Colbeck snapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists before getting up. Mulryne came lumbering out of the darkness to join them. When he saw Jukes on the floor, he was disappointed.
‘Why didn’t you leave a piece of him for me, Inspector?’ he said.
CHAPTER TEN
Within the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Force, Richard Mayne had acquired an almost legendary status. A surprise appointment as Joint Commissioner when the force was founded in 1829, he had worked tirelessly to develop effective policing of the capital and, with his colleague, Colonel Charles Rowan, had tried to make London a safer place for its citizens. Since the retirement of Colonel Rowan in the previous year, Mayne had become Senior Commissioner and, as such, made all the important executive decisions.
In the normal course of events, Robert Colbeck had little direct contact with him but, in the wake of the Inspector’s success at the Crystal Palace, Mayne insisted on congratulating him in person. First thing that morning, therefore, Colbeck was summoned to his office along with Superintendent Edward Tallis who, in spite of a tinge of envy, emphasised that the idea of setting a trap at the Great Exhibition had come originally from Colbeck.
‘Well done, Inspector,’ said Mayne, shaking Colbeck’s hand.
‘Thank you, sir.’
‘Both you and your men performed a splendid service.’
‘We could not have done so without the active support of the Superintendent,’ said Colbeck, indicating Tallis. ‘He should have some share of the glory.’
‘Indeed, he should.’
He gave Tallis a nod of gratitude and the latter responded with a half-smile. Turning back to Colbeck, the Commissioner appraised the elegant Inspector.
‘I trust that you did not dress like that last night,’ he said.
‘No, sir,’ replied Colbeck. ‘I would never risk creasing my frock coat or scuffing my trousers in a situation of that kind. More practical clothing was needed. I had a feeling that some violence might occur.’
‘Yet only three of you were on duty.’
‘I reasoned that we would only have to deal with a few men. That is all it would have taken to set up the explosion. Besides, the less of us, the easier it was to conceal ourselves.’
‘I have read your report of the incident,’ said Mayne, ‘and found it admirably thorough, if unduly modest. Why not tell us what really happened, Inspector?’
Clearing his throat, Colbeck gave him a full account of how the arrests were made, praising the work of his two assistants while saying little about his own involvement. The bruising on his face and the bandaging around the knuckles of one hand told a different story. Mayne was enthralled. Irish by extraction, he was a handsome man in his mid-fifties with long wavy hair, all but encircling his face, and searching eyes. As the person in charge of the special police division, raised to take care of security at the Crystal Palace, he had a particular interest in the events of the previous night. Thanks to Colbeck and his men, the reputation of the Metropolitan Police Force had been saved.
‘Had they succeeded,’ observed Mayne, drily, ‘the results would have been quite horrific. You saved the Great Exhibition from utter destruction, Inspector Colbeck. The very least that you may expect is a letter from Prince Albert.’
‘With respect, sir,’ said Colbeck, ‘I would rather His Royal Highness stayed his hand until this investigation is over. All that we have in custody are three members of a much larger gang. Its leader remains at large and, until he is caught, we must stay on the alert.’
‘Have these villains not disclosed his identity?’
‘No, sir. They are very loyal to him.’
‘Army men, all three of them,’ said Tallis, eyebrows twitching in disapproval. ‘It shocked me that anyone who had borne arms for this country should lower himself to such an unpatriotic action as this.’
‘It is disturbing,’ agreed Mayne.
‘The Exhibition has the stamp of royalty upon it. To threaten it in this way is, in my book, tantamount to an act of treason. Left to me, they would be prosecuted accordingly.’
‘The court will decide their fate, Superintendent.’
‘The gravity of this crime must not be underestimated.’
‘It will not be, I can assure you of that.’
‘If you want my opinion –’
‘Another time,’ said Mayne, interrupting him with a raised hand. ‘Would you mind leaving us alone for a few moments, please?’ he asked. ‘I’d value a few words in private with Inspector Colbeck.’
‘Oh, I see,’ said Tallis, discomfited by the request.
