Chapter Eight
Riley waited for Miss Fanshaw to recover her composure, frowning as he took in Salter’s astonished expression. The naïve chit actually believed that Woodrow had intended to marry her, as evidenced by the ring he had given her. Riley could tell that it was a genuine diamond, albeit modest in size. Given the amount of cash that Woodrow had acquired through nefarious means, he could easily have afforded a trinket of that quality, doubtless accompanied by empty assurances, in order to impress a girl in her situation. His ultimate aim would have been her virtue.
‘Perhaps you could tell me about it, if it’s not too painful,’ Riley said gently when her sobs eventually subsided. ‘How did you and Mr Woodrow first meet.’
‘Oh, I’ve known him all me life. My Ma was their housekeeper.’
‘Ah, I see.’ Riley exchanged another assessing look with Salter.
‘I grew up below stairs in Woodrow House, and Rod always had a kind word for me. Then me Ma died. I took over her position and old Mr Woodrow was that kind to me. But when he got ill Mr Francis took control.’ Her expression turned sour. ‘He said I was too young to hold such a responsible position, even though old Mr Woodrow never complained about the service I provided. Mr Francis said I could stay on, but only if I… Well, I told him in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t that sort of girl.’ She squared her shoulders, looking indignant. ‘I might be a servant but I’m no whore.’
‘That much is patently evident to me, Alice,’ Riley replied soothingly. ‘You left the Woodrows’ employ rather than compromise your virtue. That was the right and proper thing to do. But what happened to you then?’
‘It was Rod what helped me. He was furious when he heard what Mr Francis had suggested. He denied it, of course—Mr Francis, that is. Said I’d made it up, but Rod knew I’m the honest sort, not given to telling untruths. Anyway, there was the most terrible argument. Rod agreed that I couldn’t possibly stay at Woodrow House, so he got me a position as an apprentice to a fashionable milliner in Bond Street. Them positions are highly sought after,’ she said on a note of pride. ‘Rod knew that was what I really wanted to do. Ever so persuasive, Rod could be. I never would have been taken on without his help, but I think I have proved myself worthy.’
‘I am sure you have,’ Riley said, smiling at her.
‘We became firm friends after that, Rod and me, and he came by every so often to make sure I was all right. Said he felt duty bound to take care of me. He walked out with me on my afternoon off and told me such funny stories about the people he mixed with. Made me laugh until my sides hurt, so he did. He said he loved being with me because he didn’t have to put on a pretence like he did all the rest of the time.’
‘How long ago did you leave Woodrow House, Alice?’ Riley asked.
‘Going on two years, sir. Rod had that terrible fight with his brothers and left at the same time.’
‘And did you visit his rooms in Half Moon Street?’ Salter asked.
‘Certainly not!’ She tilted her chin. ‘That’s not to say that I wouldn’t have, if’n he’d asked me to,’ she added with a guilty smile. ‘Rod had been that good to me. Just about the only man who’s done something for me without expecting anything in return.’ Riley nodded, well able to believe it. The girl was far from worldly and didn’t seem to have any idea just how attractive she actually was. Rod would have found her innocence appealing, and despite the way he conducted himself with his own sort, taking advantage of their neediness for his own profit, he had obviously felt protective of Alice. ‘Rod insisted that for once in his life he wanted to do things right. When I marry you, Alice,’ he said to me, ‘I want you to be pure.’
‘When was the wedding to take place?’ Riley asked.
‘Once Rod had saved enough to buy us a place to live, and when I had finished my apprenticeship. He said when I’d done that I’d be able to open my own milliner’s establishment and he’d persuade all the grand ladies he knew to give me their custom.’ She beamed with pride. ‘He would have done it, too. Rod could get people to do anything he wanted. Anyway, I don’t have long to go now to finish my training. Just a few months. Madame would not approve if I married before then, but Rod said he had expectations that would leave us sitting pretty by the time we said our vows.’
‘Do you know what he meant by that?’ Riley asked.
‘Oh no, sir. He never spoke to me about his business affairs. He knew I wouldn’t understand them anyway.’
‘Where do you live now, Alice?’
‘I have a room that I share with the other apprentice at the back of the shop, sir. Ever so cosy, so it is.’
At Salter’s request, she reeled off the address. Riley knew of the establishment. His mother was one of its most demanding patrons. If Alice’s handiwork could satisfy her exacting requirements then she did indeed possess exceptional talent. That must be the case anyway, otherwise all the charm in the world would not have secured her such a sought-after position. Madame Elaine’s clients paid exorbitant amounts for the very best quality and would be quick to complain if standards slipped.
