The Stationmaster's farewell

‘I’m sorry,’ said Steel, ‘but I can’t help you, Inspector.’

‘Can’t you even hazard a guess?’ asked Colbeck.

‘No, I can’t. I don’t know the name of every property in Exeter and, in any case, this may not even be a property.’

‘I thought it might be someone’s name,’ said Leeming.

‘That, too, is possible.’

Their first call that morning had been on Superintendent Steel. They told him about the money concealed in the birdcage and showed him the stationmaster’s diary. He was intrigued by the information about Michael Heygate and Lawrence Woodford. However, Steel was less taken with Colbeck’s claim that Bagsy Browne might not have been the killer, after all.

‘With all due respect, Inspector,’ he said, ‘you are profoundly wrong.’

‘Victor agrees with you,’ said Colbeck. ‘He believes I should have my head examined by Dr Swift.’

‘I wouldn’t go that far, sir,’ said Leeming. ‘I just think we’ve got the right man. Why bother to look for someone else? Michael Heygate may have been a rotten brother and Woodford may have been drinking on duty but that doesn’t make them capable of battering a man to death. Browne is our man. I’d bet on it.’

‘I wouldn’t want to relieve you of your money.’

‘I’ll be happy to relieve you of more of yours, Inspector,’ said Steel with a grin. ‘Are you ready to wager another sovereign that Bagsy Browne is innocent of the murder?’

‘No,’ said Colbeck. ‘I’m ready to wager five whole pounds.’

‘In that case, I accept the bet.’

‘And I’m the witness,’ said Leeming.

Colbeck looked at Steel. ‘How did Browne spend the night?’

‘He never stopped protesting his innocence,’ said Steel. ‘We’re taking him before a magistrate this morning so that we can get him remanded in prison. I want him where he can’t possibly escape or collude with Adeline Goss.’

‘But she’s in a separate cell,’ said Leeming.

‘Bagsy would have found a way to communicate with her. We arrested him and another man some years ago and put them in cells that were fifteen yards apart. They sent messages to each other by tapping on the pipe that ran through all of the cells. It’s the reason I had it lagged.’ He turned to Colbeck. ‘What about Adeline? Do you think she was Bagsy’s accomplice?’

‘She couldn’t have been his accomplice in a murder he didn’t commit,’ said Colbeck, wryly. ‘And if it turns out that he is guilty of it, I still don’t think Miss Goss was involved. She loves Browne. The only way she could do that is to turn a blind eye to the things he does. She’d never condone murder.’

‘I’m inclined to agree with you there.’

‘What happens now, Inspector?’ asked Leeming.

‘We’ll need to pay a visit to Joel Heygate’s solicitor. I believe that his name is Mr Lyman of Lyman, Cole amp; Harmer. The money found in the birdcage must be handed over to him. So should the diary, by rights,’ Colbeck said, ‘but we need to hang on to that because it contains crucial evidence.’

‘It doesn’t absolve Bagsy of the murder,’ said Steel.

‘And it doesn’t implicate him in it either.’

‘What about Michael Heygate and Woodford? If Bagsy is innocent — and I don’t accept that for a second — should we bring them in for questioning?’

‘No, Superintendent, there’s no need. The arrest of Browne will give them the feeling that the case is solved. If one of them was somehow involved in the death, they’ll think they’re quite safe now. They’ll be off guard. Come on, Victor,’ said Colbeck, ‘we need to hand over this money. You can then pay a visit to the Crown Inn and find out just how friendly the landlord was with Mr Heygate’s brother. Meanwhile, I’ll have a chat with our unpaid assistant.’

‘Who is that, sir?’

‘A helpful young lady named Dorcas Hope.’

She knew that he’d be waiting for her to renew his pressure on her. Before she got anywhere near the refreshment room, Woodford descended on her. The difference this time was that he was actually pleasant to Dorcas.

‘Good morning, Miss Hope,’ he said.

‘Good morning, Mr Woodford.’

‘It’s good to see you so punctual.’

‘Mr Heygate taught me that,’ she said.

‘Is there any news of Mrs Rossiter?’

‘I’ve heard none — though I did speak to Miss Impey, her sister. She’s very distressed, as you can imagine. She thinks everyone is talking about her.’

‘Well, she’s quite wrong there,’ said Woodford. ‘Bagsy Browne is the person who’s keeping all the tongues wagging and not Mrs Rossiter. She’s been forgotten. All that people are talking about is the hanging.’

‘I’m not talking about it, I assure you. I can’t bear the thought of it.’

‘It’s what that devil deserves, Miss Hope.’

‘Why can’t they just lock him away for good?’

He broke off to answer a question from a passenger. It gave Dorcas a momentary break and allowed her to wonder why the stationmaster’s manner towards her had changed so radically. Having bullied her before, he was making an effort to be kind to her. She could not understand why.

‘I’m sorry about that,’ he said as the passenger walked away. ‘The reason I asked about Mrs Rossiter is this. Much as I sympathise with her plight, I can’t see a time when she’d ever be ready to return to her old job here. The passengers wouldn’t like it. They’ve all heard the tales about her. In other words,’ he went on, ‘we may be looking for a new manager or even a manageress.’ He smiled knowingly at her. ‘Mr Vesey has agreed to stay on until the end of the year but he’s not getting any younger and will have to be replaced. He feels that you may be ready to take over.’

She was thrilled. ‘That’s so kind of him!’

‘You suffer from the opposite handicap, of course,’ he said. ‘While he’s rather old, you’re rather young. Without Mrs Rossiter to look after you, there could be some harassment from certain quarters. The way to obviate that is to have a man working under you as a waiter. His presence will offer you protection against any unwanted attentions.’ He smiled again. ‘I take it that you’d be interested in the post.’

‘Oh, yes, Mr Woodford. I’ve always enjoyed working here.’

‘Leave it to me.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Before you go,’ he said, touching her arm as she tried to move away, ‘I just wanted a word about that diary again. I quite forgot that you mentioned it to me. I’m sorry for the confusion. You were right to tell the truth, Miss Hope.’

‘I’ve been brought up to speak honestly at all times. But I expect you haven’t heard what’s happened, have you?’ she said with excitement. ‘The diary has been found. It was hidden in the bottom of Peter’s birdcage.’

He was rocked. ‘Where is the diary now?’ he demanded.

‘I gave it to Inspector Colbeck.’

Woodford looked so ill that she thought he was about to faint.

When she got back from the market, Madeleine was surprised that she could not open the front door of the house with her latchkey. She rapped with her knuckles and heard something being moved away before the bolt was drawn. The door opened and her father’s head emerged to look up and down the street.

‘Has she gone?’ he asked.

‘Who are you talking about?’

‘Mrs Young has been here. She frightened the life out of me.’

‘Let me come in then you can tell me all about it.’

He stood aside so that Madeleine could enter the house. She took the basket into the kitchen and left it there while she removed her coat and hat. When they’d been hung up, she confronted her father.