Railway to the Grave Read online

  It was the rector who got up first, rising to his full height before genuflecting to the cross. His wife soon followed, making light of the twinges in her knees. Having entered in silence, they also left without a word being spoken. Only when they reached the privacy of the rectory did Skelton finally initiate a conversation.

  ‘We must be steadfast,’ he insisted.

  ‘I agree, Frederick,’ she said.

  ‘And we must move to persuade others of the rightness of our cause. The churchwardens will support me, naturally. I can always rely on their loyalty. But there must be many like-minded people hereabouts. Bringing them together will put us in a stronger position.’

  ‘My only concern is for the children.’

  ‘They must accept my decision, Dorcas.’

  ‘They’ll find it hard to do so, especially as it comes from their godfather. They’ll feel let down. It would be much easier if only one funeral were involved,’ she pointed out with her telltale sniff. ‘Unfortunately, there are two. What you are telling them is that one of their parents is welcome to be buried here, but not the other.’

  ‘The colonel was not their father.’

  ‘He was to all intents and purposes, Frederick.’

  ‘Not in my eyes,’ he said, using both hands to brush back his mane. ‘When her first husband died, I believe that Miriam should never have remarried, least of all to someone as worldly as the colonel. She should have embraced widowhood, as I’m sure you would have done in the same circumstances.’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ she said, dutifully.

  ‘It would have shown respect for her deceased spouse. After all, their union had been blessed. They had two children. Miriam had everything that a woman needs. Why did she even think of taking another husband?’

  ‘She told me that it was a question of security.’

  ‘Yet she had money of her own and was well provided for.’

  ‘I didn’t mean it in that way,’ she explained. ‘She wanted the security of a father for the children, someone who’d offer love and support.’

  Skelton was critical. ‘Well, he certainly offered support,’ he said, ‘I’ll give him that. As for love, I remain unconvinced. I don’t think the colonel loved anything except shooting game and sending people to prison for their crimes.’

  ‘I’m sure that Miriam loved him – in her own way.’

  ‘But did he love her, Dorcas? That’s what I ask. I saw no sign of true devotion to his wife. What little affection he could muster was lavished on Eve.’ An eyebrow arched. ‘I fancy that we both know why he didn’t waste any of it on Adam.’

  ‘Adam doesn’t deserve affection,’ she said, sharply.

  ‘Now, now, my dear, show some Christian forbearance.’

  ‘He’s so exasperating, Frederick.’

  ‘That was largely because he was in rebellion against the colonel. His character may have improved with the passage of time. Adam is more mature now. All of a sudden, he has responsibilities. It could be the making of him.’

  ‘I hardly think so. I watched him at the inquest. He still had that same sullen look about him.’ She put a hand on his arm. ‘He could make trouble for you.’

  ‘I’m not afraid of Adam Tarleton.’

  ‘Eve might accept your judgement but her brother certainly will not. He’ll fight you tooth and nail, Frederick.’

  ‘Please, Dorcas,’ he said, reprovingly, ‘that’s a very ugly image. We’re not wild animals, competing for a bone. The whole business can, I remain hopeful, be conducted with rational argument. Even someone as defiant as Adam Tarleton will come to see that I have moral authority on my side.’

  She was anxious. ‘What about the law?’

  ‘I obey the law of the Almighty.’

  ‘And if you are overruled?’

  ‘I have faith that I won’t be, Dorcas.’

  ‘But if you are,’ she went on, searching for guidance. ‘If you are overruled and forced to let the colonel lie beside his wife in the churchyard, what will we do then?’

  ‘I know exactly what I’ll do.’

  ‘And what’s that?’

  ‘If the colonel is buried against my will in the churchyard,’ he said with unexpected savagery, ‘I’ll come back in the middle of the night and dig him up again. That’s how strongly I feel on this issue, Dorcas. I simply won’t have him here.’

