Blood on the Line (11 page)

‘Your wife has no place in this discussion.’

‘Estelle was only expressing a common opinion.’

‘It’s irrelevant to the investigation. I’ve told you before about quoting Mrs Leeming as if she has some kind of auxiliary role as a detective. She does not and never will have,’ he said before biting off the end of his cigar and spitting it into the wastepaper basket. ‘So please do not mention her name again. Learn from Colbeck. He never drags in the uninformed comments of the lady who is about to become
his
wife. A woman’s place is in the home – leave her there.’

‘If you say so, Superintendent,’ replied Leeming.

‘And you might pass on that advice to Constable Peebles.’

‘I will, sir.’

‘He’s rather prone to mention the lady in
his
life.’

‘That’s only natural.’

‘No woman will ever trespass on our work here.’

Leeming shot Colbeck a glance. He was aware that Madeleine had assisted in a number of investigations and was grateful for the help she’d been able to give. Tallis sniffed conspiracy.

‘What’s going on?’ he demanded.

‘Nothing, sir,’ said Leeming, feeling his collar tighten.

‘You gave the inspector a meaningful look.’

‘I think you’re mistaken.’

‘I’m never mistaken about you,’ said Tallis, lighting his cigar with some difficulty. ‘I can read you like a book, Sergeant, though it is not one that I’d recommend to anyone else. The prose is dull, the plot is laboured and its main character is fatally hindered by his many limitations.’

‘You’re being very unjust to Sergeant Leeming,’ said Colbeck, stepping in to defend him. ‘If you care to look back over the years, you’ll be reminded of the countless occasions when the sergeant showed immense courage in the course of his duties. During our time in France, for example, he risked his life and bore the marks to prove it. I suggest that you read the book named Victor Leeming more carefully in future, Superintendent,’ he went on, indicating his friend. ‘If you do that, you’ll find that it has a most admirable hero.’

Leeming came close to blushing. He had never received such unstinting praise in that office before and – although it came from Colbeck rather than Tallis – it lifted his spirits. In his opinion, it was Colbeck who’d just shown true heroism. Leeming could never have spoken so forcefully to the superintendent. There was another bonus. Tallis had the grace to look abashed and to mumble an apology. As another precedent was set, Leeming grinned from ear to ear.

‘It’s good of you to apologise, sir,’ said Colbeck, holding up the newspaper. ‘I trust that the author of this article about us will follow your example. When we make our arrests, he’ll have to admit that his criticism of us was
ill-judged
.’

‘First of all,’ said Tallis, now half-hidden by a cloud of cigar smoke, ‘we have to find these devils.’

‘The press will do that for us.’

‘A big reward always gets a good response,’ noted Leeming. ‘Even those who may be hiding the villains will be tempted by that amount of money.’

‘I’m not so much concerned about them,’ said Colbeck. ‘We may get a flood of information but much of it will be false and misleading. The most important readers are Oxley and Adnam. When they pick up a newspaper today, they are in for a fright.’

‘You’re assuming that they can read,’ said Tallis scornfully. ‘Most of the criminals in this country are illiterate. They would only reach for a newspaper when they wanted to light a fire.’

‘That’s not the case here, Superintendent. Irene Adnam’s father went out of his way to impress upon me that he’d paid for his daughter to have a sound education and Oxley is a man of more than average intelligence. This case has aroused a lot of publicity,’ said Colbeck. ‘Details of the investigation are printed every day. Oxley will make a point of reading the newspaper to see how close we’re getting to him. When he sees that we’ve identified his accomplice, he’ll realise that we’re hot on his trail.’

‘Could
we
have a house like this one day, Jerry?’ pleaded Irene.

‘No,’ he replied.

Her face fell. ‘Why not?’

‘I’d want something much bigger.’

She rallied at once. ‘That’s wonderful!’

‘We have to be ambitious.’

‘Can we afford it?’

‘I’ve got plenty of money hidden away and, as we’ve discovered, we can easily make more when we work together.’

‘What about servants? I’ll want a domestic staff.’

‘You can have as many servants as you wish, Irene.’

