‘It is well known that many men who are accounted respectable have mistresses, and as long as they do not advertise the fact and do not neglect their lawful families, no great disapprobation attaches to them. Your father-in-law was a widower and might have felt lonely and in need of female company.’
‘True, and I don’t think any of us, family or brethren, would have objected to his having a respectable lady friend of appropriate years whose company cheered him. That is the reason I am concerned about his secrecy.’
‘I understand. When I next see Inspector Payne I will make a note of anything he might say on the subject. Of course this does add another possible reason for your father-in-law’s unusual behaviour that evening. Perhaps his sudden absence from the Lodge room or his planned journey, or both, could have been connected with a personal matter and had nothing at all to do with any suspicions he might have had about you.’
Salter took very little cheer from this. ‘That is possible. I can’t imagine what he might have believed about me.’
‘He never knew about my mother?’
‘No. We did think at first about representing her to Lancelot as my widowed sister, but I am glad we didn’t. That lie serves us in Brighton, but in London Mr Marsden’s spies would have found it out very quickly. She was so ill – any further upset and I would have lost her.’ His voice shook.
‘You have told me all the truth of your affairs?’
‘I have.’
‘The only time you ever received a stolen item was the snuffbox you bought in good faith?’
‘As far as I know, yes.’
‘Can you tell me about the sale where it was purchased? Who was the owner?’
‘A Mr Riley of Regent’s Park. He was quite elderly and passed away some months ago. Having no heirs, his will directed that all his property should be sold and the proceeds given to charity. He had been a collector of silver in a small way for a number of years. I purchased several items of tableware, and the snuffbox interested me because of its attractive oval shape. I thought I would easily be able to find a buyer. I happened to mention it to one of the directors of Kensington Silver and he said that he thought he had seen something like it on a list of stolen goods. You can imagine how I felt when he produced the list and there it was, maker’s stamp, hallmark and all. It was the same item. How and when Mr Riley had obtained it I don’t know, but I had no alternative but to take it to the police.’
‘Did the police suspect you of involvement in the theft? It seems very unlikely.’
‘No, I simply provided them with all the information in my possession, showed them the documents relating to the purchase, and that was an end of the matter. They thanked me,’ he added drily. ‘I have heard no more about it since.’
Frances made some notes. ‘Well, I need to look at every possible avenue, so I shall see what Inspector Payne can tell me. He has been rather more helpful since I led him to the place where your father-in-law’s effects were found.’
‘I am glad of it. He has not been so friendly to me.’
Frances stirred the fire while she thought about the next subject she wished to discuss. ‘I spoke to Mrs Fiske recently.’
‘Ah, yes, Alicia’s friend.’
‘She told me that your father-in-law had been making enquiries about you before the wedding, and in particular that the police had some doubts about your father’s partner, Mr George Cullum.’
‘Doubts? There could hardly be any doubts. The man did not repay the trust my father had placed in him. He was a criminal.’
‘He has not been seen since his disappearance?’
‘I have not seen him, and neither had my father. We assumed that he had fled abroad with the proceeds of his theft. I am sure that what he took from the business was only a part of what he carried away. He must have had a cache of stolen goods.’
‘What kind of stolen goods?’
‘From what my father said, Cullum had acquired small items of jewellery, easy to transport and hide. He never saw them, but it was these that Cullum wanted him to deal in.’
‘The police suspected that Cullum’s disappearance was for more sinister reasons. They thought he had been murdered.’
‘Oh? Well, that wouldn’t be surprising. If a man mixes with criminals he runs a risk. Some of those gangs care nothing for the lives of others. They will murder each other in the blink of an eye if one of them takes more than his share or talks to the police.’
‘The main suspects, it seems, were you, your father and a Mr James Felter, who was a business associate I believe.’
Salter stared at her, dumbstruck.
‘What can you tell me about Mr Felter?’
Salter found his voice again with difficulty. ‘He is the son of one of my father’s oldest friends; I have known him since childhood. He was best man at my wedding. I would say he is the very last man to commit an act of violence.’
‘Where does he currently live?’
‘Switzerland, he has a business there. We correspond from time to time. The police questioned all of us after the robbery, but it was never suggested that anyone had done away with Cullum. Of course, someone might have done so since then, although James did once tell me he thought he had seen the man sneaking about.’
‘When and where?’
‘It must have been just before he went abroad. About five years ago. But it was years since Cullum was last seen and James said he had changed – older, greyer. To be truthful, I thought he was mistaken. The man was going into a house somewhere in Shepherd’s Bush. Why would Cullum still be in London when he is a wanted man?’
‘Did Mr Felter tell the police what he had seen?’
‘He might have done. I suggested he should, but when I queried what he told me he began to have second thoughts.’
‘If we could find Mr Cullum, it would remove another reason for the police to be suspicious of you.’
‘I would hope so.’
‘This is what I would like you to do. Try to remember as much as you can about him, his age and appearance, his likes and dislikes, his business dealings, his family, his friends – write it all down and then let me know, and I will see what I can do.’
