Murder by Appointment: Inspector Faro No.10 Page 8

  He sighed. 'As for these two servants' unfortunate deaths. They must be dismissed officially as accidents, pure coincidence, which you will agree so often happens in life.'

  Again he smiled. 'Such a great pleasure to meet you. I trust there will be other happier occasions when we are both more at leisure to enjoy them. At least I am delighted that I have been able to allow you to close your file with an easy conscience on this distressing case. One mystery less to solve in your busy life, eh?' he added with a hearty laugh. 'I am sure you will appreciate that.'

  As they walked into the reception hall Brewer yawned. 'Oh, please excuse me. I am extremely weary. I've had a long day and I have to be up and about at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Tell me, do you know how long it will take to reach North Berwick by train?'

  Faro was well acquainted with the area and its railway system. As they walked through the hotel lobby he gave Brewer the relevant information.

  At the front door, as they shook hands, Faro asked where the wedding was taking place.

  'St Baldred's Church. At ten a.m.—devilish early for my taste—'

  As Faro walked home to Newington along the Pleasance, he had plenty to keep his thoughts occupied. He would have given much to know why Brewer had considered it necessary to journey to Edinburgh to meet his opposite number and instruct him so carefully in the matter of the Queen's missing documents without revealing anything of their contents. Vital documents that must be destroyed unread intrigued him. And dangerous enough to have caused two deaths and two unsuccessful murder attempts—on Lachlan Brown and himself.

  Whatever Brewer's real motive, it had little to do with a family wedding and whoever did his investigating in Aberdeen had let him down badly.

  The genial inspector was in for a disappointment if he made the journey to North Berwick and presented himself at the church for ten o'clock on Monday morning.

  St Baldred's had burnt down in a disastrous fire some ten months ago.

  Chapter 12

  As Faro entered his own front door he was relieved to find Vince alone. Olivia had retired for the night and as the two men shared a dram together, Vince was curious to hear the result of his stepfather's urgent summons to the Central Office.

  He listened impassively to the new information provided by Inspector Brewer before asking, 'You think there is some possibility that the McNairs could have been recruited as Fenian agents?'

  'I think that highly unlikely. According to Aunt Bella's Balmoral informants, all the tenants were known for their unswerving loyalty and discretion. Many were sons and daughters of the original servants who had served Prince Albert and the Queen when the Castle was first built.

  'As for the lower echelons, they seldom cast eyes on members of the Royal family anyway, especially chambermaids with stern instructions that upon the Queen's approach they must drop everything and melt immediately into cupboards conveniently provided in the corridors of the Royal apartments.'

  'What about outdoor servants?' Vince asked.

  'Same rules apply. Gardeners disappear behind hedges or keep their heads well down into the flower beds if they happen to be on their knees already. As for stable hands holding horses' heads they are instructed to avoid the eye-to-eye contact as they elevate Royal posteriors into the saddle.'

  Vince chuckled. 'Complete nonsense, isn't it!' He thought for a moment. 'Did Brewer give any indication as to the information in these papers?'

  'Only that they are of great interest to the Fenians.'

  Vince frowned. 'Could there be secret negotiations concerning Irish Home Rule that the Queen has had forwarded to Balmoral? Is the old lady getting careless, do you think?'

  Before Faro could reply, he continued, 'But even if the McNairs had access to private papers and documents, would they have been able to make sense of the contents and know they had something valuable in their hands? Even educated people have problems making sense out of official documents, as I know to my cost.'

  'There you have it, lad. I was thinking the same thing. The McNairs realizing the value of what they had stolen is problematic. Aunt Bella told me that many of the lower servants were unable to read and write—in English. They speak the Gaelic and some have little education beyond the basic rudiments of counting their wages.'

  'As I recall, Prince Albert was very keen to change all that. He even gave the tenants access to the castle library,' said Vince.

  'True, but with large families to provide for, tenants have always been proud and eager to seize the chance of putting their offspring to work at the Castle as early as possible.'

  Vince nodded. 'And no questions asked presumably, a blind eye conveniently turned by the Master of the Household on a well-grown lad or lass of eight or nine who could pass for a twelve-year-old.'

  Both men were silent for a moment, then as Vince refilled their glasses, Faro said grimly, 'It would seem that the McNairs had enough education to know about the contents of these letters or documents to get themselves murdered. And those Irish visitors at Miss McNair's cottage are a very sinister factor.'

  'You suspect that the fire was started deliberately,' said Vince.

  Faro sighed. 'I do. And, as far as I am concerned, I still have two murders to solve as well as an assault on my own person. Whatever is behind it all, Brewer, or someone in higher authority, decided it was worth his while coming to Edinburgh to warn me off—'

  Vince did not find the story of the bogus wedding at St Baldred's amusing. He looked very concerned.

  'I presume Brewer is Brewer?'

  'Oh, no doubt about that. Mcintosh's known him for years and has been quite voluble about his achievements.'

  'What do you conclude then? Brewer is sent down to meet you on a fabricated excuse regarding the death of two Balmoral servants and state documents, which he now declares were relatively unimportant but if they happen to fall into your hands they then they are to be destroyed—unread.' He shook his head. 'That doesn't make any sense at all.'

  'It does to me, lad. I'm being warned off, that's what. Plain lied to. And, as I don't care to be taken for a fool, I shall proceed as if Brewer's visit never happened.'

