Timetable of Death

CHAPTER NINETEEN

It was strange. Lydia Quayle had been living in London for a few years yet nobody in her family asked her about the sort of existence she led there. Their minds were instead fixed on the murder inquiry and on the imminent funeral of the victim. Even her mother showed no curiosity in where she’d been and what she’d been doing. The mood in the house was sombre. Faces were drawn and voices low. Lydia found it oppressive. Having left her sister alone for so long with their mother, Agnes began to feel territorial, insisting that it was her place to maintain the bedside vigil and refusing to be supplanted by Lydia. She therefore returned to her accustomed position and left her sister free to reacquaint herself with her brothers. Before she did that, Lydia made her way to her father’s study so that she could look at the portrait of the man who’d become such an ogre in her perception. Almost bursting out of the gilt frame, Vivian Quayle seemed horribly lifelike with his abiding sense of achievement and his air of unassailable confidence. Even though she knew that he was dead, Lydia felt a cold hand run down her spine.

She was struck anew by the incongruity of a room with many bookshelves yet few books. It was so different from the well-kept library that she shared with Beatrice Myler in London. There was no place for paintings or decorative objects there. Every shelf was occupied by a book of some sort and piles of them stood on the table and on the window sill. Beatrice was far too self-effacing even to consider the idea of having her portrait painted. Lydia’s father, by contrast, filled the room with his personality.

‘What are you doing in here?’ asked Lucas.

He’d entered so quietly that she twitched in surprise at the sound of his voice.

‘I’m sorry, Lydia. I didn’t mean to give you a shock.’

‘Being back in this house has given me a series of shocks, Lucas.’

‘There haven’t been many changes.’

‘In my opinion, there have been lots. It may look the same to you but it seems vastly bigger than I remember. That could be because I’ve been used to a much smaller house, of course. It’s gloomier and less welcoming here than in the past. Then there’s mother,’ she said with a note of self-reproach. ‘That’s the major change. If I’d know she was so unwell, I’d have come sooner.’

‘I did urge you to do that in my letter.’

‘I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t even read it properly. Father was alive then and … well, let’s just say that his presence kept me away.’

‘We missed you, Lydia.’

‘You did — and I’m grateful for that. Stanley would never have bothered to track me down and Agnes is already showing signs of her old envy.’

He took her by the shoulders and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

‘It’s a tonic to see you again.’

‘Thank you, Lucas.’

‘I wish we could have met in other circumstances.’

‘That would have been impossible,’ she explained. ‘It took a dreadful event like this to bring me back. I’d never have returned to Father’s deathbed. I’m here for the family, not for his sake.’

‘I understand.’

‘I don’t think that you do, Lucas.’

‘Then make me understand.’

‘I didn’t come to burden you with my troubles. I just want to take my place alongside you all during this time of trial.’

‘We’re delighted to see you,’ he said, releasing her. ‘Stanley may appear distant but he’s always had difficulty showing his emotions. In her own way, I’m certain, Agnes still loves you enough to want you here. As for Mother …’

‘What does the doctor say about her?’

‘He’s not very sanguine.’

‘She seems to have shrunk and lost all her spirit.’

Lucas nodded. ‘It’s only a matter of time.’

In the wake of the visit to the Derby Works, the priority was to get medical attention for Edward Tallis. He was evidently in distress and could not place much weight on one foot. Maurice Cope felt obscurely responsible for the mishap and wanted to make amends. He sent for a doctor to attend the patient then helped Colbeck to support the superintendent as he was taken to an office. Cope withdrew and left them alone. Tallis was in obvious pain but bore it well. His anger was reserved for the blast of the steam whistle that had caused the accident.

‘It’s my own fault,’ he confessed. ‘I should never have been misguided enough to go into that mechanical Hades. It was one long, cruel, ear-splitting obstacle course.’

‘One has to keep one’s eyes peeled,’ said Colbeck.

‘I only came because it gave me an opportunity to appraise Haygarth and that cringing, over-polite henchman of his. I endorse your opinion of both of them.’

‘Let’s not worry about that now, sir. Your injury takes precedence.’

‘I’ve had far worse.’

‘Indeed, you have, Superintendent. In Exeter, you were stabbed in the arm.’

‘Such things happen in the line of duty.’

