‘Why aren’t you at work, Ev?’ asked Burge.
‘I’m always at work. Coppers never rest.’
‘Is it your day off?’
‘Yes, I was on duty through most of the night so they signed me off until tomorrow. Have you heard that we found another body?’
‘No – who was he?’
‘He was a naked woman who’d been in the water far too long.’
White told him about the discovery and how he’d gone to Scotland Yard to see if they had any idea of the victim’s identity. Burge was intrigued to hear that she’d been killed by the same man who dispatched Donohoe. The case had now become even more intriguing. Burge’s desire to be part of a murder enquiry was strengthened. Meanwhile, there was another problem to address. He told White about the Warriors’ plan to reassert their authority over the Evil Spirits.
‘Where will you be, Cliff?’
‘I’ll be lurking in the junk shop with four men.’
‘Make it five men. I’ll join you sometime after eleven.’
‘It’s not your fight, Ev.’
‘Oh, yes it is,’ said White with a throaty chuckle. ‘I was born here so I’ve got a stake in this part of the East End. It needs cleaning up and I’m not going to miss out on any of the action.’
Alone in the music room with the inspector, Clara talked about her favourite sonatas and how she’d loved to play them for her husband in his rare moments of relaxation. When she’d finished, she sat down on the stool in front of the grand piano. Marmion gazed at the magnificent instrument with admiration. He’d bought an upright piano when, as a child, Alice had shown an interest in learning to play, but it was tiny compared to this one. The grand piano would fill the entire living room at the Marmion house. He could see that Clara didn’t really want to talk about music. She wanted to be in the room where she felt most at home and was getting herself gently into a mood to answer his questions. At length, he sat opposite her.
‘I feel ready to talk now, Inspector.’
‘First of all, I have to tell you something, Mrs Donohoe, and it’s not very pleasant. However, I’d rather you heard it from me than saw it in tomorrow’s newspaper. It would give you a shock.’
‘Why – what’s happened?’
Minimising the detail, he told her about the second murder and she brought a hand up to her mouth. The fact that the crime was connected to her husband’s death was like a physical blow to her. Marmion gave her time to recover.
‘That’s terrible news,’ she said at length. ‘Tragedy strikes another family.’
‘We don’t yet know who that family is, alas.’
‘Thank you so much for telling me, Inspector. You were quite right. Had I seen the story in a newspaper, it would have upset me greatly.’
Marmion sought to calm her down a little by changing the subject.
‘By the way,’ he said, ‘your husband knew a good string quartet when he saw one. Sergeant Keedy heard them playing and said they were wonderful.’
‘The Malvern Quartet has four quite brilliant musicians.’
‘The sergeant kept talking about the viola player.’
‘That would be Dulcie Haddon,’ she said. ‘She plays the instrument superbly. The viola’s role is largely supportive, of course, but no less important for that.’
Marmion let her talk on until she seemed to be back on a more even keel.
‘Before I came here,’ he began, ‘I spoke to Miss Kane at the factory.’
‘What on earth is she doing there?’ exclaimed Clara. ‘Harriet shouldn’t be working at all. She needs time to mourn just as the rest of us do.’
‘It was your son’s decision, Mrs Donohoe, and I fancy that Miss Kane was happy to agree to it. While she’s at work, she has no time to brood on the horror of what happened.’
‘But she’s known my husband for so long. His death will have wounded her.’
‘She seems to have recovered from the initial shock. Being back in the place where she was born has been a big help to her.’ He paused for a few seconds. ‘What will happen to the Club Apollo?’
‘It will go on as before, Inspector. That’s what Gilbert would have wanted.’
‘I was thinking about your involvement.’
‘Oh, I’ll stay away for a while until things … settle down. In time, I hope, I’ll return on Ladies’ Night to hear the Malvern Quartet play. It won’t be the same without my husband, of course, but he’ll be there in spirit.’
‘How much time did he devote to the club?’
‘As much as he could – Gilbert adored his music.’
‘Mr Ulverton told me that he and your husband made a large investment in it.’
‘Well, it will bear fruit, Inspector. The initial outlay has more or less been repaid and there’s a waiting list to join. I don’t know the details but I’m told that the Club Apollo will soon start turning a profit. It’s such a shame, isn’t it?’ she went on. ‘At the very moment when Gilbert was about to get the last of his money back, he was killed. Isn’t that an appalling coincidence?’
Marmion said nothing.
Keedy had the feeling that he was at last getting through to Adrian Donohoe. The man was no longer treating him with complete disdain. A measure of trust had been established between them. It was gratifying. Keedy didn’t rush. He waited until he’d drunk his tea and finished eating his biscuit.
‘I finally got some truth out of Thomas Day,’ he said.
‘That was an achievement.’
‘In view of what you told the inspector about him, it may surprise you to know that Mr Day was about to go back into business with your father.’
Adrian was aghast. ‘Tom Day is a crook.’
‘I’m only telling you what he said. Since he became a property developer, he’s been very successful. Your father judged him on that success and not on his moral standards. They met at the Devonian Hotel to discuss plans for a merger. Later that night, Mr Donohoe was murdered.’
