‘That’s a matter of opinion.’
‘Fido is much more companionable than Lord Hendry.’
‘Don’t mention him,’ she said sharply.
‘Too tight with his money?’
‘Oh, he was generous enough, I suppose. But he was too frightened to be seen with me at a racecourse. He wanted private pleasure without any public acknowledgement of it. Hamilton is the opposite. He loves to be seen at the races with me.’
‘You’re gorgeous – any sane man would want to show you off.’
‘Lord Hendry didn’t.’ She sipped her drink and studied him with a blend of fondness and faint despair. ‘When are you going to find a profession worthy of your talents, Marcus?’
‘I’ve found a number in my time.’
‘But you never stay long in any of them.’
‘I’m a restless spirit, Kitty,’ he said grandiloquently, ‘forever in search of the life on a higher plane that my talents deserve. You’ve elevated yourself by means of beauty. I’m doing it by other means.’
‘By gambling on horses?’
‘Fortunes have often been made that way.’
‘And lost just as often.’
‘Only by people with insufficient information,’ he boasted. ‘That’s why I hold the whip hand over them. I have someone who’s in the perfect place to guide me.’
‘All I can tell you are the odds that Hamilton is setting.’
‘I can get those myself, Kitty. What I need is inside knowledge. Which horse does he
‘Fillies never win the Derby – I know that much.’
‘Merry Legs could be the exception that proves the rule.’
‘Hamilton thinks she has a good chance but no more than that.’
‘That’s what he says, Kitty, but you should bear in mind that one of his horses won the Derby three years ago. As I recall, he hid his true feelings on that occasion as well, dismissing the colt’s chances as no more than average. He
‘I like Hamilton,’ she pointed out. ‘I enjoy his company. I hope to enjoy it for a lot longer. I agree that you helped to get me introduced to him, Marcus, and I’m grateful but I’ve been increasingly uneasy about what you expect of me.’
‘All you have to do is to keep your ears open.’
‘I’m worried.’
‘Why?’
‘Certain things have happened. Frankly, I’m scared.’
‘Of what?’
‘That’s the trouble,’ she confessed, ‘I don’t know. Something very strange and very alarming is going on. My hatbox was stolen from a hotel. It was later found with a man’s head in it.’
‘Never!’ he said, grimacing. ‘How perfectly dreadful!’
‘It shook me to the core, Marcus.’
‘I can imagine. Oh, you poor thing – no wonder you’re so uneasy about my plan. Look,’ he went on, kneading her hand sympathetically, ‘forget all about that wicked half-brother of yours. You have enough to worry about, I can see.’
‘I’m afraid of what might happen next.’
‘Are you in touch with the police?’
‘No – and I don’t wish to be.’
‘You’re like me – you have an aversion to authority.’
‘That hatbox belongs to part of my life I’d rather forget.’
‘That’s readily understandable. But don’t trouble yourself on my account. Marcus Johnson will find another way to make his fortune.’ He beamed. ‘And when I do, Kitty, I promise that
Robert Colbeck gave the superintendent an edited version of the visit to the Green Dragon and announced his intention to call at the stables belonging to Hamilton Fido that afternoon. Tallis was brusque.
‘Be sure to take your handcuffs with you.’
‘Why?’
‘To effect an arrest, of course,’ said Tallis. ‘The more I learn, the more convinced I am that Fido is the culprit.’
‘He pleaded his innocence.’
‘Villains always do that, Inspector.’
‘Granted,’ said Colbeck, ‘but, on this occasion, I pay some heed. While Mr Fido is no candidate for sainthood, there’s nothing in his past to indicate he would connive at murder.’
‘There’s a first time for everything.’
‘I’d rather give him the benefit of the doubt.’
‘Had you been here earlier,’ said Tallis, grinding the remains of his cigar in the ashtray, ‘you might not be so ready to give Mr Fido any leeway. I had a visit from Lord Hendry.’
‘Indeed – what did he want?’
‘To complain about you and Sergeant Leeming, as it happens.’
Tallis sat back in his chair and related the conversation he had had with Lord Hendry. While he was interested to hear of the attempt to injure Odysseus, Colbeck was not as ready as the superintendent to attribute the blame to Hamilton Fido. One regret was uppermost in his mind. He was sorry that Tallis had been unable to elicit the name of Lord Hendry’s former mistress.
‘We’ll have to find it by other means,’ said Colbeck.
‘How relevant do you think it will be?’
‘Very relevant – the lady may want her hatbox returned.’
‘Given what happened to it, I find that highly unlikely.’
‘I still wish to talk to her, Superintendent. She will at least be able to tell us when and where the item was stolen. We intercepted it at Crewe on its way to Ireland. Did it begin its journey in London or elsewhere?’ Colbeck stood up. ‘Perhaps I should speak to Lord Hendry myself,’ he said. ‘It may be that he’ll divulge the name to me.’
‘The young lady has vanished forever from his life. I don’t think he’d yield up her name if you stretched him on the rack. In his codex, to all intents and purposes, she is dead and buried.’
‘Then I may need to exhume her.’
Colbeck bade him farewell and went out into the corridor. He had intended to collect his top hat and leave the building. When he entered his office, however, he found that he had a visitor. A short, plump, middle-aged man leapt to his feet apologetically, as if sitting in a chair were a felony. He had the hunted, hangdog look of man who is uncertain if he is doing the right thing.
‘Are you Inspector Colbeck?’ he asked.
‘I am, sir – who might you be?’
‘My name is Dacre Radley.’
‘Do sit down, Mr Radley,’ said Colbeck, wondering why his visitor was so nervous. ‘What can I do for you, sir?’
Radley sat down. ‘This may be a fool’s errand, Inspector.’
‘Let me decide that.’
‘I can’t stay long. I’m on duty again soon.’
‘And where would that be, Mr Radley?’
‘At the Wyvern Hotel – that’s just off the Strand.’
