Fear on the Phantom Special

by Edward Marston

  Colbeck was surprised to see him return to the hotel so soon. When he saw the state that Leeming was in, he knew that there’d been trouble. He followed the sergeant upstairs to the latter’s room and had a close look at him.

  ‘What happened?’ he asked.

  ‘This did,’ replied Leeming, holding out the cosh.

  ‘Are you badly hurt?’

  ‘I don’t think so, but my pride is smarting.’

  ‘Look at the state of your coat.’

  ‘I’d be grateful if you could help me off with it, sir. He hit me on the shoulder and I can’t move it properly.’

  ‘Would you like me to summon a doctor?’

  ‘I don’t think that’s necessary,’ said Leeming. ‘Besides, Dr Dymock might turn up and I’d hate to let him examine me. He’d prefer to kill rather than cure either of us.’

  Leeming managed a weary smile. While Colbeck removed the sergeant’s coat with great care, he was given a detailed account of what had happened. Probing gently with his fingers, he could find no evidence of any fracture. Though he winced, Leeming did not complain. Colbeck helped him to a chair.

  ‘You did well, Victor,’ he said.

  ‘No, I didn’t. I made myself an easy target.’

  ‘Your attacker would never call you that because he’ll have his own wounds to lick now. You taught him a lesson.’

  ‘I learnt one myself as well.’

  ‘How would you describe him?’

  ‘He was about my height and weight, but he was a bit sluggish so may have been older. I couldn’t see his face, but I felt a beard. Also, he had bad breath. At first,’ said Leeming, ‘I thought that he was after my wallet, but it’s clear now that I was set on because someone wants to stop us finding out the truth.’

  ‘That’s all the more reason to press on with the investigation.’

  ‘I agree, sir. I might start carrying that cosh with me.’

  ‘If we need weapons, I’ve brought pistols with me.’

  ‘So what do we do now?’

  ‘I know what I’m going to do,’ said Colbeck. ‘To start with, I’ll have a talk with the landlord. The man who ambushed you must have been inside the hotel so that he could keep a watchful eye on us. He’d have had no reason to wait outside in the cold in the hope that you or I would eventually come out alone. When he saw that you were about to leave the hotel, he got out of here before you.’

  ‘What are you going to say to the landlord?’

  ‘Two things,’ replied Colbeck. ‘The first one concerns your attacker. He’s probably a local man and may be a regular visitor to the hotel. At all events, I’m hoping that the landlord may have seen him, if not actually recognised him.’

  ‘You said that you’d ask him two things.’

  ‘That’s right, Victor. My second request relates to you. I’ll ask him to recommend his best malt whisky. After what you’ve been through, you deserve a stiff drink.’

  Leeming’s face glowed like a beacon.

  Alan Hinton had given them wise counsel. After he’d left, the three of them reflected on what he’d told them. Instead of levelling an accusation at a suspect, they were instead to pretend to take him into their confidence by asking for his advice. Caleb Andrews felt that he was uniquely qualified for the role.

  ‘I know how to charm people,’ he said.

  ‘That’s not true at all, Father,’ his daughter pointed out. ‘You upset Mr Hopway so much that he’ll never work for you again. You’ve no idea how to be tactful.’

  ‘Yes, I have, Maddy.’

  ‘Your talents lie in other directions.’

  ‘I can do anything I want when I turn my mind to it.’

  ‘You’re too set in your ways.’

  ‘Why not let us deal with the remaining suspects?’ said Lydia with an appeasing smile. ‘Madeleine can tell them how deeply upset you were by the theft and work on their sympathy. If anyone can find the thief, it will be her.’

  ‘Thank you, Lydia,’ said Madeleine.

  ‘You know how to win people’s confidence.’

  ‘So do I,’ bleated Andrews.

  Madeleine exchanged a knowing glance with her friend.

  ‘I do,’ he insisted. ‘I have more experience of life than either of you.’

  ‘It isn’t only a question of age, Father,’ said Madeleine. ‘You’re almost thirty years older than Robert but he has far more knowledge of human nature than you do.’

