Railway to the Grave Read online

  ‘That’s enough of that,’ he said, brusquely. ‘We can’t stand out here all day.’

  ‘No, no, of course not,’ said Mrs Withers, disentangling herself and dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. ‘Welcome back, sir. It’s been a long time since we saw you.’

  ‘It’s been far too long.’

  ‘Do come inside.’

  She stood back to let the brother and sister go into the house. Waiting in the hall was a tremulous Lottie Pearl, her mother’s black dress looking baggier than ever. Not knowing whether to speak or to curtsey, she opted for a nervous smile that neither of them even saw. Ignoring her completely, they went through to the drawing room. The housekeeper followed and took a close look at them. Eve Doel had been there during the search for her mother but Adam had not been to the house for a long time.

  Dark-haired and elfin-faced, Eve was still the same petite beauty as ever. Two children had robbed her of none of the bloom that came into view as she removed her hat. Her brother, on the other hand, was showing even more obvious signs of dissipation. He was of medium height with a sallow complexion and with dark bags beneath his watery eyes. At thirty, he was four years younger than his sister but he looked much older. He, too, was in full mourning wear, sweeping off his top hat as if it were an imposition and handing it to Mrs Withers.

  ‘It’s been a long journey,’ he said. ‘We’ll need refreshments.’

  ‘I’ll see to it at once, sir,’ said Mrs Withers.

  ‘I’d have been here earlier,’ explained Eve, ‘but my husband is abroad at the moment and I had to wait for Adam to come for me.’

  ‘I’m so sorry that this has happened, Mrs Doel.’

  ‘When I read your letter, I was in despair.’

  ‘So are we all.’

  ‘Everyone has to die sooner or later,’ remarked Tarleton.

  ‘Adam!’ reproved his sister.

  ‘Well, it’s true. I’d have preferred it to have been by natural means, of course, but he had other ideas and he’s left us to face the scandal. That was typical of him.’

  ‘I dispute that, sir,’ said Mrs Withers, loyally.

  ‘I thought you were fetching refreshments.’

  ‘Colonel Tarleton always tried to spare people any trouble. He was a very considerate man.’

  ‘We can do without your opinion, thank you.’

  ‘Excuse me.’ Hurt by his manner, the housekeeper went out.

  ‘There’s no need to be so rude to her, Adam.’

  ‘I hate the way that she dithers.’

  ‘She’s served the family faithfully and she’s as distressed as any of us over what happened to Father.’

  ‘He was never my father, Eve.’

  ‘That was your fault. You never accepted him.’

  ‘He kept badgering me to go into the army. Why? I loathed the very idea. If I’d been stupid enough to agree, I’d probably be in the Crimea right now getting shot at by those bloodthirsty Russians.’

  ‘At least you’d have done something honourable.’

  ‘We can’t all marry and have children the way that you did. I value my freedom and our so-called father let me have very little of that in this house. I’ll not weep for him.’

  ‘That’s a terrible thing to say.’

  ‘I’m only being honest, Eve. I never understood why Mother consented to marry him in the first place and I still think that he had something to do with her disappearance.’

  ‘Adam! You can’t believe that, surely?’

  ‘I’d believe anything of him.’

  ‘You’re so cruel,’ she said, holding back tears. ‘He was mortified when Mother went missing. You should read the letter he sent me about it. He said that it was the worst thing that ever happened to him. He was paralysed with fear.’

  ‘Yes, he was afraid that the truth would come out.’

  ‘I won’t let you sneer at him like this.’

  ‘I’m not sneering, Eve. I simply don’t see the point of being a hypocrite. He and I never saw eye to eye. Why pretend to mourn his passing when I’m glad that he’s gone?’

  She was stunned. ‘You’re actually glad that he died in such a dreadful way? How can you be so callous? If that’s how you feel, why did you bother to come here today?’

  ‘I came for Mother’s sake,’ he replied. ‘I want to find out exactly what happened to her. Since we must accept that, after all this time, she’s dead, I’ll admit that something else brought me here as well.’

  ‘What was that?’

