Forty-five“This is a dreadful business, dreadful. It will take a lot to overcome the stain.”
De Vile hovered at Governor Hunt’s shoulder as the meeting dispersed, wondering if it was the right time to introduce the idea of disqualifying Vino d’Oro from the Golden Gate contest until the poisoning scandal had been solved to the satisfaction of Captain Burns.
He observed the friendly way in which Hunt shook John Russell’s hand and guessed he wouldn’t make much headway with such a proposal now. Russell had very adeptly wriggled off the hook, like the shark he was.
The governor turned with a placid expression. “I think you are worrying unnecessarily, Senator. Sir John seems to have tied up a lot of loose ends. Now we’ll leave it to Captain Burns to handle the rest.”
His brow puckered. “I ad
