The Silver Locomotive Mystery

come to her aid without any delay or prevarication.’

‘That’s a false comparison and you know it. Lady Pryde would never dare to risk her life for a silver coffee pot.’

‘You heard what Inspector Colbeck told you – the exchange must go ahead.’

‘That’s only because he expects to catch the villain when it takes place. His priority is to safeguard you. I’m not sure that he can.’

‘You saw what that letter said. On no account must the police be involved at all. Remember what happened to Sergeant Leeming. It will be far easier if I just hand over the money and get what I want.’

‘At three times its original price!’ he exclaimed.

‘It would be worth it, Clifford.’

‘That coffee pot was supposed to be a gift from me.’

‘You seem to have forgotten that,’ she said, icily. ‘When I visit the bank, I will be withdrawing enough money to reimburse you for your loss. That way I’ll have paid the full price for it so it will be truly mine. You’ll have no cause to harass me then.’

‘I’m not harassing you.’

‘Then please step out of my way.’

‘At least, talk this over sensibly.’

‘You’re incapable of understanding my point of view.’

‘I’m trying to stop you doing something you’ll afterwards regret.’

‘Oh, no,’ she said, nostrils flaring. ‘What I regret is that I believed you’d stand by me in a situation like this. We are not really talking about a silver coffee pot, Clifford. Much more is at issue here. The whole basis of our marriage has been rocked. When I look for your uncritical support in a crisis, I find you wanting. Goodbye.’

Sweeping past him, she went into the hall and headed for the front door. The butler was at hand to open it for her and give an obsequious bow. The phaeton stood ready outside. Winifred was about to walk across to it when she noticed a letter on the doormat in the porch. Written across it in bold capitals was her name.

It took Colbeck several minutes to calm the actor down so that he could relate the facts of the case. Taken into Stockdale’s office, Nigel Buckmaster went through his full range of dramatic gestures. He explained that he had gone to Kate Linnane’s room to take her down to a late breakfast, only to find the door wide open and the room in disarray. Buckmaster reported his findings to the manager and Pugh had immediately questioned his staff. A waiter remembered seeing a woman being hustled down the back stairs by a man in a cloak. One of the cooks had seen the couple leaving by the rear entrance. Both of the witnesses agreed that the woman had looked in distress.

‘Kate has been kidnapped!’ howled Buckmaster.

‘It certainly looks that way,’ said Colbeck, ‘though I wonder that she didn’t cry for help as she was taken past those witnesses.’

‘Some kind of weapon must have been held on her under the man’s cloak – a knife, perhaps, even a pistol.’

‘Who could want to do such a thing?’ asked Stockdale. ‘I’m sure that she has many admirers but they’d hardly go to those lengths.’

‘I don’t think we’re looking for someone who reveres Kate,’ said Buckmaster, ‘but a rival who detests and envies me. He’s determined to wreck my company because it’s had such resounding success. What lies behind this crime is artistic jealousy of the worst kind.’

‘That’s one possible explanation,’ said Colbeck.

‘What other one is there, Inspector?’

‘The answer to that must lie in Miss Linnane’s private life, sir. She’s a very beautiful woman. Has there been an entanglement in her past that left someone feeling vengeful towards her?’

Buckmaster was peremptory. ‘There’s been no such thing.’

‘How can you be so certain?’

‘Kate has no secrets from me.’

‘Then she’s unlike any woman I’ve known,’ said Stockdale with a dry laugh. ‘Women are secretive creatures – it adds to their allure.’

‘I’m not interested in your opinions, Superintendent,’ said the actor, treating him to a glare. ‘Kate Linnane has been my leading lady for some years now and the trust between us is complete. If there had been any dark shadows in her past, she would surely have told me about them.’

Colbeck remembered the figure he had seen flitting into Kate’s room earlier that week. It had obviously not been Buckmaster or there would have been no need for stealth. Colbeck sensed that she had not felt obliged to tell the actor-manager about her furtive caller. What else had she decided not to confide?

‘Kate’s safety is paramount, of course,’ said Buckmaster, ‘but the fate of the whole company now hangs in the balance. We have a full house for this evening’s performance. It will be a catastrophe if we have to cancel it. The damage to my reputation will be irreparable.’

‘We’ll do our best to find the lady,’ promised Stockdale. ‘Any woman as striking as Miss Linnane will surely have been seen after she left the hotel. I’ll organise a search for her at once, sir.’

‘Thank you.’ As Stockdale went out, the actor turned to Colbeck. ‘I was hoping that you’d take charge of the case, Inspector.’

‘I already have my hands full, Mr Buckmaster.’

‘This could prove disastrous for us.’

‘I sympathise with you,’ said Colbeck with unfeigned sincerity. ‘Accounts of Miss Linnane’s performance have been uniformly glowing. It’s been a source of great annoyance to me that I’ve been unable to see the two of you in Macbeth. Unfortunately,’ he went on, ‘I have no jurisdiction beyond the case that brought me to Cardiff. The superintendent is responsible for law-enforcement in the town and he is known for his tenacity. There is one crumb of comfort, however.’

‘I fail to see it.’

‘When she was taken from the hotel, Miss Linnane was apparently unharmed. If someone had meant to injure her in order to prevent her from appearing onstage, they could have done that in her room. I would expect her to be found in good health.’

‘And when will that be?’

‘I trust that it will be in the very near future.’

‘I need Kate now,’ insisted Buckmaster. ‘She is more than just our leading lady, Inspector, she is our good luck charm. Without her, we face potential ruin.’

‘I think you exaggerate a little, sir.’

‘She’s a vital part of the company.’

‘That goes without saying,’ conceded Colbeck, ‘but you would not have had such continuous success in your profession if you had cancelled a performance because someone was indisposed. For a role like Lady Macbeth, you must surely have an understudy.’

‘I do and I do not,’ said Buckmaster, uneasily. ‘There is someone who could step into Kate’s shoes but she’s young and untried. What if she lets us down? How can I scale the heights if I am held back by a Lady Macbeth who is floundering in the part?’

‘Would the understudy happen to be Miss Tremaine?’

Buckmaster blinked. ‘How did you know that?’

‘I had the good fortune to meet the young lady when she gave me a playbill in the street,’ said Colbeck, smiling at the memory. ‘I was taken with her patent dedication. To lose Miss Linnane in this manner is very troubling but your predicament may not be as serious as you fear. I have a feeling that Miss Tremaine will rise to the occasion.’

Laura Tremaine was torn between delight and quiet terror. The message had simply told her to come at once to the actor-manager’s hotel for a rehearsal of her role as an understudy. The thought that she might actually play Lady Macbeth opposite Nigel Buckmaster gave her a dizzying thrill. It was beyond anything she had ever dreamt about, expecting to occupy lesser parts for many years before even being considered for a leading role. Yet it now seemed possible. There had been no explanation as to why Kate Linnane was unable to repeat her triumph that