‘William simply packed a bag and walked out of the house.’
‘He must have had somewhere to go to,’ insisted Colbeck, watching her carefully. ‘Somewhere — or someone.’
Her cheeks reddened. ‘I don’t know what you mean, Inspector.’
‘I think that you do.’
‘William is not that sort of man.’
‘Your husband is a trusted employee at the Post Office,’ he told her, calmly, ‘a man with access to important information. On the eve of a serious crime that may be linked to his place of work, Mr Ings not only pleads illness and stays away, he leaves his wife and children to fend for themselves while he goes elsewhere.’ He fixed her with a piercing stare. ‘I think that we have rather more than a curious coincidence here, Mrs Ings. Don’t you?’
Maud Ings was in a quandary. Wanting to protect her husband, she was deeply hurt by his treatment of her. Refusing to accept that he could be involved in a crime, she came to see that the evidence was pointing against him. She wrestled with her conscience for a long time but Colbeck did not rush her, recognising that her situation was already exerting almost unbearable pressure upon the woman. She was the discarded wife of a man who might turn out to be involved in a major crime. It took time for her to adjust to the full horror of her predicament.
Eventually, she capitulated and gabbled the information.
‘I don’t know the woman’s name,’ she said with rancour, ‘but I think that she lives in the Devil’s Acre.’
CHAPTER FOUR
Superintendent Edward Tallis was just finishing another cigar when there was a knock on the door of his office. It was late but he rarely left his desk before ten o’clock at night, believing that long hours and continual vigilance were required to police a city as large and volatile as London. He cleared his throat noisily.
‘Come in,’ he called, stubbing out his cigar in an ashtray.
Robert Colbeck entered. ‘Good evening, sir,’ he said.
‘I was wondering when you’d deign to put in an appearance.’
‘Sergeant Leeming and I have been very busy.’
‘To what effect?’
‘I believe that we’ve made slight headway, Superintendent.’
‘Is that all?’
‘There’s still a lot of intelligence to gather,’ said Colbeck, ‘but I wanted to keep you abreast of developments. Is this a convenient time?’
‘No,’ said Tallis, grumpily, ‘it most definitely is not. My head is pounding, my bad tooth is aching and I’m extremely tired. This is a highly inconvenient time, Inspector, but I’ll endure it with good grace. Take a seat and tell me what you have to report.’
Colbeck chose a leather armchair and settled back into it. Relying solely on his memory, he gave a concise account of the progress of the investigation and drew a periodic grunt of approval from the other man. He took it as a good sign that Tallis did not even try to interrupt him. Colbeck just wished that the cigar smoke were not quite so acrid, mingling, as it did, with the stink from the gas lighting to produce a foul compound.
‘Where is Sergeant Leeming now?’ asked Tallis.
‘Questioning senior figures at the railway company,’ said Colbeck. ‘I left him to do that while I called at the home of William Ings.’
‘But the cupboard was bare.’
‘The man himself may not have been there, Superintendent, but I feel that I gathered some valuable clues. I strongly advise that we keep the house under surveillance in case Mr Ings should chance to return.’
‘Why should he do that?’
‘To give his wife money and to see his children.’
‘The complications of marriage!’ sighed Tallis, sitting back in his chair. ‘The more I see of holy matrimony, the more grateful I am that I never got embroiled in it myself. I daresay that you feel the same.’
‘Not exactly, sir.’
‘Then why have you remained single?’
‘It was not a conscious decision,’ explained Colbeck, unwilling to go into any detail about his private life. ‘I suppose the truth is that I have yet to meet the lady with whom I feel impelled to share my life, but I have every hope of doing so one day.’
‘Even if it might impede your career as a detective?’
‘Unlike you, sir, I don’t see marriage as an impediment.’
‘Anything that prevents a man from devoting himself to his work is a handicap,’ announced Tallis. ‘That’s why I limit my social life so strictly. We have an enormous amount to do, Inspector. London is a veritable sewer of crime. Our job is to sluice it regularly.’
‘I have a feeling that this case will take us much further afield than the capital, Superintendent,’ said Colbeck. ‘The robbery occurred in a rural location in Buckinghamshire and that county is hardly a hive of criminal activity. On the other hand, the crucial information about the mail train was doubtless supplied by someone in London.’
‘William Ings?’
‘I reserve judgement until we get conclusive proof.’
‘It sounds to me as if we already have it.’
‘The evidence is only circumstantial,’ Colbeck pointed out. ‘Do I have your permission to arrange for the house to be watched?’
‘No, Inspector.’
‘Why not, sir?’
‘Only a fool would dare to go back there again.’
‘Only a fool would run up gambling debts.’
‘I can’t spare the men.’
‘You said that I could have unlimited resources.’
‘Within reason,’ Tallis reminded him, ‘and I don’t happen to think that keeping this house under observation is a reasonable use of police time. Ings has obviously gone to ground somewhere else. I doubt if his wife will ever see the rogue again.’
Colbeck was far too used to having his suggestions blocked by his superior to be irritated. It was something he had learnt to accept. Edward Tallis seemed to take pleasure from frustrating any initiatives that the other man put forward. It was one of the reasons why the antipathy between them had deepened over the years.
‘It’s your decision, sir,’ said Colbeck with exaggerated civility.
‘Abide by it.’
‘What else can I do?’
‘Invent some hare-brained scheme of your own to subvert me,’ said Tallis with vehemence, ‘and I’ll not stand for that. It’s happened before, as I know to my cost.’
‘I only took what I felt were the appropriate steps.’
‘You resorted to untried, unauthorised methods. And, yes,’ he admitted, raising a hand, ‘they did achieve a measure of success, I grant you. But they also left me to face a reprimand from the Commissioners. Never again, Inspector — do you hear me?’
‘Loud and clear, sir.’
‘Good. You must follow procedure to the letter.’
‘Yes, Superintendent.’
‘So what’s your next step?’
‘To meet up with Victor Leeming and hear what he found out at the railway company. He acquitted himself well when he talked to the people who were on board the train. He asked all the right questions.’
‘I’ll want to know what he gleaned from the railway company.’
‘Of course, sir.’
‘What are your plans for tomorrow?’
‘I intend to catch the earliest possible train to Birmingham.’
‘Why?’ demanded Tallis.
‘Because I need to speak to the manager of the bank to which that money was being sent. He has a key to
