SGB Chapter 363

## Chapter 363: The Enemy Within

**London, Westminster, in a restaurant near Trafalgar Square.**

Four men in black suits and wide-brimmed hats sat in the darkest corner of the restaurant. A few months ago, their somber attire would have immediately attracted attention. But with the cholera epidemic raging, everyone was bundled up, some even wearing bizarre filtering respirators or other heavy protective gear. Their thick black coats blended in seamlessly.

Mr. Bernie Harrison, his face pale and drawn, forced a smile as he looked at the Scotland Yard officers. He pushed the menu towards them, saying, “Gentlemen, please, order whatever you like. This meal is on me.”

Alexandre Dumas, chin raised, chuckled, “Mr. Harrison, are you trying to bribe us? Scotland Yard’s pay isn’t as generous as your cosmetics company, but we can still afford a meal.”

Harrison sighed, leaning his forehead on his hand. “Sir, please don’t misunderstand. I wouldn’t do such a foolish thing. Mr. Hastings refused a generous donation of a thousand pounds from me. I don’t think a single meal could bribe him.”

“A thousand pounds?” Dumas turned to Arthur, “Was there such a thing?”

Arthur took a sip of tea, “I told you, Benjamin’s parliamentary seat cost more than fifteen hundred pounds. Even before he was elected, I was already down over a thousand pounds.”

Dumas finally understood, looking at Harrison, “So, Benjamin’s seat was originally meant for you?”

Harrison chuckled wryly, shaking his head. “Let’s not dwell on the past. After that incident, I was completely abandoned by the Tories. Even if the seat wasn’t given to Disraeli, it would have gone to someone else. Sigh, I’ve been unlucky all year. This is what they call bad luck.”

Louis, sitting beside them, said coldly, “Ultimately, it’s your own carelessness.”

Harrison flared up, “I only made a minor, insignificant mistake! If you talk about seeking pleasure, at least half of the House of Lords and Commons are not clean. I was just unlucky to have stumbled upon a Polish woman, so the Whigs used the Polish issue as an excuse to attack me, ruining my reputation!

Oh, by the way, I can’t completely blame it on bad luck, because Mr. Hastings knows the inside story. That Polish beauty must have been carefully selected. What did the Whigs give you? You are willing to go this far for them, even framing an honest British gentleman, a noble member of the House of Commons?”

Arthur simply put down his teacup and calmly replied, “Mr. Harrison, although I understand your anger, I must remind you that you should be grateful when you find a lady in bed, not a gentleman. A lady will only cost you your seat in parliament, while a gentleman will get you a death sentence.

Although the government is still pushing for reforms to the Bloody Code, due to social norms and support from the clergy, I believe that in the foreseeable future, inappropriate behavior between the same sex will not be removed from the list of capital offenses.”

Harrison’s face turned pale, and even his hand pointing at Arthur trembled slightly.

“Did you consider killing me directly?”

Arthur didn’t answer directly, but instead hinted subtly, “Are you curious why the Tories didn’t even consider a cold-shoulder approach to save your seat after the incident? As you said, having a lover, even a few long-term mistresses, is not uncommon among members of parliament.

Although your behavior was slightly more outrageous than others, it wasn’t entirely unforgivable. So, what did you do that made the Tory party feel unforgivable? You should know in your heart.

The Whigs want to strike down their opponents, while the Tories feel that traitors are unforgivable. Even I, a policeman with no political stance, find your words truly inappropriate. So, Mr. Harrison, you can only blame yourself for reaching this point.”

Harrison’s face turned whiter and whiter as he listened. He knew Arthur was referring to his plot to overthrow Sir Peel.

But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure out how Arthur and the Tories knew about this.

His lips trembled, and he asked softly, “Did someone leak information to you? Can you tell me who it was?”

Arthur took a piece of bread and dipped it in the cream soup, “Mr. Harrison, can you keep a secret?”

“Of course!”

Arthur shrugged with a smile, “Then so can I.”