  ‘I came to seek my inheritance. You married a wealthy merchant and live in a fine mansion. I’ve had more modest accommodation. Well, not anymore,’ he added with a sweeping gesture. ‘This house will have been left to me. If I put it on the market, it will bring in the sort of money that I deserve. At long last, I’ll be rich!’

  CHAPTER SIX

  ‘Was the stationmaster right about that room at the Swan?’ asked Colbeck. ‘Did you have to contend with cobwebs and beetles?’

  ‘They were the least of my worries,’ complained Leeming. ‘The place was draughty, the mattress like a board and I saw two mice scurrying about. There was also an empty keg in the room so I had to put up with the smell of stale beer. Then, of course, there was the noise from above. Every time someone moved about, the floorboards creaked.’

  ‘We’ll have to find you better accommodation, Victor.’

  ‘It was the superintendent’s decision to put me there.’

  ‘If we can persuade him to return to London,’ said Colbeck, ‘then you can have his room at the Black Bull. They looked after us very well there.’

  The two men were travelling by rail to Northallerton. It gave Colbeck the chance to describe the frosty confrontation with Frederick Skelton, the obdurate rector, and it allowed Leeming time to moan about his unhappiness.

  ‘I miss my wife dreadfully,’ he confessed. ‘It’s not the same when Estelle is not there. When can I go back to her?’

  ‘Not until this mystery is solved.’

  ‘Well, I think that it already has been. I didn’t take to that self-important railway policeman but I fancy that he may be right. The colonel’s wife ran away from him.’

  ‘Then whom did she run to, Victor?’ asked Colbeck. ‘That’s what puzzles me. The obvious person to go to would be her daughter yet that’s not what happened. Mrs Tarleton would hardly just take to her heels without any idea of a destination.’

  ‘She could be in hiding somewhere.’

  ‘I doubt that. The suicide has had widespread publicity. It will even be in the London newspapers. Were she still alive, the colonel’s wife would surely have seen the news by now. With her husband dead, there’d be no need for her to conceal herself. No,’ he went on, ‘I incline to the view that she was murdered and that her body is still in the vicinity. We have to stay here until we can find it.’

  Leeming groaned. ‘That could take ages, sir.’

  ‘Estelle will have to do without you for a little longer.’

  ‘Wait until you’re married. Then you’ll understand how painful it is to be without the woman you love.’

  ‘Oh, I’ve already found that out,’ said Colbeck, resignedly.

  Northallerton was a long-established community with a population of around five thousand. It was a thriving market town, a parliamentary borough and the administrative centre of the North Riding. Though he’d already been there, Leeming had only touched the outskirts and he was interested to see the busy streets, fine houses, churches, public buildings, suites of offices and the countless shops at the heart of the place. The bank was situated in a prominent position in the High Street and, once they’d introduced themselves, they were conducted to the manager’s office.

  Bertram Reader gave them an effusive welcome.

  ‘I’m so relieved to see you, gentlemen,’ he said, shaking their hands in turn. ‘This whole business needs to be sorted out once and for all. Do sit down.’

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ said Colbeck.
/>   While he and Leeming settled into an armchair apiece, the manager returned to the high-backed chair behind his desk.

  ‘The North Riding has everything that one could desire,’ he went on, ‘but in one instance, it is glaringly deficient. It has, as yet, no county constabulary.’

  ‘Then it’s one of the last places in England to be without one,’ said Colbeck. ‘In the wake of a Royal Commission over fifteen years ago, an Act was passed enjoining all boroughs to examine the possibility of reorganising their police forces. Most have complied.’

  ‘I have high hopes that we will follow their example in the near future,’ said Reader. ‘What’s held us back, I need hardly tell you, is the fear of great expense.’

  ‘It’s more expensive to let crime go unchecked,’ said Leeming.

  ‘I couldn’t agree more, Sergeant. However, let’s forget our shortcomings with regard to law enforcement. We’re honoured to have two detectives from Scotland Yard to help us at this time of trial.’ He spread his arms. ‘Please feel free to ask me anything you wish.’

