‘Leaving that aside, what were you talking to the inspector about earlier? When I walked past the refreshment room, you were poring over a map with him. Why was that?’
‘I recalled what “M.V.” stood for, Mr Woodford.’
‘What are you talking about, girl?’
‘They were the initials in Mr Heygate’s diary,’ she said. ‘He discovered that barn owl near a place called “M.V.” The inspector brought something called an ordnance survey map and I pointed out where it was.’
‘Where what was?’ he asked, impatiently.
‘It’s the cottage that Mr Heygate talked about.’
‘He never said anything to me about a cottage.’
‘It was his wife who really loved it,’ said Dorcas. ‘She’d always wanted to live there. Mr Heygate said that he wished he could have bought it for her but could never have afforded it. He pointed it out to me one day.’
‘What was the name of the cottage?’
‘It’s called Meadow View.’
Leeming was unhappy about trampling through long grass in the half-dark. When he trod in some horse manure, he was even more discontented and stopped to wipe it off his shoe on a fallen log. It was a cold evening but the clear sky gave just enough light for them to pick their way along. Colbeck had memorised the route from the ordnance survey map. As they passed various landmarks, he realised just how detailed and accurate it had been.
‘I walked down this lane before,’ said Leeming, ‘yet I found nothing. And that was in daylight. How can we expect to find anything in the dark?’
‘That’s precisely what Mr Heygate did.’
‘He had the sense to bring a lamp.’
‘We don’t want to attract attention.’
‘What if Miss Hope is mistaken?’
‘She hasn’t let us down so far, Victor. The stationmaster actually showed her the cottage one day. She was able to describe it to me.’
‘The diary only said it was
‘Then we search both,’ said Colbeck, affably. ‘Cheer up, Victor. In a sense, we’re on a treasure hunt.’
‘I know, sir. I stepped in some of it.’
They walked on at a moderate pace and checked every building that passed them in silhouette. Eventually, they came to a large ramshackle shed at the bottom of a garden surrounded by a fence. It was only one of a line of sheds in various gardens, each in differing stages of repair. Leeming had inspected almost all of them on his earlier visit and been unable to find any evidence of an owl having been there. He and Colbeck looked along the line of sheds, wondering where to start. A voice came out of the gloom, then a figure approached the fence.
‘You look lost, gentlemen,’ said a man. ‘Can I help you?’
When he got close, they saw that he was a beefy individual in his forties with a craggy face. He gave them a half-smile and spoke with a local accent.
‘We’re looking for Meadow View,’ said Colbeck.
‘That’s a bit further on, sir,’ said the man, appraising them shrewdly. ‘It will take you less than two minutes to walk there. As you might have guessed, it has a nice view of the meadow. Look out for a horse chestnut tree,’ he continued. ‘It might not be so easy to recognise in this light but it’s the biggest tree you’ll come across.’
‘Thank you for your guidance.’
‘Is everything all right, Howie?’ called a female voice.
‘It’s my wife,’ he explained then raised his voice to answer her. ‘Everything is fine, dear. I’m just giving directions to two gentlemen.’
‘Dinner will be ready soon.’
They could only see the woman in dim outline. As she came forward, she was carrying a lamp in her hand. After taking a close look at the two strangers, she turned around and retreated into the house. Her husband glanced after her.
‘May saw you through the bedroom window,’ he told them. ‘She’s got better eyesight than me and spotted your hats. I was sent out to see who you were.’
‘We won’t hold you up from your dinner,’ said Colbeck, one hand on the fence. ‘We’re sorry to disturb you. Come on, Victor,’ he went on. ‘We must find Meadow View. Look out for the horse chestnut.’
‘I’d rather look out for horse manure,’ said Leeming, grumpily.
The man laughed and waved them off. When the detectives walked away, he watched them until they vanished into the darkness, then he went back into the house. Colbeck and Leeming, meanwhile, went as far as the designated tree and paused beneath it. The meadow was off to their right. The sergeant was perplexed.
‘Why did you say that we were looking for Meadow View?’
‘I didn’t want to arouse his suspicions.’
‘Do you think it was in that shed that the stationmaster saw the owl?’
‘No,’ said Colbeck, ‘not unless he climbed over the fence and trespassed on their garden, and I don’t think he did that. I ran my hand over the fence. It’s built with relatively new timber and reinforced with stout posts.’
‘He wants to protect his property. I’d do the same.’
‘There’s more to it than that, Victor. It was the wife who interested me.’
‘She was just a blob in the dark, sir.’
‘Didn’t you notice her lamp? It was unusually large and heavy. That’s why she never lifted it up to her face. I’d have expected her to come out with an oil lamp or even a large candle.’
Leeming showed real interest at last. ‘Do you think it might have been the missing railway lamp?’
‘It’s a possibility worth exploring,’ said Colbeck. ‘Add up what we know. There are two people excessively sensitive about anyone near their property. Both of them immediately came out to confront us so that they could weigh us up. There’s a tall fence that’s been recently constructed, yet the shed is falling to pieces and they’ve made no attempt to repair it. I find that significant. Finally, there’s a lady carrying what may turn out to be a stolen lamp. On the basis of that evidence, I’d say we have cause to investigate.’
‘What are we going to do, Inspector?’
‘Give them plenty of time to start their meal.’
They waited a quarter of an hour under the boughs of the tree. Then they walked slowly back to the place where they’d encountered the man. Colbeck took a closer look at the fence and saw that it had cost money and effort. When he indicated to Leeming that they were going to climb the fence, the sergeant was at first alarmed. Chest high, it was a daunting obstacle. In spite of the cold, Colbeck shed his hat, coat and waistcoat before hauling himself to the top of the fence and hooking a leg over it. Rolling out of sight, he reappeared and crooked a finger for Leeming to follow. The sergeant took off his coat and hat and tried to do exactly what the inspector had done but he was neither as lithe nor as fit as Colbeck. It took him three attempts before he finally got a leg over the fence. Colbeck was waiting to steady him as he lowered himself down. They moved across to the shed and peered in.
‘I don’t see any owl,’ whispered Leeming.
‘Neither do I, Victor, but then I never expected to. This is not the shed to which Heygate referred. The one with the owl is closer to Meadow View.’ He peered into the gloom. ‘But I do see something else.’
It was an old handcart with sacking on it. Colbeck felt his way around it to make sure that it was serviceable. Then he led the sergeant back into the garden. As they walked furtively towards the house, Leeming tripped over something and had to stifle a curse as he fell. His knees were covered in fresh earth. What he hadn’t seen was a small mound. It was next to another mound, overgrown with moss. Colbeck bent down to investigate the parallel mounds. He and Leeming were still crouched down when two figures were conjured out of the darkness. The woman was holding a lamp and the man was pointing a shotgun at them. There was menace in his voice now.
‘I had a feeling you might come back,’ said the man, standing over them. ‘Hold the light up, May. Let’s see who these nosy devils are.’
‘Put that gun down, sir,’ suggested Colbeck.
‘Shut up!’
‘You’re right, sir,’ said Leeming as the lamp was held near his face. ‘I think it
