worse time. It had taken Colbeck by surprise and undermined his position completely. It had also exposed the ambiguous involvement of Brendan Mulryne in the exercise, thereby alarming Thomas Brassey and driving Tallis into a rage that three consecutive cigars had failed to soften. It was doubtful if a night's sleep would improve the superintendent's temper.
When he came down for breakfast in the cottage where they were both staying, Colbeck did not even know if he was still employed in the Detective Department at Scotland Yard. Tallis had made all sorts of veiled threats without actually dismissing him. Colbeck's career was definitely in the balance. As they sat opposite each other at the table, there was a distinct tension in the air. It was Tallis who eventually broke it.
'I think that we should cut our losses and withdraw,' he said.
'That would be a ruinous course of action, sir,' protested Colbeck. 'Having come so far, why pull out now?'
'Because the investigation has not been run properly.'
'We are on the point of capturing the villains.'
'One of whom is Brendan Mulryne.'
'No, Superintendent. He is working for us.'
'He's not working for me,' said Tallis, angrily, 'and he never will. Setting a thief to catch a thief has never seemed to me to be wise advice. A criminal will always have more affinity with criminals than with those trying to catch them. We have a perfect example of that here. Instead of working as an informer, Mulryne has sided with his natural allies because the rewards are greater.'
'You malign him, sir.'
'I know him of old.'
'And so do I,' said Colbeck. 'That's why I picked him.'
'A singularly unfortunate choice.'
'You would not think that if you'd spoken to him yesterday.'
Tallis scowled. 'Nothing on God's earth would persuade me to dress up as an engine driver in order to converse with a man who was drummed out of the police force for using excessive violence. And that was only one of his glaring defects. You've had successes in the past, Colbeck,' he went on, chewing his food noisily, 'but this time, you have bungled everything.'
'I resent that, sir.'
'And I resent your attempt to deceive me with regard to the use of that incorrigible Irishman, Mulryne.'
'This railway line is being built by incorrigible Irishmen. Only someone like Mulryne could mix easily with them. He's done everything I asked of him.'
'You mean that you incited him to commit a crime?'
'No, sir.'
'Then how much licence did you grant him?'
'I told him to do whatever was necessary.'
'Even if that entailed wrecking a number of wagons?'
'It worked, sir,' insisted Colbeck. 'Don't you realise that? He's now part of their gang. Brendan Mulryne is in a unique position.'
'Yes, he can inflict even more damage on the railway.'
'He can bring the vandalism to an end.'
'He's much more likely to increase it. The kindest thing we can do for Mr Brassey is to haul Mulryne out of France altogether and take him back to whatever squalid hovel he lives in.'
'We must allow him to finish his work.'
'It is finished – as from today.'
'Even Mr Brassey thought that we should wait.'
'He's a contractor,' said Tallis, finishing his cup of coffee, 'not a policeman. He doesn't understand the way that a criminal mind works. I do. Brassey still finds it difficult to believe that he could be employing callous villains on this project.'
'That's because he has a paternal attitude towards his men, sir. Because he treats them so well, he cannot accept that they would betray him. Thomas Brassey is famed for the care he shows to anyone he employs,' said Colbeck, 'and you must bear in mind that, at any one time, he could have as many as 80,000 men on his books. If any one of them finds a particular job too onerous, Mr Brassey will not simply dismiss him. He's more likely to assign him to an easier task. That's how considerate and benevolent he is. It's the reason his men think so highly of him.'
'The law of averages comes into play here. In every thousand good men, you are bound to have a tiny minority of blackguards. Some of them are employed here,' Tallis continued, 'and they think so highly of the benevolent Brassey that they're prepared to do anything to stop this railway from being built. I'm sorry, Inspector. You may admire the way that he operates,' he said, dismissively, 'but I think that Brassey is too naive.'
'He's a shrewd and hard-headed businessman, sir. You do not achieve his extraordinary level of success by being naive.'
'If he has problems here, it is up to him to sort them out.'
'But there is a direct link with the murder of Gaston Chabal.'
'So you keep telling me,' said Tallis, 'but we will not find it by unleashing Mulryne on this railway. All that he will do is to muddy the waters even more.'
'Give him time,' implored Colbeck.
'We are returning to England today.'
'But that would leave Mr Brassey in the lurch.'
'He can call in the French police.'
'Then we'll never find the man who killed Chabal.'
'Yes, we will,' said Tallis. 'If we hunt for him in the country where he resides – England.'
Further argument was curtailed. Tallis got up from the table and stalked off to his room to collect his bag. Colbeck thanked the farmer's wife who had given them such a tasty breakfast and paid her for accommodating them. It was not long before he and Tallis were on their way to the site to take their leave of Thomas Brassey. During the drive, Colbeck made repeated attempts to persuade Tallis to change his mind but the superintendent was adamant. Activities in France had to be brought to an immediate halt. As a courtesy to the contractor, Tallis undertook to explain to him why.
Colbeck was faced with a dilemma. If he wanted to remain as a detective, he had to obey orders and return to London. If, however, he wanted to pick up a trail that led eventually to the killer, he had to remain in France until the information came to light. He was still wrestling with the dilemma when they arrived. Alighting from the trap, they walked towards Brassey's office. Before they could knock on the door, however, it was opened for them. The contractor had seen them through the window.
'I'm glad that you came, Inspector,' he said. 'She'll speak to nobody but you.'
'She?' said Colbeck.
'A young Frenchwoman. She seems quite agitated.'
'Then I'll talk to her at once.'
Colbeck went into the office and closed the door behind him. Tallis was annoyed at being left outside but he took the opportunity to explain to Brassey why they would be leaving the country that very day. Colbeck, meanwhile, was introducing himself to the barmaid from the village inn, who had befriended Mulryne and spent some of the previous night with him. Because they had got on so well, she had been entrusted with an important message but she would not pass it on until she was convinced that she was speaking to Inspector Robert Colbeck. Only when he had shown her identification, and explained that he was a good friend of Brendan Mulryne, did she trust him.
'Cette nuit,' she said.
'Vous etes certaine, mademoiselle?'
'Oui.'
'Merci. Merci beaucoup.'
Colbeck was so delighted that he wanted to kiss her.
