‘I’m sorry we had to put you through that,’ he said.
‘It’s Hugh,’ she said, chewing her lip. ‘It’s my brother.’
‘Let’s get you out of here, Miss Kellow.’
‘Who could have done such a terrible a thing?’
‘We’ll find his killer, I guarantee it.’
‘It’s so unfair – Hugh wouldn’t have harmed a fly.’
Colbeck wanted to ask her if she could suggest any reason why her brother had been in that particular hotel in the first place but it was obviously the wrong moment to do so. Effie, in any case, had gone off in a private world, her face contorted with grief and her head moving to and fro. A flood of tears then came. Colbeck was ready for them, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to give her and placing a gentle arm around her shoulder by way of comfort. He was moved by the sheer hopelessness of her situation.
‘Miss Kellow can’t return to London in this condition,’ he told Leeming. ‘We’ll have to find a room for her at the hotel.’
The first night of Macbeth was a glittering occasion. The cream of Cardiff society converged on the Theatre Royal in its finery. Carriages of every description arrived in an endless procession to drop off those attending the opening performance. The mayor and mayoress were among the first to arrive, the one wearing his chain of office and the other in a blue silk taffeta dress that would not have been out of place in the presence of royalty. A small knot of people had gathered to watch their social superiors, marvelling at the elegant men and the bejewelled ladies arriving in waves. There was so much colour, action and affectation on show that it seemed as if a drama was being enacted outside the theatre as well as upon its stage.
Sir David and Lady Pryde descended from their phaeton with aristocratic poise, ignoring the watching hoi polloi before sweeping in through the portals of the theatre. Swathed in a black and cerise silk dress that accentuated, rather than concealed, her bulk, Martha Pryde wore a silver tiara and flicked an ivory fan ostentatiously beneath her double chin. She was a hefty woman in her fifties with an arrogant strut. As she and her husband were shown to their seats, her beady eyes scanned the whole auditorium.
‘She’s not here,’ she said, gleefully.
‘What’s that?’ asked her husband.
‘Winifred Tomkins is not here. She can’t face us now that her outlandish coffee pot has been stolen. I know that she was invited but I can’t see her anywhere. Can you, David?’
‘I haven’t really looked.’
‘Well, look now. I can’t believe that I’ve missed her.’
‘Very well, Martha,’ he said, reluctantly shifting his gaze from Carys Evans with whom he had been exchanging a secret smile. ‘Although why you should be bothered with them, I really don’t know. They no longer exist as far as I’m concerned. If I bump into either of that dreadful pair, I shall cut them dead.’
‘Winifred hasn’t got the courage to appear in public.’
‘Forget the egregious woman.’
‘After what happened – how can I?’
‘She’s not here – be grateful for the fact.’
‘Oh, I’m more than grateful,’ said his wife as she took her seat beside him. ‘I’m delighted. The thief who stole that coffee pot of hers deserves congratulations. He’s wiped that haughty smile off her ugly face.’ She smiled triumphantly. ‘I feel wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever been so ready to enjoy a performance. Wherever she is, I hope that Winifred is in pain.’
‘What do we do, Inspector?’ asked a querulous Winifred Tomkins.
‘I suggest that the ransom is paid,’ said Colbeck.
Tomkins was scandalised. ‘Pay twice for the same thing?’ he said in alarm. ‘That goes against the grain.’
‘Nevertheless, sir, it’s what I advise. And, if I might correct you, the full price for the item has not yet been paid. Mr Kellow was to have collected the balance. All that you have parted with is a deposit.’
‘Fifty pounds is not a trifling amount.’
‘Much more is now required. I’d urge you to pay it.’
‘You mean to let the thief get away with it?’
‘He’s a murderer as well as a thief, Mr Tomkins, and he will be arraigned for both crimes. Until we arrest him, you must comply with the demands in the ransom note.’
‘I refuse to bow to his wishes.’
‘Then you can wave farewell to any hope of recovering the item.’
‘Don’t say that, Inspector!’ exclaimed Winifred. ‘I can’t bear such a thought. Superintendent Stockdale led us to believe that you would retrieve that coffee pot for us.’
‘I’m endeavouring to do just that, Mrs Tomkins.’
Neither she nor her husband was persuaded. They remained hurt, fearful and sceptical. Colbeck and Leeming had been summoned to the house to be shown the anonymous ransom note. The inspector was completely at ease in the sprawling mansion but his sergeant was perturbed. Leeming always felt intimidated by the sight of wealth and, since their arrival, had been shifting his feet and holding his tongue.
‘Have the money ready for tomorrow, sir,’ suggested Colbeck.
‘I might as well toss it on a fire,’ said Tomkins, sullenly.
‘At least I’d get my property back,’ his wife put in.
‘Winifred, it’s not worth twice the asking price.’
She shot him a look. ‘It is to me.’
‘You won’t lose a penny of the money, Mr Tomkins,’ said Colbeck, ‘and you’ll have the satisfaction of seeing the thief put behind bars. The person to thank will be my sergeant.’
Leeming was taken aback, ‘Me, sir?’ he said.
‘Yes, Sergeant, you will be involved in the exchange. All that the note has told us is how much money is required. The details of the exchange will come tomorrow.’
‘Then why can’t you lie in wait to catch the thief when he delivers the message here?’ asked Tomkins.
‘This person is far too clever to be caught that way. We’re dealing with someone who plans ahead very carefully. When the exchange is made, for instance,’ prophesied Colbeck, ‘it will be somewhere in the open so that the sergeant can be watched.’
‘What then, Inspector?’ said Leeming.
‘You ask to see the coffee pot before you hand over the money, and when you see no deception is involved – you make the arrest.’
‘Where will you be?’ wondered Tomkins.
‘A respectable distance away, sir,’ said Colbeck. ‘At the slightest sign of a police ambush, the exchange will be cancelled and the coffee pot will disappear forever.’
‘No!’ shrieked Winifred.
‘Sergeant Leeming is an experienced detective. It’s not the first time he’s been in this situation. He’ll know what to do.’
‘A lot of money is at stake here,’ Tomkins reminded him.
‘Not to mention my coffee pot,’ added his wife.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Leeming, pleased to be given such a pivotal role. ‘The money and the coffee pot will be returned when I catch him.’