Blood on the Line

been neglected. Talk of marriage had reminded him of his engagement to Madeleine and he felt more than a twinge of guilt at the way he’d kept postponing a decision about the date of the wedding.

‘That’s yet to be decided,’ he said, evasively.

‘I think that you and Miss Andrews are a perfect match, sir.’

‘Thank you, Victor. I like to think that as well.’

‘Dirk Sowerby is still on about it,’ moaned Andrews. ‘He has this daft idea of sailing across the seven seas on a steamship.’

‘What’s so daft about it?’ she asked.

‘It will never happen, Maddy. He can’t afford it on his pay.’

‘Everyone is entitled to dream.’

‘It’s not a dream, it’s sheer nonsense. It just won’t happen.’

‘You never know, Father. Look at me. I used to think about marrying Robert one day but I never really believed that my dream would ever come true. Yet, against all the odds, it did.’

‘That’s because you’re very special, Maddy – Dirk is not.’

‘You’re being unfair on him. Last week you were telling me what a good driver he’ll make.’

‘It’s only because I taught him all he knows.’

‘Stop mocking his ambitions.’

‘I like to tease him. What harm is there in that?’

Andrews had returned home that evening in a jovial mood. It was not simply because he’d been drinking with his friends. As his retirement got ever nearer, he was coming to see the benefits that it would bring. He could still visit his favourite pub of an evening but he would no longer have to get up early the next morning to begin work again. A yoke would suddenly be removed from his neck. When they finished supper, he touched on a subject he’d raised before.

‘How would you feel if I was to get wed again, Maddy?’

She blinked. ‘Do you have someone in mind, Father?’

‘I might and I might not.’

‘Well, I’m not going to object, if that’s what you’re asking. You’re old enough to make your own decisions.’

‘It would be different if you were still here,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t feel it was right to bring another woman into the house. But when you’re gone and I have the place to myself, I may get lonely.’

‘Do you want to be married again?’

‘I do and I don’t.’

‘Stop going around in circles,’ she chided. ‘I might and I might not. I do and I don’t. I can and I can’t. If you start playing that game, we could be here all night.’

He cackled. ‘I simply wanted your opinion, Maddy.’

‘Then my opinion is that no woman would be misguided enough to take you on,’ she said, jokingly. ‘You’re too set in your ways and you’re too cantankerous. Why should anyone even look at you?’

‘Your mother did.’

‘You were a lot younger then.’

‘Love is nothing to do with age, Maddy. It can happen to us whether we’re seventeen or seventy. In fact, I fancy it goes deeper when you’re more mature. You’ve learnt how to appreciate it by then.’ She narrowed her eyelids. ‘Why are you staring at me like that?’

‘There’s something you’re not telling me, Father.’

‘Is there?’

‘I think you’ve met someone.’

‘I have and I haven’t. That’s to say,’ he added quickly to still her protest, ‘I’ve seen someone who aroused my interest. It’s nothing more nor less than that, I swear it. I just wanted to sound you out. When we’ve spoken about this before, there was a lot of bravado in what I was claiming. It’s different now. I’m serious.’

‘Then I’ll give you a serious answer,’ she said, affectionately. ‘I want you to be happy. If the best way to achieve happiness is to get married again, then I’m very much in favour of it.’ She smiled. ‘I wondered why you started coming to church more often. It’s someone in the congregation, isn’t it?’

‘Wait and see.’

‘Don’t be so coy about it.’

‘I’m just being practical,’ he said. ‘It’s pointless of me to think about my wedding when we still haven’t had yours. It’s only when you’ve left that the house will start to feel empty. That’s when I’ll need companionship, Maddy.’

‘Robert and I will set the date very soon.’

‘I think you should read today’s paper before you say that.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘This case will take longer than you think. The man they’re after has killed again. Yesterday evening, he shot one of the detectives helping the inspector.’ She rushed into the other room and snatched up the newspaper. ‘Don’t worry – it’s not Sergeant Leeming.’

‘Then who is it?’ she asked, anxiously.

‘It was someone named Peebles.’

Tallis had always been a religious man. The Bible was his guide and he read a passage from it every day. In times of stress, he would always slip into church to pray for help and to get spiritual support. Head bowed low, he was on his knees now, pleading for forgiveness. Convinced that he was responsible for the death of Ian Peebles, he singled out pride as his besetting sin. It had blinded him to his shortcomings. He’d been too proud to admit that he had any failings and believed that he could emulate and even surpass Robert Colbeck. That myth had been shattered when he knelt over the corpse. Tallis now knew that he had profound limitations both as a man and as a detective. Given the facts, most of his colleagues would lay the blame squarely on him. Their silent disapproval was nothing compared to the way that he condemned himself. He was suffering.

He prayed hard until his knees began to ache. Hauling himself upright, he stepped into the aisle, inclined his head towards the altar then quietly left the church. On the walk back to his lodging, he was deep in thought. When he reached the house, therefore, he did not at first notice the figure standing outside it. Colbeck had to step right in front of him to get his attention.

‘Good day to you, sir,’ he said.

Tallis gave a start. ‘What are you doing here, Colbeck?’

‘I came to talk to you.’

‘I’m not in a talkative vein.’

‘There have been some important developments.’

‘They don’t concern me any longer,’ said Tallis, flicking a dismissive hand. ‘I’ve resigned from my post.’

‘That’s not strictly true, sir. When I spoke to the commissioner, he told me that he’d refused to accept your resignation and that he’d asked you to take time off in order to think again.’

‘I have thought again and my decision stands.’

‘There may be factors you haven’t taken into account.’

‘I blundered, Colbeck, that’s the only factor relevant.’

‘I disagree, Superintendent.’

‘And you can stop calling me that,’ said Tallis, testily. ‘It’s a title that I’ve surrendered. I’m just an ordinary citizen now.’

‘Not in my estimation,’ said Colbeck. He looked around. ‘Need we have this conversation in the street?’

‘There’s no need to have it at all.’

‘Have you already discussed it with someone else, then?’

‘No,’ conceded Tallis. ‘Apart from the commissioner, I haven’t confided in anyone. There’s no point in any discussion when my mind is so firmly made up.’

‘I think there’s every point, sir.’

It took Colbeck another ten minutes to persuade Tallis to invite him in. He’d never been there before and was