‘Thank you, my lord.’
‘There are other horses in the race,’ Colbeck reminded them.
‘None that can touch Odysseus,’ insisted Lord Hendry.
‘What about Merry Legs?’
‘An overrated filly.’
‘Hamilton Fido is a shrewd judge of horses.’
‘I question that.’
‘Mr Fido did win the Derby once before, Lord Hendry.’
The older man appraised him. ‘You seem to know a lot about the Turf, Inspector,’ he said. ‘Are you a confirmed racegoer?’
‘My job gives me little opportunity to be one,’ said Colbeck sadly, ‘but I do read the racing pages and I like an occasional wager. From what I hear, this year’s Derby will be a three-horse race.’
‘With Odysseus being the winner,’ said Leeming.
‘We shall see, Victor. I fancy that Merry Legs, owned by Hamilton Fido, will not be easily beaten.’
‘Yes, she will,’ said Lord Hendry firmly.
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘That’s my business, Inspector.’
‘What about Limerick Lad? He, too, will pose a challenge.’
‘If that’s what you feel, put your money on the horse.’
‘I think I’ll bet on Odysseus,’ said Leeming.
Colbeck was circumspect. ‘And I’ll make up my mind nearer the time of the race,’ he decided. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a piece of cartridge paper and unfolded it. ‘This is an artist’s impression of the young man whose head was discovered in the hatbox. It’s a rough approximation of what he must have looked like. I wonder if you might recognise him.’
‘Let me see.’ Lord Hendry took the drawing from Colbeck and studied it for a full minute before shaking his head. ‘No, Inspector,’ he said at length. ‘I’m sorry but I can’t help you.’ He returned the paper. ‘Have you any idea at all who he might be?’
‘Not yet, my lord, but we will do before too long. Apart from anything else, someone is likely to report him missing.’ After folding the paper, Colbeck slipped it back into his pocket. ‘Well, thank you for seeing us,’ he said. ‘We won’t trouble you any further.’ Leeming’s attention had drifted back to the painting of the horse. ‘It’s time to go, Victor. Bid farewell to Odysseus.’
Prodded out of his reverie, the sergeant thanked Lord Hendry profusely before following Colbeck out. The cab was waiting for them outside the house and they clambered in. Colbeck was pensive but his companion was overcome with envy. As they drew away, the sergeant looked back over his shoulder.
‘What a wonderful existence!’ announced Leeming. ‘To live in a mansion like that and to own racehorses – it’s my notion of paradise. Lord Hendry was such an impressive gentleman in every way.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Colbeck. ‘A pity that he felt the need to lie to us.’
‘He struck me as an honest, straightforward man.’
‘You may revise that opinion when you go to Cambridge.’
Leeming spluttered. ‘Cambridge?’
‘I want you to find the hotel where Lord Hendry stayed.’
‘Why?’
‘Two reasons, Victor. I’d like to know how and when that hatbox was stolen. And I’d like you to get a good description of the woman posing as Lady Hendry.’
‘But she was Lady Hendry. You heard what he said, sir.’
‘What I heard was a man being evasive,’ said Colbeck. ‘If he really had been there with his wife, he’d have volunteered the name of the hotel instead of refusing to give it. And if he was going to the races in Newmarket, why not stay there instead of Cambridge?’
‘Perhaps the accommodation is better in Cambridge.’
‘It’s not the accommodation that interests me but the person with whom he was sharing it, the person for whom he bought that hat in Jermyn Street. Since we can’t get her name from Lord Hendry, we’ll have to find it by other means.’
Leeming sighed. ‘Do I have to take a train to Cambridge?’
‘Go on horseback, if you prefer. Emulate a king.’
‘What king?’
‘Charles II,’ said Colbeck. ‘He used to ride all the way to Newmarket to see the races then ride back to London again. That’s upwards of eighty miles in the saddle. Do you think you could manage that in a day, Victor?’
‘I’ll go by rail,’ conceded Leeming. ‘And I hope you’re wrong about Lord Hendry. He spoke so caringly about his wife that it never crossed my mind he might have a mistress.’
‘You’re too trusting, Victor.’
‘What other lies did he tell us?’
‘Wait and see.’
‘Am I to go to Cambridge on my own, sir?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then how do I find the hotel where Lord Hendry stayed?’
‘By using your intelligence,’ said Colbeck. ‘Cambridge is a charming city but it won’t have many hotels where a member of the aristocracy would deign to stay. Eliminate them one by one.’
‘What about you, Inspector?’
‘Oh, have no fear. I’ll be on my travels as well – if I can persuade the superintendent to let me go there, that is.’
‘Go where?’
‘Ireland.’
CHAPTER FOUR
Superintendent Edward Tallis was pushed to the verge of apoplexy.
‘Ireland?’ he said. ‘You want to go to Ireland?’
‘With your permission, sir,’ said Robert Colbeck.
‘Denied.’
‘I haven’t given you my reasons yet.’
‘Save your breath, Inspector.’
‘I’m not making this request lightly, sir.’
‘And I’m not turning it down lightly,’ said Tallis, glaring at him. ‘Here you are, in the middle of a murder investigation, and you come up with some hare-brained scheme about crossing the Irish Sea.’
‘That’s where the answer may lie, Superintendent.’
‘Poppycock! When a severed head is found in Crewe and when the hatbox in which it was being transported was bought in London by someone who lives near Reigate, then I’d say we were dealing with an exclusively English murder.’
‘That’s one way of looking at it,’ said Colbeck.
‘It’s the only way of looking at it, Inspector.’
Arms folded, Tallis sat back heavily in his chair. They were in his office at Scotland Yard and he was not in an accommodating mood. If Colbeck had suggested sailing to America, he could not have met with a more resounding rebuff. It was time to delve into the murky reservoir of their past disagreements.
‘Do you happen to recall a murder that took place aboard a train in Twyford a couple of years ago?’ asked Colbeck.
‘Vividly.’
‘Then you may also recall how obstructive you were when I argued that the only way to solve a crime that took place in Berkshire was to travel to Ashford in Kent.’
‘I was not obstructive,’ said Tallis indignantly. ‘I was simply being cautious. When further evidence emerged, I saw the virtue of sending you to Kent.’
‘Where two separate murders were successfully solved.’
‘We can both take credit from that, Inspector.’
‘Let’s move on to the Sankey Viaduct, if we may,’ said Colbeck smoothly. ‘When a man was hurled over the viaduct from a moving train, you thought I was mad to insist that my investigations should begin in France.’
‘It seemed a lunatic course of action at the time.’
‘What was the result, sir?’
‘The killer was eventually tracked down and caught.’
‘You did everything in your power to stop me from sailing to France,’ said Colbeck. ‘The only way I finally wrung a concession out of you was by threatening to resign from the Detective Department.’