Though Tallis was trying to brush the incident aside, Colbeck remembered the bravery he’d shown in trying to foil the escape of a prisoner. On that occasion, too, the superintendent had been more concerned with the inconvenience caused by the injury than the associated pain.

‘You forget that I was in the army,’ said Tallis. ‘One is almost bound to suffer injuries in action. Like any trained soldier, I learnt to shrug them off.’

‘You’re much older now, sir.’

‘What’s that got to do with it?’

‘Nothing,’ said Colbeck, seeing his eyes flash. ‘Nothing at all.’

Cope popped into the room to see if the patient was comfortable and to issue another string of apologies that the accident had occurred. Since he’d been in charge of showing the two men around, he felt that he was partly to blame. After treating them both to an ingratiating smile, Cope went out again.

‘Thank heavens he’s gone,’ said Tallis. ‘I hate sycophancy.’

‘I undertake never to lapse into it,’ promised Colbeck with a smile.

‘Are you being ironic?’

‘It’s wholly foreign to my nature, sir.’

‘Poppycock!’

‘We haven’t really discussed your visit to Melbourne,’ said Colbeck, changing his tack. ‘What was your estimate of Gerard Burns?’

‘He was shifty and disrespectful. I’m fairly certain he’s the killer.’

‘Why didn’t you place him under arrest?’

‘I chose to stand off for a while,’ explained Tallis. ‘It transpires that the prime minister is arriving to stay at the house in a few days’ time, and he is justifiably proud of his gardens. I didn’t wish to incur Lord Palmerston’s displeasure by putting his head gardener in custody when we don’t yet have enough evidence for a jury to convict Burns.’

‘I’ll keep looking for that evidence, sir.’

‘You’ll have to, Inspector. I can’t dash around the countryside here. I need to be back in London with my foot up.’

‘That’s the best place for you,’ said Colbeck, suffused with a sense of relief.

‘You sound as if you’re glad that I had that accident.’

‘Then the pain may have distorted your hearing, Superintendent.’

It was not long before Cope entered with the doctor he’d summoned earlier. Colbeck took the opportunity to slip out and make his way quickly back to the hotel. Arriving in haste, he almost bounded up the stairs. When he let himself into his room, he expected a greeting from Madeleine but he was disappointed. Stretched out on the bed, she was fast asleep.

On his way back to the railway station, Victor Leeming caught sight of the vicar, talking to Superintendent Wigg. He waited until the conversation had finished. When the vicar walked away, Leeming moved in swiftly to intercept the other man. His attitude to the two superintendents was markedly different. While he tended to cower in front of Tallis, he was prepared to be more outspoken with Elijah Wigg.

‘What brings you here?’ he asked.

‘Someone has to solve this crime, Sergeant, and — for all your credentials — you and the inspector seem wholly unequal to the task.’

‘That’s because we’ve had so little help from the local constabulary.’

‘We can’t help if you don’t take us into your confidence.’

‘You know every move we’ve made, Superintendent.’

‘Yes,’ agreed Wigg, ‘but only because I’ve had reports from my men. Neither you nor Inspector Colbeck have had the courtesy to keep me abreast of every new initiative you’ve taken.’

‘Events sometimes move too fast for us to do that.’

‘That’s a lame excuse, Sergeant.’

Leeming was irritated. ‘When we need you, sir, we’ll call on you.’

‘And how long will it be before that happens?’ asked the other, teasingly. ‘My feeling is that time is running out for you. Haygarth’s patience will soon be exhausted. He’ll see that it was a mistake to bring you from London and he’ll hand the case over to someone who knows this county and its people far better than you ever could.’

‘You are right about that, Superintendent. There’s only so much I wish to know about Derbyshire and I’ve almost reached that point. But if you’re in the mood to solve a murder,’ said Leeming, daring to provoke him, ‘why don’t you start with the one that took place in this village three years ago?’

‘That case is under review.’

‘It’s good of you to be so honest about your blunders, sir. If the case remains open, you keep reminding people of your failure. Most constabularies try to bury their mistakes and flaunt their successes. That means they have to be on good terms with the editors of their local newspapers, of course.’

Wigg was roused. ‘What are you implying?’

‘I merely made an observation, Superintendent.’

‘If you bandy words with me, I’ll complain to the Inspector.’