  Reader was a trim figure in immaculate clothing. Still in his forties, he’d retained all of his hair and most of his youthful energy. The office was large and well appointed and the general impression was of an efficient man holding an important position at a high salary. They noticed how tidily he kept his desk, papers and files stacked neatly in order. Across that desk, thousands of transactions had been made over the years. Reader exuded a quiet benevolence. He was a man whom clients of the bank could trust.

  ‘I believe that you and the colonel were friends,’ Colbeck began.

  ‘That’s correct, Inspector,’ replied the other.

  ‘So you saw him and his wife a great deal.’

  ‘At least once a week, I’d say – until recently, that is. Over the last few months, it was more like once a fortnight.’

  ‘Why was that?’

  ‘The colonel told us that he was very busy. He turned down some of our invitations and accepted others. The four of us liked to play whist together.’

  ‘Did you play for money, sir?’ asked Leeming.

  Reader smiled. ‘I’m a banker, Sergeant. I never gamble.’

  ‘That’s very wise of you. When I was still in uniform, I lost half a week’s pay in a card game. I learnt a lesson from that.’

  ‘On the day of her disappearance,’ said Colbeck, ‘Mrs Tarleton set out to walk to your home.’

  ‘She and Agnes – that’s my wife – intended to go shopping.’

  ‘What did Mrs Reader think when her visitor didn’t turn up?’

  ‘Well,’ said the banker, ‘she thought it very strange. It was unlike Miriam Tarleton to be late. Were she indisposed, she’d have sent someone with a message to that effect. By the time I got home that evening, my wife was very anxious. To put her mind at rest, I offered to ride over to the house but Agnes felt that unnecessary. She decided that a mistake had been made about the arrangements.’

  ‘Was Mrs Tarleton in the habit of making mistakes?’

  ‘Far from it – ordinarily, she was very reliable.’

  ‘How did she get on with her husband?’ asked Leeming.

  ‘What an odd question!’ said Reader. ‘If you’d known them, you’d never have needed to ask it. They were happily married and always had been.’

  ‘We were told there were tensions in the house.’

  Reader was terse. ‘Then you’ve been misinformed, Sergeant. There were some tensions when the children were there, I grant you, but everything was much more serene after that. Adam was the problem. He was a natural rebel. His sister was a sweet girl and I was sorry when she left to get married. In all honesty, however, I have to admit that I was glad to see the back of Adam Tarleton.’

  ‘Adam and Eve,’ noted Colbeck. ‘Was Mrs Tarleton religious?’

  ‘She came from a clerical family,’ explained Reader. ‘Her father was a rural dean and her brother was in holy orders. Her first husband – God rest his soul – was a parish priest. He died of cholera and left her with two small children. When the colonel came into her life, it was a real blessing.’

  Having hit his stride, Reader went on to describe the marriage in more detail and to pour scorn on the idea that Colonel Tarleton had murdered his wife. Appalled at the news of the suicide, he viewed it as an act of temporary madness and refused to condemn his friend.

  ‘It’s reassuring to hear someone speaking up for him,’ said Colbeck. ‘Early this morning, the superintendent and I were cornered by the rector of St Andrew’s, who told us bluntly that he wouldn’t allow the deceased to be buried in the churchyard.’

  ‘I think I know what’s behind that decision,’ said Reader.

  ‘So do I – ignorance of the law.’

  ‘There’s a more personal reason. Frederick Skelton studied theology with Miriam Tarleton’s first husband. They were very close. In fact, he was godfather to their children. The colonel attended church every Sunday but, clearly, he was nowhere near as devout a Christian as his predecessor.’

  ‘Did Mr Skelton resent that?’

  ‘Very much,’ said Reader. ‘And he resented the way that Adam – his godson, remember – was brought up by the colonel. There was no spiritual dimension to the boy’s life. No wonder he veered off the straight and narrow. Regarding the rector’s attitude to the funeral,’ he continued, ‘that’s not just an aversion to an act of suicide. Like so many other misguided people, he believes that the colonel killed his wife and is therefore a species of devil.’