‘Now think carefully, Alice,’ Riley said, smiling at the nervous, tearful girl in an effort to put her at her ease. ‘Can you think of anyone, anyone at all, who might have done this terrible thing?’
‘Upon my life, sir, that I cannot. The only people he ever argued with were his brothers. But he loved his father, so they remained on what he called nodding terms for the old man’s sake. I only heard about this awful tragedy this morning when I saw the headlines on the newspaper the boy on the corner sells. It gave me a right funny turn, I don’t mind telling you. I thought it couldn’t possibly be true, but Madame said it must be if it was in a respectable newspaper like The Times, and that I ought to come here and tell you what I know.’ She sent Riley a trusting look. ‘So here I am, but I honestly can’t think of anyone who didn’t like Rod. In fact, I used to get jealous when we walked out and I saw the way other ladies looked at him, but he told me not to worry. He told me I was the only girl for him, but now he’s gone and I’m all on my own and I don’t know how I shall manage.’ She subsided into further sobbing.
‘You walked in Hyde Park?’ Salter asked when she had blown her nose, wiped her eyes and regained a modicum of control.
‘Oh no, sir. Rod said he didn’t want to waste our precious time together, which would happen if we went there and people he knew accosted us.’ In other words, Riley thought, he didn’t want to be seen with her. Yet if Alice was to be believed he had not bedded her, so perhaps his intentions were serious. ‘We used to take quiet walks down by the river, watching the mudlarks on sunny days or listening to the organ grinders. Sometimes we went on the river, or else we drove out to Hampstead Heath or took the omnibus to Holland Park. It made no odds to me where we went, just so long as we were together.’ She sniffed. ‘Now we will never go anywhere together again.’
It was clear that she had little else of value to add, although what she had told them explained a great deal. Riley thanked her, expressed his sympathies and told her that they would call to see her at her place of employment if they had more questions for her.
‘Poor chit,’ Salter said, the moment a uniformed constable came to show her out and the door closed behind them. ‘She actually believed that he intended to marry her.’
‘And, hard though it may seem to credit the possibility, I think he did,’ Riley said pensively. ‘Seems he had a conscience after all, otherwise he would have taken what he wanted from her and cast her aside. Yet she claims he didn’t lay a finger on her.’
‘He fell in love, you mean?’ Salter looked dubious. ‘That goes against everything we’ve heard about him thus far. Quite the Casanova, was our Rod.’
‘I suspect that Rod came to look upon society’s rigid formalities with a decidedly jaundiced eye, Jack. He wouldn’t be the first man to baulk at its absurdities. Just think, he’d known Alice for years. She’s that rarest of creatures, an exceptionally pretty girl who’s modest and principled with it. When he realised what his sanctimonious brother expected her to do if she wanted to retain her livelihood it was the final straw. He vowed to protect her by offering her…well, the protection of his name. He behaved with honour, in other words, and had a purpose.’
‘Yeah perhaps, but what about all the other women he slowly bled dry? Ain’t much honour in blackmail.’
‘He took revenge on Alice’s behalf by extracting money from Lady Eldridge. He felt she deserved to pay for the way in which Eldridge had treated Alice’s mother. Can’t say I blame him for that. As for Mrs Cowley…well, Rod had a purpose now. He needed to provide for his intended and set her up in business. He found out that Mrs Kempton was willing enough to pay him for services rendered, so to speak, realised that Mrs Cowley required a similar service and saw an opportunity. I rather suspect that Laura Durand was the focus of the expectations he spoke to Alice about. She reaches her majority in a few months and comes into her inheritance.’
‘He intended to pull the same stunt with her as he did with Mrs Kempton. Take her virtue and then insist that he couldn’t come between her and her father.’ Salter screwed up his features. ‘And just when I was starting to like him, an’ all.’
‘I don’t think he would have had to try too hard, but for the fact that Durand took her away from London.’
‘Would it have worked, sir? A man from his walk of life and a girl from the lower classes?’
‘Frankly, I think there was more to our Rod than met the eye. He probably did fall for the girl. It’s easy to see how that could have happened. He protected her from unwanted attention, found himself comparing her to the calculating and, frankly, frivolous females he met in society’s circles and decided he preferred the idea of a simple life with Alice. He wouldn’t have tried to involve her in his world. In fact, if they did marry he would probably have kept it secret—’
‘Dabbling in society but returning home to his sweet and modest wife.’
