‘I’ve dealt with victims of crime for many years,’ said the commissioner, ‘and what I’ve noticed is that their greatest need is for reassurance. They want to feel safe and that the outrage will not occur again. It’s only after those two imperatives have been met that they begin to think about punishment for the offenders.’
‘I’ve thought about nothing else,’ said Stone, icily.
‘In arresting the two men, we’ve given your niece some peace of mind. They no longer represent a threat to her. The healing process can finally begin.’
‘It may not be as easy as that, Sir Edward.’
‘Why not?’
‘Ruth is an unusually sensitive girl.’
Stone did not tell him about the despair into which his niece had sunk, nor did he mention the abortive attempt at killing herself. They were private matters that had to be kept strictly within the family. What he did explain was that, hopefully, Ruth’s brother was on his way home. Stationed with his regiment in Mesopotamia, Daniel Stein had missed his father’s funeral and there was no certainty that word of it had actually reached him because the expedition was on the move. Writing to his nephew’s commanding officer, Stone had asked for compassionate leave so that Daniel could return home to mourn with the rest of the family. He and his sister had always been close. Stone believed that seeing him again might help to bring Ruth out of her depression. Before that could happen, however, Daniel would have to make the long and perilous journey home.
‘This war has played havoc with families,’ observed Sir Edward. ‘And as far as I can see, there’s no end in sight.’
‘Daniel is needed here. I expressed that need in the strongest terms, yet I still haven’t had a response.’
‘Correspondence does go astray, I fear.’
‘Then I’ll keep on sending word until it gets through.’
‘You do that, Mr Stone. Perseverance is everything.’
They chatted for a few more minutes then Stone rose to leave. After a farewell handshake, he moved to the door, pausing when he remembered something.
‘You might tell Inspector Marmion that I’m considering the hire of private detectives,’ he said.
‘Why should I do that?’
‘It might act as a spur to him if he knows he has competition.’
‘Nobody can compete with the inspector,’ said Sir Edward.
‘It won’t be the first time I’ve had to take matters into my own hand,’ explained Stone, pointedly. ‘When one of my warehouses was razed to the ground, I realised that I couldn’t rely on police protection. That’s why I’ve brought in a private firm to guard my property.’ He arched an eyebrow. ‘You might mention
When both interviews were concluded, the detectives discussed them over a cup of coffee. Marmion felt that he’d had the more productive session, picking up a whole new line of inquiry from Cyril Burridge. Keedy was as astonished as the inspector had been that the name of Herbert Stone was put forward as a possible suspect.
‘Mind you,’ said Keedy, thoughtfully, ‘it does chime in with something that Howard Fine told me.’
‘What was that, Joe?’
‘The person who booted him out of a job was Herbert Stone.’
‘Who gave him the right to do that?’
‘He just took it.’
‘That decision should surely have lain with Jacob Stein.’
‘I put that point to Fine.’
‘What was his response?’
‘He said that Stone was always poking his nose into the shop and asking to see the accounts. He obviously has some stake in the company but Fine didn’t know what it was.’
‘We need to dig a little deeper on that front.’
Keedy shook his head. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I can’t accept that Stone is behind it all. What possible motive would he have for killing his brother and seeing the premises go up in smoke? Unless the place was heavily insured, of course — can we find out if it was?’
‘I’ve already sent someone off to do just that,’ said Marmion. ‘And I agree that Stone would not be my prime suspect either. On the other hand, we didn’t see any sign of grief when he realised that his brother might be dead. I’d be devastated if anything like that had happened to Ray.’
‘How is your brother?’
‘He’s still doing good work in the name of the Salvation Army.’
Keedy grinned. ‘Brass bands and soup kitchens, eh?’
‘Don’t mock them, Joe. They relieve distress. How many people can you say that about?’
‘Very few.’
‘There you are, then.’
‘No disrespect to your brother but I think that people in the Salvation Army are holy fools — full of good intentions, yes, but altogether too misguided.’
‘I must remember to invite you over next time that Ray and Lily come to tea. By the end of the meal, I guarantee, they’ll have you banging the tambourine and singing hymns as loud as anyone.’
‘Don’t bet on that.’
‘You’re ripe for conversion,’ teased Marmion.
‘Oh no I’m not,’ said Keedy with a chuckle. ‘But since we’re on the subject of tea at the Marmion household, I haven’t really thanked you for inviting me last Sunday. Please pass on my thanks to the family.’
‘It was good to see you off duty, Joe.’
‘I could say the same about you. And it was lovely to see Ellen and Alice again. They both looked wonderful. I had a long talk with your daughter,’ he said, recalling their time alone in the kitchen. ‘Alice is so intelligent. I can see why she frightens most men off.’
‘I’m still not sure if that’s good or bad.’
‘She seems perfectly happy with things as they are.’
‘That’s true.’
‘Alice told me that her mother wants grandchildren.’
‘They can wait,’ said Marmion, philosophically.
‘Not indefinitely.’
‘The right time will come.’
‘The right time or the right man?’
Marmion smiled. ‘Ideally, both of them will arrive together.’
It was a cloudy day and the promise of rain encouraged Alice Marmion to walk briskly along the pavement. She was on her way home from school and her bag was bulging with the books she had to mark. It was impossible to miss the signs of war all around her. At the outbreak of the conflict, there had been little visible difference in the streets beyond the fluttering of a few Union Jacks. Flags were much more in evidence now and so were people in uniform. Recruiting posters stared down from advertising hoardings. Walls were daubed with patriotic slogans. As a young man limped past on crutches, Alice knew that he’d lost his leg somewhere in combat, one of an untold number of amputees invalided out of the forces.
She arrived home to see her mother hunched over a newspaper.
‘I thought you’d stopped reading the paper, Mummy.’
‘I tried to,’ said Ellen, ‘but, whenever I go shopping, people are talking about the latest news. If I want to join in the discussion, I have to make an effort to keep up.’ She looked up. ‘Good day at school?’
‘Yes,’ said Alice, ‘it was very good, as it happens.’
‘The children are lucky to have a teacher like you.’
‘That’s what I keep telling them.’
Ellen’s tone was meaningful. ‘It’s what you do best.’
‘All right, Mummy, don’t labour the point. You’ve said all there is to say on the subject of my future. Why not wait until I’ve actually made my decision?’
‘I’m hoping your pupils will make it for you.’