‘Then I must make a confession,’ said Leeming. ‘The observation was not mine. I was only quoting what Inspector Colbeck said to me. He thought you were unhealthily close to a certain editor.’ He enjoyed Wigg’s irate gurgle. ‘By the way, did you know that Philip Conway is being moved away from Spondon?’

‘The movement of reporters is of no concern to me.’

‘It ought to be. Mr Conway has been far more useful to us in this village than any of the six constables who live here. He knows how to dig out the little secrets that people prefer to keep hidden.’

‘I don’t care two hoots about Conway.’

‘Then why did you have him shifted from this village?’

‘I did nothing of the kind,’ said Wigg, whiskers bristling.

‘Someone used his influence with the editor.’

‘I resent that charge, Sergeant. I’m on good terms with the Mercury because I know the important part that a newspaper can play in the war against crime. The facts that I provide for publication are there to inform and reassure people. Any responsible constabulary would do the same.’ He jabbed Leeming in the chest. ‘Take back that vile slur you made against me. I did not have Conway moved.’

‘Then we must be mistaken,’ said Leeming, feeling that he’d prodded the man far enough. ‘If I offended you, sir, I apologise. But we would be grateful to hear all the evidence you and your men have so far gathered.’

‘What I’m seeking is an exchange of evidence.’

‘I’ll pass on that request to the inspector.’

‘Please do so.’

‘Oh, and there’s something else I must pass on,’ added Leeming, getting in a valedictory dig. ‘Your brother sends his regards.’

Wigg spluttered. ‘Why bring Reuben into this?’

‘I called on him in Belper, sir. I thought you should know that.’

Word of Lydia Quayle’s return had spread quickly throughout the staff and it had reached the ears of John Cleary. He was puzzled by her reappearance after so long an absence. Since she was now inside the house, he didn’t expect to catch sight of her at all. He was therefore astonished when she came in search of him. He was polishing the phaeton at the time and saw her mirrored in the shining side panel. Cleary spun round to face her.

‘Good afternoon, Cleary.’

‘Oh, good afternoon, Miss Quayle — I heard that you were back.’

‘How long I’ll be staying, I don’t really know.’

‘While you’re here,’ he said, ‘you’re very welcome.’

It was a sincere comment. Cleary had always liked her because she’d treated him well during her time on the estate. Lydia found him pleasant, willing and very efficient. He was also quietly unobtrusive. Some of the servants were always courting attention in the hope of gaining favour but the coachman simply did as he was told. Cleary had a gift for fading into the background.

‘I’m rather surprised to see you out here,’ he said, tentatively.

‘Why?’

‘After all this time away, I’d have thought you had a lot to say to the rest of your family. They must have been wondering where you’ve been.’

‘They’re preoccupied with other things at the moment.’

‘Of course — I’m very sorry about what happened to your father.’ When she made no reply, he pressed on. ‘We all respected Mr Quayle. We can’t imagine that anyone would want to harm him in any way. Do the police have any idea who committed the murder?’

‘I believe that they have suspects in mind.’

‘That’s good.’

‘Inspector Colbeck has an excellent reputation.’

‘Yes, I met the inspector. I was impressed by him.’

Cleary was still trying to work out why she’d come to the stables in the first place. She seemed so uncomfortable and hesitant. For her part, Lydia was battling with demons from the past and trying to summon up her courage. During her time in London, she’d made a conscious attempt to put Gerard Burns out of her mind but he’d seeped back in the moment she’d seen their old haunts. Lydia did her best to sound casual but the question was nevertheless blurted out.

‘Do you ever see anything of Mr Burns?’

‘No, I don’t,’ he replied.

‘You were such good friends at one time.’

‘We lost touch.’

‘I remember watching the two of you play cricket,’ she said. ‘You and Mr Burns were the best players in the team.’

‘Your brother was a fine cricketer as well, Miss Quayle.’

‘Lucas was never as good as either of you.’

‘Oh, you can’t compare me with Gerard. He was very special. I’d hate to have faced him when he was bowling.’

‘Have you … had any word of him?’

‘I can only tell you the tittle-tattle,’ he said, apologetically, ‘and there’s no knowing how reliable that is.’

‘I’d like to hear it nevertheless.’

‘Well, the rumour is that Gerard has a position as head gardener at Melbourne Hall. When he left here, he managed to better himself.’