Riley sighed. ‘We shall never know for sure, but I like him better for trying to help Alice even if I can’t approve of the manner in which he acquired the blunt in order to make it possible. It’s not hard to imagine how she would have finished up if he hadn’t. Sooner or later a man attracted to her wouldn’t have taken no for an answer, then she’d likely have found herself in the same situation as her mother.’
‘She doesn’t seem very well-versed in the ways of the world, the poor scrap.’
‘What I want to know, Salter, is why Rod extracted money from his brother William when it was Francis who tried to compromise the girl.’ He stood. ‘I think we’ve kept him cooling his heels for quite long enough. Shall we go and ask him?’
‘Lead the way,’ Salter replied, rubbing his hands together. There was nothing he enjoyed more than extracting honest answers from reluctant witnesses, or witnesses who thought they could get away with lying to them by pulling rank.
Woodrow sprang to his feet the moment Salter opened the door to the unappealing room in which he had been left. The walls were painted a dull grey, although perhaps that was just the colour of the stone from which they were built. The one small window was high up in the wall, the glass so grimy that it was impossible to tell if it was day or night outside.
‘I say, what’s the meaning of keeping me here like a common criminal?’ William demanded to know.
Riley indicated to the uniformed constable to leave them. He did so, closing the door softly behind him.
‘I am sorry to have kept you waiting,’ Riley said, not sounding sorry at all, ‘but we have a few additional questions for you.’
‘Which you could not have asked me at home?’
‘These questions would not be necessary if you had been candid when we spoke to you at Woodrow House.’ Riley sat sideways on his chair and crossed his legs. ‘We find witnesses tend to be more helpful when we speak to them here. I believe the salubrious surroundings tend to concentrate the mind.’
‘Very well.’ William folded his arms across his chest. The gesture made him appear defensive. He must have realised that, as he quickly unfolded them again, dropping his hands into his lap. ‘What is it that you wish to know?’
Riley allowed a significant pause before posing his first question. ‘Why did you not tell us that Rod left Woodrow House because of a falling out with you and your brother?’
William’s gaze darted between the two detectives in a futile attempt to gauge how much they knew. Salter remained standing, leaning one beefy shoulder against the wall, his expression giving nothing away. He raised a finger to his mouth and picked at an imaginary scrap between his teeth with a fingernail, maintaining eye-contact with William as he did so. Riley kept his gaze focused on William too, watching as the other man’s expression flickered between revulsion and fear as he stared at Salter.
‘A falling out?’ William attempted to play the situation down, but Riley saw his nervousness grow as he licked his dry lips. ‘We are brothers, Lord Riley, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that brothers are always having differences of opinion.’
‘Yet you do not argue with Francis.’ Riley’s tone remained impassive.
‘Francis and I are like-minded.’
‘And Rod was the black sheep, I suppose,’ Salter snarled. ‘An embarrassment who could scupper your ambitions any time he felt like it. And I bet he made sure you knew it, didn’t he?’
‘Rubbish!’ William snapped, sitting a little straighter and sending Salter a scathing look that Riley knew would fail to intimidate him. He turned to Riley. ‘Kindly ask your sergeant to remember whom he is addressing, Lord Riley, and have him keep a civil tongue in his head.’
‘What was the disagreement about?’ Riley asked, ignoring the request.
‘I cannot recall.’ William waved a hand in dismissal. ‘Something and nothing, I shouldn’t wonder. Family disputes almost always are.’
‘You can’t remember?’ Salter said. He shrugged himself upright from the wall, took two steps towards William and placed both hands flat on the table between them, his nose inches from the aspiring politician’s face. ‘You can’t remember, yet the argument was so bad that Rod left the family home and never returned, breaking your father’s heart in the process. Pull the other one, sunshine.’
‘Get away from me, you insolent dog!’
Salter didn’t budge. ‘I’ll get away from you when you start telling the inspector here the bloody truth,’ he growled. ‘I’m sure you’ve got plenty of places you’d rather be, but let me tell you that you ain’t leaving here until we get some answers.’
‘Your superiors will hear about the way I’ve been treated, Lord Riley, which is no better than a common criminal.’
Salter lifted both hands and slammed them down on the surface of the desk inches from William, who gave a frightened start and let out a small whimper as he shrank back into his own chair.