  Leeming was amazed how much information Colbeck had gathered while the sergeant had been away in London. The visit to the house had eliminated the colonel as a possible suspect and the encounter with Eric Hepworth had yielded some valuable intelligence. Leeming was interested to learn that Hepworth’s son had been the colonel’s gun-bearer during shooting parties. For his part, Colbeck was pleased to see his friend again and touched to receive Madeleine’s letter. When he heard that she’d walked all the way to King’s Cross station in order to hand it over, he was impressed by her enterprise.

  ‘How did you get on with the superintendent?’ he asked.

  ‘Quite well, I suppose,’ replied Leeming. ‘At least I stopped him coming back here to lead the investigation.’

  ‘Thank you, Victor. That would have been fatal.’

  ‘He was quite restrained for once – until I made the mistake of telling him that there was a village called Leeming, that is. He nearly burst my eardrums then.’

  Colbeck laughed. ‘I can imagine.’

  ‘So what do we do next, sir?’

  ‘We continue to gather intelligence. Now that we have a body and a string of clues, the killer will start to get worried.’

  ‘How do we flush him out of cover?’

  ‘I don’t know yet.’

  They were in Colbeck’s room at the Black Bull. Though small, dark and with a sagging oak floor, it was spotlessly clean and had a homely feel to it. On the little table was the notebook in which Colbeck had listed all the salient details of their investigation. Picking it up, he flicked to the appropriate page.

  ‘The problem is that we have conflicting evidence. Listen to Hepworth and you’ll believe that his daughter was a conscientious maid-of-all-work dismissed because she uncovered a secret liaison between the colonel and his housekeeper. Look at Mrs Withers and that version of events seems utterly absurd.’

  ‘What do you think, sir?’

  ‘I prefer to rely on my instinct,’ said Colbeck, ‘and that absolves the housekeeper of any misconduct. It’s unthinkable that a woman so patently fond of Mrs Tarleton would betray her in that way. I fancy that the girl was genuinely at fault. While I was waiting for you at the station, I talked to Mr Ellerby. He reckoned that Hepworth’s daughter is bone idle and that his son – in Ellerby’s evocative phrase – is as daft as a deaf hedgehog.’

  ‘He obviously won’t follow Hepworth into the railway police.’

  ‘I feel sorry for the pair of them, having such an oppressive father. Living under the same roof as that pontificating oaf must be a real trial. However,’ he continued, ‘let’s turn our minds elsewhere. We have much to do, Victor. I’d like to find out why the colonel visited Doncaster so often in the past and why he stopped doing so. I also want to know who usually accompanied him when he went out shooting. Then there’s another avenue for us to explore.’

  ‘Yes, we must find out who sent those poison-pen letters.’

  ‘That will come later – along with another confrontation with the rector. We may need to remind him that laws can be enforced. Before that, however, I want to look at potential suspects.’

  ‘But we don’t have any yet, sir.’

  ‘Nobody has been able to suggest any, perhaps,’ said Colbeck, ‘but they’ve overlooked the most likely people.’

  ‘And who are they?’

  ‘Disgruntled prisoners put behind bars by the colonel. He had a reputation for being ruthless on the bench, always handing out the longest possible sentences.’

  ‘Prisoners bear grudges,’ said Leeming. ‘We both know that. If they feel they’ve got rough justice, they’ll seek r
evenge. But how can we find out details of the cases that came before the colonel?’

  ‘I’ve written to Mr Everett and asked him to help. As a lawyer, he’ll have the necessary contacts. He’ll be able to tell us who was released from prison recently and what sentence the colonel meted out to them. I’ll go over to Northallerton this afternoon to see him.’

  ‘What about me, Inspector?’

  ‘You’ll have more amenable company, Victor. While I’m talking to a lawyer, you’ll be having another chat with Mrs Reader. She’s our best source of information about Mrs Tarleton.’

  ‘I’d have put the children ahead of her.’

  ‘They’ve been away too long,’ argued Colbeck. ‘They don’t really know what’s been going on here. Besides, I don’t want to intrude into their grief any more than we have to. Mrs Doel deserves time alone to mourn.’

