The Stationmaster's farewell

‘Then I’d better see what she wants.’

‘What she wants is a gag over that foul mouth of hers.’

‘Yes, she does have a colourful vocabulary.’

They went downstairs together. When they reached her cell, Adeline Goss was still yelling at the top of her voice. At the sight of Steel, she quietened down. He nodded to the sergeant who unlocked the door of the cell.

‘What seems to be the problem?’ asked Steel, confronting her.

‘I want to know what’s going on,’ she demanded.

‘You’re under arrest, Miss Goss. I’d have thought that was obvious.’

‘They said I’d go before a magistrate this morning.’

‘And you will do in due course. But there’s been a development.’

She squinted at him. ‘What’s happened?’

‘Bagsy Browne has disrupted our plans,’ said Steel. ‘You remember him, don’t you?’ She looked blank. ‘Everyone knows you’re his friend. Why deny it?’

‘I’ve had nothing to do with anyone of that name.’

‘Would you swear that on the Holy Bible?’

‘Yes!’ she shouted. ‘Who is this Bagsy Browne?’

‘He’s the man you were seen with by a witness, Miss Goss.’

‘What bleeding witness?’

‘He’s someone who knows you both by sight. His name is Mulleady.’

‘Finbar Mulleady!’ she said with derision. ‘Don’t believe a word that drunken Irish scoundrel tells you. The only thing Mulleady ever sees is how much is in his tankard. He’ll tell you any damn thing you want if you buy his beer.’

‘As it happens,’ explained Steel, ‘Mulleady’s not in a position to tell us anything at the moment. His dead body was pulled out of the canal this morning.’ She cackled with delight. ‘There’s nothing to laugh about. It’s one more crime to chalk up to the man you’ve never heard about — Bagsy Browne. He obviously got wind of the fact that Mulleady was going to bear witness against the pair of you. That’s two murders we’ll hang him for — and you’ll be his accessory to one of them.’

Adeline was silenced at last. Fear and disbelief seized her. Her mind was racing madly as the cell door was slammed shut in her face and locked.

Michael Heygate and his wife were surprised when Tallis turned up on their doorstep. Since he was now in charge of the investigation, however, they felt that he’d come to give them a report on its progress. Tallis didn’t disillusion them. He was there to question them without appearing to do so. Invited into the parlour, he sat by the fire and refused the offer of refreshment.

‘Sergeant Leeming came to see us yesterday,’ said Heygate.

‘So I understand. Like me, he found Dawlish a charming place.’

‘It’s not been all that charming for us,’ muttered Lavinia. ‘But our prospects have suddenly improved,’ she added with a whisper of a smile. ‘When the sergeant heard that I came from Starcross, all he wanted to talk about was the-’

‘Yes, yes,’ said Tallis, cutting her off. ‘I’m all too aware of that. What I came to tell you is that the net is closing in on the killer.’

‘Have you identified him, then?’ asked Heygate.

‘We believe so.’

‘What’s his name?’

‘Bernard Browne — though I understand that he’s known as Bagsy.’

‘Yes, we’ve met him,’ said Lavinia before she could stop herself. After collecting a stern look from her husband, she gave a nervous laugh. ‘We don’t really know the man, but someone called Bagsy came into the shop once.’

‘Oh?’ said Tallis, interested. ‘What did he want?’

‘He bought a fishing rod,’ said Heygate, indicating to his wife that she should hold her tongue. ‘It was a long time ago. I’d forgotten all about him.’

‘He bought a fishing rod?’ Tallis was astonished. ‘Everything I’ve heard about this villain suggests that he’d be more likely to steal one.’

‘He paid us the full price.’

‘If he came here, he must have seen your name above the shop.’

‘That’s true.’

‘Did he connect you with the stationmaster at Exeter St David’s?’

‘I doubt it.’

‘Well, it’s not all that common a name.’

‘He was just one customer of many when we had such things,’ said Heygate, evasively. ‘If my wife hadn’t remembered his name, I wouldn’t have done so.’

‘I’m very glad that Mrs Heygate did so.’

Tallis gave her a nod of congratulation but she was squirming with discomfort. A link had been made between two of the murder suspects. That fact alone made Tallis feel that his journey hadn’t been in vain. He began to wonder if Heygate had either employed Browne to commit the crime, or assisted him in doing so. It could be a fruitful area to explore. He tried to dispel their obvious disquiet.

‘There’s no guarantee that Browne is guilty,’ he stressed. ‘He just happened to be in the vicinity and has a long criminal record. We suspect that he was there on the night of November 4th — but, then, so were you.’

‘That’s right, Superintendent,’ said Heygate.

‘My sergeant thought it odd that you didn’t bring your children.’

‘They preferred to stay here with school friends.’

‘Yet the celebrations in Exeter would have been much more spectacular.’

Heygate was stony-faced. ‘It was their choice.’

‘So you must also have stayed with friends.’

‘Yes, we did.’

‘Was it for the one night or for two?’

‘It was just for the one night, Superintendent. My wife and I stayed for most of the celebrations, then caught a late train back here. Little did we know at that time, mind you, what they would find when the bonfire burnt itself out.’

‘Quite so, quite so — you have my deepest sympathy.’

‘It came like a thunderbolt,’ said Lavinia, finding her voice at last and contriving a look of grief. ‘Michael and I are still stunned.’

‘Yes,’ added her husband. ‘We’ve been very grateful to Mr Quinnell. He’s been immensely helpful. In fact, we received a letter from him this morning to say that the funeral will be next Monday. The railway company will bear the cost.’

‘That’s very noble of them.’

‘All the arrangements will be taken care of. Mr Quinnell was anxious to relieve us of that and he’s also talking about a memorial service — though I feel that might be going too far.’ A sly look came into his eye. ‘How soon after the funeral will my brother’s will be read, do you think?’

‘Oh, I can’t say, Mr Heygate. Legal wheels grind very slowly.’

‘Will it be a matter of weeks?’

‘You’d have to ask the solicitor concerned.’

‘Is there any means of speeding up the process?’

‘I wish that there were,’ said Tallis with a chuckle. ‘Solicitors are like snails. They never rush. But you’ll get your inheritance in the fullness of time,’ he went on. ‘I hear that you’re the only close relative. My advice is to forget about the will for the time being. You have to brace yourself for the funeral before that. It’s going to be a harrowing experience for both of you.’

‘Yes, it is,’ they said in unison.

Victor Leeming paced himself. He worked on the theory that the stationmaster would have walked more