  ‘Then why isn’t he here to give us the benefit of it?’

  ‘You know quite well.’

  ‘Write to him, Maddy. Tell him of the crisis I’m in.’

  ‘I’ve already done that, and he sent his love to you in the letter I received this morning.’

  ‘I don’t want his love. I need his advice.’

  ‘He gave it when you first received that medal. Robert told you to leave it in our safe, but you refused because you wanted to be able to enjoy looking at it whenever you wanted.’

  ‘It was my medal. I had every right.’

  ‘Of course you did,’ said Lydia. ‘Ordinarily, there’d have been no problem – until someone saw your award and took a fancy to it.’

  ‘I still think it may have been Percy Hopway.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, Father,’ said Madeleine. ‘We know that he’s innocent. You admitted it earlier.’

  Andrews was bewildered. ‘Did I?’

  ‘Yes, you did – after you’d offended him. Lydia and I just want to stop you offending anyone else.’

  ‘But I’m a friendly person by nature.’

  ‘I make no comment,’ said Lydia, suppressing a smile.

  ‘That’s why I was so popular with the other drivers.’

  ‘They certainly looked up to you, Mr Andrews.’

  ‘And they knew that the award had been richly deserved,’ said Madeleine, proudly. ‘That’s why I don’t think any of them would have dared to steal it. The thief has to be one of the people still on the list.’

  ‘I’ll speak to them one by one tomorrow,’ said Andrews.

  ‘No, you won’t, Father.’

  ‘We will,’ said Lydia. ‘At least, Madeleine will, because she has a gift. Put your trust in your daughter. Of the three of us, she’s by far the best detective.’ She indicated her friend. ‘Have you forgotten what Alan Hinton told us?’

  ‘Yes, I have,’ said Andrews.

  ‘He told us that Madeleine was the perfect substitute.’

  When he’d left the hotel, Leeming had planned to walk to the King’s Arms to speak to Bernard Ainsley, who routinely drank there of an evening. Colbeck went off in his stead. Ainsley was talking to a group of friends in a crowded bar. It was obviously not the ideal place for a private conversation. Colbeck therefore detached Ainsley from the group. On their way back to the police station, Colbeck informed his companion about the attack on Leeming.

  Ainsley was shocked. ‘Someone tried to kill him?’

  ‘It’s more likely that he wanted to disable the sergeant in order to hamper our investigation.’

  ‘How badly is he hurt?’

  ‘He’ll be confined to his room for a day or two.’

  ‘What about the attacker?’

  ‘Sergeant Leeming has given me a rough description that I’ll pass on to you. Our belief is that he was at our hotel to keep us under surveillance. I spoke to the landlord to see if he’d seen and recognised the man but all he could remember was a bearded stranger.’

  ‘Well,’ said the other, adjusting to the information, ‘the first thing I must do is to apologise. This is normally a very safe town. I take care of that. Whoever assaulted the sergeant must be tracked down and arrested. I’m not having a thug like that loose in Kendal.’

  ‘As long as he’s at liberty, he could strike again.’

  ‘In future, I suggest I assign one of my men to act as your bodyguard.’

  ‘It’s a kind offer,’ said Colbeck, ‘but I must refuse it.’

  ‘You and the sergeant are marked me
n.’

  ‘We’re rather accustomed to that. It’s the reason we’ve learnt to look after ourselves. The attack on Sergeant Leeming was unexpected but he survived it and put his assailant to flight.’

  Discussing the implications of the incident took them all the way back to the police station where they adjourned to Ainsley’s office. When Colbeck gave him details of the attacker, the sergeant pulled a face.

  ‘I can think of lots of people who fit that description.’

  ‘When you’re engaged in a desperate fight, you don’t have time to study the person grappling with you. Given the plight he was in, Sergeant Leeming did well to remember any details at all about the man.’

  ‘I’ll go through my records,’ said Ainsley. ‘We do, alas, have criminals in the community. That’s inevitable. But the only violence we get here as a rule comes from people who are drunk and disorderly. I can’t remember when we last had a case like this.’

