Steps to the Gallows (5 page)

‘There is another avenue to explore,’ suggested Hale. ‘We happened upon the shop where Mr Paige’s prints were sold. It may be that the owner will be able to help us by disclosing the names of Mr Paige’s known enemies.’

‘I’d already intended to do that,’ said Yeomans, shooting him a hostile glance. ‘We will take every step needed to solve this murder.’

Kirkwood stroked his beard. ‘What manner of man was Paige?’

‘The landlord said that he was secretive, sir.’

‘He might have been secretive about his private life but his excursions into the public domain were the very opposite. He did
all he could to get attention and always at the expense of his latest victim.’

‘That may explain why he tried to cover his tracks,’ opined Yeomans. ‘Having raised a hullaballoo, Paige felt the need to sneak off and hide. Somebody eventually tracked him to his lair.’

‘Your task is to find that somebody,’ said Kirkwood. ‘Many eyes are upon you. Bear that in mind at all times.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Of course, sir,’ said Hale.

‘Will that be all, sir?’

‘No, it is not. You might care to know that a substantial reward has been offered. You both know what that means.’

‘Others will be tempted to join in the search,’ said Yeomans.

‘People like the Skillen brothers,’ said Kirkwood. ‘I don’t want them putting you in the shade yet again. This is an investigation for the Bow Street Runners and not for bold but misguided amateurs like Peter and Paul Skillen. Their one desire is to get their hands on that reward money.’

‘To be fair, sir,’ said Hale, ‘they have another reason to take an interest in this case. Paige’s death was not the only crime committed. Jem Huckvale, who works with the two brothers, was badly injured in a violent attack linked to the murder.’

‘That’s immaterial,’ scoffed Yeomans.

‘I don’t think so, Micah.’

‘Keep your opinions to yourself.’

‘Hale makes an important point,’ conceded Kirkwood. ‘I knew nothing of this secondary crime. How can we be certain that it has a bearing on the murder?’

‘Huckvale was acting as Mr Paige’s bodyguard at the time,’ said Hale. ‘That’s what we were told by Peter Skillen.’ He scratched his head. ‘Or was it Paul?’

‘You’ve interviewed the brothers, then?’

‘We visited the shooting gallery earlier, sir.’

‘It was not a social call, sir,’ Yeomans stressed. ‘We went to find out what they actually knew of the crimes and to warn them that it was not their place to try to solve them.’ He inhaled deeply through his nose. ‘By asserting my authority, I’ve frightened them off from any involvement whatsoever in this case. I think it’s safe to say – and Alfred will support this judgement – that there will be no more trouble from the Skillen family.’

Kirkwood’s eyes shifted to Hale. ‘Do you agree?’

‘Yes, sir,’ said the other. ‘They have been well and truly muzzled.’

It was not often that Charlotte had the two brothers at the house. She was delighted, therefore, to share a meal with them. Though Peter and Paul worked in harness, they rarely spent any leisure time in each other’s company. Their inclinations took them in opposite directions. Even when Paul’s friendship with Hannah Granville developed into a real commitment on both sides, Charlotte saw little of her brother-in-law. As the three of them sat over the remains of the meal, she reflected on what an appealing man he was. It was not because she had any regrets about marrying Peter. Life with him was far happier and steadier than it would have been with Paul. Both of them had courted her simultaneously and it had inevitably caused difficulties. To the naked eye, they were indistinguishable. In terms of their character, however, she’d very quickly learnt to tell them apart and it had helped her to make the crucial choice between them.

‘Tell us more about Mrs Mandrake,’ urged Paul.

‘I’ve told you everything,’ said Peter.

‘That’s not true. All we’ve heard is what she recalled about Paige.
You said nothing about the lady herself. What sort of woman is she – young, old, serene, combative, rich, poor?’

‘Mrs Mandrake is clearly very resourceful, Paul. She’s run a profitable business in Middle Row for a decade and – while not wealthy, perhaps – she is very far from being poor.’

‘Paul asked about her age,’ said Charlotte.

‘He’ll have to meet her to determine that, my love. I take her to be older than any of us but younger than Gully. As for serenity, it’s not a characteristic that could ever be associated with her. I sensed a combative streak.’

‘Is there a Mr Mandrake?’

‘There must have been at some stage, Charlotte, but there’s no sign of him now. What happened to him, I know not. I didn’t go to the shop to enquire into her personal circumstances.’