‘Good gracious!’ said Lydia with genuine pleasure. ‘That is a feather in his cap. It’s a just reward for all that studying he did about horticulture. Well, well,’ she went on, trying to absorb the news, ‘that’s very gratifying. We all know who lives at Melbourne Hall. Gerard … Mr Burns, that is, must be so proud to serve the prime minister. His life has changed so much since he was here.’

‘There’s another rumour I heard about him,’ he said.

‘What was that, Cleary?’

‘He got married.’

‘Oh.’ In a flash, all the joy had left her. ‘Oh, I see.’

‘Someone told me that Gerard was going to be a father.’

She mustered a brave smile. ‘How nice for him!’ she said.

But there was no conviction in her voice. Lydia felt suddenly hollow and bereft. After thanking him for the information, she walked back towards the house. Cleary was unable to see the anguish in her face.

When he got back to the hotel, Victor Leeming expected to deliver a report of his visit to Spondon and to receive congratulations on what he’d found out. Instead, he was confronted with the news that he had to take the superintendent back to London. After examining the injury, the doctor had told Tallis that he’d been fortunate. Though it was swollen and badly sprained, the ankle was not broken. Rest was prescribed. The superintendent decided to leave immediately and to press Leeming into service.

The sergeant was hopeful. ‘Does that mean I can spend the night in London?’

‘I’m afraid not,’ said Colbeck. ‘I need you here, so you must catch a train back to Derby at once. We’ve lots to discuss and you’ll have a chance to meet Madeleine.’

‘I didn’t know that your wife was here, sir.’

‘I’m keeping her hidden in my room until the superintendent has gone.’

‘I wish that I had Estelle hidden away in my room,’ said Leeming, longingly. ‘I might even start to enjoy Derby then.’

‘I’m sorry that it can’t be arranged. Estelle is not directly involved in the investigation, you see, whereas my wife is. Miss Quayle prevailed upon Madeleine to go to Nottingham with her because she needed a friend for company. I met Madeleine at the railway station there and brought her back here.’

‘If he knew about it, Superintendent Tallis would be outraged.’

‘That’s why I’m so glad that we’re getting rid of him. That accident he had was a godsend and so was the visit to the Works. Watching that turntable in action opened up a whole new line of inquiry.’

‘Did it, sir?’

‘We’ve been approaching this case from the wrong angle, Victor. I only realised that when I saw a locomotive being spun around so that I could view it from the other end, so to speak. That’s what we must do with this case.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘All will be explained when you return,’ said Colbeck. ‘I daren’t even mention my theory to the superintendent. After what happened to him in there, he won’t listen to a single syllable about the Works. The place is anathema to him.’

They were standing in the foyer of the hotel. A porter had brought down the luggage from Tallis’s room and stood ready to load it into the waiting cab. When the door of the manager’s office opened, Tallis hobbled out with the aid of a borrowed walking stick.

‘Ah, there you are, Leeming,’ he said. ‘Come and help me, man.’

The sergeant went across to him and let Tallis lean on him.

‘I’m sorry to hear about your ankle, sir,’ he said. ‘Does it hurt?’

‘It hurts like blazes!’

‘You’ll be much better off in London.’

‘Pain takes no account of geography. It will hurt just as much there as here.’

‘We hope you have a swift recovery,’ said Colbeck, nodding to the porter to take out the luggage. ‘We’ll miss the benefit of your guidance here.’

Tallis was curt. ‘Don’t lie any more than you have to, Colbeck.’

‘I hope that you have some pleasant memories of Derby, sir.’

‘The only thing that will give me pleasure — and soothe my ankle at the same time — is the news that you have finally solved this crime.’

‘That news will not be long in reaching you.’

‘I’ll hold you to that. Leeming?’

‘Yes, sir?’ said the sergeant.

‘Get me out of this accursed place.’

‘Lean on me, sir.’

‘Slow down, you imbecile!’ said Tallis as Leeming moved off. ‘Every step is a separate agony. Let me set the pace.’

Colbeck watched them move gingerly towards the door. He was sorry to lose Leeming for several hours but consoled by the fact that the superintendent was going as well. Freedom of action had been restored. It was a vital factor because Colbeck could do what he wanted now. He escorted the two men out to the cab and helped to ease Tallis into it. Leeming was palpably unhappy about having to spend so much time in the company of the irascible superintendent but someone had to shoulder the burden. Inevitably, it fell on the sergeant. When the cab rolled away, Colbeck gave it a farewell wave then hurried back into the hotel and raced up the staircase.