‘Thank you, Superintendent.’
Tallis paused at the door. ‘I’ll want to see you in my office later on, Inspector,’ he warned.
‘Yes, sir,’ said Colbeck.
Tallis went out and closed the door behind him. Mayne sat down behind his desk and waved Colbeck to a chair opposite him. Now that the two men were alone, the mood became less formal.
‘The Superintendent is a typical army man,’ observed Mayne, ‘and I say that in no spirit of criticism. Colonel Rowan was another fine example of the breed. He had a wonderful capacity for organisation.’
‘So does the Superintendent, sir,’ said Colbeck, giving credit where it was due. ‘And unlike Colonel Rowan, he does not insist on retaining his army rank. He chooses to be plain Mister instead of Major Tallis.’
Mayne smiled. ‘He will always be Major Tallis to me,’ he said, wryly. ‘But enough of him, Inspector – tell me a little about yourself.’
‘You have my police record in front of you, sir.’
‘I am more interested in your life before you joined us. Like me, I believe, you trained as a lawyer. Were you called to the bar?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Why did you not pursue that career? I should imagine that you cut quite a figure in a courtroom.’
‘Personal circumstances had a bearing on my decision to turn my talents elsewhere,’ explained Colbeck, not wishing to provide any details. ‘In any case, I found the life of a barrister far less fulfilling than I imagined it would be.’
‘I had the same experience, Inspector. Unless one is successful, it can be an impecunious profession.’
‘Money was not that issue in my case, sir. I was disillusioned because I was always dealing with crime after the event, and it seemed to me that, with sensible policing, so much of it could have been prevented from happening in the first place.’
‘Prevention is ever our watchword.’
‘It’s the main reason that I joined the Metropolitan Police Force.’
‘You were far more educated than our average recruit.’
‘Educated in criminal law, perhaps,’ said Colbeck, ‘but I had a lot to learn about the criminal mind. One can only do that by pitting oneself against it on a daily basis.’
‘Judging by your record, you were an apt pupil.’
‘I was fortunate enough to secure an early promotion.’
‘It is we who are fortunate to have you,’ said Mayne, glancing down at the open file on his desk. ‘Though your service record has not been without its minor setbacks.’
‘I prefer to see them as my idiosyncrasies, sir.’
‘That’s not what Superintendent Tallis calls them. He has had to reprimand you more than once. This time, of course,’ he went on, closing the file, ‘he will have nothing but praise for you.’
‘I am not sure about that.’
‘You are the hero of the hour, Inspector Colbeck.’
‘There were three of us involved in that surveillance, sir.’
‘I am well aware of that.’
‘What you may not be aware of is the means by which Brendan Mulryne came to be on the scene. Sergeant Leeming had a perfect right to be there,’ said Colbeck, ‘but there is a slight problem where Mulryne is concerned. To that end, I wonder if I might ask you a favour?’
‘Please do,’ said Mayne, expansively. ‘After your achievements last night, you are in a po
sition to ask anything.’
‘Thank you, sir. The truth is that I need your help.’
After making discreet inquiries, Thomas Sholto repaired immediately to Sir Humphrey Gilzean’s house. He steeled himself to break the bad news. Ashen with cold fury, Gilzean had already anticipated it.
‘They failed,’ he said.
‘Yes, Humphrey.’
‘They let me down again.’
‘Not for want of trying.’
‘With all that gunpowder, they could not even contrive a small explosion. I lay awake in bed, listening – and nothing happened.’
‘That’s not quite true.’
Gilzean stamped a foot. ‘They’ll wish they’d never been born!’
‘You would never get close enough to chastise them,’ said Sholto. ‘The tidings are worse than you feared. Jukes and the Seymour brothers walked into an ambush at the Crystal Palace.’
‘An ambush?’
‘All three are taken, Humphrey.’
‘What!’ exclaimed Gilzean.
‘They are in police custody. From what I can gather, this Inspector Colbeck laid a trap for them and they walked into it.’
‘But how could he possibly know that they would be there?’