It was something that had always rankled with her. During her childhood, she’d lived in a comfortable house and always had servants to tackle any mundane chores. When her father went into decline, she lost the security of a good home and – as they flitted from one meaner abode to another – she found herself doing jobs that had hitherto been allocated to servants. The crowning disgrace was being forced to enter domestic service herself, a way of life she thought of as respectable slavery. It was after nursing rebellious thoughts against her employer that she turned to a life of crime.

‘Can we ever lead a normal life?’ she asked.

‘Gordon and Susanna have managed to do it.’

‘But their situation is rather different. Thanks to all the money he inherited from former patients, Gordon will never have to work again. They can just live contentedly here in anonymity.’

‘We’ll do the same one day,’ he promised. ‘The trick is to plan ahead as they did. Though he has no regrets about helping people in great pain to die peacefully, he knew that he was committing a crime. That’s why he didn’t report me when we first met. He accepted that, in the eyes of the law, we were fellow criminals. Our friendship developed from there.’

‘My worry is that he and Susanna would feel impelled to report us if they knew what we did on that train.’

‘There’s no possibility of that happening, Irene.’

‘They’d be shocked.’

‘I’m sure they would,’ said Oxley, ‘but that doesn’t mean they’d go to the police. I know too much about them. If they betrayed us, their life here would crumble to pieces when I betrayed
them
.’

Irene relaxed. ‘I never thought of it that way.’

They heard a key being inserted in a lock, then there was a creak as the front door was opened. Their hosts had just returned from their morning walk. Younger and his wife came into the parlour.

‘We’re ready for a cup of tea,’ said Younger, affably. ‘Shall I ask Binnie to make some for you as well?’

‘Yes, please,’ said Irene. ‘Did you have a nice walk?’

‘It was very bracing,’ replied Susanna. ‘We went all the way to the railway station so that Gordon could buy a newspaper for you.’

‘Heavens!’ exclaimed Younger, taking the newspaper from under his arm. ‘I’m forgetting my manners. Here you are, Jerry,’ he went on, handing it over. ‘As our guest, you should read it first.’

‘Thank you,’ said Oxley.

‘Excuse me.’

‘I’ll need to speak to Binnie about luncheon,’ said Susanna as she followed her husband out of the room. ‘I’m not quite sure what we have in the larder.’

Left alone with Irene, Oxley sat back for what he hoped would be a leisurely read of
The Times
. Seconds later, he leapt up from his chair and stared in disbelief at the words in front of him. He read on with his mouth agape.

‘They know who you are, Irene!’ he gasped.

‘How can they?’

‘They’ve named you as my accomplice during the escape and given a full description of you. They’ve even listed some of the other crimes for which you’re being sought.’

Irene was on her feet to look over his shoulder. ‘That can’t be true!’ she cried. ‘I rarely used my real name. How on earth did they connect me with you?’

‘This is Colbeck’s doing,’ he said, angrily.

‘Does that mean we’re no longer safe?’

‘Not as long as
he’s
in charge of the investigation. Nobody else would have been able to identify you, Irene, but Colbeck managed it somehow. I told you that he was tenacious.’

She grabbed his arm. ‘What are we going to do, Jerry?’

‘There’s only one way to keep the police at bay.’

‘Is there?’

Oxley grinned malevolently. ‘We have to kill Inspector Colbeck.’

The public response was immediate. Lured by the promise of a large reward, a handful of people arrived at Scotland Yard claiming to have information about the fugitives. Gerald Kane was typical of them. He was a small, round, smirking individual in his thirties. Invited into Colbeck’s office, he took a seat and rubbed his hands excitedly. Ian Peebles was there to watch the inspector in action. Colbeck was excessively civil to their visitor.

‘We’re most grateful to you for coming here, Mr Kane,’ he said. ‘I don’t need to explain how important it is to catch these two people.’

‘They’re deep-dyed villains,’ declared Kane, ‘and I’m
glad to be able to put them behind bars.’ He looked around. ‘Do I get the reward
before
I give my evidence or afterwards?’

‘Let’s not talk about the money at this stage, sir. We’d like to hear what you have to say so that we can assess its value to us.’

‘But I saw them, Inspector. I served them.’

‘Are you sure that it was Oxley and Adnam?’

