Strand. Christopher went on to Fleet Street at a brisk trot and turned his horse into Fetter Lane. When he reached his door, Jacob came hurrying out to take charge of the animal and to pass on some unexpected information.
'Someone has called to see you, Mr Redmayne,' he said.
'My brother?'
'No, sir. Your friend the constable.'
Christopher was astonished. 'Jonathan Bale?'
'He has been here the best part of an hour.'
'Then it must be important,' decided Christopher, dismounting and handing over the reins. 'He's ill at ease after two minutes under my roof. To endure it any longer is a sign of real urgency.'
He went in through the door, found Jonathan in the parlour, and waved him back to his seat when he tried to rise. The visitor was patently uncomfortable in a house that was so much larger and better furnished than his own. Notwithstanding his friend's ill-concealed prejudices and dour manner, Christopher had grown fond of Jonathan Bale. Chance had thrown them together on more than one occasion and forged a bond that neither would have believed possible. While Christopher was ready to acknowledge that bond with a cordial smile, the constable was less forthcoming.
'I am sorry to disturb you, Mr Redmayne,' he began solemnly.
'Not at all. I'm always glad to see friends.'
'I come on an errand.'
'So I assumed.'
'Thus it stands.' Jonathan did not linger over the social niceties. As soon as his host was seated opposite him, he gave him a brief account of the murder investigation and explained why he had such a personal commitment to it.
'You have a protective instinct,' remarked Christopher.
'Do I?'
'You guard that ward of yours like a mother hen watching over her brood.'
Jonathan was blunt. 'I won't stand for murder on my doorstep.'
'Nor should you, Mr Bale. But how can I help?'
'By speaking to your brother, Mr Redmayne.'
'Henry?'
'He may just have the answers I need.'
'Don't bank on that,' warned Christopher. 'Henry is not at his most approachable at the moment. He's rather preoccupied.'
'All I am asking is that you tell him the name of the deceased. I have a strong suspicion that the man may have been at Court. In which case, your brother might actually know him.'
'That's not impossible. Henry is a gregarious fellow. Inquisitive, too. He likes to keep abreast of all the Court gossip.'
'Will you take me to him, please?'
Christopher hesitated. 'It might be better if I passed on your request to him. My brother is indisposed. I'm the only visitor he'll permit. Will that content you?'
'It must.'
'Tell me name of the murder victim?'
'Gabriel Cheever.'
'Cheever!'
Christopher was stunned. Mouth agape, he sat there with his mind in turmoil. Could the man possibly be the estranged son of Sir Julius Cheever? If so, how would the latter react when he heard the news? But the question that really skewered its way through Christopher's brain was how the lovely Susan Cheever would respond. Her brother might have shaken the dust of Northamptonshire from his feet but she still recognised him as her sibling and, Christopher suspected cared for him a great deal. She would be devastated by the news and he hoped that he would be able to soften its impact by being the person to break it to her.
'Of course,' said Jonathan on reflection, 'that may turn out to be a false name. He certainly left a false address with his shoemaker. I found that out.'
'He gave his real name,' murmured Christopher
'What makes you think that?'
'I've heard of Gabriel Cheever and my brother knew him well.'
Jonathan brightened. 'Will he have an address for the man?'
'Perhaps.'
'How soon can you get it for me?'
'I'll walk to Bedford Street this morning, Mr Bale.'
'Are you all right?' asked Jonathan, peering at him with concern. 'You look pale, Mr Redmayne. Have these tidings come as a shock to you?'
'A profound shock,' admitted Christopher. 'When you arrived here, I was inspecting a site with a builder. I've been commissioned to design a house for a client called Sir Julius Cheever.'
'A relation?'
'His father, I believe.'
'The fog is starting to clear at last,' said Jonathan gratefully. 'The father deserves to be informed at once so he can identify the body for certain. Can you tell me how to find him?'
'He is probably on his way to London even as we speak, Mr Bale.'
'Good.'
'Though I can't guarantee that he'll shed too many tears over his son's demise,' said Christopher sadly. 'The two of them had fallen out, apparently. Sir Julius is a man of high principles. He was knighted by the Lord Protector for his services during the war.' Jonathan's eyes ignited with interest. 'You would have much in common with him, Mr Bale, but not, I would guess, with his son. Gabriel Cheever led the kind of existence that appalled his father so much that he virtually disowned him.'
'I see.'
'But grief might well dissolve their differences. I pray that it does. Every son deserves to be mourned.' He became thoughtful. 'Where is the body?'
'At the morgue.'
'Can you make sure that it remains there until the family has been told?'
'Yes, Mr Redmayne.'
'It would be a cruelty if they arrived to find that Gabriel Cheever had been buried in an unmarked grave because nobody came forward to claim the body. Even if Sir Julius himself does not wish to take responsibility, others in the family may do so.'
Jonathan got up. 'I'll return to the morgue at once and leave instructions.'
'Do that, Mr Bale,' said Christopher, rising from his own chair. 'Meanwhile, I'll repair to my brother's house to see what I can learn about the deceased. He and Henry sound as if they might have been birds of the same feather.'
'The thought had crossed my mind,' said Jonathan quietly.
'Let's about our business.' Christopher led the way to the door, arranged to meet his friend later on then sent him on his way. Having stabled the horse, Jacob was returning to the house.
'I have to go out again, Jacob,' Christopher told him.
'On foot?'
'In the first instance.'
'When shall I expect you back, sir?' asked Jacob.
'It's impossible to say. I may be some time. At all events, prepare no food for me. I'll not be dining at home today.'
'But I understood that you were to work on your drawings.'
Christopher winced. 'That project is in abeyance, I fear.'
Buoyed up by his brother's visit on the previous day, Henry Redmayne resolved to adopt a more positive
