The Stationmaster's farewell irc-9

by Edward Marston

  ‘It’s not as simple as that,’ said Browne, running a tongue over dry lips.

  ‘It looks very simple to me.’

  The prisoner fell silent and searched Colbeck’s face. He was trying to decide if he could entrust confidential information to him. For his part, Colbeck could sense the man’s embarrassment. Browne’s natural truculence had gone and been replaced by a mixture of discomfort and shame.

  ‘If I give you the name of a young woman,’ he asked, quietly, ‘can you speak to her in private and keep her out of this investigation?’

  ‘That depends on what she has to tell me, Mr Browne.’

  ‘I spent the whole of that day and night with her.’

  ‘Then why didn’t you say so earlier?’

  Browne squirmed. ‘The situation is awkward,’ he said, looking down at the table. ‘I didn’t want Ad to know.’

  ‘Ah,’ said Colbeck, ‘I think I see what you’re driving at. When you were being harboured by Miss Goss, you betrayed her by sleeping with another woman. Now it all begins to make sense.’

  ‘You still don’t understand, Inspector.’

  ‘I understand that there may — just may — be someone in the city who can vouch for you and prove that you were nowhere near the place where Joel Heygate met his death. If such a person exists — and I’m bound to wonder if she’s simply a figment of your lively imagination — then she can come forward and save your life.’

  Browne was intense. ‘Ad must never know about her.’

  ‘Come now,’ said Colbeck, speaking man to man, ‘let’s be frank, shall we? Miss Goss has made no secret of the profession she follows and you seem to accept quite happily the fact that there are many other gentlemen in her life while you’re absent. By the same token, she will surely know that you don’t behave like a Trappist monk during the long periods when you’re apart. In short, I don’t think she’ll be surprised at your interest in another woman.’

  Browne raised his head. ‘Yes, she will — very surprised.’

  ‘Why do you think that?’

  ‘The young woman was her daughter.’

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  When they arrived in Exeter, the first thing they did was to carry their bags into the refreshment room. The long journey had left them tired and hungry. Caleb Andrews and Madeleine sat at a table and ordered a pot of tea and some cakes. Dorcas Hope soon brought everything across on her tray.

  ‘Are you staying in Exeter long?’ she asked, unloading the items carefully on to the table.

  ‘We don’t know,’ said Andrews. ‘It all depends on my daughter’s fiance.’

  ‘He came here to lead a murder investigation,’ added Madeleine.

  ‘Oh, you must mean Inspector Colbeck,’ said Dorcas, brightly. ‘He’s such a handsome gentleman, isn’t he? We’ve seen a lot of the inspector here.’

  ‘Do you happen to know where he’s staying?’

  ‘Yes, he and the sergeant are at the Acland Tavern in Sidwell Street.’

  ‘Then that’s where we ought to go, Maddy,’ suggested Andrews.

  ‘There’s no need,’ said Dorcas. ‘I can save you the journey.’

  ‘How can you do that, miss?’

  ‘Inspector Colbeck will soon be here. I sent word to him that I’ve at last remembered, you see. And since I can’t leave here for several hours, the inspector will have to come to me.’

  ‘This is all very mystifying,’ said Madeleine.

  ‘It’s connected to the investigation.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘Well,’ said Dorcas, ‘it’s all to do with a diary that Mr Heygate — he’s the stationmaster who was murdered — left behind. They searched the house but couldn’t find it anywhere. Then Peter came to our rescue.’

  ‘Who is Peter?’

  ‘He’s Mr Heygate’s canary. I’m looking after him.’

  ‘You’re not making much sense, young lady,’ said Andrews.

  ‘I’m coming to the interesting bit,’ said Dorcas, hands on hips. ‘When I cleaned Peter’s cage, I found the diary hidden inside it under a false base. And what do you think? I also found over two hundred pounds in banknotes.’

  Andrews laughed. ‘Is this some kind of joke?’

  ‘No, sir — it’s as true as I’m standing here.’

  ‘It is,’ confirmed Vesey from behind the counter.

  ‘Do you see why I said that Peter came to our rescue?’

  ‘No, I don’t,’ said Andrews.

