don't think he's going anywhere, and we don't want the body to warm and decompose."

"What if the killer comes back to dispose of it? We may need it later."

"Need it for what? The man's dead."

"To find the killer."

Christian glanced at Gordon, who was observing their exchange with interest.

"Um, I know you are new to this, Mr. Kaden, but Section Fourteen of the Runner's Code states that the body should not be moved. We'll just have to leave Gordon to guard it."

Gordon's eyes went wide. "What?"

Christian stood from his crouched position. "Don't worry, my good man. We will send one of the maids with food and something warm to drink." He patted Gordon on the shoulder as the man sputtered.

"Surely you aren't going to leave me here with...with him?" he said, pointing to Janson.

"Well, you and the boys do need to care for the horses, don't you?"

"But there's a dead body in here!"

"He won't hurt you. But don't lose him. Section Fourteen A says you can be held responsible for the loss of the body. Must keep away the body thieves."

"Body thieves?"

"Very dangerous, you know. But I'm sure you're up to the task. And the snow should keep them at bay for a few days. Good luck, Gordon. We'll be by to check on you later. Oh, and don't move the body. Thanks."

Christian walked out the door, Kate scampering after.

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Solving the murder, of course."

"You think this is all a joke."

"Of course I don't."

"You do. It is evident in every syllable you utter. Every statement you make." She poked him in the arm, the tip of her finger barely making a dent in the heavy coat.

"I'm just going by the Runner's Code."

"The Runner's what? I've never heard of such a thing."

"Are you a Runner?"

"No."

"Well, there you go."

"I think neither are you."

"Course I am. Wouldn't know the Runner's Code otherwise, now would I?" He waved a hand as they neared the inn door.

"You struck me as a charlatan yesterday, and nothing has yet to change my impression."

"I'm wounded, Kate."

"Don't call me that!" She was starting to remind him of a cat-cute, cuddly, and with hair bristling in every direction.

"If you stop calling me a charlatan, I may remember not to call you Kate."

She paused with her hand above the knob. "Duly noted."

They walked back into the inn, a crowd of anxious faces greeting their return.

"What did you find?"

"How'd he die?"

"Who did it?"

Kate looked across the sea of faces and shivered as she removed her coat. Christian held up a hand to silence the crowd.

"Folks, please calm down. We are all stuck in the inn for today and tomorrow at the very least. I'm sure Mr. Wicket would be more than happy to accommodate anyone in the taproom. Billiards, cards, dice, backgammon, and refreshments will be available. I'm going to begin a room-to-room search, and it would be better to have everyone down here."

"Why?" Mr. Desmond demanded. "What do you hope to find?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? Someone murdered Julius Janson. We need to determine if one of you did it."

"Now see here-"

"I ain't murdered nobody-"

"Not having some two-bit Runner go through-"

"We're trapped with a murderer?"

"What happened to Julius?"

"Will I still get to test my invention?"

Everyone turned to Nickford, who smiled brightly.

Christian looked unnerved for a moment. "Er, if we rule you out as the murderer, yes." He cast a glance around the room. "Right, then, I'll start the search and Mr. Kaden can take statements."

Desmond looked irritated and Lake's expression was unreadable.

"Hold a minute. Shouldn't you take statements too?" someone asked.

"Yes, send the boy to search the first rooms, I want to talk to you," Mr. Crescent said importantly.

"What if the boy goes up there to poach our things?"