‘I’d swear that it was.’ Kane took a deep breath before launching into what was patently a well-rehearsed speech. ‘I’m a watchmaker by trade and work for Mr Berrow in Makepeace Street. Of necessity, I have excellent eyesight. Most of my time is spent repairing watches and clocks but, whenever Mr Berrow steps out of the shop, I take his place behind the counter. That’s where I was yesterday when a gentleman entered with a female companion. Since she was carrying her gloves, I noticed that she was wearing a wedding ring, but I had the feeling that they were not married. Don’t ask me to explain why. There was just something about them. Anyway,’ he continued, ‘the gentlemen wished to buy a watch for his so-called wife and I showed them what we had in the shop. They took several minutes examining them, so I had plenty of time to observe them closely. It’s a habit of mine,’ he said with a sycophantic smile. ‘Our stock is extremely valuable. It therefore behoves us to take careful note of anyone who comes through the door. People – though I need hardly tell this to detectives – are not always what they seem.’

Colbeck already knew that he was lying but Peebles still believed they might be hearing crucial information.
He was surprised when the inspector’s tone hardened.

‘Describe them, Mr Kane,’ snapped Colbeck.

‘Well, yes, I will,’ said Kane, importantly.

He then proceeded to offer what was an exact recitation of the details given in the newspapers about Oxley and Adnam. Kane might have been reading them out line by line. When he finished, he beamed as if expecting applause. He rubbed his hands again.

‘Can I take the reward now, please?’

‘Oh, you’ll get your reward, Mr Kane,’ said Colbeck. ‘You’ll be charged with telling lies to an officer of the law in pursuit of monetary gain. Constable Peebles …’

‘Yes, Inspector?’ said Peebles, stepping forward.

‘Take this man out and arrest him.’

‘Are you certain that he’s deceiving us, sir?’

‘The fellow is a barefaced liar.’

‘That’s not true!’ howled Kane. ‘I’d swear it on the Bible.’

‘Then you’d be committing a form of perjury before God,’ said Colbeck, ‘and that’s equally reprehensible. Get this man out of my sight, Constable.’

‘Come on,’ said Peebles, taking Kane by the collar and yanking him upright. ‘By wasting our time here, you’ve delayed a murder investigation. Out you go, Mr Kane.’

The watchmaker’s assistant was marched unceremoniously out.

Colbeck looked at the list on his desk. Kane’s was the fifth name on it. His four predecessors had also tried to trick their way to the reward and were now regretting their attempt to mislead Colbeck. With an air of resignation
born of experience, he put a cross beside the name of the latest culprit. There was a tap on the door. When it opened, Leeming entered the room.

‘What happened, sir?’ he asked.

‘Mr Kane told us a pack of lies.’

‘When did you know that?’

‘The moment he asked about the reward,’ said Colbeck. ‘A genuine witness would simply want to see the arrests made. I know that policemen will never be popular but we do strive to keep the streets safe for people, and, when horrendous crimes of this nature take place, we do everything in our power to apprehend those who committed them. The public should be reminded of that regularly.’

‘I agree,’ said Leeming. ‘Oh, the superintendent told me to give you this.’ He handed over a letter. ‘He’d like your opinion of it.’

Opening the letter, Colbeck read it and his interest quickened.

‘I believe it to be genuine,’ he decided.

‘The superintendent thought it was sent as a deliberate attempt to misinform us.’

‘Then he and I must agree to differ,’ said Colbeck. ‘If someone goes to the trouble of sending a letter all this way by a courier, then she does have something of value to tell us. There’s no mention of the reward here, Victor. That’s very encouraging.’ Folding the letter up, he slipped it into his pocket. ‘I’ll take the next train to Coventry.’

‘Will you get permission from Mr Tallis first?’

‘No, Victor. I’ll leave you to do that on my behalf.
Persuade him that I simply had to dash off.’ He took his copy of
Bradshaw
from a drawer. ‘Now that he’s starting to appreciate your true value as a detective, he can hold no fears for you.’

Leeming was nonplussed. ‘What am I to say to him?’

‘Tell him that I’ve gone to see a dark lady.’