  ‘Neither do I,’ admitted Madeleine. ‘Is this diary going to be of help in the investigation?’

  ‘It is now that my memory has been jogged. That’s the whole point.’

  ‘So the case relies on the assistance of a canary?’

  ‘The owl is far more important.’

  ‘Saints alive!’ exclaimed Andrews. ‘We’ve stumbled into an aviary.’

  ‘Let me explain,’ said Dorcas.

  ‘I think you’ve explained enough,’ suggested Vesey. ‘Why don’t you leave our customers to enjoy their r — r-refreshments and t-t-take further orders?’ He indicated the three people who’d just come into the room. ‘I’m sorry about that,’ he went on as the waitress moved over to the newcomers. ‘Miss Hope gets r-r-rather excited. She was a good friend of Mr Heygate, so she’s very involved in the case.’

  Madeleine gave an understanding smile but her father was more interested in sampling one of the cakes. She poured tea for both of them, then added milk and sugar to her cup. Colbeck’s letters had said nothing about a canary and an owl. She looked forward to getting a clearer explanation of their role in the investigation. Meanwhile, she stirred her tea then reached for a cake.

  ‘I feel better already,’ said Andrews, munching away. ‘I’m completely safe here. Mrs Young can’t come and spread lies about Binnie.’

  ‘You promised to forget both of them, Father.’

  ‘I’m trying to do that, Maddy, but they keep popping into my mind.’

  She nibbled her cake. ‘Robert is going to have a shock.’

  ‘And a very pleasant shock it will be.’

  ‘I do hope so. He must know that I didn’t come here to hamper him in any way. I just wanted to see him.’

  ‘And I just wanted not to see Ivy Young.’

  ‘She belongs in your past, Father, and so does Mrs Langton.’

  ‘You’re right as always, Maddy. I’m happier without either of them.’ He looked around. ‘I’ve never been here before. What do you think there is to see in Exeter? Apart from an owl and a canary, that is.’

  ‘There’s only one thing I want to see,’ she said, ‘and that’s Robert.’

  ‘His last letter said that they’d made an arrest. The case is solved.’

  ‘Then why did he warn me that he’d have to stay here for a while? No, I think there are still a number of things to clear up.’

  Eating their cakes and drinking their tea, they were able to relax. They’d already noticed the marked difference to London. Instead of a vast, bustling metropolis that stretched in all directions, they were now in a provincial city with expanses of open countryside visible. It was altogether quieter and less frenetic than life in the capital. Madeleine marvelled at her own boldness in coming to Exeter. She’d acted on the spur of the moment and been able to involve her father. He’d been an irritable travelling companion but had cheered up now that they’d reached their destination. Like him, she felt strangely liberated.

  Madeleine was just reflecting how small and uncluttered the station was compared to the London termini when an express train arrived for a short stay before continuing on to Plymouth without any further stop. Passengers poured out, many of them in need of refreshments before they rejoined the train. The room was so full of people that neither Madeleine nor her father realised that they included Colbeck and Leeming who’d walked into the station as the express juddered to a halt. Vesey and Dorcas worked at full stretch to answer the needs of their customers. As most of them chose to sit at tables, very few
people were left standing.

  Madeleine finally noticed two familiar faces and leapt to her feet.

  ‘Robert!’ she cried out.

  Colbeck was torn between delight and amazement. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I came to see you, of course.’

  ‘And so did I,’ said Andrews.

  Wanting to embrace her, Colbeck had to restrict himself to a kiss on the cheek while in public. He then shook her father’s hand warmly. Leeming also gave them a cordial welcome, asking what the weather was like in London. The refreshment room was too crowded for them to have a proper conversation, so they stepped outside.

  ‘This is a wonderful surprise,’ said Colbeck, grinning. ‘I can’t tell you how pleased I am to see you. However,’ he went on, ‘I am still heavily involved in the investigation, so you’ll have to excuse me for a while.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Madeleine. ‘We didn’t come to interfere.’

  ‘Though you’re welcome to my advice if you need it,’ offered Andrews. ‘What’s all this about an owl and a canary?’