‘I think that he is much cleverer than we imagined.’
Gilzean’s fury changed to concern. Dropping into a high-backed leather armchair, he became pensive. The house was in Upper Brook Street, close enough to Hyde Park for him to hear any explosion that occurred in the Crystal Palace. Long before dawn had broken, he realised that the mission had been unsuccessful but it had never crossed his mind that his men had been arrested.
‘We have one comfort,’ said Sholto. ‘They will not betray us.’
‘They have already done so, Thomas.’
‘How?’
‘By getting themselves caught,’ said Gilzean. ‘If this Inspector is clever enough to apprehend them, it will not take him long to find out that all three served in our regiment. That will set him on a trail that leads directly to us.’
‘Perhaps we should quit London and go into hiding.’
‘No, Thomas. There is no danger yet.’
‘But there soon will be.’
‘Only if we let things take their natural course.’
‘What else can we do, Humphrey?’
‘Divert them,’ said Gilzean, getting to his feet. ‘At every stage, we have relied on the slowness and inefficiency of the police. We have out-manoeuvred them with comparative ease. Until now, that is. It seems that we underestimated them, Thomas. They have one man within their ranks who has a keen intelligence.’
‘Inspector Robert Colbeck.’
‘What do we know about him?’
‘Only what we have read in the newspaper.’
‘Find out more,’ said Gilzean. ‘We need to identify his weakness. Is he married? Does he have children? Who are the loved ones in his life? If we have that information in our hands, we can distract him from his investigation and buy ourselves some valuable time.’
‘Supposing that he is a bachelor with no family ties?’
‘Every man has someone he cares about,’ insisted Gilzean, dark eyes gleaming. ‘All you have to do is to find out who it is.’
Madeleine Andrews was pleased when the visitor arrived. Still in his working clothes, Frank Pike had called on his way home from Euston Station and he had brought plenty of gossip to share with his friend. After all this time, the fireman was still blaming himself for the injury to Caleb Andrews and he began with another battery of apologies. Madeleine hoped to leave the two men alone in the bedroom but her father decided to use Pike as a court of appeal.
‘What do you think, Frank?’ he asked.
‘About what?’
‘Gideon Little.’
‘I think he’ll be a driver before I am,’ said Pike, honestly. ‘Gideon may be younger than me but he learns faster. I think that he’s one of the best fireman in the company.’
‘There you are, Maddy,’ said Andrews, pointedly.
‘I never doubted his abilities,’ she replied.
‘Gideon has a bright future ahead of him. All that he needs is a loving wife to support and cherish him.’
Pike grinned. ‘Is there an engagement in the wind?’ he asked.
‘No,’ said Madeleine.
‘Not yet, anyway,’ said Andrews.
‘Father!’
‘You may come to your senses in the end, Maddy.’
‘It would make Gideon the happiest man on the railway,’ said Pike, ‘I know that. He never stops talking about you, Madeleine. Some of the others tease him about it.’
She was roused. ‘So my name is taken in vain, is it?’
‘No, no.’
‘You and the others are having a laugh at my expense.’
‘I’d never do that, Madeleine,’ said Pike, overcome with remorse, ‘and I’m sorry if I gave you that idea. No,’ he went on, ‘I promise you that nobody would dare to mock you.’
‘They’d have me to answer to, if they did,’ said Andrews.
‘Gideon is the only one they tease.’
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘About me.’
‘About…being the way that he is.’
‘Besotted with my daughter,’ observed Andrews. ‘You cannot stay single for ever, Maddy. Choose the right person and marriage is the most wonderful institution ever invented. Am I right, Frank?’
‘Yes, Caleb.’
‘Do you wish that you were still a bachelor?’
‘Not for a moment,’ said Pike, chuckling merrily. ‘Rose has made me very happy and she seems to be content with me.’
Andrews cackled. ‘Heaven knows why!’
‘Getting married changed my life for the better.’
‘You hear that, Maddy?’
‘I can recommend it,’ said Pike.
‘So can I,’ said Andrews. ‘How much longer do we have to wait?’