Tolerant by nature, Gordon Younger was nevertheless annoyed by the sudden departure of his guests. Without any explanation, Oxley and Irene had left without even drinking the tea they’d requested. What upset Younger most was the fact that they’d taken the newspaper with them. After the long walk to the station to get it, he felt that he at least had the right to read it. His wife was also distressed. She liked Oxley and had found Irene pleasant company. Having offered both of them hospitality, she’d expected gratitude. Yet during their hasty exit, there had been no whisper of thanks from their guests.

‘Have they gone for good?’ asked Younger.

‘They didn’t say.’

‘Have you looked in their room?’

‘No,’ she replied. ‘I’ll do that now.’

Susanna went upstairs and opened the bedroom door
to peep in. Her guests had brought very little luggage with them but most of it was still there. She resisted the temptation to poke into a valise. It was private property. In any case, she and her husband had agreed never to look too closely into what Jeremy Oxley did. It was much more sensible to take him at face value. Whenever he came to them, he was invariably in trouble of some kind. Their job was simply to offer unquestioning help to a friend.

When she returned to the parlour, Gordon was on his feet.

His eyebrows arched. ‘Well?’

‘It looks as if they’re coming back.’

‘Then I’ll give Jerry a piece of my mind.’

‘Don’t start an argument,’ she said, querulously. ‘He’s always been well behaved with us but we know he has a temper.’

‘So do I, Susanna. Nobody is going to treat us like that.’

‘There’s probably an innocent explanation.’

‘You can’t excuse bad manners,’ he said, taking a stand. ‘If they want to remain here any longer, then they owe us a grovelling apology and a promise to mend their ways.’

‘Jerry is to blame. Irene simply does what she’s told.’

‘She was rude to us, Susanna, and I won’t stand for it.’

He paced up and down to relieve his anger, then he remembered something and looked at the clock on the mantelpiece. Reaching a decision, he headed for the door.

‘Where are you going, Gordon?’

‘Across the road,’ he said. ‘Martin Baber gets a copy of
The Times
most days. He’ll have finished with it by now.’

‘Jerry may bring our copy back.’

‘I can’t wait until he does that.’ He went out. ‘I only make the effort to get a paper once or twice a week, so I’m feeling deprived of news. I won’t be long.’

Susanna resumed her seat and thought about the time they’d spent with their unexpected visitors. They had been tense when they first arrived but had gradually relaxed. Irene, in particular, had loved the semi-rural location and the gardens. They had been quiet and undemanding guests, falling in with the daily routine of the Youngers. Oxley was a criminal and always at odds with the law, Susanna accepted that. It had been difficult for a person as law-abiding as herself but Gordon had pointed out that he knew the secret in their past. As a result, they had to maintain their friendship with him and make allowances for his irregular appearances on their doorstep. Oxley held the key to their continued existence under false names. They had to trust him as much as he clearly trusted them.

For that reason, she wanted to prevent any quarrel breaking out. By the time that they returned, she hoped, her husband’s ire would have subsided. Susanna was still going over details of their visit when her husband came back to the house. He waved the newspaper triumphantly in the air.

‘It’s pristine,’ he said. ‘I can catch up on almost a week of news that I missed. Martin hasn’t even looked at it yet. He’s had to go out at short notice. Rose said that we can keep the paper until he gets back.’

‘That’s kind of her.’

‘Such is the value of cultivating good neighbours, Susanna.’

‘Rose has a heart of gold,’ she said with a sigh. ‘There are times when I feel so guilty about having to deceive her and Martin.’

‘It’s not deception,’ he insisted. ‘We are Gordon and Susanna Younger now. We’ve grown into it and cast off our other identities like snakes shedding their skins.’

She pulled a face. ‘That’s a horrid comparison.’

‘Yet it’s an accurate one.’

As he settled down to read the paper, she reached for her embroidery. It was nearing completion now and she recalled how much and how wistfully Irene had admired it. Evidently, it was the sort of accomplishment she’d never had time to master. Putting the thimble in place, she extracted the needle and began work. She was soon interrupted. With a cry of horror, Gordon shook the paper.

‘This explains everything,’ he said.

‘What does?’

