unscrupulous. All that the public sees is the endless stream of success that he’s enjoyed. What’s hidden from them is the deep-dyed villainy behind that success.’
‘You sound as if you’re accusing Brian Dowd,’ said Colbeck.
‘He deliberately infiltrated my stables.’
‘Is that what you believe, sir?’
‘It’s obvious, Inspector,’ argued Fido. ‘My filly, Merry Legs, has an excellent chance of winning the Derby. John Feeny was sent over to England to make sure that Merry Legs did not even run in the race.’
‘Then it would have been in your interests to stop him.’
‘I’d never have employed him in the first place.’
‘Why did your trainer take the lad on?’
‘I mean to ask him that selfsame question when I meet him later today. Who killed John Feeny, I’m unable to tell you, but the person who dispatched him to England to spy on my filly was Brian Dowd.’
‘Could it be that someone at the stables took the law into his own hands?’ wondered Colbeck. ‘When he suspected that the lad had been deliberately planted on them, he struck back.’
Fido was fuming. ‘I do not employ killers, Inspector.’
‘How do you know?’ said Leeming. ‘Until today, you didn’t even know that John Feeny worked at your stables.’
‘Do you have any proof that that is where he was murdered?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Or any evidence to connect the crime to me?’
‘None at all, Mr Fido.’
‘Then I’ll trouble you not to make any unfounded allegations. Instead of badgering me about this murder, you should be chasing that crooked Irishman, Brian Dowd.’
‘I’ve already spoken with Mr Dowd,’ said Colbeck.
‘You
‘I went to Dublin to see him. What your anonymous informant failed to tell you was that the severed head was destined for Ireland. It was Mr Dowd who identified a rough portrait of the deceased and thus enabled us to move this investigation on to another stage.’
‘Don’t believe a word that liar told you!’ snarled Fido.
‘He said much the same about you, sir.’
‘Dowd set out to disable Merry Legs in some way.’
‘That’s pure supposition,’ said Colbeck. ‘According to Mr Dowd, the reason that Feeny left Ireland was that there were no prospects of his becoming a jockey there. That must have rankled with the lad. Why should he help a man who told him frankly that he had no future in the saddle?’
Hamilton Fido took a moment to absorb what he had been told. His face remained impassive but his mind was racing. He seized on one piece of information.
‘What makes you think the severed head was destined for Brian Dowd?’ he asked. ‘It was found in Crewe.’
‘Inspector Colbeck looked closely at the railway timetables,’ said Leeming. ‘Not long after that hatbox arrived in Crewe, there was a connecting train to Holyhead.’
Colbeck took over. ‘There was also the fact that Limerick Lad posed a serious challenge to your filly and to Lord Hendry’s Odysseus. Since I was certain that the crime was linked to the Derby,’ he went on, ‘I deduced that Mr Dowd was the most likely recipient of that ghastly present in the hatbox. He agreed with me.’
‘On what grounds?’ said Fido.
‘The false assumption already made by you, sir – namely, that Feeny was paid to report on the progress of Merry Legs and was thus seen as an enemy in the camp. The killer’s motive was revenge.’
‘You’re being fanciful, Inspector Colbeck.’
‘I am merely telling you how it looks to me.’
‘You made the mistake of listening to Brian Dowd.’
‘I’m giving you the chance to set the record straight.’
‘Then let me deny categorically that neither I – nor anyone in my employ – was involved in this murder. If that’s what Dowd is claiming, I’ll sue the bastard for slander.’
‘Some of the things
‘Keep him away from me – that’s all I ask.’
The conversation had reached a natural end. Before he could stop himself, Leeming blurted out the question that had been on the tip of his tongue since they had entered the room. ‘Which horse will win the Derby, sir?’
‘The first past the winning post,’ replied Fido.
‘Will that be Odysseus, Merry Legs or Limerick Lad?’
‘Odysseus has to be favourite, Sergeant.’
‘But you want your own horse to win.’
‘I hope and pray that she does,’ said Fido guardedly. ‘But I draw back from overrating her chances. All I will say is that Merry Legs has a wonderful opportunity to beat the field.’
‘That’s not what tradition tells us,’ said Colbeck knowledgeably. ‘The only filly to win the Derby was Eleanor in 1801. Before and since that year, colts have always taken the honours. Why should it be any different this year?’
‘Speaking as a bookmaker, I’d say that Merry Legs was an unlikely winner even though, as a filly, she’ll have a slight weight advantage. Speaking as an owner, however,’ Fido continued, ‘I’m ruled by my heart rather than my head.’
‘Does that mean you’ll be betting on Merry Legs?’ said Leeming.
‘The odds I’m setting are well advertised. Odysseus is 5–2; Limerick Lad is 4–1; and Merry Legs is 8–1. But there are eighteen other runners in the race. One of them might surprise us all.’
‘Bookmakers are rarely surprised,’ observed Colbeck.
Fido smiled. ‘We know how to cover every eventuality.’
‘Even an attack on your own horse?’
‘Merry Legs is under armed guard day and night, Inspector.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. Interested as I am in the race, my prime concern will always be the murder of John Feeny. All that you and Brian Dowd have done so far is to speak disparagingly of each other. Answer me this, Mr Fido,’ said Colbeck. ‘It occurs to me that the death of the groom might simply be a device to turn you and Mr Dowd into a pair of fighting cocks, trying to tear each other to bits. Who would profit most from that?’
‘One name leaps out of the pack immediately,’ said Fido.
‘And who is that, sir?’
‘Lord Hendry.’
‘I had hoped to speak to Inspector Colbeck,’ said Lord Hendry as he was shown into the superintendent’s office. ‘I know that he’s in charge of this case.’
‘Colbeck is answerable to me,’ said Tallis, staying on his feet as he waved his guest to a chair. ‘I control the investigation from here.’
‘Then I bring my complaint to you.’
‘Your complaint, Lord Hendry?’
‘Yes, Superintendent – if the blame lies with you.’
‘What exactly is the nature of your grievance?’
‘I deplore your methods,’ said Lord Hendry, tapping the floor hard with his silver-topped cane. ‘It was quite unnecessary for two detectives to come all the way to my house for the sole purpose of asking about a hatbox that was stolen from my wife.’
‘How else could the information have been obtained?’
‘By letter, Mr Tallis – I’m a prompt correspondent.’
‘Inspector Colbeck was anxious to meet you in person.’
‘Then he could have done so at my club,’ said Lord Hendry testily. ‘I’m there on a regular basis. It’s unsettling