‘I’d like to meet her,’ said Paul.

‘You won’t be able to avoid doing so.’

‘Why is that?’

‘She’s appointed herself as our assistant in the hunt.’

Paul was sceptical. ‘Can a woman be of any use in an investigation?’

‘I beg your pardon,’ said Charlotte with mock indignation. ‘In addition to working at the gallery and keeping the records, I like to think that I’ve helped to solve more than one crime.’

‘Indeed, you have, Charlotte,’ he agreed, readily. ‘Your contribution has been invaluable and I apologise for not acknowledging it. The fact is that you are an extraordinary woman.’

‘So is Mrs Mandrake in her own way,’ said Peter. ‘In lending me those copies of
Paige’s Chronicle
, she’s already given us an advantage over the Runners. They could be a veritable gold mine.’ There was a tap on the door, then Meg Rooke popped her head
in to see if she should clear the table. Peter gave her a nod then addressed the others. ‘Why don’t we adjourn to the other room and start reading through them?’

‘That’s a splendid idea,’ said his wife, rising from the table.

The three of them went into the drawing room where a pile of newspapers stood on a small table. Printed on perilously thin paper, most of them consisted of a single page that was filled on both sides. Handing one each to his wife and brother, Peter picked up a copy of his own and settled into a chair. He was soon laughing.

‘The fellow had a wickedly entertaining pen,’ he said with approval. ‘He’s using it to hilarious effect on a certain Well-done Churchwood.’

‘Who is that?’ asked Charlotte.

‘It can be none other than Eldon Kirkwood, my love.’

‘Then he’s a brave man,’ said Paul, looking up. ‘Many people will make fun of the chief magistrate at Bow Street behind his back but few would dare do it in print like Paige. That’s a case of skating on very thin ice.’

‘The ice eventually cracked, Paul, and he ended up in prison.’

‘I refuse to believe that Kirkwood is a suspect.’

‘Oh, it’s quite unthinkable. For all his faults, he’s a Christian gentleman who abides by the Ten Commandments as if they were designed specifically for him. He wants the killer apprehended and brought to book. That’s why he’s authorised Yeomans and his crony to go in pursuit of him.’

‘How do we keep ahead of them?’ asked Charlotte.

‘By doing things that they would never think of,’ replied Peter, ‘such as doing what we’re doing right now – looking for evidence in
Paige’s Chronicle
.’

‘There’s something else they might overlook,’ said Paul. ‘The
landlord told me that only three people ever visited Paige at the house. Each one of them will get a shock when they call again. I asked the landlord to be sure to get their names and, if possible, to find out their addresses. Those close to Paige are the ones most likely to be of any real help to us.’

‘Will you call at the house again?’

‘I’ll do so every day, Peter.’

‘Gully told us that Paige was a very amiable and gregarious man. Did he not have more than three friends he’d invite to his lodging?’

‘If he did, he deliberately kept them away from there.’

‘It sounds to me as if he was in hiding,’ remarked Charlotte.

‘Can you blame him, my love? He knew that he was a marked man – and he may not be the only one, of course.’

‘Yes,’ said Paul, ‘there’s the artist who drew those cartoons. They’ll draw even more blood than Paige’s pen portraits. Who
is
this Virgo?’

‘Nobody seems to know.’

‘He needs to be warned, Peter.’

‘We’ll have to find him before we do that. I’m hoping that, sooner or later, he’ll turn up outside Mrs Mandrake’s shop.’

‘I’m still worried about her,’ confided Paul. ‘Having worked with us so often, Charlotte is a proven asset but I can’t imagine any other woman having her special qualities. Mrs Mandrake could be more of a hindrance than a help. She’s inexperienced and unable to defend herself in situations she may well stray into.’

‘We’ll have to give her the benefit of the doubt, Paul,’ said his brother. ‘To some extent, I share your reservations. Yet consider what she’s done. Any other woman would simply want to mourn the death of a friend. She, however, is set on
hunting his killer. That shows resilience.’ His brow furrowed. ‘I have this strange feeling that Mrs Mandrake may turn out to surprise the whole lot of us.’

When he first heard of the murder, Benjamin Tite didn’t faint nor did he express any deep sorrow. He accepted the fact of Paige’s death as if it had been a predictable event. His main concern was for the immediate consequences for the shop.

‘What do we do with our stock of prints?’ he asked.

‘We keep them and sell them, of course.’

‘But that will surely endanger us.’

