She put milk into two cups then used the strainer as she poured tea into them. Ellen added sugar before stirring. They took their tea back into the living room and sat down.
‘You have to feel sorry for Joe, I suppose,’ said Ellen.
‘Why?’
‘Well, I didn’t know this until your father mentioned it. I thought that what stopped Joe from joining the army was a desire to stay at Scotland Yard.’
‘I thought that as well.’
‘There was another reason, Alice. It seems that he’s been seeing a young lady for some time — a nurse at St Thomas’ Hospital.’
‘Oh.’ Alice was shocked. ‘I didn’t know that.’
‘Joe didn’t want to go abroad for months on end,’ said Ellen. ‘The irony is that his plan has backfired.’
‘I don’t follow.’
‘She’s the one who volunteered to go to the front. While Joe is left here, his young lady is on her way to work in a field hospital. That was why he was able to come to tea on Sunday, you see. Since she’s no longer here, Joe was at a loose end.’
The news was like a punch in the stomach for Alice. She had fond memories of her time alone with Keedy and felt that he’d enjoyed her company as well. Now, it appeared, she was merely a distraction for him while his beloved was abroad. The faint hope she’d started to nurture was snuffed out like a candle. It was a painful moment.
Since she was at home all day for the rest of the week, Irene tried to make herself useful, helping to clean the house and offering to do some shopping. When she asked Miss James if there was anything she could get for her while she was out, the old lady surprised Irene by joining her on the outing. They left the house together and walked arm in arm. Miss James carried her white stick and used it to tap the pavement in front of her. Irene soon got used to the sound it made. She also grew accustomed to the regular greetings that Miss James attracted from passers-by. The old lady was clearly an established figure in the area. She recognised all the voices and was able to put names to faces. There was something oddly comforting about it. Irene wondered how long it would take her to acquire the same sort of popularity in the community. She tried to memorise the names of the various people who spoke to Miss James.
It was a long walk to the shops but the old lady made no complaint about that. She was much more robust than she looked and kept up a steady pace. It was when they turned into the main road that Miss James stopped.
‘Is he still there, Mrs Bayard?’ she asked.
‘Who do you mean?’
‘Someone has been following us since we left the house.’
Irene looked over her shoulder. ‘I don’t see anyone.’
‘Oh, he’s there somewhere.’
‘How do you know that, Miss James?’
‘There’s nothing wrong with my ears, dear.’
They walked on until the shops came into view but it was no longer a pleasant stroll for Irene. She was on edge. Every few seconds she looked uneasily behind her. There was nobody in sight but she trusted the old lady’s instinct. Someone had followed them. She was sure of that now and it was unsettling.
Marmion found time that afternoon to call on the commissioner in order to bring him up to date on the progress of the investigation. Sir Edward Henry was wearing one of Jacob Stein’s suits over a white shirt with a wing collar. His black shoes were gleaming. Marmion wished that he could look as elegant but his build seemed to vitiate any attempt at being stylish. He told the commissioner about the interviews with the two former employees of the firm. Sir Edward was startled to hear that one of them had pointed the finger of suspicion at Herbert Stone.
‘That’s a preposterous suggestion,’ he said.
‘It may seem so on face value, Sir Edward, but I still think we should pay some heed to it. Mr Stone was clearly more involved with his brother’s business than we imagined.’
‘What could he possibly gain by his brother’s death?’
‘That’s what we need to find out,’ said Marmion.
‘Then you’re going on a wild goose chase, Inspector,’ said the commissioner with clear disapproval. ‘My advice would be to look elsewhere for suspects. I’d exonerate Mr Stone from any connection with the destruction of the shop in Jermyn Street.’
‘Then why did Mr Burridge direct our attention at him?’
‘It must have been done out of spite.’
‘He didn’t strike me as a spiteful man.’
‘You said that he was singularly unhelpful.’
‘Exactly, Sir Edward — that’s why we should take seriously the one piece of information that he gave voluntarily.’
The older man snapped his fingers. ‘I’d dismiss it like that.’
‘Mr Stone’s role in the business will bear investigation,’ said Marmion, doggedly. ‘The more we know about the politics inside that shop, the better we’ll be able to understand what was going on.’
‘This case is nothing to do with what was inside the shop,’ said the other. ‘It was provoked by the German name on the outside. Yes, I know that you think that the murder was orchestrated but I’m coming around to the view that it was a random act by an opportunist who went upstairs to rob the safe.’
‘How would an opportunist know where the safe was kept?’
The commissioner pondered. ‘I can’t answer that, Inspector.’
‘And why stab Mr Stein to death? From what we’ve learnt about him, he was not a strong man. Someone who wanted to grab the contents of the safe could easily have brushed him aside.’
‘It took years to build up that business, remember. However unequal the odds, I don’t think Mr Stein would have given up without a fight. That was probably his undoing,’ said Sir Edward. ‘If he’d let the man take what he wanted and concentrated on escaping a burning building, he’d still be alive today.’
‘I very much doubt that,’ insisted Marmion.
Rather than start an argument with him, the commissioner decided that they should agree to differ. He told Marmion about Stone’s visit and his threat to hire private detectives to handle the case. The inspector found the news interesting but unsurprising.
‘I told him that no private detective had our resources,’ said Sir Edward, ‘and would certainly not have your abilities.’
‘Mr Stone is not entirely persuaded of my abilities, I fear.’
‘Then he should be. You identified, chased and arrested the two villains implicated in the rape of his niece. There’s not a private detective alive who could have got the authorisation that we obtained.’ Sir Edward plucked at his moustache. ‘I should have made that point to Mr Stone. It beats me why he should even entertain the notion of hiring private help. It would have no positive value to him.’
‘Yes, it would, Sir Edward,’ said Marmion. ‘Mr Stone can control a private detective. He can’t control us.’
‘You’re imputing a very dark motive to him.’
‘We have to look at this case from every conceivable angle.’
‘Are you saying that he’d deliberately muddy the waters?’
Marmion was firm. ‘I’m ruling nothing out.’
‘Well,’ said the commissioner, ‘it’s not for me to interfere. You’re in charge. All that I can do is to offer advice. With regard to Mr Stone, I believe that you’re barking up the wrong tree but … only time will tell which of us is right.’ He brushed a speck of dust from his sleeve. ‘What does Sergeant Keedy feel?’
‘He’s sticking to his theory that there’s an anti-Semitic element.’
‘Is he following up that line of inquiry?’
‘He is, Sir Edward,’ said Marmion. ‘His first port of call is a man I could not recommend more highly.’
‘Why is that, Inspector?’
‘He’s my brother, sir — Major Marmion of the Salvation Army.’
Raymond Marmion had been a committed Salvationist for a long time and had been promoted to the rank of major after fifteen years as an officer in the organisation. The silver crest on his uniform denoted his status. Younger than his brother, he had the same solid frame and an open face with the sheen of religiosity. His receding hair threw the high-domed forehead into prominence. Though he had heard a great deal about Marmion’s brother, Keedy had never met him before and he was struck both by the similarities between the two men and by their glaring differences. They met in Raymond’s tiny office in a ramshackle building. Keedy immediately noticed the graze on the other man’s temple.