‘Maybe that’s just what you are!’ he shouted into William’s face.
Riley gave a subdued cough, and Salter took the signal. He raised himself to his full height and backed off two paces, resuming his insolent slouch against the wall.
‘Your father’s health deteriorated sharply as soon as Rod left,’ Riley said, his voice a cultured foil for Salter’s down-to-earth vernacular. ‘That must have annoyed you both. Your father lived vicariously through Rod’s exploits. Maybe he even felt proud of him for being a wastrel. Meanwhile you and Francis represented pillars of comparative respectability who somehow failed to achieve parental approval.’
William turned away from Riley. ‘This has nothing to do with Father.’
‘I don’t think Francis’s life was as respectable as all that, was it, sir?’ Salter said, his tone speculative. ‘Given what we’ve been told.’
‘Ah yes, Sergeant. Thank you for the reminder.’
William’s eyes had taken on a haunted look, one that Riley had seen many times before in this room. His attempt to appear aloof and unconcerned was failing miserably. Riley let the silence draw out, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair in a way that was calculated to irritate. Eventually the silence became too much for William.
‘What do you think you know?’ he asked.
‘We know that you were paying your brother thirty guineas a quarter,’ Riley replied after another significant pause. ‘Now why on earth would you do that, we wondered, did we not, Sergeant?’
‘We did indeed, sir,’ Salter replied, never taking his eyes from William.
William looked from Riley to Salter and back again. ‘How the devil could you possibly know a thing like that?’ he demanded.
‘We didn’t,’ Riley replied, ‘not for sure, but you just confirmed it.’
William let out a long breath. ‘Well, since you insist upon knowing, I paid Rod to stay away. He upset Father with his—’
Salter stepped forward again, this time bringing his clenched fists down onto the table very slowly. William did not flinch. He stared at Salter’s fists and his tongue flickered across his lips once more. ‘Now, Mr Woodrow,’ Salter said in what was almost a whisper, ‘I’ve caught you lying before and I didn’t like it much, if you remember. We already know that your father only got upset when Rod moved out, so tell the inspector the truth, before I get really annoyed, there’s a good fellow.’
‘All right.’ William threw up his hands. ‘I wanted him to stay away, so I made sure he had the funds to support himself. Having a brother with his kind of morals didn’t do my prospects of being elected to Parliament much good.’ Salter stood up as slowly as he had bent down a few seconds before. William let out an elongated sigh.
‘Yet Rod continued to maintain a high profile in society,’ Riley said. ‘The Tory grandees couldn’t help but notice him. In fact, he was intimately acquainted with some of their wives.’
‘No!’ William’s face paled. ‘Even he would not go that far.’
‘Where did you get the blunt to pay him?’ Riley asked.
‘What do you mean?’
Riley shrugged. ‘Exactly what I say, Mr Woodrow. As far as I am aware you have no occupation and devote all your time to your political ambitions.’
‘I have private means. We all received a legacy from my mother’s estate when she died. Rod ran through his, of course, but I was more prudent.’
‘Maybe so, but it wouldn’t have lasted indefinitely if you’d been obliged to continue paying Rod. A perpetual drain on your resources. You must have resented paying your brother to keep his distance, especially since he could have decided to demand more at any time.’
‘Perhaps Mr Woodrow knew about Rod’s dalliances with all them political females, sir, and paid him to keep away from ’em.’
‘I did not!’ William looked affronted. He took a deep breath, striving to rein in his temper.
‘You paid him to steer clear of anyone who could be of use to you,’ Riley remarked. ‘And yet he made a point of turning up at political soirees that he knew you’d be attending—like he did on the night he died. You must have thought he was doing it deliberately, just to annoy you. I can easily imagine you losing patience with him. Not only was he slowly bleeding you dry but he also failed to keep his side of the bargain. But of course all those problems are behind you now.’
‘I cannot pretend to be sorry about that, but I most certainly did not kill my brother, if that is what you suppose, Lord Riley.’ William appeared to have regained a little composure and attempted to adopt a superior air. ‘Really, I thought you were a great deal more intelligent than that.’
‘We know you left the Covingtons at midnight. What we don’t know is where you went after that,’ Salter said in a surly tone.
‘What? You think that I…’ He half rose from his chair, as though to confront Salter, who took a step forward and grinned in anticipation. William sank back into his chair. ‘You actually think I murdered my own brother? But that’s insupportable. I did not like him, and didn’t approve of his lifestyle, but dislike and disapproval are a long way from murder.’
