‘You shouldn’t,’ said Colbeck. ‘Scanlan clearly admired them. The curious thing is that he purchased a safe that was virtually the same as yours.’
Renwick sniffed. ‘Given the circumstances, I don’t find that reassuring.’
‘I think you should. An expert cracksman would choose the best.’
Without warning, the double doors opened with a flourish and a liveried attendant came into the room. He gave them a dutiful smile of welcome.
‘This way, gentlemen,’ he said in a voice dripping with deference. ‘His Royal Highness Prince Albert will see you both now.’
It was predictable that Caleb Andrews would complain. He couldn’t understand why the invitation to the palace had not been extended to him as well. When he called at the house that morning, he reminded Madeleine that it was he who’d instigated the secondary investigation. For that reason alone, he argued, he deserved to be taken seriously.
‘It was not intended as a personal slight to you, Father,’ said Madeleine.
‘Then why do I feel so hurt?’
‘Robert will tell you everything that transpired at the palace.’
‘I should be there, Maddy. After all, I’ve met the Queen and Prince Albert – in a manner of speaking, that is.’
‘Driving the royal train is not the same as being introduced to members of the royal family,’ she pointed out. ‘In any case, the discussion today will be about the security arrangements. You couldn’t usefully contribute to that.’
‘Yes, I could.’
‘How?’
‘Well, the first thing I’d do,’ he declared, ‘is to offer to drive the royal train. That would be a guarantee of safety in itself.’
‘It would also be an act of folly.’
‘Why?’
‘You’re too old, Father,’ she said with an affectionate arm around his shoulders. ‘How many times must I tell you? You’ve retired from the railway and are entitled to put your feet up.’
‘I’d go back on the footplate if I was needed, Maddy,’ he affirmed.
‘You won’t be. Of that, I can assure you.’
Andrews continued to protest until refreshments arrived. As soon as the servant departed, Madeleine poured tea for the two of them and told him about the latest developments in the case. He was shaken when told of the murder and sobered by the account of Leeming’s fight with the dead man’s servant. While praising the sergeant, Andrews admitted that he couldn’t have coped in such a situation. Some things were best left to younger and fitter men.
‘I feel sorry for that poor young woman,’ he said. ‘She was duped.’
‘Yet she did gain from the friendship with Scanlan. Thanks to the extra lessons for which he paid, she improved greatly as an actress. When all this is over, Mary Burnell might yet be able to take up the career she wants. Before that, of course,’ said Madeleine with a sigh, ‘she will have to learn the truth about Patrick Scanlan.’
‘And what a terrible truth it is, Maddy. The money he lavished on her was tainted. It was all stolen.’
‘That will distress Mary and her parents.’
‘How did they let her get involved with such a heartless criminal?’
‘They only saw what Scanlan allowed them to see,’ replied Madeleine. ‘But I don’t believe he was heartless. He loved her. There’s no doubting that. And while he had many opportunities to take advantage of Mary, he never touched her.’
As he sipped his tea and pecked at a biscuit, Andrews was bound to compare Mary Burnell’s experience with that of his own daughter. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks to heaven for sparing Madeleine the ordeal that the young actress was going through. Having to look after him in the wake of her mother’s death had given Madeleine a sharper awareness of the ways of the world. Andrews liked to think that she wouldn’t have been hoodwinked by a man like Patrick Scanlan.
‘What will Robert do next?’ he asked.
‘That depends on what decision is taken today.’
‘Will he go back to Scotland?’
‘Oh, yes,’ she said. ‘That’s where the first crime was committed and where the second one is due to take place. Robert expects to travel north very soon.’
‘I’ll go with him,’ volunteered Andrews.
‘That wouldn’t be allowed.’
‘I’d promise not to get in the way.’
‘Your place is here, Father – well away from any danger.’
‘I can take care of myself, Maddy.’
