‘Is it about Imogen?’ asked his nephew in concern.
‘Indirectly, it is,’ replied Sir Marcus. ‘A letter from Superintendent Tallis was delivered to my club. It informed me that Clive Tunnadine had been shot dead by one of the kidnappers. The only logical explanation for his confronting them is that they’d demanded a ransom from him as well.’
‘Tunnadine was murdered?’ gasped Vaughan.
‘God rest his soul!’ said the curate.
‘The superintendent advised me to return here. He believes that they may contact me with yet another demand. Their greed knows no bounds,’ wailed Sir Marcus. ‘Not content with tricking money out of me, they did the same to Clive Tunnadine then killed him. The villains are playing games with us — and there’s still no sign of Imogen.’
‘What about Rhoda Wills?’ murmured Tolley. ‘She’s there as well.’
The hotel room in Crewe had been cramped and uncomfortable but it was almost luxurious when compared to the one in which they’d spent the night. It was small, sparsely furnished, uncarpeted and flavoured by an odour faintly redolent of horse manure. Imogen had taken the single bed, leaving Rhoda to occupy the sagging armchair. Neither of them slept a wink. The proximity of their captors made them too afraid to remove any clothing so they wore the same crumpled dresses they’d had on for days. Tunnadine’s murder preoccupied them.
‘Are they going to do the same to us?’ asked Imogen, trembling.
‘I think they have other plans,’ said her maid, worriedly.
‘It’s frightening.’
What frightened Rhoda was the hungry look that had come into Cullen’s eyes whenever he gazed at her. Imogen had patently been reserved for Whiteside, leaving the maid to his accomplice and Rhoda was deeply disturbed. The women had been so far unmolested but it was only a matter of time before the kidnappers moved in to enjoy their spoils.
‘Do you hate me very much?’ asked Imogen.
‘I don’t hate you at all.’
‘But I was the one who landed you in this torment.’
‘I’ve told you before,’ said Rhoda, firmly. ‘I was beguiled just as much as you. I was ready to believe false promises. If anyone should take the blame, it’s me for urging you to take such a bold step into the dark.’
‘I thought I was stepping into bright light,’ admitted Imogen, sadly. ‘Its glare completely blinded me to potential dangers.’ She embraced Rhoda. ‘Will we ever get away from this hell?’
The maid was determined. ‘I think we have to — before it’s too late.’
Given the history that existed between them, the detectives were never going to be pleased to see Alban Kee. They regarded him as the bad apple that had to be thrown away before it spread its mould to the rest of the barrel. Tallis looked at him with disdain, Colbeck’s manner was cold and Leeming’s hostility to the private detective was plain. Nevertheless, the man had to be endured because he possessed information that was vital in the hunt for the kidnappers.
They were in the superintendent’s office at Scotland Yard and Kee was enjoying his moment as the centre of attention. Looking tired, he sat between Colbeck and Leeming. Tallis opened the questioning.
‘Why did Mr Tunnadine employ you?’
‘He’d lost faith in the abilities of the Metropolitan Police,’ replied Kee with a sly smile, ‘and wanted someone who was not so fettered by official procedure.’
‘Then he chose the right person,’ said Colbeck, smoothly. ‘When you were here in the Detective Department, you never let official procedure hinder you in your pursuit of illegal bribes.’
Kee struck back. ‘I resent that comment, Inspector.’
‘And I resent what you did in the name of Scotland Yard.’
‘I was dismissed unfairly on hearsay evidence.’
‘We were glad to provide it,’ said Leeming. ‘It came from a trusted source.’
‘Let’s move on,’ said Tallis, asserting his authority. ‘The mistakes of the past can stay there. I want Kee to explain exactly what happened from the moment that he was hired by Mr Tunnadine.’
Alban Kee had his story ready and he told it without digression. Putting their dislike of the man aside, they listened intently. Kee’s account was reasonably accurate until he reached the moment when he and Tunnadine came to the place appointed for the exchange of money and hostages. The private detective claimed that he’d been hiding in the ditch when the fatal shot had been fired. He would never confess to his former colleagues that he’d been knocked unconscious because of his incompetence. Colbeck was interested in the report he gave to the local constabulary.
‘With whom did you deal at Crewe police station?’
‘Sergeant Dean,’ said Kee, ‘and he responded promptly. His men asked questions at the railway station but nobody could remember the four people described to them. The sergeant also sent constables to nearby stables. One of them recalled hiring a trap and a horse to a man he said had the bearing of a soldier. The animals and the vehicle were returned at the time promised. Where the man who’d hired them went, nobody knows but I’d wager anything you choose that he and the hostages travelled by train.’
‘That’s a fair supposition,’ said Colbeck. ‘Thank you, Kee. Your report was admirably concise and lucid.’ He turned to Tallis. ‘We must go to Crewe at once.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ said the superintendent.
‘There’s no need for that, sir. Your place is here. Apart from anything else, there’s the possibility that the kidnappers will try to extort money from Sir Marcus for a third time. They’re brazen enough to do it. You need to be here to advise him.’
‘Well, yes,’ conceded Tallis, ‘there’s some truth in that.’
‘This is the hub of the investigation. Remain here in order to control it. The sergeant and I will make our way to Crewe to see if we can pick up any clues.’
‘Take me with you,’ said Kee.
‘That wouldn’t be appropriate.’
‘I can’t think of anyone who’d be more appropriate in the hunt for the killer, Inspector. I was there when it happened. I have a right to assist you. It’s the least I can do for Mr Tunnadine.’
‘You’ve already done enough by bringing his body back to London and giving us the information we required,’ said Tallis. ‘Colbeck is right. Your involvement in this case is over. I bid you good day.’
‘But I might be useful,’ stressed Kee.
‘We exhausted your usefulness to this department years ago.’
‘I deserve a chance to prove myself, Superintendent.’
‘You had that chance when Mr Tunnadine hired you,’ Colbeck pointed out, ‘and you failed. There’s nothing more to be said.’
Kee continued to protest but his entreaties were in vain. Tallis ordered him to leave. Leeming got up to show him out then closed the door firmly behind him. The prospect of leaving London sparked off his usual reluctance.
‘What do we do when we reach Crewe?’ he asked.
‘We find out where the four of them went and go in pursuit,’ said Colbeck.
‘But they could have gone hundreds of miles away by now.’
‘Then that’s where we’ll hunt them down. Gather your things together now, Sergeant. When I’ve dispatched an important letter, it will be time to leave.’
‘What’s this about an important letter?’ said Tallis.
‘I think that Lucinda Graham should be made aware of Mr Tunnadine’s death,’ said Colbeck. ‘Any prosecution of him is impossible now, of course, but it will make her sleep more soundly if she knows that he is no longer a threat to her.’
Coming to the studio in Chelsea had been the salvation of Lucinda Graham. She was among friends who cared and who did not sit in judgement on her because of her way of life. She was treated solely as a victim in dire need of love and comfort. Lucinda now hurt far less and felt much better. Over a late breakfast with Dolly Wrenson and George Vaughan, she was even able to talk about something other than her ordeal at the hands of her lover.
‘What made you become an artist, George?’ she asked.
‘I was called to it,’ he replied. ‘I didn’t choose art — it chose me.’