The detective was shaken. ‘He would surely not have stolen from his own father?’
‘It would not have been the first time, Sergeant. But enough of Stephen,’ he said, bitterly. ‘I’ve disowned him. He’s no longer welcome here and has no claim on the business. Unlike Hugh, he would never
‘I can’t imagine ever disowning either of my children. I love them too dearly. In any case,’ said Leeming, earnestly, ‘my wife would never allow such a thing to happen. I’m surprised that Mrs Voke was ready to renounce her own child.’
Voke stifled a sob. ‘My wife died a couple of years ago,’ he said. ‘While she was alive, Stephen was far less trouble. Alice knew how to handle him. Once she had gone, he became surly and disobedient.’
‘When did you and he come to the parting of the ways?’
‘It must have been two or three months ago.’
‘Would you have started work on that coffee pot by then?’
‘Oh, yes,’ replied Voke, ‘that was a bone of contention. Because my eyesight is fading a little, I needed someone else to do the more intricate work on that locomotive. Stephen expected that I’d turn to him but Hugh was always my first choice.’
‘So your son was aware of the details of the commission?’
‘Naturally – why do you ask?’
‘Someone lay in wait for Mr Kellow,’ said Leeming, ‘so they must have known that he was carrying something of great value. Apart from your son, can you suggest anyone else who might have known what your assistant’s movements would be?’
‘No,’ said Voke, ‘I would never disclose such details. Hugh has delivered expensive items before without mishap, largely, I suspect, because nobody realised what he was carrying.’
‘Could Mr Kellow have confided to anybody that he was going to Cardiff today?’
‘I warned him against doing so, Sergeant. Besides, in whom could he confide? He had few friends and he never talked to his sister about his work here.’
‘Does his sister live in London?’
‘Yes – she’s in service at a house in Mayfair.’
‘Do you have an address for her, Mr Voke? She needs to be informed of what’s happened – and so do his parents.’
‘Hugh and Effie are orphans, I’m afraid. They lost their parents. As to her address, I can’t help you. I only met Effie Kellow a couple of times. She was a pretty girl. This horrible news will destroy her,’ said Voke, sorrowfully. ‘She looked up to her brother and Hugh was very kind to her. I know that he gave her money from time to time.’
‘Is there any way of finding her address?’
‘You might ask Mrs Jennings. She was Hugh’s landlady and has a house not far away from here. But don’t call on her this late,’ he cautioned. ‘Mrs Jennings would never open the door to a stranger after dark even if he is a detective.’ Voke reached across to open a drawer in a sideboard and took out a pencil and some paper. Closing the drawer again, he scribbled an address and handed it to Leeming. ‘That’s where Hugh lived,’ he said. ‘His landlady will be terribly upset at what happened. I know how fond she was of him.’
‘I’ll speak to her tomorrow,’ decided Leeming. ‘I’ll also need to have a word with your son.’
Voke was peremptory. ‘I no longer have a son,’ he snapped. ‘But the person you’re after works for a silversmith in Hatton Garden. Look for Solomon Stern.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
‘What will happen to the body?’
‘I assume that it will be reclaimed by his sister.’
‘Effie Kellow is in no position to pay for the funeral,’ said Voke with a surge of affection. ‘I’ll bear any costs involved.’
‘That’s very generous of you, Mr Voke.’
‘Hugh was the best apprentice I ever had. When he stayed on as my assistant, he was loyal and hard- working. It’s the least I can do for him, Sergeant.’
‘I’ll pass on that information,’ said Leeming. ‘I’m sorry to have disturbed you, sir, but I didn’t only come to tell you what happened to Mr Kellow. There’s another troubling matter.’
‘My assistant is murdered and a silver coffee pot is stolen – what can be more troubling than that?’
‘We believe that Mr Kellow may have had keys to the shop.’
‘He did,’ confirmed Voke. ‘He had to let himself in.’
‘Those keys have vanished. Inspector Colbeck, who is leading the investigation, sent me specifically to give you a warning. Look to your property, sir. It may be in danger.’
Robert Colbeck and Jeremiah Stockdale ended the day in the lounge of the Railway Hotel with a glass of malt whisky apiece. Before they compared notes about what they had learnt, Stockdale banged the arm of his chair with a fist and made his declaration.
‘I want this man caught and caught quickly, Inspector,’ he said. ‘I won’t tolerate murder in my town. I police Cardiff with a firm hand and villains fear me for that reason.’
‘Your reputation is well-earned, Superintendent, but why do you think the killer must be a man?’
‘It’s what you suggested. You felt that a woman was involved to lure Mr Kellow here but that she needed a male accomplice to do the deed itself. How else could it have happened?’
‘I’ve been mulling that over. The young woman could have been acting alone.’
Stockdale shook his head. ‘No, I refuse to believe that.’
‘Look at the way he was killed,’ said Colbeck. ‘He was struck on the head to daze him then acid was poured down his throat. Why choose that method? Remember that Mr Kellow was defenceless. A man would either have strangled him or battered him to death. A woman, on the other hand, would be less likely to turn to violence.’
‘She could have stabbed him.’
‘Most women would draw back from that. No, I think that she deliberately selected acid and I’ll be interested to find out why. In doing so, of course, she does give us a definite line of enquiry.’
‘How did she get hold of it?’
‘Exactly,’ said Colbeck.
‘According to medical evidence, it was sulphuric acid.’
‘Do you have many chemists and druggists in Cardiff?’
‘Well over a dozen,’ replied Stockdale, ‘and many of them are in Butetown. There are people there who don’t ask questions of their customers. They just give them what they want. It’s the reason we had three poisonings in the district last year.’
‘Mr Pugh was warning me about the perils of Butetown.’
‘It can get lively,’ conceded Stockdale with a grin, ‘but that’s part of its charm. Archelaus Pugh wouldn’t venture anywhere near the docks without an armed guard but I know my way around. It was also the sight of one of my early triumphs. It must be almost fifteen years ago now,’ he recalled with a nostalgic smile. ‘A number of sea captains had been assaulted and robbed near the West Dock. So I dressed up as a sailor one night and acted as bait.’
‘That was a bold thing to do, Superintendent.’
‘Luckily, it worked. When I saw that three men were following me, I broke into a run and they gave chase. One of them was much faster than the others and got well clear of them. I stopped, punched him on the nose and knocked him to the floor. Seeing what I’d done, his friends turned tail.’
‘What happened to the man himself?’
‘I arrested him, charged him with robbery and sent him for trial. He was transported for seven years.’ He gave a throaty chuckle. ‘I was in court to savour the moment.’
‘I hope that we’ll both be able to savour the verdict that’s passed on the killer.’
‘Whether it’s a man
‘Or, indeed, both,’ said Colbeck. ‘If two people were involved, they are both culpable and will end up side by side on the gallows.’
