Blood on the Line

after another.’

‘It’s not like that,’ she argued, ‘and I certainly don’t mope.’

‘I’ll want privacy when I retire, Maddy, and there’s something else I’m looking forward to as well.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Playing with my grandchildren, of course – where are they?’

She was startled. ‘Father!’

‘You can’t leave these things too late,’ he cautioned.

Even from her mother, Madeleine would have found such advice intrusive. From her father it was embarrassing. Like many young women on the verge of marriage, she was prepared to leave such decisions to Mother Nature, then react to them accordingly. She certainly did not wish to discuss the prospects of raising a family when she had yet to wear a wedding ring. All that Madeleine longed for was to share her life with Colbeck. To do that, she was willing to be patient and forbearing.

For his own and for his daughter’s sake, Andrews was keen to see a resolution at the altar. At the same time, however, he did not want to upset Madeleine. He lit his pipe and puffed away at it before taking up the conversation again. His tone was much softer.

‘Dirk Sowerby was married only four months after the betrothal,’ he said, meaningfully.

‘His wife is welcome to him,’ she replied. ‘I’d have no desire to spend my life with a man like that.’

‘What’s wrong with Dirk?’

‘I could never love him, Father.’

He was indignant. ‘Is that because he works on the railway?’

‘You know that it isn’t.’

‘Are you so high and mighty that you look down on us now?’

‘No,’ she said with vehemence, ‘and you must never think that. I’m the daughter of an engine driver and I always will be.’ She pointed to her easel. ‘Do you think I’d spend all my time painting trains if I regarded railwaymen with contempt? It’s unfair even to suggest it. Nobody could ever accuse me of looking down on you.’

‘Very well,’ he said, shamefacedly. ‘I take that back.’

‘Thank you.’

‘But I still worry for you, Maddy.’ He pulled on his pipe. ‘Do you remember what you once said to me?’

‘I’ve said lots of things – but you take no notice of them.’

‘This was about Inspector Colbeck. I felt that he was dragging his feet and keeping you waiting. You made an odd comment.’

‘Did I?’

‘Yes, Maddy. You said that there were times when it seemed as if his mind was elsewhere. He was distracted and rather sad. It was almost as if he was mourning someone.’

‘You’re right,’ she recalled. ‘I did say that.’

‘And do you still believe it?’

‘I don’t think so. It was just a feeling I had at the time.’

‘Suppose that there was someone in his past?’ said Andrews, tentatively. ‘He’s a handsome man with good prospects. You weren’t the first woman to notice that. I just wonder if he’s been disappointed in love and that that’s made him very cautious.’ He shifted his pipe to the other side of his mouth. ‘Has he said anything to you on the subject?’

She was firm. ‘No, Father.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes, I am.’

‘There hasn’t been anyone else, then?’

The question was like the jab of a needle and it hurt. Madeleine could not muster a reply. She had always felt slight concern about Colbeck’s earlier life, especially as he seldom talked about it. Once they had become formally engaged, her anxiety about his past had vanished. Her father had now awakened it. It was as if an old wound had been reopened and it was smarting. When she tried to dismiss the whole thing from her mind, it remained stubbornly in place like a tiny stain on a carpet that she could always see out of the corner of her eye. It was worrying. Rising abruptly from her chair, she headed for the kitchen.

‘I’ll get your supper,’ she said, briskly.

Edward Tallis was halfway through one of his pungent cigars. It was a signal that he was under stress once more. When he entered the superintendent’s office, Colbeck could barely see him through the fug. He waved a hand to disperse some of the smoke.

‘Do you mind if I open a window, sir?’ he asked.

‘Please do,’ urged Tallis, stubbing out the cigar in an ashtray. ‘I smoke far too many of these things.’

‘That’s your privilege, Superintendent.’

‘They help me to relax and that’s something I always need to do after an interview with the press. I’ve had a posse of journalists in here, hounding me for details of the investigation and demanding to know why we’ve made no arrests as yet.’

Colbeck opened the window and took in a lungful of clean air. A light breeze blew in, making the smoke swirl and eddy. He walked back to the front of the desk. It was evening and, after his visit to Manchester, he had come straight to Scotland Yard this time instead of calling on Madeleine beforehand.

Tallis glowered at him. ‘I am in need of good news, Inspector.’

‘Then you’ll be pleased to know that we have identified Irene Adnam as the woman implicated in the murder of the two policemen.’

‘Do you know where she is?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Have you any idea where she might be?’

‘Not at the moment,’ confessed Colbeck.

‘Then how can this possibly be construed as good news?’

‘It will enable us to turn the press from our enemies into our friends.’ Tallis gave a mirthless laugh. ‘Yes, I know that they often take a hostile attitude towards you, sir, but they are our best means of tracking down Miss Adnam. If we issue a description of her, it can be published in every national newspaper and in provincial editions in places like Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Manchester.’

‘I want to be persuaded that we have the right person first.’

‘I spoke with her father. He lives in Deansgate.’

‘That’s a very deprived part of Manchester, as I recall.’

‘Mr Adnam has fallen on hard times.’

Colbeck described his meeting with the man and explained how astounded he’d been to learn that his daughter had been involved in criminal activities for a number of years. He absolved Adnam of any blame. All that he could be accused of was being too naive. Irene had been so plausible that he believed the lies she was telling him. Once he’d been confronted with the truth, he’d condemned his daughter’s crime spree and readily answered all of Colbeck’s questions. As a result, the inspector had a record of all the times she had visited her father and a list of the places at which she claimed to have worked.

‘In other words,’ said Colbeck, ‘she still has sufficient care for Mr Adnam to want to relieve his distress.’

Tallis was harsh. ‘That won’t stop her from being hanged,’ he promised. ‘A few good deeds are heavily outweighed by the bad ones. Irene Adnam is evil. She and Oxley are clearly birds of a feather.’

‘They’ll be hiding somewhere until the hue and cry passes. The only way to smoke them out is by using the press.’

‘I’ll summon the hungry jackals in the morning.’

‘Send word to them now, sir,’ urged Colbeck. ‘The sooner we have the nation looking for this pair, the better. If we hurry, we might catch the later editions.’

‘I’d prefer to make a concerted effort tomorrow, Inspector. That way we can ensure that national and provincial newspapers carry the information at the same time. The wider the coverage, the more chance we have of flushing them out of cover.’ Reaching for a pencil, he moved the oil lamp closer so that it shed its glow over the pad in front of him. ‘I’ll need an exact description.’