Dumas folded his arms and nodded, “Mr. Harrison, don’t take us for fools. Even the cartographers of the Royal Navy know that parliamentarians are like carved windows. They look tightly closed, but they can’t keep out any wind.”

“But I’m not a member of parliament anymore.”

“Oh! That’s even worse!” Dumas exclaimed, “Defeated parliamentarians are the most talkative.”

Harrison’s head dropped, like a frost-bitten eggplant, unable to lift it.

Over the past few months, he had always thought his misfortune stemmed from the young Scotland Yard superintendent in front of him. Only now did he realize that the conspiracy was much deeper than he had initially imagined.

Harrison clutched his head, desperately trying to recall those who knew the inside story. But no matter how hard he thought, the only emotions that welled up in his heart were anger and helplessness.

At this moment, he sadly realized that he couldn’t afford to offend most of the people who knew the inside story.

Harrison’s expression was a mixture of emotions, but Arthur didn’t even bother to look up. He calmly cut the veal steak on his plate.

The knife cut through the grain of the beef, inch by inch. Arthur smiled casually, “Mr. Harrison, you know, I love making friends. I have many friends – poets, novelists, pianists, stock players, animal researchers, even animals themselves. I love making friends with people who have different life experiences. But of all the groups, I would never choose to be friends with judges.”

Harrison frowned at Arthur’s seemingly random remark, sensing something but not being sure.

He leaned forward and asked softly, “Can I ask why?”

“It’s simple.”

Arthur put down his knife and fork, saying, “Because those who become judges enjoy the feeling of controlling others’ fates. If he is a man of justice himself, then he might be less affected. But if his own will is not firm, then it would be a terrible thing to let such a man become a judge.

Even a great man like Francis Bacon was tempted by money and greed, let alone ordinary people. Moreover, although Bacon was corrupt and bribed, one thing is still commendable: he earned his position as Lord Chancellor through his own efforts, not by betraying his family, especially his wife.”

Harrison narrowed his eyes, “You’re right, Inspector Hastings. You’re young, but you’re in such a position for a reason. Let me think, if I remember correctly, Bacon’s path to corruption began when he became the royal legal advisor, the British Attorney General, right?”

Arthur nodded with a smile, “You were elected to parliament for a reason. You have a wide range of knowledge. Of course, Bacon’s path to success is no longer replicable today. Britain’s current appointment system is far more sound than in the 17th century. Let alone the national Attorney General, even the appointment of the Deputy Attorney General for the London region is carefully chosen by the noble lords of the Whig cabinet.”

Harrison leaned back in his chair, savoring Arthur’s words, and suddenly chuckled, “No wonder then. I thought he and Viscount Melbourne were having an extramarital affair, but it turns out they were arguing over the division of spoils and the non-fulfillment of promises!”

Louis, who knew the whole story, looked at Arthur with a strange expression, “Sir, is it really appropriate for you to say that?”

Before Arthur could reply, Harrison quickly interrupted, “What’s wrong with that? Mr. Hastings is just talking about his principles of friendship.”

Arthur wiped his mouth with the napkin around his neck, “That’s right, Mr. Harrison. It seems we have something in common after all. But now that we’ve discussed the principles of friendship, shouldn’t we get to the point?”

Hearing this, Harrison simply hardened his heart. He had nothing left to lose. Even if he confessed everything, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Besides, he came to see Arthur specifically to clear his own suspicion.

Harrison said, “Regarding my previous case, the accidental death of my maid, it was indeed an accident. But before I reveal the truth, I need your promise that you won’t pursue me further on this matter.”

“As long as you can prove you are not a murderer, I can represent Scotland Yard in waiving any other minor charges against you.”

“Really?”

Arthur nodded, “British police always keep their word. Don’t forget the Burke gang murder and body-snatching case in Edinburgh two years ago. At that time, Edinburgh police were desperate to find Burke and other clues to the other murders, so they made a deal with the other main perpetrator, William Hare, that if he could reveal Burke’s whereabouts and the location of several other bodies, he would be pardoned from his hanging.

