exploit them as he did. But that's beside the point,' she continued, hurriedly. 'When he got back that day, Gaston was upset. He managed to hide it from Catherine but he did not deceive me.' She pointed to the window. 'It was the way that he stood over there and kept looking into the street.'
'What did you deduce from that, Madame?'
'He was frightened,' she said. 'Someone had followed him.'
Luke Rogan felt sick. He had endured a rough crossing from England and was now being jiggled about by the movement of the train. Any moment, he feared, he would be spilling the contents of his stomach over the floor of the carriage. He tried to concentrate on what lay ahead. When he had visited France before, he felt that he had left everything in order. A deal had been struck and money had changed hands. He had no reason to suppose that he had been double-crossed. The discussion with Sir Marcus Hetherington, however, had robbed him of his certainty. He was no longer quite so confident that his instructions had been carried out.
If the men had betrayed Rogan, it would cost him a lot of money and he would forfeit Sir Marcus' trust in him. He did not wish to upset his most generous client especially as there was a prospect of further work from that source. Everything had gone smoothly for him in England. Rogan had to ensure the same kind of success in France. Failure was not acceptable. If the people he employed had let him down, he would have to find others to do the work in their stead and pay them out of his own pocket. The very notion was galling.
He had come prepared. Excuses would not be tolerated. Had the men in his pay not taken any action as yet, Rogan would not give them a second chance. In his bag, he carried a pistol and a dagger that had already claimed one victim. Punishment would be meted out swiftly. He had not made such a gruelling journey to be fobbed off.
Thomas Brassey was pleased to see Colbeck return to the site. Inviting him into his office, he poured both of them a glass of wine.
'One of the advantages of working in France,' he said, sampling the drink. 'England has much to recommend it, but the one thing that it does not have is a supply of excellent vineyards.'
Colbeck tasted his wine. 'Very agreeable.'
'Did you enjoy your visit to Paris?'
'One would have to be blind not to do that, Mr Brassey. It's a positive feast for the eye – though some areas of the city do tend to assault the nasal passages with undue violence.'
'We have that problem in London.'
'I'm all too aware of it,' said Colbeck. 'Madame Rivet wanted to know how the investigation was progressing. She seemed to have much more faith in us than in the French police. I suppose that I should blame you for that, Mr Brassey.'
'Me?'
'Yes, sir. You set a bad example.'
'Did I, Inspector?'
'Because a British contractor builds railways for the French, they will soon expect British detectives to solve their murders for them as well. But I'm being facetious,' he said. 'The visit to Paris was very profitable. It allowed me to see that glorious architecture again and I learned a great deal about Gaston Chabal's domestic life.'
'Did you meet his widow?'
'No, only his mother-in-law. What she told me was that he had a role beyond his duties as an engineer. Apparently, he helped to find investors for this project.'
'Gaston had great powers of persuasion.'
'For which he was rewarded, I gather.'
'A labourer is worthy of his hire, Inspector.'
'He was rather more than a labourer.'
'Nobody could dispute that.'
Colbeck went on to describe, in broad outline, his conversation with Hortense Rivet, exercising great discretion as he did so. There was no need for Brassey to know that some of the shares in his railway had been bought as a result of a relationship between his French engineer and the daughter of a Parisian banker.
'How are things here, sir?' asked Colbeck.
'Mysteriously quiet.'
'The noise was as loud as ever when I arrived.'
'I was referring to the problems that have been dogging us of late,' said Brassey. 'We've had almost five days in a row now without any more nasty surprises.'
'That's good to hear.'
'How long it will last, though, is another matter.'
'Yes, it would be foolish to imagine that it was over.'
'I'd never do that, Inspector. What's made the difference is those guard dogs you suggested we might get. There are only four of them but they seem to have had the desired effect.'
'Don't forget the other form of restraint we imposed.'
'What was that?'
'Brendan Mulryne.'
'He's settled in well, from what I hear.'
'They're still not sure of him,' explained Colbeck. 'That's why they've been so well-behaved of late. They're biding their time as they try to work out if Brendan is friend or foe.'
'He's a very different animal from Sergeant Leeming.'
'But he remains suspect, Mr Brassey. Victor joins the camp as a stranger and, within a day, he starts to show too much interest in what's going on.'
'He paid dearly for that.'
'He tried to rush things, sir.'
'What about Mulryne?'
'I told him to be more circumspect. He'll not rush anything. And you must remember that he's still a new man in the camp, so they're bound to have some reservations about him.'
'You mean that they've stayed their hand because of Mulryne?'
'For the time being.'
'When do you think they will strike again?'
'Soon,' said Colbeck. 'Very soon.'
Brendan Mulryne caroused as usual at the village inn that night and indulged in lively badinage with the others. In a crowd of big, powerful, boisterous, hard-drinking Irishmen, he still managed to stick out. His wild antics and devil-may-care attitude made even the rowdiest of them seem tame by comparison. They had seen him get drunk, watched him fight and heard him sing the most deliciously obscene songs. They had also stood by as he turned his battered charm on the pretty barmaids at the inn. Brendan Mulryne was a vibrant character and they were pleased to have him there.
'Are you coming back to the camp, Brendan?' said someone.
'Hold your hour and have another brandy,' he replied.
'I've no money left.'
'Nor me,' said another man. 'We're off, Brendan.'
Mulryne waved a hand. 'I'll not be far behind you, lads.'
In fact, he was deliberately lagging behind. Liam Kilfoyle had told him to do so because there might be an opportunity for him to make some money. Mulryne jumped at the invitation. When the place finally emptied, he left with Kilfoyle and began the walk back to the camp. It was not long before someone stepped out of the bushes to join them. Pierce Shannon put an arm on Mulryne's shoulder.
'I'm told you're with us, Brendan,' he said.
'I'm with anyone who pays me.'
'And what are you prepared to do for the money?'
'Anything at all,' said Mulryne, expansively, 'as long as it doesn't involve going to church or getting involved in