‘Very well.’ Salter gave a strange little smile. ‘You are so much like Rosetta. Not in looks, but in your way of thinking and expressing yourself. She confessed to me once that she felt as if William Doughty was trying to stifle her, not allowing her to be the woman she could be. They were children when they met, and betrothed when she was twenty. Her father had encouraged the connection, but before the date for the wedding was set she had begun to see that she might have made a mistake. But she had no choice. She thought afterwards that Doughty had seen her wavering and had pressed her into a foolish indiscretion to maintain his hold over her. The marriage took place six months before your older brother was born. Rosetta has an intellectual life, an enquiring mind; she reads and she learns. When I talk to you, it is like talking to her.’
When their visitor had gone, Sarah gave Frances a veiled look. ‘Now I’m not saying anything against Mr Salter, who I am sure is as honest as the day is long, but if Mr Dobree already had his worries, there’s things that might have made them worse.’ She tapped a finger at the newspaper. ‘There’s all these sneak thieves around, some of them very audacious – getting into the fancy hotels and taking silver and gold off dressing tables; finding out when families are from home and breaking into houses. They climb walls, they climb up drainpipes, they cut out windowpanes and squeeze through. They take small valuables, snuffboxes, watches, jewellery and the like that they can put in their pockets and carry off.’
‘I have read the reports, but surely Mr Dobree can’t have imagined for a moment that his own son-in-law was involved. Besides, he handed the snuffbox to the police.’
‘Maybe it was too risky for him. Couldn’t sell it or get it melted down without attracting the wrong kind of attention. So he gives it in, and gets a reputation as an honest man. Bills of sale c
an be forged.’
‘Is that what you think?’
‘No, but it might be what Dobree thought. Perhaps it’s what the police think.’
‘I can understand the police being suspicious, but why would Mr Dobree think such a thing? Mr Salter has been married to his daughter for almost seventeen years —’
‘You get less than that for manslaughter.’
‘And as far as we know he has never given him any reason to think badly of him. Why suddenly now?’
‘Didn’t he say his son’s school wanted more money?’
‘That’s true – but you’re not suggesting that he has started burgling houses or receiving stolen goods to pay for it?’
‘He asked his father-in-law for a bigger allowance.’
‘He did. That could have aroused suspicion. Well, maybe I will know more when I have spoken to Inspector Payne.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Some time later Frances sat facing Inspector Payne across his laden but tidy desk. He didn’t look pleased to see her and she felt far from pleased to see him, nevertheless the question had to be tackled.
‘Inspector, you must recall the occasion some months ago when Mr Vernon Salter handed in a snuffbox which he had bought at auction and which he later found to have been stolen?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘After that incident did you have any enquiries about it from Mr Dobree?’
‘Dobree?’ Payne was clearly surprised. ‘No, why should it concern him?’
‘Mr Salter assures me that after he handed in the snuffbox he was never suspected of having anything to do with its theft. He had full proof that he bought it in good faith in the ordinary way of business.’
‘That is correct, yes.’
‘What I am trying to establish is not so much the truth of the situation, which I think is evident, but what Mr Dobree believed, which might have been very different and led him to behave in the way he did. You recall what Mr Marsden said at the inquest. I am wondering if Mr Dobree, not having the full facts, thought that his son-in-law might have been involved in the recent robberies, and had decided to dispose of an item he was unable to sell without attracting attention.’
‘Well that’s a new one,’ said Payne. ‘Do you have any evidence that that was what he thought?’
‘No, none.’
‘Well, if Dobree did think that, it’s a pity he didn’t come and ask about it. That snuffbox was part of a collection that the seller had had in his possession for more than twenty years. So it was nothing to do with any of the recent crimes. It was stolen from a manor house in Sussex sometime in the late fifties. The interesting thing is that when we looked at the auction catalogue we found some other items in the sale that were all part of the same haul. How the deceased gentleman acquired them, we don’t know, as there was no paperwork to say.’
‘So the fact that Mr Salter bought that snuffbox wasn’t a coincidence – other buyers would have acquired items which were stolen in the same robbery?’
‘They did, only they weren’t so smart off the mark about handing them in as Mr Salter.’
‘Of course Mr Dobree wouldn’t have known about that.’
‘The only man who might tell you what he thought is Mr Marsden. I’ve spoken to him, but he keeps things close.’
‘Mr Marsden would not tell me the time of day. He disapproves of me.’ Payne gave a sudden twist of a grin, quickly quelled. ‘I suppose you haven’t traced the thieves?’ she continued.
‘Not much chance of that now. Although there’s a good chance they’ve gone away for other crimes.’
‘Might one of them have been Mr George Cullum?’
‘Cullum?’ Payne looked surprised. ‘Now there’s a name I’ve not heard in a while.’
‘He might have changed it after ruining Mr Salter’s father. Has he ever been found?’
‘Not that I know of.’ Payne leaned forward, rested his chin on his hands, and stared at her. ‘You seem very interested in this business, Miss Doughty.’