‘Oh, no, you can’t,’ she said with a smile. ‘Having lived with you all those years, I should know. You’re too disorganised. When you have such difficulty hunting for the right clothes to wear, how can you hope to track down desperate criminals? It’s too big a risk. Remember what they did to Patrick Scanlan.’
‘Yes,’ he said on reflection. ‘Perhaps I am better off in London.’
‘If it was left to me, Robert would stay here as well.’
‘He must go where he’s needed. That’s his job. But since you enjoyed your glimpse of Scotland, why not go with him this time?’
‘No,’ said Madeleine, resignedly, ‘that’s out of the question. I was lucky enough to be involved on the fringes of this investigation but that’s as far as it goes. There’s no room for me on the train to Glasgow. I’ll leave everything to Robert and Victor Leeming. Unlike me, they’ll know what to do.’
It was almost seven years since Colbeck had met him and Prince Albert had changed somewhat in the interim. He was still a tall, arresting man with a handsome face and a full head of hair but his waistline had thickened and strands of grey were starting to appear in his mutton-chop whiskers. What Colbeck remembered most about their first meeting was that he radiated intelligence and was strikingly elegant. As someone who took great pains with his own appearance, he noted the Prince’s impeccable attire and footwear with interest.
After shaking hands with both men, the Prince turned to Colbeck. He spoke English fluently but with a guttural accent.
‘I believe that congratulations are in order,’ he said.
‘For what reason, Your Royal Highness?’
‘Heavens, have you so soon forgotten that you were recently married?’
‘Oh, no,’ said Colbeck, stifling a laugh.
‘The commissioner told me of your good fortune. This is a remarkable man, Mr Renwick,’ he went on, indicating Colbeck. ‘As you will know, I conceived of the Great Exhibition as a vast shop window in which we could display British expertise in engineering and in manufacturing skills. We wanted to show that mankind’s progress depended on a flourishing international trade. The project had many critics and I had the greatest pleasure in confounding them.’
‘The exhibition was a triumph, Your Royal Highness,’ said Renwick. ‘Over six million visitors came to it. My wife and I were among them.’
‘It was the inspector who made the event possible.’
‘That’s overstating my importance, sir,’ said Colbeck.
‘Nonsense!’ returned the Prince. ‘You learnt of a plot to blow up part of the exhibition and you scotched it. I’m eternally grateful to you.’
Prince Albert’s gratitude was understandable. He’d been closely involved in the event and stood to lose face if it failed or was undermined in some way. Colbeck had been instrumental in removing a major threat, thereby allowing the exhibition to go ahead. It was a resounding success and much of the credit went to the Prince. The Queen was delighted that her husband’s beloved project had stilled the doubters and boosted his reputation.
The visitors waited for the Prince to sit down before they did so themselves. They were in a large, high-ceilinged room with walls covered in gilt-framed portraits. The attendant who’d escorted them there now stood beside the door.
‘To business,’ said the Prince, briskly. ‘The commissioner has explained the situation to me and I’ll ask Inspector Colbeck the same question that I put to his superior. Can you guarantee our safety?’
Colbeck was h
onest. ‘Not at this stage, sir.’
‘Would you advise us to cancel our visit to Balmoral?’
‘Quite the reverse – I’d urge you to abide by the arrangements.’
‘I’m still not sure that I would,’ said Renwick.
‘Then we’d lose the chance to catch these people,’ argued Colbeck, ‘and they’d be free to launch a second attack elsewhere about which we have no foreknowledge.’
‘We’ve survived assassination attempts before,’ said the Prince.
‘Happily, you did, sir. But they were the work of lone individuals. We are dealing with a group of conspirators with money at their disposal and an ability to plan things with painstaking care.’
‘Do you know who they are?’
‘No – their identities remain a mystery.’
‘Have you made any headway at all in the investigation?’
‘It may not seem so, Your Royal Highness,’ conceded Colbeck, ‘but I have a strange feeling that we are making progress. That’s always a good sign.’