‘It’s a danger I’m prepared to live with, Ben. Leo Paige and his partner made a lot of money for us. The
Parliament of Foibles
is always in demand. We’ll promote it until every print is sold.’

‘If they can kill Leo Paige, they can kill us.’

‘Forewarned is forearmed,’ she said, opening her reticule and taking out a small pistol. ‘I will have this weapon beside me night and day. I suggest that you take the same precaution.’

Title quivered. ‘I’ve never fired a gun in my life.’

‘Well, I have and – to tell you the truth – I rather enjoyed it.’

Still bruised from their meeting with the chief magistrate, the Runners were quaffing their third pint of ale at the Peacock Inn. They traded complaints about Kirkwood until they found a new target for their bile. Chevy Ruddock walked into the room and saw them seated in a corner. He was a tall, gawky young man with an unappealing face redeemed by a willing smile. Proud to become a member of one of the foot patrols, he’d been mocked for his wide-eyed innocence at first but he’d learnt quickly. Ruddock had turned into a plucky and resourceful officer. For that reason, he’d been given an important task.

‘Good evening,’ he said, sharing a smile between them. ‘I did what you asked of me, Mr Yeomans. I’ve spoken to a dozen of them.’

‘And?’

‘I’ll go back in the morning to sound out even more.’

‘
And?
’ repeated Yeomans. ‘And – and – and?’

Ruddock was bemused. ‘And what, sir?’

‘Did you bring back any evidence? Has anyone reported a sighting?’

‘One man did see someone lurking in the vicinity of the
house,’ said Ruddock, ‘but thought him too old to be capable of strangling anybody.’

‘He could have been keeping an eye on the property,’ said Hale, thoughtfully. ‘Paige’s lodging must have been watched – no doubt about that. Who gave you this information?’

‘It was Mokey Venables, sir.’

‘That little weasel!’ said Yeomans with a snort. ‘I’ve lost count of the number of times I arrested him for picking pockets. In the end, he learnt that the best way to keep out of prison was to
report
crimes rather than commit them. Respect where it’s due, though. He’s got sharp eyes and he knows Bloomsbury as well as he knows the body of that scrawny hag he calls his wife.’

‘What else did you learn, Ruddock?’ asked Hale.

‘Very little,’ admitted the other. ‘I had the feeling that some of them were holding things back.’

‘You should have leant hard on them, lad.’

‘I tried to, sir, but it was no use.’ He brightened. ‘They all asked me the same thing, however. Every one of them told me to pass on their regards to Mr Yeomans and Mr Hale. They hold you in high esteem.’

‘And so they should,’ said Yeomans, darkly, ‘but we want more than their regards. We want names and addresses. We want the evidence to set us on the trail of a killer. One of them must have seen or heard something.’

‘I’ll try again tomorrow,’ volunteered Ruddock.

‘Alfred will go with you.’

‘Will I?’ asked Hale, offended to be given the lowly task of rounding up their informers. ‘What will you be doing, Micah?’

‘I intend to go to that print shop.’

‘That was
my
suggestion. Why don’t I come with you?’

‘You’ll be too busy working with Ruddock.’

‘It will be an honour to be at your side, Mr Hale,’ said Ruddock, beaming. ‘I learn so much when I’m with someone of your standing.’ He looked at Yeomans. ‘What’s this about a print shop, sir?’

‘It needn’t concern you,’ replied Yeomans.

‘Does it have any bearing on the murder?’

‘Indirectly, it may have.’

‘Then it must be the shop where Mr Paige sold his prints.’

Instead of impressing him, the glimmer of intelligence shown by Ruddock only annoyed Yeomans. Downing his drink with a loud gulp, he handed the empty tankard meaningfully to the younger man and Hale followed suit. With a smile of resignation, Ruddock went off to buy another pint for each of them.

‘Don’t be too hard on him,’ advised Hale. ‘He’s eager to help.’

‘Then why did he come back empty-handed?’

‘You heard him, Micah. People were holding something back. That means they’re hanging on to information in the hope that they can squeeze more money out of us. I’ll shake the truth out of them, be assured of it. As for that print shop,’ he went on, ‘are you certain that you wouldn’t prefer
me
to go instead of you?’

‘Why, in hell’s name, should you do that?’

‘I’m only trying to save you the embarrassment.’

‘What embarrassment?’

‘I had the feeling that one of the prints in that window upset you.’