Afterwards, although the police decision was questioned, Edinburgh citizens even protested against the Edinburgh police station, but they still sent a special car to send Hare to the departing ship. They could keep their promise to a heinous serial killer like Hare, so if you are really not involved in the murder, you don’t need to worry about us breaking our promise.”

“This…”

Harrison pondered for a long time before hesitantly nodding, “Alright. The truth is, it all started when I returned home from a party that evening. My friend, Judge George Norton, was drunk beyond recognition, so I let him share my carriage home. Who knew that halfway there, I ran into two servants sent by my wife, one was the coachman, and the other was a maid who came to give me my coat. But Norton was really drunk that day, and he mistook my maid for his wife, and started yelling at her, even hitting her with the cushions in the carriage. My maid was scared and ran, and she fell into the river beside the road…”

Arthur frowned at these words, “Mr. Harrison, are you trying to tell me that she drowned? If that’s the case, we should have found a lot of mud in the victim’s mouth, nose, and lungs, especially in a place like the Thames River. This feature should be more obvious.”

Harrison quickly defended, “That’s not what I want to say. If that maid had really died, I wouldn’t have dared to report it. After all, if she died, I would be more or less connected to it.”

“Then who died?”

Harrison took a deep breath and said, “My maid fell into the river, and I immediately sent the coachman to pull her out. But after we finally managed to save her, I found that Norton was still asleep in the carriage. I was about to get angry at him, but then I thought, maybe I could use this situation… My maid was new, and the previous maid was dismissed because she was dishonest. I was considering whether to dismiss her.”

Dumas widened his eyes, “You mean, it was the previous maid who died?”

Harrison nodded, “It was her indeed, but she died the day before the incident. I was still considering how to inform her family and have them take her body back for burial. Then, after this incident happened, I felt like I could take advantage of it…”

Arthur turned and asked, “If that’s the case, how do you explain the excessive arsenic found in the victim’s body?”

Harrison awkwardly replied, “Mr. Hastings, I told you, this girl was dishonest. She often stole things from my house, especially those cosmetics that could beautify and nourish the skin. The fact that you found excessive arsenic in her stomach only proves that my previous guesses about her were correct.

Moreover, if you don’t believe me, you can always ask the other servants in my house. I specifically gave them a gag order, but now it seems unnecessary. Of course, if it hadn’t been for that incident, my wife would have been willing to speak for me. But since The Times published that article, we’ve been separated.”

Louis stroked his chin and asked, “So, Judge Norton submitted a false autopsy report because he mistakenly thought he had killed someone?”

“Half right, half wrong.”

Harrison pursed his lips, “Besides escaping punishment, he also hoped that he could regain the favor of the Tory bigwigs through this case and return to the House of Commons. It’s just that now it seems he has completely given up on that hope, so he is trying to take the Whig path and seek a position as Deputy Attorney General for London. What a pity! This idiot is always tricked by Viscount Melbourne. It goes to show that fools are always tricked, once is not enough, they need to be tricked again.”

Louis and Dumas looked at each other. They never expected a case that had put Scotland Yard on high alert to be just a farce made up by two idiots.

And the chain reaction triggered by this case almost affected the political stability of the Tories and Whigs.

Arthur nodded slightly, “So, are you willing to accuse Judge Norton of perjury in court?”

“That depends…”

Harrison didn’t dare to be definitive, because he had another, more serious matter to clarify.

Harrison said, “Mr. Hastings, I swear to God, I have nothing to do with the assassination in Liverpool. We had some disagreements before, but it didn’t affect our personal feelings. Especially now, we can be good friends.

As for that Polish girl you sent, I haven’t contacted her much afterwards. Of course, I mean I haven’t contacted her proactively, but if she came to me on her own initiative, I can’t hold myself entirely responsible.”

(End of Chapter)