Colbeck gave him a brief account of events at the home of Patrick Scanlan and stressed that they now had good descriptions of the two men who’d hired the burglar to get hold of details of the royal train. He firmly believed that they’d find additional evidence when Scanlan’s safe was finally opened. Colbeck went on to say that he’d continue the search north of the border.
‘Our intention is to arrest these villains before the royal train even sets out on its journey to Balmoral.’
‘That would be the ideal outcome, of course,’ said the Prince, ‘but what happens if you fail? Should the excursion still go ahead?’
‘I believe so, Your Royal Highness.’
‘You advise it even if we may be put in jeopardy as a result?’
‘It’s the only way to bring these people out into the open,’ said Colbeck. ‘And there’s a compromise that will remove any direct threat to the royal family. When Mr Renwick showed me the itinerary, I noted that there was a lengthy stop at Carlisle. The royal party can alight there and the train can continue without them.’
‘That would put the driver, fireman and guard at risk,’ protested Renwick. ‘You could be sending them to their deaths.’
‘If the conspirators don’t see the train coming, they won’t show their hand. By that stage, I’m confident, we will have a good idea of where they mean to strike and can move in to overpower them. The train can then return to Carlisle to pick up its passengers and will continue unhindered on its way.’
‘I wouldn’t like to be on that footplate, I know that much.’
‘Well, I’d be very willing to offer my services as a fireman,’ said Colbeck with a grin. ‘In fact, I’d find the idea very appealing.’
‘It conjures up an amusing picture, Inspector,’ said the Prince, ‘but you’re far more use to us solving a crime than shovelling coal into the firebox.’ He paused to consider what had been said then gave a decisive nod. ‘I’ll have to discuss this matter with the Queen.’
‘Is Her Majesty fully aware of the situation?’
‘Oh, yes, I keep nothing from her.’
‘May I ask what her initial reaction was?’
‘It was the same as mine,’ replied the Prince. ‘We both trust you, Inspector, and were ready to put ourselves in your hands. In the light of what you’ve told me, however, that decision may need to be reviewed.’
‘I can understand that, Your Royal Highness.’
‘The commissioner has promised to remain in constant touch.’
‘Sir Richard will report any progress that we make.’
‘I’d like notice of that as well,’ said Renwick. ‘It might stop this feeling of dread that’s trying to overwhelm me. The fact is that the royal party will be travelling on the LNWR. We don’t want it to be a prelude to disaster.’
‘The attack will come on the Caledonian,’ Colbeck reminded him.
‘That puzzled me,’ said the Prince. ‘Why have they chosen that railway?’
It was something that still puzzled Colbeck and he readily admitted it.
‘We don’t yet know,’ he said, ‘but we’re determined to find out.’
Even though it had been in existence for a number of years, Victor Leeming was still amazed at the efficiency of the telegraph system. Messages that would once have taken over a day to reach different parts of the country could now be transmitted within minutes. Colbeck’s telegraph to Wolverhampton elicited a prompt response. Word came that a locksmith from the Chubb factory was on his way to London. When the man eventually arrived at Scotland Yard, Leeming was there to welcome him.
‘I’ll take you to the house at once,’ he offered.
‘Good,’ said Wilfred Hounsell.
‘Did you have a comfortable journey?’
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘Why was that?’
‘I hate railways.’
Sensing that he’d met a kindred spirit, Leeming hustled him out and hailed a cab. Hounsell was a short, thin ferret of a man in his fifties with a long nose and darting eyes. He looked more like a burglar than a man whose job was to defy the criminal fraternity. It was clear that he hadn’t been taking elocution lessons from Balthasar Goodfellow. Out of his mouth came the deep, rich, unadulterated sound of a typical Black Country accent. Leeming warmed to him even more.
‘What’s in the safe?’ asked Hounsell.
‘We don’t know.’
‘Why is it so important to find out?’
‘We’re looking for evidence, Mr Hounsell.’
‘Oh, I see.’
‘You could be helping us to solve a crime.’