  ‘I don’t think her brother will do much mourning, sir.’

  ‘That’s his affair. Having spoken to them, I don’t feel that they have anything more to tell us. Agnes Reader, however, does. She’s been deeply hurt by everything that’s happened but her mind is less clouded by sorrow. She’s eager to help us, Victor, and so is her husband, for that matter. They are our most reliable guides.’

  ‘We certainly need someone to guide us,’ admitted Leeming, pulling a face. ‘I still feel as if I’m completely in the dark.’

  ‘Don’t be so downhearted,’ said Colbeck with a confident smile. ‘We’ve made more progress than you imagine. I can see a few candles starting to flicker in the gloom. Before you know it, we’ll have enough light to see exactly where we’re going.’

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Bertram Reader’s office was much more than just the inner sanctum from which he controlled the running of the bank. It was the place where he met important clients, a confessional box where he heard tales of financial woe, a strong room where the cash was kept in a massive safe and, when the bank was closed at the end of each day, a haven of rest from the pressures of administration. That afternoon, however, it was something entirely different – the setting for a tender marital scene. Agnes Reader was locked in her husband’s embrace as she sobbed on his shoulder. Staying there for several minutes, she fought to overcome her emotions. Reader waited until his wife finally began to emerge from her grief then he offered her his handkerchief. She thanked him with a wan smile. After dabbing at her moist cheeks, she crossed to the mirror to look at herself.

  ‘I can’t go out like this,’ she said, clicking her tongue. ‘What on earth will your staff think?’

  ‘They’ll be too busy to think anything, my dear.’

  ‘Anyone can see that I’ve been crying.’

  ‘That’s not unusual,’ he said with a wry smile. ‘This room has seen rather a lot of tears in its time. You’d be surprised how many apparently strong-willed people fail to cope with bad news about the state of their finances. I had one client who collapsed on the carpet.’

  ‘I spared you that embarrassment, Bertram.’ She applied the handkerchief to her face again. ‘How do I look now?’

  ‘You look fine.’

  ‘Oh, dear,’ she said, gritting her teeth to ward off another attack of weeping. ‘I didn’t realise that it would have this effect on me.’

  ‘I did warn you, Agnes.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘There was no need for you to go there,’ he said, softly. ‘You should have remembered Miriam as she was, not as she is now. At the very least, you should have let me come with you.’

  ‘It was something I had to do on my own.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I had to take my leave of her.’

  ‘Well, I still think you suffered unnecessary pain. The time to pay your respects is at the funeral. Miriam had already been formally identified by her son. That was enough. She wouldn’t have wanted you to see her in that condition.’

  ‘No,’ she conceded, ‘that’s probably true.’

  He put his arms around her. ‘How do you feel now?’

  ‘I feel a lot better. When I left the undertaker’s, I was in a complete daze. I almost got run over by a cart when I crossed the High Street. All I could think about was getting here to you.’

  ‘You did the right thing,’ he soothed. ‘You’re always the first to comfort others, but there are times when you need consolation as well.’

  ‘I discovered that.’

  Releasing her, he stood back. ‘There’ll be a big hole in our lives from now on, Agnes.’

  ‘I’m well aware of that.’

  ‘We’ll have to find someone else with whom to play cards.’

  ‘Aubrey and Miriam were much more than mere card players,’ she said, stung by the remark. ‘They were our closest friends. We were practically aunt and uncle to the children.’

  ‘To Eve, maybe – she was more approachable. I don’t feel that we were ever wholly accepted by Adam. We were too respectable for him. He had the fire of youth in his veins and wanted to run wild. Some might say that that was only natural.’

  ‘Did you ever feel like that, Bertram?’

  He grinned. ‘It’s such a long time ago that I can’t remember. I like to think that I wasn’t as obnoxious as Adam Tarleton but, then, that would be a tall order. No,’ he said after consideration, ‘I never did try to kick over the traces. As a young man, I fear, I was ridiculously well behaved.’