‘It is my profession. I am a detective.’
‘Oh it’s more than that, I can see you’re particularly keen to get it sorted out. Not close to the family are you?’
‘I had never met any member of that family before Mr Dobree’s death.’
‘Really?’ He rose from his chair. ‘Wait there.’ Payne left the room and after a few moments returned with a small dark blue jewellery box. ‘Do you recognise this?’
‘Is it the item you found amongst Mr Dobree’s effects?’
‘It is.’ He opened the box and showed Frances the emerald ring. ‘Have you seen this before?’
‘No.’
‘You’re sure of it?’
‘I think I would remember.’
He took the ring from the box. ‘Ladies ring, very nice, small size, suit a slim lady.’
‘Perhaps it is Mrs Salter’s, I am told she has claimed it.’
‘Mrs Salter is not slim.’
‘I expect she was, once. I understand that Mr Dobree was having it enlarged for her.’
‘Is that what Mr Salter told you? Because I don’t believe one word of it. Here, try it for size.’
‘Me?’
‘Yes. Just to show what kind of finger it would fit.’
Frances hesitated, then took the offered ring and slipped it onto her finger. For some reason she put it onto the ring finger of her left hand.
‘A perfect fit. Could have been made for you.’
Frances found herself blushing and quickly took off the ring and handed it back.
‘You see we’ve traced the jeweller who sold it. Mainly hard work and shoe leather, with a little luck thrown in. The buyer was a gentleman of advanced years who declined to give his name. He was accompanied by a female taller than himself, who, although veiled, was clearly much younger than he and with slim fingers. The ring was a little too large for her and so it was made smaller to fit. The gentleman came to collect it when the work was done.’
‘When was this?’
‘About a week before Mr Dobree was killed.’
‘And do you believe the buyer was Mr Dobree?’
‘The description fits. We think he might have been carrying the ring on the day of his death because he was on his way to an assignation with the young person. What can you tell me about that?’
‘Nothing at all. Why do you think I would —’ Frances stopped short. ‘You surely don’t imagine —’ but Inspector Payne clearly did imagine. Frances controlled her annoyance. ‘I appreciate that you have to ask these questions, Inspector, but I can assure you that I have never in my life met Mr Lancelot Dobree.’
Payne folded his arms and gave her a cynical look.
‘Just because I practice a profession usually thought to be the preserve of men, it does not make me into an immoral woman. I have never had an assignation with Lancelot Dobree or indeed any gentleman.’
The look remained cynical.
Frances, increasingly furious, rose to her feet. ‘And I am prepared to sue anyone who suggests otherwise.’ She made for the door, then rounded on him so sharply he was startled. ‘Which jeweller was this?’ she demanded.
‘Solomon Finewax & Sons, Portobello Road,’ he said, then regretted speaking almost as soon as the words were out.
‘Thank you.’ She walked out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Frances was still simmering with anger when she told Sarah about the conversation. ‘If nothing else, I need to clear my name of Inspector Payne’s vile allegations. But if I can discover something about the young woman for whom the ring was intended, I might be able to trace her and learn more about Mr Dobree.’
‘Perhaps he confided his worries and secrets to her,’ hinted Sarah. ‘Men can get very confiding under certain circumstances.’
‘I believe I can guess your meaning. Well, I shall visit the jeweller concerned and see if there is anything to learn.’
‘Hard work getting into the mind of a dead man.�
��
Frances wondered if she would ever understand men, dead or living. ‘I would still like to know more about that stolen snuffbox. We know now that Mr Salter can have had nothing to do with it, but what did it lead Mr Dobree to believe? Did he think it was stolen recently? And if he did, why?’
Sarah nodded. ‘Leave that to me. I’ve got a separation case to sort out before anyone gets killed, and then I’ll find out about that box.’
The business of Solomon Finewax & Sons was not, even to Frances’ inexperienced eye, one of the grander jewellers in London. While advertised as providers of fine jewellery, she gathered from the contents of its windows that its primary trade was that of pawnbroker, repairs, and the sale of second-hand adornments. The gentleman behind the counter was of venerable appearance, with two sets of spectacles, one on his nose, and one on his forehead, and a magnifying device on a chain about his neck. He peered at Frances over the first set of spectacles. A lifetime of experience in the jewellery trade was in his eyes as he judged that she was not there for a transaction of any great value.
‘Good morning, how may I help you?’
Frances presented her card. ‘I am a detective making enquiries concerning a ring purchased here recently.’
‘Would this be the emerald solitaire? The police have already been here to enquire about it. I believe that no questions attach to the item itself.’
‘That is so; I am trying to trace the purchaser.’
‘Hmm, I am not sure that is possible. Let me look at our books.’
He brought a large ledger from under the counter, and changed spectacles. ‘Yes, it was sold a month ago to a gentleman who did not give his name and paid in banknotes. I made the sale myself. There was a lady accompanying him, and she tried on the ring but it was too large. We agreed to make the adjustments and a week later he called again and took away the ring.’
A True and Faithful Brother Page 19