‘They
all
upset me,’ roared Yeomans, ‘because they’re an affront to decent people. What appals me most is that the shop is owned by a woman. It’s shameful that she should brazenly sell those prints in the knowledge that they’ll spread their poison far and wide. It’s iniquitous.’

‘What do we know of Mrs Mandrake?’

‘I know all I need to know. She’s no better than a whoremonger.’

‘I’d be interested to meet her.’

‘Leave that task to me,’ said Yeomans. ‘I have a way with women.’

‘Are you going to arrest her or simply put the fear of God into her?’

‘I’m going to make her tell me everything there is to tell about Paige. She’s been his accomplice all this while. Mrs Mandrake should be able to give me vital intelligence.’

They chatted for a few minutes then broke off as Ruddock arrived with a full tankard of ale in each hand. As he set them down on the table, he got no thanks.

‘I’ve been thinking,’ he said. ‘How do we beat off our rivals?’

‘What are you mumbling about?’ asked Hale.

‘Peter and Paul Skillen have caught wind of this murder. What’s to stop them solving the crime before we do?’

‘We have an army of informers who usually catch the first whiff of any serious crime,’ said Yeomans. ‘That means we’ll have access to evidence that the Skillen brothers will never even see.’

‘Yet they always seem to have success,’ argued Ruddock. ‘How do they manage that?’

‘It’s Peter Skillen’s doing,’ said Hale, glumly. ‘He has the most amazing luck.’ A thought struck him. ‘Or maybe it’s Paul Skillen who’s blessed with good fortune. After all, he was lucky enough to ensnare that beautiful actress whose name was always in the newspapers. Only a man with the luck of the devil could manage to do that. Then again,’ he added, ‘Paul rarely had much success at the card table so maybe it was Peter Skillen, after all, who brings in the good luck.’

‘It’s not a question of luck,’ growled Yeomans. ‘Solving crimes is a question of skill and experience and we have more of both
than the Skillens. That’s why
we
are charged with solving this murder. They are mere interlopers. Forget about them, Ruddock. In a case like this, we know how to identify the right people and ask the right questions. Peter and Paul Skillen, meanwhile, will be running around in circles. When we’ve put the killer behind bars, they’ll still be groping in the dark.’

It was a paradox. Jem Huckvale had prayed that he’d one day be able to spend time alone with Meg Rooke yet, now that it had actually happened, he was tongue-tied and unable to enjoy her company. She, by contrast, showed no embarrassment at all, treating him like any other guest and doing her best to put him at his ease. The most agonising moment for Huckvale was when she lifted the bed sheets to peer under the bed in order to find if the chamber pot had been used. Seeing that it was empty, she gave him a smile and left the room. Huckvale’s cheeks were on fire. Proximity to someone he cared for had strict limits for him. Much as he adored the servant, he was not prepared to share the secrets of his bodily functions with her. He resolved instead to pay an occasional visit to the privy in the yard, no matter how painful the journey there and back. The suffering involved would pale beside what he’d already endured in terms of shame.

When there was a knock on the door, he braced himself against Meg’s return but, in fact, it was Charlotte who sailed into the room.

‘How are you, Jem?’ she asked, crossing to the bed.

‘I think that I’m on the mend now.’

‘You certainly have more colour than when you first arrived. Is Meg looking after you properly?’

‘Oh, yes, she’s in and out all the time.’

‘She said that you ate most of the meal we sent up. Had you
been able, we’d have invited you to join us in the dining room.’

‘Thank you, Mrs Skillen.’

‘But you need to stay up here and rest.’

‘I thought I heard the front door opening a while ago.’

‘Paul was just leaving,’ she explained. ‘He was going back to the gallery to see if Gully had anything to report.’

‘Why – what has he been doing?’

‘He’s been trying to turn the tables on your attacker, Jem. We know that
he
must have kept watch for a bodyguard to come out. According to Gully, he’d have been out there for some time because Mr Paige had a long story to tell. The chances are, therefore, that someone noticed the man lying in wait for you.’

‘But there were
two
men – the one who followed Mr Paige and the one who tried to knock my brains out.’

‘Then someone may have noticed
both
of them,’ she said, hopefully. ‘If they loitered together, they’d be more likely to arouse curiosity.’

Huckvale was pleased. ‘We have good friends who live or work near the gallery,’ he said. ‘If anyone behaved suspiciously, they’d be seen. Thank you so much for telling me. It’s really lifted my spirits.’

