Chapter Four #2
“The second body, sir, in chronological order by apparent date of burial,” the the tall, lean redhead reported, his Scots accent in abeyance apart from a slight roll to the Rs, “would appear to be a Martin Devine, of Guildford, Surrey. The right height, hair colour, and general build, age thirty-three, which accords with Sir Bernard’s opeenion, as does the date on which he was last seen: the twenty-first of November. ”
“Sounds like a fit. And the other?”
“Two possibles. Edwin Surtees and Lieutenant-Colonel William Pelham, retired. Both in their late fifties and the right height. Surtees resided in Kent, near Maidstone, and the colonel in Tunbridge Wells. We’ve checked only the Home Counties reports, as you instructed.”
“It’s a place to start. It seems unlikely that anyone, however mad, would move a murdered corpse very far just for the sake of burying it in Epping Forest, especially if his only transport is a horse-cart.”
“Verra true, sir.” The Scots was creeping in as he became involved in what was being said and stopped worrying about the impression he was making on his fellow officers.
“There were a few matches for age and height who disappeared in London and the suburbs and were never accounted for, but none that wad hae been wearing handmade shoes.”
“Handmade shoes?”
“Mr. Piper?” Mackinnon deferred to his junior’s command of the details rather than grabbing all the credit, Alec noted with approval. The Scot might be as ready for promotion to inspector as Piper was to sergeant.
“It’s one of the links, Chief,” said Ernie eagerly.
“All three were wearing good shoes and tailored clothes. There wasn’t all that much left of the clothes on the first body, but the shoes survived pretty well.
Buttons, too, only you can’t be sure with buttons. They could be on second-hand clothes.”
“Both the colonel and the other chap—”
“Surtees, sir.”
“They wore the same size shoes?”
“Yes, Chief, with the left foot half a size larger.”
“No maker’s name?”
“Unreadable,” Piper said regretfully.
“We’re leaning towards yon colonel, wad ye no agree, Mr. Piper?”
“On what grounds?”
“It’s another link, Chief, which applies to Halliday, Devine, and Colonel Pelham, but not to Surtees.
All three of them vanished after leaving their local public house, which they visited regularly.
Surtees left home for London, where he intended to stay a couple of days on business.
He never turned up for his various appointments, nor at his club, where he was expected to stay. ”
Alec considered this for a moment. “It’s a rather tenuous link,” he said, “and probably sheer coincidence. Worth following up, though. Still, I presume we have dental information by now. It’s a good job dentists aren’t half so secretive about their patients as doctors are.
With the names, we should be able to find the dentists concerned and get definite answers. ”
“Och, sir,” said Mackinnon reproachfully, “hae I no had DC Burton working on yon already?”
“Burton?”
“I’ve rung up all the dentists in Guildford, Maidstone, and Tunbridge Wells, sir. Found Devine’s and Surtees’. They both agreed to take the charts home with them and wait for a copper to show up with the information to compare.”
“I didna care tae send anyone out wi’out asking you first, sir.”
“Good work. We’ll send a uniform on a motorbike, I think.
” He scanned the listening group and called on the most senior uniformed officer among them, “Sergeant Vane, get the information from Burton and set it in motion, please. Tell the rider to go to Maidstone first and send a wire with the dentist’s answer. A discreet wire, no names.”
“What if there’s no motorcyclist available, sir?”
“Then call a man in. This case has a very high priority, as you can tell by the number of you in here. Are you all listening? The Great White Chief is going to get all hot and bothered if we don’t clear this up quickly, and more important, so is the Great British Public.”
A murmur of amusement ran round the room but they’d take it seriously all the same.
“Yes, sir.” Vane consulted Burton, and hurried from the room with a sheaf of notes.
While all this was going on, phones had occasionally rung and been answered. Now a constable announced, “Sir, it’s for you. Superintendent Crane.”
Alec hoped no one heard his groan. He nodded, and the man switched the call through to the telephone on his desk. Mackinnon had them all working surprisingly smoothly.
“Fletcher here.”
“One moment, sir.”
“Fletcher? I hope I’m not interrupting…?”
“Actually, sir…”
“I’ve got the AC on my back. Unfortunately the Home Sec read about the murders in the evening paper and wants to know what’s being done about it.”
“Ten minutes, sir? No, make that fifteen.”
“I’ll be here. Fletcher, your good lady’s still not…?”
“Absolutely not, sir. I’ll be with you shortly.”
Crane grunted. “Do what you need to do. And while you’re about it, think about which inspector you’d like under you.”
“DS Mackinnon is doing a good job, sir.”
“I dare say, but we need not only to do a good job but to be seen to be doing a good job, and that requires someone of higher rank backing you up.”
Damn politics! Alec thought. Mackinnon’s nose was going to be out of joint. But the super hadn’t specified a detective inspector. If Alec requested a uniformed man, he could be left to run the Yard end of things. Then Mackinnon would be free to join Alec and Tom in the field.
“Yes, sir. I’ll be with you shortly,” he repeated.
“Right you are.” Crane rang off.
Alec returned his attention to the dental question. “So, we haven’t found the dentist of one of the possible victims?”
“The colonel, sir,” said Mackinnon. “Colonel Pelham. Tunbridge Wells.”
“I talked to two dentists in Tunbridge Wells, sir,” said Burton. “One of them said he thought the colonel went to a London man. Sounded a bit disgruntled about it.”
“And how many dentists are there in London?” Alec queried rhetorically.
“Lots,” said Ernie, waving a directory.
“Let’s hope we get a positive from Surtees’s dentist, even if it spoils your pub link, Piper.
Otherwise, we’re going to have to trouble Pelham’s family even though we have virtually no evidence that he might be the first victim.
We don’t even know for certain that the body originated in the Home Counties. ”
“Could have been someone from elsewhere visiting London,” Tom suggested.
“It’s going to take some doing to persuade Mr. Crane to allow us to disturb the Pelham household, so Piper, you’d better try to convince me there’s a good chance we’ve got the right man.”
“One of two possibles,” Piper reminded him. “Could be the pub angle is just coincidence and it’s Surtees.”
“Yes.” Alec sighed. It was beginning to look, against considerable odds, as if they might to be able to identify all the bodies. As yet, he had no idea how they were to set about finding the killer. He hoped this case was not going to end up as a blot on his record.
“All right,” he went on, “let’s go over everything we know, quickly, before I go to see the super.
Oh, by the way, he wants an inspector in charge here—no reflection on your capability, Mackinnon, just a matter of being seen to be doing everything possible.
Besides, I can make better use of you elsewhere. I’m going to ask for Cavett.”
“A uniform?” said Tom. “Good idea, Chief. He won’t get any fancy notions about really being in charge of the case and he’s a good solid man.”
“Not half as solid as you, Sarge.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, laddie, or you’d be for it!”