‘What’s happening now?’ asked Tallis.
‘There’s a toll-gate ahead, sir,’ said Leeming.
‘We are from Scotland Yard – we should be waved through.’
‘We’d have to get there first and, as you see, we’re hemmed in on all sides. We just have to wait in the queue.’
‘I want to get to Epsom.’
‘Be patient, sir. They sometimes have a brawl or two at toll-gates and that always holds us up.’
‘Brawling in public? That must be stopped.’
‘Then you’ll need to speak to the owners of the toll roads,’ said Leeming, ‘for that’s the root of the problem. Whenever Derby Week comes round, they always put up the prices to make large profits. Somebody refuses to pay and a scuffle takes place.’ The cab jerked forward. ‘Ah, we’re on the move again.’
They soon drew level with members of a brass band, marching in ragged formation and playing ear-splitting melodies that were hopelessly out of tune. The remorseless pounding of the bass drum made Tallis quake.
‘How long will the pandemonium last?’ he cried.
‘You may find it’s even noisier when we get there, sir.’
‘Nothing can be worse than this!’
‘They say there’ll be upwards of sixty thousand people on the Downs this afternoon. That means a real uproar. Don’t worry, sir. You’ll get used to it after a while.’
‘Never – this is purgatory!’
Edward Tallis was not all bluster and protest. When Leeming had reported the attack on him at the racecourse, the superintendent had been sympathetic and suggested that they travel to Epsom together so that Leeming would be spared the violent jostling at the railway station. Tallis shot his companion a look of concern.
‘How does your head feel now, Sergeant?’
‘It still aches a bit,’ admitted Leeming, removing his hat to put a tender hand to the back of his skull. ‘Yesterday it was agony.’
‘I can well believe that.’
‘When I regained consciousness, I thought at first I’d been the victim of a robbery but nothing had been stolen. I was knocked out to stop me following Hamilton Fido.’
‘We’ll have that rogue behind bars before the day is out.’
‘It will be very difficult to prove, sir,’ said Leeming. ‘There were plenty of witnesses and they gave me a description of my attacker before he vanished into the crowd. All in vain, I fear. He’ll probably never be seen on the course again so there’s no way to link him to Mr Fido.’
‘We’ll find a way,’ said Tallis dourly. ‘I’m not having my men assaulted in broad daylight. Besides, the bookmaker lied to you and to Inspector Colbeck. Misleading the police is something of which I take a very dim view. Fido swore that he had no communication with Kitty Lavender yet you saw them embracing.’
‘I saw a woman I assumed was Miss Lavender, sir, but I could be wrong. Mr Fido is on familiar terms with many young ladies. We’ll have to ask him who that particular one was.’
‘Do you believe that he’ll give us a truthful answer?’
‘No, Superintendent.’
‘Nor me – an honest bookmaker is a contradiction in terms. But we won’t be deterred by that fact,’ said Tallis. ‘We’ll demand answers.’
‘What about Inspector Colbeck, sir?’
‘The inspector has another quarry in sight. He left a note on my desk to that effect because he knew that I would call in at my office before I set out this morning. He claims to have made a significant advance,’ he went on. ‘I look forward to hearing what it is.’
Special trains were intended to relieve the congestion on the road and get large numbers of people from London to Epsom much faster than any horse-drawn transport. Accordingly, thousands flocked to the railway station and boarded the succession of trains. Robert Colbeck and Madeleine Andrews were on one of the earliest to depart. Squashed together in a first-class carriage, both of them enjoyed the close proximity and thought how privileged they were compared to the masses in third class who were crammed into open-topped carriages.
Not that anyone complained about the crush. A festive spirit informed the whole journey. As well as singing, storytelling and jollity, there was feverish speculation about the result of the Derby. The train sped through the morning sunshine with a cargo of happiness and high expectation. Colbeck and Madeleine were caught up in the general exhilaration, their pleasure heightened by the fact that they were seated deliciously close to each other. It was easy to forget that they were in pursuit of a callous murderer.
When they reached Epsom Station, a human wave burst out of the train and swept across the platform. Borne along by the surge, Colbeck and Madeleine gradually eased their way to the back. It was almost possible to talk at last without having to shout above the continuous hullabaloo.
‘Are you sorry that you came?’ asked Colbeck.
‘No,’ she replied. ‘It’s wonderful!’
‘So you didn’t mind having to get up so early?’
‘I’m used to that, Robert.’
‘When we get to the racecourse,’ he warned, ‘I’ll have to leave you for a while. As you know, this is not only a social event for me.’
‘I can look after myself,’ she said.
‘You deserve to enjoy the fun of the fair, Madeleine. What you did has been of immense value to me.’
‘Talking to Bonny Rimmer was no effort.’
‘By winning her confidence, you gained information that would always have been beyond me. I now have a truer picture of the relationship between John Feeny and his former employer. You helped the girl cope in her bereavement as well,’ he said, ‘and that was important. You provided succour.’
‘I wish I could have done more, Robert. When she came to the house yesterday, she looked so lonely and pitiful. The effort of getting to London had really taxed her.’
‘It was kind of you to take her back to the station.’
‘I’m glad she didn’t have to catch a special train like the one we just travelled on,’ said Madeleine with a smile. ‘Bonny would never have survived that. She was too fragile.’
‘Her journey was not in vain. That may give her consolation.’
‘Do you really think you can make an arrest today?’
‘I’m certain of it,’ he said confidently. ‘In fact, I intend to make more than one arrest. I just hope that I can do it before the Derby is run. Having been so close to the race and to some of the people involved in it, I’d hate to miss seeing it.’
‘I did warn you that Inspector Colbeck would never give up,’ said Hamilton Fido. ‘You saw what happened yesterday.’
‘We were not seen together,’ said Kitty Lavender.
‘We might have been. If I had not had a bodyguard in the right place, we could have been followed all the way back here.’
‘But we weren’t, Hamilton.’
‘Only because my man knew what to do,’ he said. ‘Assaulting a policeman is a dangerous game, Kitty. It’s like poking a stick in a beehive – there’ll be a whole swarm of them buzzing around Epsom today as a result. Why don’t you stop hiding?’
Dressed to leave, they were in the bedroom that they were sharing during Derby Week. Kitty was wearing more jewellery than she had done on previous visits to the course and she stopped to examine her diamond necklace in the mirror. Fido grinned.