Madeleine did not trust herself to reply. She was fond of Frank Pike and did not wish to have a quarrel with her father in front of him. More to the point, she did not want to deal with an issue that, as far as she was concerned, had finally been settled. Hounded for a decision, Madeleine had told Gideon Little the painful truth. What she had not admitted was that her affections had been placed elsewhere. For a woman like her, Robert Colbeck might be unobtainable but that only served to increase his attraction.
‘I’ll make some tea,’ she said, and went out abruptly.
Since a window had been opened to admit fresh air, the office was free from the stink of cigar smoke for once yet the atmosphere remained unpleasant. Superintendent Edward Tallis was spoiling for a fight. He stood inches away from Inspector Colbeck.
‘Whatever did you think you were doing?’ he yelled.
‘Taking the necessary steps to achieve an objective, sir.’
‘Brendan Mulryne was supposed to be in custody.’
‘Arrangements were made,’ said Colbeck.
‘What sort of arrangements?’
‘I looked more closely at the charges against him, Superintendent. There are several witnesses at The Black Dog in the Devil’s Acre, who will swear that Mulryne did not start the affray. He was not even there when it flared up. Mulryne is paid to quell such outbursts. Those he knocked out during the brawl certainly have no complaint against him. They made the mistake of taking on a stronger man. As for the damage he caused to a window,’ he revealed, ‘nobody is prepared to bring a charge against him on that account.’
‘That Irish gorilla assaulted four policemen,’ said Tallis.
‘Only because they provoked him, sir,’ replied Colbeck, ‘and they now admit that. I spoke to the custody sergeant. Since he’s been behind bars, Mulryne has been a model prisoner. He’s even made his peace with the four men who tried to arrest him.’
‘Turning on that blarney of his no doubt!’
‘Mulryne was one of them, remember. In his heart, I suspect, he would still like to be.’
>
‘Not as long as I have anything to say about it!’
‘I raised the matter with Mr Mayne earlier on.’
Tallis was horrified. ‘You tried to get Mulryne reinstated?’
‘No,’ said Colbeck, ‘that would have been asking too much and, in any case, it’s too late for that. No, Superintendent, I wanted to discuss a point of law with him.’
‘When it comes to law, you only need to know one thing with regard to Brendan Mulryne. He’s on the wrong side of it.’
‘Technically, he’s not.’
‘He resisted arrest.’
‘The four officers involved see it rather differently now.’
‘They cannot change their minds about a thing like that.’
‘According to Mr Mayne,’ said Colbeck, levelly, ‘they can. If, on mature reflection, they feel that their report of the incident was slightly inaccurate, they can amend it when they give their statements in court. Like me, Mr Mayne agreed that Mulryne should get off with a small fine.’
‘A small fine!’ roared Tallis.
‘I will be happy to pay it on his behalf.’
‘Inspector, he attacked four policemen.’
‘I prefer to remember the two villains whom he took on last night, sir. Both were armed but Mulryne squared up to them nevertheless. All that Sergeant Leeming had to do was to snap on the handcuffs.’
‘Mulryne had no right to be there in the first place.’
‘You said that I had a free hand to choose my men.’
‘I assumed they would be from inside the police force.’
‘Nobody else could have done what Mulryne did last night.’
‘That does not exonerate him, Inspector,’ said Tallis, sourly. ‘Or you, for that matter.’
Colbeck met his glare. ‘Mr Mayne felt that it did, sir,’ he pointed out, calmly. ‘Since you feel so strongly about it, perhaps you should take it up with him.’
Tallis was halted in his tracks. Whatever else he did, he could not countermand the orders of his superior. Colbeck not only had the Police Commissioner on his side, he had, by effecting the three arrests at the Crystal Palace, earned the admiration of the whole department. A vital breakthrough had at last been made in the investigation. To harry him after such a triumph would be seen as sheer vindictiveness. Tallis retreated to the safety of his desk and took out a cigar from its case. Inhaling deeply as he ignited it, he watched Colbeck through the smoke.
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