In trying to pass on information to the acting chairman, Maurice Cope only succeeded in annoying him. Donald Haygarth flapped a hand in the air.

‘You don’t need to take me stage by stage through the Works,’ he protested.

‘But that’s what the inspector wanted to do, sir.’

‘Colbeck likes trains. I only like them when they take me on a journey.’

‘Superintendent Tallis is of the same opinion,’ said Cope. ‘He did nothing but grumble and his accident will not endear him to locomotives. He’s gone back to London with the sergeant.’

‘Are you sure of that?’

‘I’m absolutely certain.’

They were standing outside the headquarters of the Midland Railway. Wanting to know the bare facts of what had happened during the tour of the Works, Haygarth was irked when Cope brought in so much technical detail about the production process. He had sent him there to watch the two detectives and not to enjoy what he saw around him. They were about to part when Superintendent Wigg hailed them. Trotting up to them, he reined in his mount.

‘I didn’t know you were a horseman, sir,’ said Cope.

‘It’s the best way to travel sometimes,’ argued Wigg. ‘Trains run to timetables so there’s always waiting involved. A horse is there when and where you want him.’

‘You’ve no need to tell that to Cope,’ said Haygarth. ‘He rides everywhere.’

‘Yes, I’ve seen him on horseback.’

‘Do you have anything new to tell us, Superintendent?’

‘I will simply observe that your much-vaunted detectives have been as much use as a silk kettle. You have three of them on the case now and they’re still no nearer solving it.’

‘We have to correct you,’ said Haygarth.

‘Yes,’ added Cope, receiving a signal from the acting chairman, ‘the three detectives have now been reduced to one. Inspector Colbeck is the only survivor.’

He described how the accident had occurred when Tallis was startled by the steam whistle. Wigg couldn’t believe what they had done.

‘What could they possibly learn there?’

‘It teaches you everything you need to know about the way that locomotives and rolling stock are made.’

‘That has no relevance at all to the murder inquiry.’

‘Inspector Colbeck believed that it did. Mr Quayle loved to go on a tour of inspection at the Works. The inspector was keen to follow in his footsteps.’

‘It’s a pity he doesn’t clear off back to London with his colleagues.’

‘What have you learnt, Superintendent?’ asked Haygarth. ‘We know that you have a high opinion of yourself as a policeman.’

‘Confidence is an essential part of leadership.’

‘And what have your men discovered under your leadership?’

‘The noose is slowly tightening around the killer’s neck.’

‘You don’t even know who he is yet.’

‘Yes, I do,’ said Wigg, looking down at them. ‘The murder was the result of a conspiracy. Someone was hired to do the deed because of his past association with Quayle. In my opinion, that “someone” is Gerard Burns. The people who suborned him are more difficult to unmask,’ he said, looking shrewdly at each of them in turn. ‘But I’ll soon have enough evidence to do so.’

‘Inspector Colbeck has been to Melbourne Hall twice,’ said Cope, ‘and the superintendent has also paid a visit to Burns.’

‘Then why is he not in custody?’

‘You’ll have to ask them, sir.’

‘And before you criticise Inspector Colbeck again,’ said Haygarth, ‘you might like to know that he provided us with a detail that passed by you and your men. In view of what you say about Burns, it might be significant.’

Wigg was piqued. ‘What detail is this?’

‘Miss Lydia Quayle has returned home.’ He was rewarded by a look of surprise on the other’s face. ‘Events in Nottingham are important. You should have had the Quayle residence under surveillance.’

‘I don’t have the resources for that, Mr Haygarth.’

‘You have large numbers of men at your beck and call. Inspector Colbeck is acting entirely by himself at the moment yet he is gathering more telling evidence than you. That’s why I sent for him,’ said Haygarth, complacently. ‘When I wanted the best available man for this assignment, your name did not even cross my mind.’

Wigg was furious. Tugging on the reins, he turned his horse in a semicircle then dug his heels in to send it cantering away. Haygarth grinned.

‘That should be enough to keep him away for a while.’

Alone in their room, Colbeck was able to luxuriate in the company of his wife and to hear a fuller report of what she’d been doing in his absence. He could understand why Lydia Quayle had turned to her for help.

‘You obviously impressed her, Madeleine.’