‘Then you need to arrest Tom Day at once.’
‘He’s not involved, sir. I’m certain of that. Our attention is now turning to Mr Sprake. What your father was discussing with Mr Day was how to ease Mr Sprake out of the company. They had an ally in a man who worked closely with Sprake.’
‘Are you talking about Peebles?’
‘He’s been in contact with Mr Day for weeks. Sprake, as you know, is not in the best of health. He doesn’t have the strength to fight off a takeover. What he might have, however, is the strength to hire a killer,’ said Keedy. ‘Your father was staying in the background and letting Day keep in touch with Peebles. It looks as if Sprake discovered the plot to get rid of him and struck back at your father.’
‘Then why don’t you take him into custody?’
‘We need more evidence to do that, sir.’
‘I never trusted Sprake. He’s too cunning.’
‘Thomas Day and your father had their share of cunning. They were trying to take advantage of a disabled old man in poor health. Peebles would have given them bulletins about him so that they could move in when he was at his weakest.’ He paused to let Adrian take the information in. ‘I’m sorry if this shows your father in a bad light, Mr Donohoe.’
‘What upsets me is his lack of judgement. Going into business with Tom Day once more was a grave error.’
‘What about the plot to seize the company from Mr Sprake?’
‘Business is business, Sergeant. The weakest go to the wall.’
‘In other words, you’re not shocked by your father’s takeover bid?’
‘Nothing shocks me about my father,’ said Adrian, quietly.
‘He baffles us, sir. We’ve never met anyone who had a variety of interests. How did he manage to keep abreast of all of his business activities? He must have had the most enormous energy.’
‘He did.’
‘Now that we’re talking properly at last,’ said Keedy, ‘perhaps you could explain something that’s been troubling us from
the start. Every so often, your father seems to have vanished for a couple of days. He’d simply walk out of the Devonian Hotel without saying a word. Where did he go? We know that he didn’t go to Sprake’s house or to their offices in Barnes or to the Club Apollo. Have you any idea where he did go?’
Adrian bit his lip and fell silent. He stared at Keedy for a long time, trying to decide if he could be trusted with information that he’d kept to himself and never expected to share. The circumstances had made his decision untenable now and he realised that the police needed all the help they could get. The more they knew about Gilbert Donohoe, the more likely they were able to identify his killer.
Keedy prompted him. ‘I think you know the answer, sir.’
‘As a matter of fact,’ replied Adrian, ‘I don’t, though I did make the effort to find it. My father did disappear for days on end. It’s true. There were lots of other things about his behaviour that worried me. The worst of it was that I couldn’t discuss it with anyone else in the family. I had to cope with it on my own.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I did something you may regard as shameful, Sergeant. I hired a private detective. Isn’t that a terrible thing to do – paying someone to spy on your father?’
‘You obviously expected him to find something.’
‘I did. However bad, I had to know the truth.’
‘Yet you didn’t get it. The man you hired let you down.’
‘No,’ said Adrian, taking a deep breath. ‘He was good at his job. He picked up a trail and followed it. What he didn’t realise was that he himself was being followed. He was beaten up so badly that he was in hospital for six weeks. I had to pay for him to have major surgery.’
‘Did you hire someone else?’
‘No – I’d learnt my lesson.’
‘So your father knew what you’d done?’
‘As a result, he froze me out in every way. On the rare occasions when we actually met, he hardly said a word to me. He just gave me a warning look. That was enough for me.’
‘You’ve just made a lot of things clear, sir.’
‘I’m relying on your discretion.’
‘You’re also telling me that we’re likely to find something out about your father that may be very unpleasant.’
‘I’m certain of it, Sergeant.’
‘It’s going to come as a real blow to your mother and your sisters.’
‘They’ll be shattered. They worshipped him.’
‘What about you, sir?’
‘I loathed the sight of him,’ said Adrian, almost snarling. ‘When I heard that someone had murdered my father, I was delighted.’
CHAPTER TWENTY
While her mother was cooking the meal, Alice Marmion was wondering whether she should spend the night at home or return to her lodging in case Keedy tried to call on her there. If she stayed at the house, she’d at least have company and might even still be awake when her father returned. There was, she knew, a third alternative. Instead of going back to her own room, she could wait outside the house where Keedy lived and surprise him. What she didn’t know was how late he’d be and if he’d welcome the sight of her lurking outside the front door. Going to the window, she glanced out and saw that it was raining steadily. The idea of keeping vigil outside Keedy’s house suddenly lost its appeal. There was another strike against it. Because it was cheaper to do so, he lived in a comparatively rough area. If a woman was seen loitering in the street after dark, she could easily be mistaken for a prostitute. That decided it. Alice had only two real choices.
‘I’m not sure whether to go or stay, Mummy,’ she said.
‘You know what I’d like you to do.’
‘Yes, you’d like me to come back home for good.’
‘Until you get married, anyway,’ said Ellen.
‘I’m not sure that I will get married now.’