‘It’s a report of two policemen who were murdered in the Midlands. The police are hunting for two suspects – Jeremy Oxley and Irene Adnam.’ He was aghast. ‘We’re harbouring killers, Susanna.’

‘Irene was not involved, surely.’

‘According to this, she shot one man at close range.’

‘Dear God!’ she exclaimed.

‘No wonder he took my copy of
The Times
. He didn’t want me to see this. Now we know why they charged out of here.’

‘We must inform the police at once.’

‘Don’t be silly.’

‘It’s our duty, Gordon. They’re both guilty of murder.’

‘The same charge can be laid against me,’ he warned.

‘You released people from agony,’ she said. ‘That’s not murder.’

‘A jury would think otherwise. We have to be very careful, Susanna. If we start running to the police, our own secret will come out. That would be a catastrophe.’

‘Yet if we don’t report them, somebody else might. Martin and Rose must have seen them in the front garden.’

‘Yes,’ he agreed, ‘but they don’t know their names. There’s a description of the pair of them here but it could apply to thousands of other people of their age. Martin and Rose are not suspicious. They’d never think that their neighbours were hiding two people on the run from the police.’

‘Let me read the article.’

‘You’d find it too disturbing.’

‘Did she
really
shoot a policeman?’

‘Irene also helped to throw the body of another out of a moving train. Jerry was under arrest and she planned his escape.
Those
are the people who’ve been sleeping under our roof as if they didn’t have a care in the world.’

Susanna let out a yelp. All the time they’d been talking, she’d been carrying on unthinkingly with her embroidery. As full realisation dawned, and as the faces of Oxley and Irene were conjured into her mind, she jabbed the needle into her hand by mistake and drew blood.

The letter was addressed to Colbeck but the superintendent had no hesitation in opening it. If it was relevant to the investigation, he wanted to see it immediately. When he read it through for the first time, he felt that it might be a hoax, but a second reading made him change his mind. It contained too many details that only Jeremy Oxley could know. The missive was genuine. Intended for Colbeck, it invited him to meet with the man he was trying to catch so that they could ‘discuss matters of mutual interest’. The phrase made Tallis snort. He looked up at Leeming.

‘Who brought this?’ he demanded.

‘A young lad,’ replied the other. ‘He said that a gentleman had given him sixpence to deliver it.’

‘Did you take the money off him?’

‘No, Superintendent – he’s done nothing wrong.’

‘He’s consorting with a wanted man.’

‘The lad wasn’t to know that. He was picked at random. You could hardly expect Oxley to slip it under the front door himself. That would be taking far too big a risk.’

‘I don’t need to be told that, Leeming.’

‘It proves one thing, sir – Oxley has read today’s paper. It’s just as Inspector Colbeck predicted. He’s been seized by panic. He’s given himself away by revealing that he’s actually in London.’ He took a step towards the desk. ‘May I have a look at it, please?’

Tallis dithered for a few moments then handed it over to him. Leeming read it through twice before passing judgement. He put the letter back on the desk.

‘It’s him, sir, no question about it. He’s issuing a challenge.’

‘Unfortunately, it’s to the inspector and he’s not here, is he? No, he went charging off to Coventry on a whim.’

‘He felt that there was evidence to be collected there.’

‘
This
is evidence,’ said Tallis, snatching up the letter. ‘It’s evidence that Jeremy Oxley is here in the capital with that murderous doxy of his. It’s evidence that he has the nerve to taunt us.’

‘I’m not sure about that,’ said Leeming, thoughtfully. ‘I didn’t get the feeling that he was taunting us. There’s a note of desperation there. Look at it, Superintendent. There are blots and squiggles everywhere. That letter was dashed off in haste by a man who is
losing
his nerve.’

Tallis glanced at it again. ‘You could be right,’ he conceded.

‘Inspector Colbeck has been after this man for many years. He knows how Oxley’s mind works. He’d be able to read between the lines of that letter.’

‘Well, he can’t do that from Coventry,’ said Tallis, waspishly. ‘It’s one feat beyond even his extraordinary powers. Oh, where is the man when we really need him?’ he continued, banging the desk. ‘And what was all that nonsense about a dark lady?’

‘I daresay that he’ll tell us when he returns.’