  ‘I can see that you’ve been talking to Miss Hope,’ said Colbeck. ‘Victor will explain. Where are you going to stay?’

  ‘The waitress mentioned a tavern in Sidwell Street.’

  ‘That’s where we’ve taken rooms, Mr Andrews. Victor,’ he went on, ‘why don’t you find a cab and take Madeleine and her father to the Acland Tavern? I know they have spare rooms there. I’ll meet up with you later.’

  ‘Where are you going, Robert?’ asked Madeleine.

  ‘First of all, I have to speak to Miss Hope and I can’t do that until the train is ready to leave and the refreshment room clears. It may well be,’ he said, ‘that she has some vital evidence for us relating to the scene of the crime. Once I’ve heard what it is, I have to catch a train to Totnes.’

  She was concerned. ‘Is that far away?’

  ‘It’s about thirty miles from here,’ he replied, ‘and though your father might believe otherwise, the South Devon Railway provides an excellent service.’

  ‘It can’t compete with the LNWR,’ said Andrews, loyally.

  ‘It doesn’t try to, Mr Andrews.’

  Madeleine was curious. ‘Why are you going to Totnes?’

  ‘I have to interview an important witness,’ said Colbeck. ‘In fact, I can’t think of anyone more important, because the young lady may well be in a position to save a man from the gallows.’

  One of the few advantages of being in his office was that Steel could not be subjected to ecclesiastical meddling there. If the bishop wished to see him, then he summoned the superintendent to his palace. He would never bother Steel at his place of work. That, at least, had been the situation until now. All of a sudden, Steel’s bolt-hole was no longer secure. Bishop Phillpotts demanded to see him and came waddling up the stairs. Admitted to the office, he flopped into the seat opposite the desk and looked around with undisguised disdain.

  ‘Is this the room from which our city is policed?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s all that the Watch Committee could provide for me.’

  ‘It’s pathetically bare and lacking in character.’

  ‘We can’t all afford the expensive paintings that adorn the walls of your palace, Bishop. Besides, this is an office and not a place where I can sit back at my leisure with a slim volume of verse or an improving novel.’

  Phillpotts eyed him shrewdly. ‘Do you dare to poke fun at me, sir?’

  ‘No,’ said Steel, ‘I just wish to point out that ornate decoration would be wholly out of place in a building that routinely houses criminals.’

  ‘It’s about one of those criminals that I’ve come to enquire. Is the villainous Mr Browne still under your roof?’

  ‘He’s been charged and remanded in custody at the prison.’

  ‘Good — if there’s no possibility of his escaping, I’m not in jeopardy.’

  ‘You never were, Bishop,’ said Steel, ‘except in your own mind.’

  ‘I know when I’m under threat, man,’ said the other, tartly, ‘and I’ll brook no criticism from you or from anyone else. Withdraw that slur at once.’

  Steel shrugged an apology. ‘I do so willingly.’

  ‘Tell me about Bernard Browne.’

  ‘He prefers to be called Bagsy.’

  ‘I never use nicknames, Superintendent. They smack of juvenility. I want to know what’s happened to this fiend from the time of his arrest until now.’

  Schooling himself to be patient, Steel gave him an abbreviated account of the arrest and detention of Browne. He stressed Colbeck’s bravery in tackling the man and was complimentary about the way that the inspector had questioned the prisoner. When the superintendent talked about the parallel arrest of Adeline Goss, the bishop responded with his pulpit voice.

  ‘Prostitution is a sign of moral turpitude,’ he said, solemnly. ‘Every brothel should be closed and their occupants driven out of the city.’

  ‘One has to face reality, Bishop. Where there’s a demand, there will always be a supply. It’s not called the oldest profession for nothing.’

  ‘Are you actually condoning this foul trade?’

  ‘No,’ said Steel, ‘but I accept that it’s a fact of life. I have great sympathy for the poor women forced to sell their bodies in order to survive. Adeline Goss is a good example. She was corrupted almost from birth. Instead of being condemned, such unfortunates ought to be helped and reformed.’

  ‘Don’t preach to me, Superintendent,’ said the bishop. ‘Let me come to the reason that brought me here. I was hoping to confront Inspector Colbeck and ask why he still has reservations about the glaringly obvious guilt of Browne.’