‘What a ridiculous thing to say!’
‘Attractive men are few and far between. All the best ones have gone off to war. If I fall out with Joe, he’d be snapped up by another woman in a jiffy. I’ve seen the way they look at him. It annoys me.’
‘I don’t think you’d be short of suitors, Alice.’
‘I don’t want them. I already have the man I want – at least, I did.’
‘You still do. Be patient.’
‘If only I had the chance to speak to him!’
‘That chance will come.’
‘How many years do I have to wait until it comes?’ Ellen laughed. ‘It’s no joke, Mummy.’
‘Then stop being silly. You and Joe are both sensible adults. This spot of bother will soon blow over and you’ll wonder why you took it so seriously.’ She used a fork to prong the potatoes in the saucepan. ‘These will need a few more minutes.’
‘It was clever of you to get so many potatoes. They’re like gold dust.’
‘Everything is getting scarce. The Germans are starving us out.’
‘This war can’t go on for ever.’
‘I’m beginning to believe that it can, Alice.’ She put the fork down. ‘I keep wondering how your father will react when we tell him about that farm.’
‘He’ll be angry that he wasn’t able to track Paul to Warwickshire.’
‘We should have asked what he looked like.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, has Paul grown a beard? Does he wear his hair long? If he’s changed his appearance, it will make it more difficult to find him.’
‘Do you want to go back to the farm?’
‘No, thank you,’ said Ellen, pulling a face. ‘I felt so uncomfortable there.’
‘I worry about that girl. What happened between her and my brother?’
‘We’ll never know.’
‘Seeing him thrown out must have been upsetting for her. I remember how impressionable I was at that age. Things that I can shrug off now used to torment me.’
‘They still do, Alice.’
‘Being with Joe has helped me to grow up.’
‘I agree,’ said Ellen. ‘Being without him is your problem.’
‘That’s horribly true,’ said Alice with a hollow laugh. ‘I’ve been thinking about Mrs Fryatt.’
‘You hardly know the woman.’
‘I’ve been wondering what she’d say if she knew that Paul was calling himself Colin Fryatt. I’ve got a feeling she’d be very upset.’
‘I’m very upset as well. It’s unsettling.’
‘Are you going to mention it to Mrs Fryatt?’
‘No, I’m not letting Paul upset her as well.’
On the way back to London, the detectives had the luxury of an empty compartment for part of the way and were therefore able to discuss at length what they’d each found out. The visit to Birmingham had been a revelation to them. It was as if a veil had been lifted from the Donohoe family.
‘I knew that Adrian was hiding something,’ said Marmion.
‘Hiring a private detective like that was a very big decision. He must have nursed suspicions about his father for some time before he was forced to act.’
‘Where does he think Donohoe was during those disappearances?’
‘He still doesn’t know,’ said Keedy. ‘He told me that he’d rather not find out now. He hopes that we can solve the murder without having to show the world what his father has been up to. I warned him that was impossible.’
‘When you lift the lid of a sewer, you can’t prevent the stink.’
‘I put it more gently than that, Harv.’
‘That makes a change.’
‘What about Thomas Day?’
‘He might unwittingly have done us a favour,’ said Marmion. ‘If Sprake found out that Day and Donohoe were plotting against him, he’d be tempted to get his revenge on his former partner. We need to tackle him about it.’
‘He obviously didn’t know that Peebles was helping the plotters.’
‘No, the chauffeur is a sly devil, Joe. They picked the right man. Since he w
as with Sprake every day, he made a good spy.’
‘Peebles was playing with fire, betraying his employer like that.’
‘They must have dangled a huge reward in front of him.’
‘If Sprake did hire someone to kill Donohoe,’ said Keedy, ‘he couldn’t have been acting alone. He’d need help. For a start, he’d have to know when Donohoe was leaving the Devonian Hotel.’
‘Perhaps he was in league with the ideal person.’
‘Armitage?’
‘Nobody was better placed than the manager to watch Donohoe and he’d probably have been delighted to assist. Don’t forget that Donohoe rejected his application to join the Club Apollo.’
‘I can’t understand why he’d want to join in the first place. Armitage still has some life in him. Why should he want to spend an evening listening to music with a lot of tired old men?’
‘There’s no accounting for taste, Joe. Take our beloved superintendent, for example. He’s mad about growing marrows. Who’d have thought that a man like him would be a passionate gardener?’
The train thundered on before finally starting to slow down. Since they were likely to have other passengers joining them very soon, Marmion came to a decision.
‘I suggest that we report to Chat before going on to see Sprake.’
‘Are we going to arrest him?’
‘In the first instance, we’ll just rattle his cage.’
‘What about Peebles?’
‘Tell him you questioned Day. That will scare the daylights out of him.’
‘I’d love to know how they bribed him.’
‘In my opinion,’ said Marmion, ‘they offered him security of tenure. In other words, he’d keep his job with the company. Peebles must be fed up with driving Sprake everywhere and making sure that he takes his pills every day. He wants to spread his wings. Wouldn’t you in his position?’
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