‘Ah.’
Hounsell was singularly unimpressed by the news. He seemed more worried about the discomfort of the return journey to Wolverhampton than he was about a police investigation. Leeming saw no reason to give him details of the murder that had occurred. The locksmith was there simply to do a specific task.
The cab deposited them outside Scanlan’s house and Leeming introduced himself to the uniformed policeman standing outside it. When the two men went inside, Hounsell showed no interest in the bloodstained carpet. All that he wanted to see was the safe. Leeming lifted the painting off the wall.
‘There it is, Mr Hounsell,’ he said. ‘Open it.’
‘It’s not as easy as that, Sergeant.’
‘Don’t you have a key?’
‘I have a number of them but this safe also has a combination lock. Why don’t you give me a few minutes alone? I’ll call you when it’s ready.’
Opening the little bag that he carried, Hounsell took out a ring on which a selection of master keys dangled. Leeming left him to it and went outside to talk to the policeman. Since he knew that Ned Layne would now be a target, he asked if anyone had come in search of him. The policeman reported that two men had been looking at the house with some interest but that his presence had kept them at bay. The description he gave of them tallied with that of the two visitors given by Layne. The danger to the servant was real. Leeming resolved to point that out to the prisoner.
He chatted to the policeman for some while before he heard a shout from indoors. Leeming went hastily into the house and entered the drawing room. He was dismayed to see that the safe was still closed.
‘Weren’t you able to open it?’ he asked.
Hounsell was indignant. ‘I know my trade, Sergeant.’
‘Then why is it still shut?’
‘I thought I’d leave you to open it,’ said Hounsell. ‘I’ve no interest in what’s inside. The man who bought this safe chose well. What was his name?’
‘He was Alfred Penn when he lived here.’
Hounsell chuckled. ‘Penn, eh?’
‘What’s so funny about that?’
‘It’s a place near Wolverhampton. I was married in the parish church.’
Leeming could now see why Scanlan had used the name as an alias. He expected to find documents in the safe relating to other aliases used by the cracksm
an. But what he was really after was some indication of who’d employed Scanlan to enter Renwick’s house. His expectations soared. Grabbing the handle of the safe, he twisted it and pulled open the heavy steel door. When he peered inside, however, he groaned in disappointment. The safe was completely empty.
Hounsell was outspoken. ‘You’ve wasted my bleeding time, Sergeant.’
Nairn Craig was having another bad day. He was in the middle of wading through a pile of compensation claims from angry businessmen when Inspector Rae called in to add to his discomfort. Rejoicing in Colbeck’s disappearance, he saw it as a case of a wounded enemy withdrawing from the field of battle because victory was impossible. It not only meant that Rae’s investigation could continue without a rival, it gave him ammunition to use against the careworn general manager.
‘How will you justify the expense to your board?’ he asked, smirking.
‘That’s my business, Inspector.’
‘I’m inclined to think that it’s their business as well. The crash has been very costly for the Caledonian. Your colleagues will resent wasting so much additional money on the fabled Railway Detective. Why, they will demand, did you put them in the most expensive hotel in Glasgow?’
‘They were entitled to some comfort.’
‘Only if they earned it and that – demonstrably – they did not do. Colbeck has failed at last, Mr Craig, and you must take responsibility for funding what can only be described as a doomed enterprise.’
Craig fought back. ‘Your investigation is equally doomed,’ he said. ‘You created a lot of sound and fury but little else. You still have no prime suspect.’
‘I’m still here,’ emphasised Rae. ‘Colbeck is not. My inquiry will blossom very soon. Colbeck’s has already withered on the vine. Why is he hiding away in London? One can’t solve a crime at long distance.’
‘Don’t make false assumptions about him.’
Rae’s eyelids narrowed. ‘You say that as if you know something that I don’t,’ he challenged. ‘Are you party to information that should be shared with me?’
‘No,’ said Craig, forcefully.
Peril on the Royal Train Page 26