  Colbeck was pleased by Ainsley’s strong reaction to news of the assault but it was not the only thing that had made him seek out the sergeant. He turned to the subject that Leeming had intended to discuss with Ainsley.

  ‘I need to ask you about Gregor Hayes again.’

  ‘Ask away, Inspector.’

  ‘Lord Culverhouse is furious that I’ve taken an interest in his case, not least because he has a reason to loathe the man. According to him, the blacksmith was responsible for leading one of his maidservants astray.’

  ‘That’s arrant nonsense.’

  ‘The girl was forced to leave as a result.’

  ‘Well, I can assure you that Gregor wasn’t the father. To start with, how could he get anywhere near her? Culverhouse Court is well protected. Outsiders aren’t allowed near the place.’

  ‘Then why was Hayes named as the servant’s seducer?’

  Ainsley lifted an eyebrow. ‘Why do you think?’

  ‘Was the blame shifted to him in order to divert attention from the real father?’ Ainsley nodded. ‘Do you have any idea who the culprit was?’

  ‘Gregor wasn’t the only man with a fondness for pretty young women. It’s a question of access. Since the girl never left the house, she must have been picked on by someone who lived under the same roof.’

  ‘Was it one of the other servants?’

  ‘She could have said “no” to them. But,’ said Ainsley, both eyebrows aloft this time, ‘there was someone she was unable to resist.’

  ‘Lord Culverhouse?’

  ‘You can see why he might need to shift the blame.’

  ‘Do you have any evidence that he was the father?’

  ‘No,’ admitted Ainsley, ‘but I’m told that the female members of staff are always worried when Lady Culverhouse is away for any length of time. That’s proof enough for me.’

  Geoffrey Hedley arrived at the house and was immediately shown to the study. When the lawyer stepped into the room, Lord Culverhouse rose from his seat.

  ‘Ah, there you are, Hedley.’

  ‘You sent for me, Lord Culverhouse. Does that mean there’s news?’

  ‘Yes,’ said the other. ‘I’ve ordered Colbeck to forget about that blacksmith he’s taken an interest in and address himself solely to Alex’s disappearance.’

  ‘That was a sensible move.’

  ‘I need positive results and I want them soon. However, that’s not why I summoned you. I’m curious to know a little more about a friend of yours. I suppose that the lady was really Alex’s friend until he met someone else, but I daresay that you will have got to know her well. I am speaking about Miss Caroline Treadgold.’

  ‘I gathered that,’ said Hedley, quietly alarmed.

  ‘Take a seat and tell me all you know about her.’

  Alone in his room, Leeming was starting to feel better. The throbbing pain in his shoulder had eased somewhat, though a dark bruise was starting to emerge as a memento of the attack. Equally pleasing was the fact that his coat and trousers were not as badly stained as he’d feared and could be brushed clean. The main reason for the smile on his face, however, was that he’d been given a whole bottle of malt whisky to aid his recovery. After pouring another glass, he lifted it up in a silent toast then took a long, delicious, invigorating sip.

  Bernard Ainsley talked far more freely than he’d felt able to do before. Confident that his comments would not find their way back to Culverhouse Court, he told Colbeck about the foibles of its owner and the many rumours that swirled around him.

  ‘He’s one of those Sunday Christians,’ he said, bitterly. ‘Lord Culverhouse is as devout as Archdeacon Piper on the Sabbath, knowing that he has six days of unlicensed sinfulness ahead of him.’

  ‘Thank you for being so frank,’ said Colbeck.

  ‘I know I can trust you to be discreet, Inspector.’

  ‘I’m glad that you finally realise that. Let’s put Lord Culverhouse aside for a moment, shall we, and turn our attention to the blacksmith? Another name has been linked to him.’

  ‘And who might that be?’

  ‘Mrs Dymock, the doctor’s wife.’

  ‘Ah,’ sighed Ainsley, ‘there was some truth in that. Gregor told me as much. Mrs Dymock is the sort of person who could turn any man’s head. She’d been out riding with friends one day when her horse cast a shoe. Mrs Dymock went straight to the forge and asked for help. That’s how it started.’

  ‘Was the attraction mutual?’