  ‘There’s nothing ridiculous in good breeding.’

  ‘I suppose not.’

  ‘Your good character has been the foundation of your career.’

  ‘Yes, one must never forget that.’

  She glanced at the clock on the wall. ‘I’ve taken up far too much of your time.’

  ‘You could never do that, Agnes.’

  ‘I’ll let you get on with your work.’

  ‘Are you sure that you feel well enough to go?’

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘I could always finish early for once and get Ferris to close the bank for me. What’s the point of having a deputy manager if I don’t make use of him?’

  ‘No,’ she said, ‘you stay here. I’d appreciate a little time on my own. I’ve a lot to think about. By the time you get home, I’ll be in a better frame of mind. But thank you, Bertram,’ she said, planting a token kiss on his cheek. ‘When I most needed support, you were here to help me.’

  ‘That’s what husbands are for, my dear.’ He took her by the shoulders. ‘I mourn them as well, you know. I loved them both dearly. Aubrey and Miriam were such an important part of our life.’ He stifled a sigh. ‘I’d give anything to have them back here again.’

  Colbeck read the broadside with a mingled sadness and revulsion. Its crude verses both mocked and accused an innocent man who was in no position to defend himself. Unlike Tallis before him, Colbeck read Railway to the Grave through to the end.

  ‘I’m sorry it’s so crumpled, Inspector,’ said Clifford Everett. ‘When I showed it to the superintendent, he screwed it up into a ball.’

  Colbeck handed the paper back to him. ‘I’m not surprised, sir. Mr Tallis knew that his friend had nothing whatsoever to do with the murder of his wife.’

  ‘That’s not what people around here think.’

  ‘How can they when they’re being fed that kind of defamatory nonsense? That broadside tells them what they want to believe. There’ll be a lot of red faces when their ignorance is finally dispelled. People will feel thoroughly ashamed at thinking such abominable things of a decent man.’

  ‘I hope that the fiend who wrote those malign verses will be among them.’

  ‘Then you hope in vain, Mr Everett. He’ll be too busy counting the money he made out of selling his wares. It was ever thus,’ said Colbeck with asperity. ‘When a murder is committed, there are always self-appointed poets who descend out of the sky like vultures. They’ll pick the bones of anyone’s reputation as long at it serves their purpose. Once there’s no more profit to be made, they’ll sneak off with their blood money.’
/>
  ‘Do you really believe you can clear the colonel’s name?’

  ‘I haven’t the slightest doubt, sir. All that I have to do is to catch the man who really did murder Mrs Tarleton and that person is already starting to take shape in my mind.’

  ‘I’m heartened to hear it.’

  It was a warm day and, even though the window of his office was open, Everett was perspiring. A wet line decorated the top of his collar and his tufts of hair looked as if they’d been recently irrigated. The lawyer fidgeted with some papers on his desk, rearranging them needlessly. His piggy eyes were dull.

  ‘Have you ever been to Doncaster?’ asked Colbeck.

  ‘I’ve got too much sense,’ replied Everett with disdain. ‘Who in his right mind would go there? It’s a railway town and that means smoke and noise and general filth. I’ve seen all I need to see of Doncaster through the window of a train. Why do you ask?’

  ‘The colonel used to go there.’

  ‘Really? I didn’t know that.’

  ‘That’s a pity. I was hoping you could explain why he went there on a regular basis at one time. It does seem an unlikely destination for a fastidious man such as the colonel.’

  ‘He might have had relations there, of course, or friends.’

  ‘Then why did he suddenly stop going? I’m told that his visits came to an abrupt end well over a year ago. Yet the odd thing is that, when he left the house for the last time, he told Mrs Withers that he was catching a train to Doncaster.’

  ‘Given what happened, that was a grotesque euphemism.’

  ‘Perhaps the housekeeper can enlighten me.’