‘My charm didn’t work on her friend, Miss Myler.’

‘Yes, Victor told me how unwelcoming she was.’

‘She was guarding Lydia like a mother hen.’

‘Then she wouldn’t have been in favour of her returning to Nottingham.’

‘No,’ said Madeleine, ‘I fancy that she’d have opposed the decision. Lydia has said very little about Miss Myler to me but there’s clearly been an upset between them. I’ll probably get the blame for that.’

‘Murder always causes upsets. It alters sensitive balances.’

Madeleine explained how nervous Lydia had been and how uncertain she was about spending the night at the house. In the event of her leaving Nottingham, she planned to come to the Royal Hotel to meet up with her new friend again. Colbeck was pleased at the prospect.

‘It would be good to meet her,’ he said. ‘She can tell me things about the family that neither of her brothers have deigned to do so.’

‘What sort of things?’

‘I want to hear more about her father.’

‘She despises him.’

‘I know that, Madeleine, but you’ve been telling me what an intelligent woman she is. I like intelligent women,’ he said, caressing her hair. ‘That’s why I married one. Like you, Miss Quayle will have keen intuition. She’ll have picked up signals that went unnoticed by her brothers.’

‘Something’s happened, hasn’t it?’ she said, taking his hand between hers. ‘I can sense your excitement.’

‘That’s because I’m with you,’ he said.

‘It’s something to do with the visit to the Works, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, Madeleine.’

‘It’s the accident,’ she decided. ‘You’re overjoyed to get rid of Superintendent Tallis, aren’t you?’

‘Not at all — I’m heartbroken.’

‘I know you better than that, Robert.’

He laughed. ‘Then it would be folly to try to deceive you,’ he said. ‘Though I’m sorry that the superintendent was injured, I regard the accident as providential. With his departure, a great cloud has lifted. But the real bonus of the visit was the chance I had to operate the turntable. It was a revelation.’

‘Father always says that you should have worked on the railways. That’s your real passion in life, isn’t it?’

‘No, Madeleine — it will always be secondary to you.’

‘Thank you for the compliment — now tell me about the turntable.’

‘It taught me how little effort is required to move an immense weight and it changed the direction of our investigation dramatically. We’ve been looking so intently at the murder victim that we completely ignored someone else.’

‘And who is that?’

‘Let’s go back to the start,’ he advised. ‘What do you remember?’

‘The body of Mr Quayle was found in an open grave in a village churchyard. Nobody could understand how it got there because he has no connection whatsoever with the place.’

‘That’s what we were told.’

‘It’s what Lydia confirmed. She couldn’t remember her father ever mentioning Spondon, let alone going there. His social life revolved around Nottingham.’

‘She was wrong, Madeleine. We all were.’

‘You’ve found a connection?’

‘Not exactly,’ he admitted, ‘but I know it’s there. The choice of that churchyard was not a coincidence. It was a deliberate statement by the killer. Mr Quayle was put in a grave reserved for a Mrs Cicely Peet. She is the person on whom we should be concentrating.’

‘Then you must believe there’s a link between her and Lydia’s father.’

‘Heaven knows what it is, Madeleine, but it’s there somewhere.’

‘What makes you think that?’

‘It’s something that Cleary said to me. He’s the coachman at the Quayle residence. On his last day alive, Mr Quayle was driven to Nottingham station by Cleary. As they parted, the coachman noticed that his employer had been crying.’

‘That sounds very unlikely. Lydia told me how stoic and hard-hearted her father had always been. He never showed any real tenderness to her and to her sister.’

‘That doesn’t mean he was incapable of it.’

‘No,’ she conceded, ‘that’s true.’

‘Can you see the way that my train of thought is heading?’

‘Yes, Robert, I believe so. Until now, you were baffled by the fact that Mr Quayle had somehow ended up in that village. You now think that he had a good reason to be there.’

‘I’d go further than that, Madeleine. My guess is that he wasn’t killed elsewhere and taken to Spondon so that the body could be disposed of there.’

‘How do you explain his presence in the village, then?’

‘He went there deliberately because he was drawn to do so.’

‘Was he set on in Spondon?’

‘It’s beginning to look that way.’

‘So who was the killer, Robert?’

He leant forward to kiss her gently on the lips.

‘That’s the one thing the turntable was unable to tell me.’