  ‘Only the inspector can tell you that.’

  ‘You don’t share his doubts, I hope?’

  ‘I certainly don’t, Bishop. I want to see Bagsy Browne hanged. Justice will be done and this city will be cleansed of one of its most notorious criminals.’

  ‘Have you any idea why Colbeck thinks the fellow innocent?’

  ‘He’s relying on his instinct.’

  ‘Well, I rely on mine and it’s infallible. That man is the personification of evil. Nothing will ever convince me that Browne is not the killer. He deliberately dumped the corpse outside the cathedral as a crude parody of a sacrificial lamb. In short,’ said the bishop, angrily, ‘he mocked both me and the Church that I am appointed to represent. He deserves to die in agony.’

  Colbeck arrived at the address he’d been given. It had taken him to a backstreet in Totnes where rows of anonymous terraced houses stretched for a hundred yards. It was an area of blatant deprivation. Many of the properties were in need of repair and there was accumulated filth on the pavements. Ragged children played games, a man sold salt and vinegar from the back of a rickety cart and mangy dogs scoured every corner in search of food. It was the sort of place in which Bagsy Browne would have moved without exciting any interest. Colbeck, on the other hand, aroused curiosity on all sides. Because people of his impeccable appearance were simply never seen there, he collected hostile glances, muttered comments and jeers from the children.

  The front door was opened by a slatternly woman in her fifties, with a sagging bosom and unkempt hair. When she’d overcome her surprise, she straightened her shoulders, pushed strands of hair back from her forehead and offered him a calculating smile.

  ‘Can we be of service to you, sir?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m looking for a young lady named Christina Goss.’

  ‘Christina will be happy to oblige you, sir — at a price.’

  ‘I’m not here to transact any business with her,’ said Colbeck. ‘I’m Inspector Colbeck and I’m a detective involved in a murder investigation. I believe that Miss Goss may be able to give me some valuable evidence.’

  The woman was indignant. ‘This is a law-abiding house, sir,’ she said. ‘My girls have nothing to do with a murder. We may be poor but we have our standards.’ She tried to close the door. ‘You’ve
come to the wrong place.’

  He put his foot in the door. ‘Are you going to let me in,’ he asked, ‘or must I arrest you for running a disorderly house?’ Her ire subsided immediately. ‘Miss Goss is in no way involved in the crime but she may know someone who allegedly is. All I wish to do is to have a brief conversation with her.’

  After glaring at him for several seconds, she reluctantly opened the door.

  ‘You’d better come in.’

  Colbeck was admitted and taken up to a room at the back of the house.

  Christina Goss was barely twenty, a shapely young woman with a striking prettiness and a clear resemblance to her mother. At the prospect of company, she flashed a smile but it froze on her lips when she was told who her visitor was and why he’d come to see her. She sat down sullenly on the bed. Left alone with her, Colbeck removed his hat and perched on a chair.

  ‘Do you remember a man named Bagsy Browne?’ he asked.

  ‘I never ask them their names.’

  ‘Oh, I think you know this man’s name and I fancy you’ll recall the night that he spent with you. Mr Browne was very generous to you, wasn’t he? How many of your clients give you that amount of money?’

  Her manner softened. ‘Why are you asking about Bagsy?’

  ‘He’s sent you a message from prison.’

  Victor Leeming took them to the Acland Tavern and arranged rooms for them. When they’d settled in, Madeleine and her father joined the sergeant for a discussion about the case. Careful not to give too much detail away, he told them enough for them to understand the references to an owl and a canary.

  ‘That young waitress seemed like a nice girl,’ said Andrews.

  ‘It’s very hard work in that refreshment room,’ said Leeming. ‘I should know. I took over her job while Miss Hope was being interviewed by the inspector.’

  Madeleine grinned. ‘You were a waitress?’

  ‘It’s not what I expected to do when I became a detective.’

  ‘It gives you another string to your bow, Sergeant,’ teased Andrews. ‘When you retire from Scotland Yard, you can work in a restaurant. Not that I’d recommend retirement,’ he added. ‘It brings hidden dangers with it.’