‘And when will that be, pray?’

‘He’ll no doubt catch the fastest train from Coventry, sir.’

‘Damnation!’ roared Tallis, hitting the desk again as if trying to split it asunder. ‘I want Colbeck here
now
!’

Coventry was a pleasant town that had retained much of its medieval flavour. Centuries earlier, it had been one of the largest communities outside London but its thriving cloth trade had declined somewhat and it had lost its pre-eminence. It was the home of over thirty thousand souls, a number that swelled on market days when people poured in from the surrounding villages. Colbeck enjoyed his walk through twisting streets lined with half-timbered houses that dripped with character. The Sherbourne Hotel, named after the river on whose bank it was sited, was of more recent construction, a solid and symmetrical edifice that offered its guests comfort, privacy, good food and excellent views.

Gwen Darker was the owner’s wife but, since he was now disabled by chronic arthritis, she had taken over the running of the hotel. She was a short woman in her fifties with a soaring bosom and surging backside that made her seem bigger. Impeccably groomed, she wore a dress of red velvet splashed with silver buttons. Coils of pearls hung around her neck. When Colbeck introduced himself, she was amazed that he’d come from London to see her immediately on receipt of her letter. Leaving her assistant to take over, she led her visitor into a private room.

‘May I offer you refreshment, Inspector?’ she said.

‘Later, perhaps,’ he replied. ‘First of all, I’d like to establish that the two people I’m pursuing did actually stay here.’

‘There’s not a flicker of doubt about that, Inspector. They were here less than a fortnight ago. As soon as I read
the report in the newspaper, I recognised them – and so did my husband.’

‘Did they book in here as man and wife?’

‘Yes, they called themselves Mr and Mrs Salford.’

‘That’s a suburb of Manchester,’ noted Colbeck, ‘so I can guess why it was chosen. Irene Adnam hails from Manchester.’

‘She did sound as if she came from further north.’

‘How long did they stay here?’

‘Almost a week,’ said Gwen, proudly, ‘and I thought that was a compliment to us. I mean, you don’t stay long at a hotel unless it treats you well. They did say that they might come back again one day but, in view of what I know about them now, they’ll get no welcome at the Sherbourne.’

‘What was your impression of them, Mrs Darker?’

‘They seemed to be a nice, quiet, respectable couple. I usually know if people are not really married and reserve the right to turn them away if they ask for a double room. In their case, I had no qualms. They looked as if they’d grown into a true partnership, the way that only married couples do.’

‘I understand.’

‘We don’t allow impropriety here, Inspector. We conduct our business on sound Christian values and we’d hate to get a name as a place that permitted any licence.’

‘It’s why the hotel obviously has such a good reputation.’

Colbeck had noticed on arrival that the lounge was full of guests, all patently happy with the facilities on
offer. Prices were quite steep but they were matched by exceptional service. The place was spotlessly clean, well appointed and efficiently run. To stay there almost a week, Oxley and Adnam must have been able to foot a substantial bill. When they were not engaged in criminal activities, he concluded, they could afford to live in a degree of luxury.

‘How well did you get to know them?’ he wondered.

‘We exchanged a few words each day,’ said Gwen, ‘but they were not very talkative. They liked to keep themselves to themselves. Mr Salford – or whatever his real name is – told us that he’d worked in a bank for many years.’

‘That’s one way of putting it,’ said Colbeck, wryly. ‘What he really meant was that he was closely acquainted with the banking system. To be more exact, Mrs Darker, Oxley is linked to at least three bank robberies.’

‘You’d never have guessed it by looking at him. He fooled me completely, but then, so did the young lady. I’d marked them down as a harmless couple, not as a pair of vicious killers.’

‘What did they do all day?’

‘They took the train to Birmingham a couple of times.’

‘Did they say why?’

‘They were moving on there when they left here and wanted to spy out a good hotel.’

‘So when they left here, they went on to Birmingham.’

‘Yes, they said they were visiting his relatives.’

‘Why didn’t they stay with them?’

‘There was no room, apparently. The house was too small. Besides, Mrs Salford – Irene Adnam, that is – confided to
me that she preferred to stay in a hotel.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘That was the curious thing, Inspector.’