He made the mistake of sitting up quickly in bed, only to set off the pounding of a sledgehammer inside his head. Holding him gently by the shoulders, Charlotte eased him against the pillows. She could see the anguish and frustration in his eyes.

‘I know you want to be involved, Jem,’ she said, ‘but you’re simply not well enough.’

‘But I may be well enough to get up tomorrow.’

‘I won’t hear of it. You must listen to medical advice. Peter, Paul and Gully will find the killer somehow. All you have to do is to enjoy a life of leisure.’ Huckvale grimaced. ‘Yes, I know it’s against
your nature to lie there and do nothing but Meg is only a tinkle on that bell away from you.’ Charlotte smiled. ‘She’ll help you to stave off boredom.’

Though it was late evening, the streets were full of people and horse-drawn traffic. As he walked along, Paul Skillen heard the familiar tumult and inhaled the familiar stink of London. Neither had existed when Hannah Granville had been there. Her presence in the city seemed to banish both its abiding clamour and its cloying stench. Now that she was on the other side of the Channel, he was made brutally aware once more of the capital’s shortcomings. With a supreme effort, he put Hannah out of his mind and thought about the task in hand. He was soon entering the shooting gallery.

‘Did you have any luck, Gully?’ he asked.

‘I hope so,’ replied the other. ‘It was a costly business.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, as you know, it was market day. The traders were outside in the street. When their work was done, some of them went straight to the White Hart to slake their thirst. That’s where I found Quint.’

‘Is he that fishmonger?’

‘You’d be left in no doubt about that, Paul. Get within a yard of him and the smell is enough to make your toes curl. However, he keeps his wits about him and was far more use than any of the others.’

‘What did he tell you?’

‘When I’d bought his ale,’ said Ackford, ‘he remembered two men lurking outside the gallery around the time when Leo Paige was in here. They pretended to look at items in the market but their real interest was in this place.’

‘And did Quint remember what these men looked like?’

‘Yes, he did – but only after I’d jogged his memory with a second pint. Once he’d taken a first mouthful of that, he described both of them. One was a young man dressed like a costermonger and wearing a wide-brimmed hat pulled down over his face. He sounds very much like the person that Jem followed.’

‘What about the other, Gully?’

‘Quint had a better look at him. He was somewhat older and had the air of the sailor about him. The fishmonger spends all his time among sailors so I’d rely on his judgement. The man had a flat face, a broken nose and a rough beard. He was wearing an old coat, dark breeches and a battered hat.’

‘At least, we know
something
about the two rogues.’

‘We may know enough to put a name to one of them,’ claimed Ackford. ‘When you came in, I was just about to go through Charlotte’s record book.’

‘Don’t let me stop you,’ said Paul with rising interest. ‘When she first suggested keeping it, I wasn’t at all sure of the value of that book, but Charlotte’s rogues’ gallery has proved its worth time and again.’

The record book contained a description of every criminal with whom they came into contact. In some cases – where Charlotte had seen them in court – she’d even been able to draw a sketch of them. Her portraits of some villains adorned the book. When they were hunting for particular characters, Gully and the Skillen brothers frequently made use of the record book. As well as a physical description of someone, it often contained a list of his favourite haunts and criminal associates. Had the man served a prison sentence, it was duly noted. While the book was predominantly a male preserve, there were some female malefactors as well.

‘Let’s have a look,’ said Ackford, sitting to the table and opening the book.

Paul watched over his shoulder. ‘We must have dozens of sailors in there. When they come ashore after a long voyage, they always get drunk and search for women or start an affray.’

‘I know. One crew wrecked the Hope and Anchor in Thames Street. The landlord turned to us for help. We rounded up the ringleaders next day and hauled them before a magistrate.’

‘Charlotte made a sketch of them somewhere.’

Ackford turned over a page and ran his eye down the list of names. Charlotte might be no artist but she had enough talent to catch the salient features of a person.

‘Ah,’ said Ackford, jabbing a finger down, ‘here’s our first broken nose.’

‘You’ll find plenty of those among sailors, Gully. Who is this fellow?’

‘It doesn’t matter. We can discount him straight away. He died years ago. We even know where his funeral was held.’ He looked up. ‘That raises the question of Leo’s funeral.’

‘Someone has already volunteered to pay for that, Gully. It’s the lady who runs the print shop where Mr Paige sold his wares. She told Peter that she would meet all the expenses.’

‘That’s uncommonly kind of her.’