  ‘Everyone must be presumed innocent until proved guilty.’

  ‘The colonel has been denied that right.’

  ‘Have you any idea who the killer is?’ asked Leeming.

  Reader sighed. ‘I wish that I did, Sergeant. My wife and I both joined in the search for her. The colonel was distraught. Nobody who saw the state he was in could think for a moment that he committed the crime. His innocence must be attested.’

  ‘If she’s here,’ said Colbeck, ‘we’ll find her.’

  ‘I sincerely hope that you will.’

  ‘Before then, however, we have to make extensive enquiries. One of the people to whom I’d like to speak is your wife. She was, after all, the person Mrs Tarleton was on her way to see.’

  ‘Call at my home whenever you wish,’ urged Reader, taking out his wallet and extracting a card. ‘This is our address.’

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ said Colbeck, getting up to receive the card.

  ‘Agnes will be as eager to help you as I am, though you’ll find her in very low spirits. The Tarletons were good company. We spent so many happy times with them. We watched their children grow up and shared a number of family outings with them. Not to put too fine a point on it, they were our best friends.’

  Leeming was curious. ‘Did they have any enemies?’

  ‘None at all – unless you count their son, that is.’

  ‘Was he really such a problem?’

  ‘His stepfather loathed him and his mother indulged him. He must have drunk and gambled his way through a small fortune. When the money dried up, Adam became angry and sent his mother the most abusive letters.’

  ‘You say that the money dried up,’ said Colbeck, seizing on the phrase. ‘We had the feeling that the family had run into financial difficulties. Is that true?’

  Reader was wary. ‘Yes, it is, Inspector,’ he replied. ‘I can’t go into details without breaching confidentiality. Suffice it to say that the colonel and his wife had to draw in their horns a little.’

  ‘I’ll press you no further on the subject, sir. You’ve been very helpful. Now that we happen to be in town, we’ll avail ourselves of the opportunity to call on Mrs Reader.’ He signalled to Leeming who rose to his feet. The banker also got up. ‘Thank you, sir.’

  ‘I’d be grateful if you would keep me informed of any developments.’

  ‘We will, sir.’

  ‘Have you picked up any clues at all since you’ve been here?’

>   ‘Oh, yes,’ said Colbeck. ‘At least, we have a starting point.’

  ‘And what’s that?’ asked Reader.

  ‘The railway.’

  Clifford Everett’s office was on the top floor of the building, obliging Tallis to walk up three long flights of stairs. By the time he reached the top, he was panting. He took a few moments to recover before rapping on the door with his knuckles. In response to a crisp invitation, he went into the lawyer’s domain.

  ‘Good morning, Major Tallis,’ said Everett.

  ‘Actually, I’m here in a different guise today.’

  ‘In what way, pray?’

  Tallis explained that he was employed by the Metropolitan Police Force and that a letter from the colonel had brought him to Yorkshire to unravel a mystery. Everett listened stonily. Years earlier, the two men had met more than once at social gatherings when Tallis was always introduced by his former rank. Everett had assumed that he was a retired army man. Hearing that he was, in fact, a detective made the lawyer defensive.

  ‘You misled us, Superintendent,’ he said.

  ‘I didn’t wish to court any embarrassment,’ Tallis told him. ‘Policemen are never popular. Everyone is suspicious of us. It was easier for me to pass myself off as an old soldier when I visited the colonel. That, in effect, was exactly what I was.’

  ‘I don’t accept that. You lied to us.’

  Everett was a portly man in his fifties with a round, red face and a large head decorated by tufts of white hair. He had piggy eyes that lacked any sparkle and were constantly on the move. Gesturing his visitor to a chair, he resumed his seat behind the desk and clasped his hands tightly across his stomach.

  ‘So…you are not here merely as a friend,’ he observed.

  ‘I’m here to investigate a terrible crime.’

  ‘Are you referring to murder or to suicide?’

  ‘Both are interlinked,’ said Tallis. ‘In finding the killer, I’ll be absolving the colonel of any wrongdoing and bringing to justice the fiend who provoked a blameless man to take his own life.’