  ‘Gregor claimed that it was but that could have been his vanity talking. He swore that nothing actually happened between them – how could it? – but he talked about her all the time. The gap in their ages didn’t worry Mrs Dymock. She married the doctor, and she’s much younger than him.’

  ‘How did her husband find out about the friendship?’

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  ‘What steps did he take?’

  ‘First of all,’ said Ainsley, ‘he started yelling at Gregor, but it was a complete waste of breath. Gregor just stood there and grinned at him. That only enraged the doctor. He went off in a temper, vowing to get his revenge.’

  ‘Is he the kind of man who’d keep that vow?’

  ‘I’ve often wondered that.’

  ‘What happened when the blacksmith vanished?’

  ‘Mrs Dymock was heartbroken, I’m told.’

  ‘That wouldn’t have pleased her husband.’

  ‘It serves him right,’ said Ainsley, seriously. ‘A husband should protect his wife from other men. Gregor was only able to get close to Mrs Dymock because the doctor was too busy to take much notice of her. That’s changed, of course. He watches her all the time now.’

  ‘Did you think he was connected in some way with your friend’s disappearance?’

  ‘His name was the first that came into my mind.’

  ‘What did you do about it?’

  ‘I went to speak to Dr Dymock. As soon as I began to ask probing questions, he threatened to sue me for slander. I had to back away. The doctor has a lot of power here.’

  ‘I can imagine that he would,’ said Colbeck. ‘Now then, there is someone else I wanted to ask you about.’

  ‘Who is it?’

  ‘Norman Tiller.’

  ‘Oh, he wasn’t involved in what happened to Gregor,’ said Ainsley. ‘They hardly knew each other. Besides, Norm is as harmless as a newborn baby.’

  ‘Is he? I wonder. Thanks to you, Sergeant Leeming heard about that poem about the blacksmith. He tracked down a copy and read it. Because of its subject, I made a point of reading it as well.’

  ‘Neither of you should have bothered. It’s rubbish.’

  ‘The sergeant liked it, though he was very confused about the phantom that appears. Tiller assured him that there is such a thing in this part of the Lake District.’

  ‘Norm may believe that,’ said Ainsley with contempt, ‘but I don’t. One or two people claim to have seen this so-called spirit running among the fells. They need their eyes testing – and so does Norm Tiller. There’s no such thing as
a phantom in these parts.’

  It was past midnight when the figure descended the hill at a steady lope and came into the town. Keeping to the shadows, he ghosted along the street until he came to the place where he spent each night. He took a key from his pocket and unlocked the door of the bookshop before stepping quickly inside it.

  Leeming was not, as it had been reported, staying at the hotel to recuperate. That had been a deliberate lie. When he rose early that morning, he felt as if he was in fine fettle. After a breakfast served in his room, he left the building with his face half-covered by a cap. Having changed into the old clothing he took with him whenever they left London, he looked more like a factory hand than a Scotland Yard detective. On his walk to the railway station, he made sure that nobody was following him. The train then took him off to Birthwaite.

  Caution was paramount. On their previous visits to Hither Wood, he and Colbeck had been followed. He was determined that it was not going to happen again. Having chosen an empty compartment, he felt that he was safe. When he arrived at Birthwaite, however, he looked in every direction before he walked to the cab rank. Even then, he was taking no chances. Halfway to his destination, he ordered the driver to pull the cab to a halt behind a stand of trees, staying there for ten minutes before he was absolutely certain that nobody was following him.

  When they reached Hither Wood, he took out the diagram of the area that Colbeck had given him and used it to guide his footsteps. In his pocket was the horseshoe that had been found earlier. Leeming made his way to the exact spot where it had been unearthed. Colbeck had marked it in pencil on the diagram. He’d also provided the sergeant with a trowel borrowed from the man who tended the hotel’s garden. Taking it out – and hoping that the horseshoe would bring him luck – Leeming began to dig away.

  With Lydia Quayle at her side, Madeleine set out to visit the three people who’d been identified as possible suspects. Both felt the thrill of the chase coursing through them. On a drab morning in London, they wore broad smiles.