‘We might be less inclined to look upon you as a suspect if you were to tell us the whole truth,’ Riley said, a hard edge to his voice.
‘I already have—’
‘I would advise against trying my patience, Mr Woodrow. We know you did not pay your brother out of the goodness of your heart.’ Riley fixed William with a look of steely resolve. ‘Bear in mind that I have the power to lock you in a cell. It is not an experience that I would recommend, especially as my sergeant appears very keen to escort you to one. Have no doubt that I will permit him to do so if you continue to mislead me. It would give you an opportunity to reflect.’
‘Of course,’ Salter added, sniffing, ‘them newspaper hacks is always hanging around, looking for a story. Discovering that you were one of our guests would scupper your political ambitions far more effectively than your brother’s activities ever could. I wonder who would tell them…in exchange for a guinea or two, of course.’ Salter let the silence drag out.
William sent Riley a look of unmitigated hatred but, like the politician he aspired to be, self-preservation kicked in. He sighed his capitulation.
‘Very well,’ he said. ‘I suspect that you know anyway.’
‘I would prefer to hear it from you,’ Riley said.
‘Rod was a hypocrite, Lord Riley. He worked his way methodically through half the women in London, but he kicked up one hell of a ruckus when Francis propositioned our late housekeeper’s daughter.’ He waved a hand. ‘Oh, I don’t condone what Francis did. It was wrong—and I might add, entirely out of character. The poor girl was in no position to refuse him. But Rod and she had always been friendly and when word reached him…well, I thought he would kill Francis. I have never seen him half so angry and don’t mind admitting that he frightened me. He seemed capable of just about anything at that moment, and I feared for Francis’s safety.
‘Anyway, tempers cooled. The girl left our employ. I have no idea where she went, and frankly I was glad to see the back of her. With temptation out of his way, Francis came to his senses and we returned to normal. But Rod wouldn’t let it go. He said he was no longer prepared to live at home and needed money from Francis to pay for suitable lodgings. If he wasn’t paid, he would tell Francis’s wife exactly why he was moving out. Francis laughed in his face, of course, and told him to go right ahead. He has a family to support and has not been as frugal with his resources as I have managed to be as a single man with few overheads. Anyway, I could see that Rod was still furious and very likely would spread word of what Francis had tried to do. Any whiff of scandal attaching to our family name would have put paid to my chances of being elected. I wanted him out, aware that life would be a great deal more comfortable without him at Woodrow House like a perpetual thorn in our sides. So I agreed to pay him what he had demanded from Francis, thinking it would give me a hold over him and prevent him from speaking out of turn.’
‘Does your brother know?’ Riley asked.
‘No. The arrangement was between Rod and me. If Francis had known he would have tried to talk me out of it, but my thoughts were for my political future. Rod was a loose cannon, and he had to be controlled somehow.’
‘Thank you for finally being honest with us,’ Riley said, ‘but you must realise how it looks from our perspective. We have not found anyone else who had more reason to want your brother dead than you.’
‘But I did not…’ William threw up his hands, looking pale and desperate. ‘How can I convince you that—’
Riley spoke over his protests. ‘You could easily have gone to Half Moon Street after leaving the Covingtons and waited for Rod to return home. He would have invited you in. Perhaps you did not mean to kill him, but you did intend to remind him of the terms of your agreement. You were tired of him turning up on your territory and stealing your thunder. Enough was enough.’
‘But I was not there, and I did not kill him,’ William replied, calmer now and more in control. ‘And what’s more, you cannot prove otherwise, since there is no proof to be found.’
‘In that case, can you suggest anyone else who might have wished him dead?’
‘Unfortunately not. Rod was universally popular, at least with the ladies. But if he was dallying with married women—well, I don’t envy you having to work your way through all of their husbands.’
Riley stood. ‘Thank you for your cooperation, Mr Woodrow. We shall not detain you any further.’
William looked surprised and then relieved that the grilling had come to an end. He stood with more speed than dignity and reached for his hat, which he had knocked to the floor during his first confrontation with Salter. He wished Riley a curt good morning and swept through the door that Salter opened for him, treating the sergeant as though he was not there.
‘He won’t be getting my vote,’ Salter grumbled as he left the room at Riley’s side. ‘Not if he can’t even acknowledge my presence.’
Riley chuckled. ‘I don’t think he likes you much, Jack.’
