Reader was a trim figure in immaculate clothing. Still in his forties, he’d retained all of his hair and most of his youthful energy. The office was large and well appointed and the general impression was of an efficient man holding an important position at a high salary. They noticed how tidily he kept his desk, papers and files stacked neatly in order. Across that desk, thousands of transactions had been made over the years. Reader exuded a quiet benevolence. He was a man whom clients of the bank could trust.
‘I believe that you and the colonel were friends,’ Colbeck began.
‘That’s correct, Inspector,’ replied the other.
‘So you saw him and his wife a great deal.’
‘At least once a week, I’d say – until recently, that is. Over the last few months, it was more like once a fortnight.’
‘Why was that?’
‘The colonel told us that he was very busy. He turned down some of our invitations and accepted others. The four of us liked to play whist together.’
‘Did you play for money, sir?’ asked Leeming.
Reader smiled. ‘I’m a banker, Sergeant. I never gamble.’
‘That’s very wise of you. When I was still in uniform, I lost half a week’s pay in a card game. I learnt a lesson from that.’
‘On the day of her disappearance,’ said Colbeck, ‘Mrs Tarleton set out to walk to your home.’
‘She and Agnes – that’s my wife – intended to go shopping.’
‘What did Mrs Reader think when her visitor didn’t turn up?’
‘Well,’ said the banker, ‘she thought it very strange. It was unlike Miriam Tarleton to be late. Were she indisposed, she’d have sent someone with a message to that effect. By the time I got home that evening, my wife was very anxious. To put her mind at rest, I offered to ride over to the house but Agnes felt that unnecessary. She decided that a mistake had been made about the arrangements.’
‘Was Mrs Tarleton in the habit of making mistakes?’
‘Far from it – ordinarily, she was very reliable.’
‘How did she get on with her husband?’ asked Leeming.
‘What an odd question!’ said Reader. ‘If you’d known them, you’d never have needed to ask it. They were happily married and always had been.’
‘We were told there were tensions in the house.’
Reader was terse. ‘Then you’ve been misinformed, Sergeant. There were some tensions when the children were there, I grant you, but everything was much more serene after that. Adam was the problem. He was a natural rebel. His sister was a sweet girl and I was sorry when she left to get married. In all honesty, however, I have to admit that I was glad to see the back of Adam Tarleton.’
‘Adam and Eve,’ noted Colbeck. ‘Was Mrs Tarleton religious?’
‘She came from a clerical family,’ explained Reader. ‘Her father was a rural dean and her brother was in holy orders. Her first husband – God rest his soul – was a parish priest. He died of cholera and left her with two small children. When the colonel came into her life, it was a real blessing.’
Having hit his stride, Reader went on to describe the marriage in more detail and to pour scorn on the idea that Colonel Tarleton had murdered his wife. Appalled at the news of the suicide, he viewed it as an act of temporary madness and refused to condemn his friend.
‘It’s reassuring to hear someone speaking up for him,’ said Colbeck. ‘Early this morning, the superintendent and I were cornered by the rector of St Andrew’s, who told us bluntly that he wouldn’t allow the deceased to be buried in the churchyard.’
‘I think I know what’s behind that decision,’ said Reader.
‘So do I – ignorance of the law.’
‘There’s a more personal reason. Frederick Skelton studied theology with Miriam Tarleton’s first husband. They were very close. In fact, he was godfather to their children. The colonel attended church every Sunday but, clearly, he was nowhere near as devout a Christian as his predecessor.’
‘Did Mr Skelton resent that?’
‘Very much,’ said Reader. ‘And he resented the way that Adam – his godson, remember – was brought up by the colonel. There was no spiritual dimension to the boy’s life. No wonder he veered off the straight and narrow. Regarding the rector’s attitude to the funeral,’ he continued, ‘that’s not just an aversion to an act of suicide. Like so many other misguided people, he believes that the colonel killed his wife and is therefore a species of devil.’
‘Everyone must be presumed innocent until proved guilty.’
‘The colonel has been denied that right.’
‘Have you any idea who the killer is?’ asked Leeming.
Reader sighed. ‘I wish that I did, Sergeant. My wife and I both joined in the search for her. The colonel was distraught. Nobody who saw the state he was in could think for a moment that he committed the crime. His innocence must be attested.’
‘If she’s here,’ said Colbeck, ‘we’ll find her.’
‘I sincerely hope that you will.’
‘Before then, however, we have to make extensive enquiries. One of the people to whom I’d like to speak is your wife. She was, after all, the person Mrs Tarleton was on her way to see.’
‘Call at my home whenever you wish,’ urged Reader, taking out his wallet and extracting a card. ‘This is our address.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ said Colbeck, getting up to receive the card.
‘Agnes will be as eager to help you as I am, though you’ll find her in very low spirits. The Tarletons were good company. We spent so many happy times with them. We watched their children grow up and shared a number of family outings with them. Not to put too fine a point on it, they were our best friends.’
Leeming was curious. ‘Did they have any enemies?’
‘None at all – unless you count their son, that is.’
‘Was he really such a problem?’
‘His stepfather loathed him and his mother indulged him. He must have drunk and gambled his way through a small fortune. When the money dried up, Adam became angry and sent his mother the most abusive letters.’
‘You say that the money dried up,’ said Colbeck, seizing on the phrase. ‘We had the feeling that the family had run into financial difficulties. Is that true?’
Reader was wary. ‘Yes, it is, Inspector,’ he replied. ‘I can’t go into details without breaching confidentiality. Suffice it to say that the colonel and his wife had to draw in their horns a little.’
‘I’ll press you no further on the subject, sir. You’ve been very helpful. Now that we happen to be in town, we’ll avail ourselves of the opportunity to call on Mrs Reader.’ He signalled to Leeming who rose to his feet. The banker also got up. ‘Thank you, sir.’
‘I’d be grateful if you would keep me informed of any developments.’
‘We will, sir.’
‘Have you picked up any clues at all since you’ve been here?’
‘Oh, yes,’ said Colbeck. ‘At least, we have a starting point.’
‘And what’s that?’ asked Reader.
‘The railway.’
Clifford Everett’s office was on the top floor of the building, obliging Tallis to walk up three long flights of stairs. By the time he reached the top, he was panting. He took a few moments to recover before rapping on the door with his knuckles. In response to a crisp invitation, he went into the lawyer’s domain.
‘Good morning, Major Tallis,’ said Everett.
‘Actually, I’m here in a different guise today.’
‘In what way, pray?’
Tallis explained that he was employed by the Metropolitan Police Force and that a letter from the colonel had brought him to Yorkshire to unravel a mystery. Everett listened stonily. Years earlier, the two men had met more than once at social gatherings when Tallis was always introduced by his former rank. Everett had assumed that he was a retired army man. Hearing that he was, in fact, a detective made the lawyer defensive.
‘You misled us, Superintendent,’ he said.
‘I didn’t wish to court any embarrassment,’ Tallis told him. ‘Policemen are never popular. Everyone is suspicious of us. It was easier for me to pass myself off as an old soldier when I visited the colonel. That, in effect, was exactly what I was.’