Salter grunted. ‘The feeling’s mutual.’ The arrived back at Riley’s office. ‘Do you think he did it, guv?’
‘I think he had been pushed to his limit, but I’m not sure he possesses the mettle to actually commit murder.’
‘Still an’ all, like you say, everyone has their limits. He was jealous of his brother’s popularity and thought it unfair that his father favoured the black sheep. Add to that, Rod seemed to be taunting him by turning up on his turf. He could have snapped.’
‘We’d never prove it on what we have thus far,’ Riley said, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. ‘He was fishing when he asked about the evidence, and you took the bait, sergeant. He’s no fool.’
‘Sorry, sir. What now then?’
Before Riley could respond, Carter burst into the office without bothering to knock, looking excited.
‘Excuse me sir, but we’ve just brought a jarvey in who picked up a man answering to Durand’s description at midnight on the night in question. He dropped him at the Half Moon tavern.’
‘Well done, Carter, good work!’
‘I thought you’d want to talk to him, sir, what with you being the only one of us who knows precisely what Durand looks like.’
‘You thought right, Carter. Bring him in here. He’s not a suspect and I don’t want him to be intimidated by our interview rooms.’ Riley felt energised as Carter went off to fetch the cabbie. ‘I knew Durand wasn’t telling me everything,’ he said.
‘It looks as though he could be our man,’ Salter replied. ‘It would be too much of a coincidence for him not to be. It’ll cause quite a scandal amongst your lot.’
‘We thrive on scandal, Jack,’ Riley responded, with a wry smile. ‘We love it more than life itself. Haven’t you worked that out yet?’
The unkempt individual whom Carter led into Riley’s office seemed disgruntled.
‘I hope someone’s going to make up for all the fares I’m losing,’ he huffed, scratching his scalp and agitating wisps of wiry grey hair that stood out from his bald pate like a halo. ‘Helping the police with their enquiries is one thing, but time is money. Wish I’d kept me trap shut now. Would have done if I’d known I’d be dragged down here.’
‘Glad to see you doing your civic duty, Mr…’
‘Hoskins. Albert Hoskins. You wanna know about the cove what I collected near Waterloo a couple of nights ago, so I hear tell. All right then. Get on with it.’ He lowered himself into a chair and flapped his gnarled hands. ‘What do you wanna know about him?’
‘What did he look like, Mr Hoskins?’
‘He was a right gent. Well spoken, like you, and dressed in evening clothes. He was fat, with grey whiskers, and he seemed angry. That’s all I noticed about ’im. One fare is much the same as another, far as I’m concerned. I dropped him at the Half Moon and offered to wait for him, but he paid me generously and told me not to bother. I assumed he had a doxy in there and was plannin’ to spend the night.’ The cabbie sniffed. ‘Wouldn’t be the first time me and Flash—that’s me ’orse—have conducted gentlemen to assignations of that nature.’
‘What time did you leave him there, Hoskins?’ Riley asked. ‘Can you remember?’
This question required another sniff and a thoughtful pause. ‘Not much after twelve-fifteen. I remember ’cause it was a slow night, so Flash and me, we packed it in and went off home after that.’
Satisfied that Hoskins actually had taken Durand to Half Moon Street, Riley recompensed him well enough to bring a smile to his face. He ensured that Carter knew where to find him if they needed to speak with him again and sent him on his way with the grateful thanks of Scotland Yard ringing in his ears.
‘Ask Sergeant Barton to send two uniformed constables to bring Lord Durand in,’ Riley said, firming his jaw. ‘I am tired of being lied to and treated like a fool.’
‘With pleasure, sir,’ Carter said.
‘That’ll take a while, always supposing they can find him. If he’s not at home he will be at Westminster. Tell them not to come back without him, and they need not be discreet about insisting that he accompanies them.’
‘I like it when you get angry with your own,’ Salter said, grinning. ‘It shows a marked lack of prejudice, if you ask me.’
Riley sent his sergeant a wry smile. ‘No one did, but I take your point. Anyway, Jack, stay on top of things here. I shall be out for a few hours, and we can look forward to a frank exchange with Lord Durand when I return.’
‘Where you going?’
‘To speak to my friend about the bullion market.’
Salter’s eyes widened. ‘What for? You still want to know about Kempton? Surely, now we have Durand on the ropes, that ain’t necessary.’
‘Let’s not count our chickens, Jack,’ Riley said, reaching for his coat.
‘You’re the boss,’ Salter replied, his expression bemused as he watched Riley leave.