  'Hunt down the Fenians, you mean.'

  'Exactly. They are lurking in the vicinity of Edinburgh, I'd swear to that. And as the evidence so far indicates that they haven't yet got possession of these documents, they are also in circulation somewhere.'

  'All this is pure speculation, Stepfather, and as usual you can't do anything to prove or disprove it.'

  Vince paused and added lightly, 'The only Irishwoman you ever encountered on a social level was that writer, Imogen Crowe.'

  He could see by his stepfather's expression that he had touched a sore point.

  Faro had hoped three years ago that she was sufficiently interested—even attracted—to him to keep in touch. But since the day they parted on the railway platform at Berwick Station, he had never heard from her.

  True, he realized she was still writing books. In fact since their encounter at Elrigg he had held two of them in his hands in James Thin's Edinburgh bookshop. He had considered buying them, and had abandoned the prospect. They would lie on the shelf unread, not only because his scant time for reading was devoted to Scott, Dickens, and his beloved Shakespeare, but because they were romances.

  Love stories. And he was afraid of seeing himself in any of the characters, lampooned, caricatured.

  Imogen Crowe possessed a sharp, unerring eye, always seeking out those weaknesses and flaws in a man's personality that were best hidden and he suspected she might portray him as a rejected lover, in a cruel or pitying light.

  'Ever hear from her?' Vince asked casually.

  'No. Why do you ask?'

  'I wouldn't have brought up the subject, Stepfather, but Olivia and I thought we saw her at the theatre the other night. We were sure it was her. Livvy had seen her, or someone deuced like her, a couple of weeks ago sitting in Princes Street Gardens. However, if she saw us then she didn't want to be r
ecognized.'

  He smiled, trying to make it sound trivial, as he added, 'She was accompanied by a young man—about my age, or younger.'

  Faro got the point. A young man twenty years his junior. So Imogen had found a lover. No matter, no matter, he told himself. But dreams told him otherwise as he pursued her across the heathery slopes of Arthur's Seat, held her to his heart and whispered, I love you, I love you.

  He awoke feeling elated, certain that he was going to see her again. They would meet quite by chance in the High Street and she would explain away his fears, give a reasonable and true explanation for her long silence.

  The fickle character of dreams was soon made evident when at the Central Office the McNair case was closed, the Procurator Fiscal's ruling 'accidental death', and their bodies removed for burial at Crathie kirkyard.

  John Brown had been good to his word. And so had Superintendent Mcintosh.

  He was awaiting Faro's arrival next morning, flourishing a paper in his hand. 'You're acquainted with this case about the breakins at Stirling Castle, Faro. Well, the lads over there haven't made a deal of progress and they have appealed for your expertise—'

  'On robberies, sir? Surely there are other officers—'

  'Yes, yes. But you have the experience,' said Mcintosh sternly. 'Right away, Faro, if you please,' he added, closing the door behind him.

  Experience, no doubt, but Faro felt this was an excuse at Brewer's urgent instigation—or what he had called 'a higher authority’ to divert Inspector Faro's energies into less troubled waters.

  Chapter 13

  As the Highland train steamed along the line towards Stirling, Faro gazed out on the Trossachs, with Ben Lomond snowcapped still and shimmering in sunshine. On the wooded foothills there were glimpses of fleeing deer herds and, from tiny hamlets, children rushed out gleefully to wave to the passing train. Horse-drawn traps waited at level crossings and farmers led cattle homewards for milking while on grassy hills shepherds with dogs rounded up sheep panic-stricken by the steaming monster on the railway line below.

  Faro sighed at these tantalizing glimpses of a world utterly desirable and now utterly alien to him. Suddenly he was wistful for this other life akin to his childhood in Orkney and so remote from the great city of Edinburgh he had chosen to live in.

  How good it would be to step off the train and follow that tree-lined track up into the hills. If only a man were free to follow his dreams. And he realized how seldom the nature of his work with the Edinburgh City Police allowed him the luxury of a holiday. As one case closed there was always another awaiting him in the wings.

  He sat back in his seat. Instead of rebelling at his temporary removal from Edinburgh, this time he would obey. Instead of damning Mcintosh for extracting him from a murder investigation he would be grateful to him, grateful to the higher authority that had left him with two fewer murders to solve.

  For once, he was going to enjoy himself.

  The approach to Stirling was impressive. The Gateway to the Highlands, a royal burgh and county town, it was a place of considerable historic significance, the choice of the most obvious strategic site on what had been the principal ford of the River Forth for the ancients who had created the town always with defence at the forefront of their minds. They had built their Castle on an extinct volcano, akin to Edinburgh's Castle Rock and the Bass Rock, with a similarly commanding position over the landscape.

  In medieval days it had controlled the main north route through Strathallan to Perth, a convenient and vital base from which to show the Royal flag in central Scotland.

  With a day in hand before this early meeting with the Stirling Police, Faro decided to climb the steep hill up to the Castle and explore at first hand its Royal historic connections.

  Alexander I had died within its walls in 1124. A few years later King David I referred to his 'burgh of Stirling', already a place of some importance long before two of Scotland's greatest battles were fought in the neighbourhood.

  The original site of Stirling Bridge had changed long ago but the decisive battle where the great William Wallace trapped and routed the English army under the Earl of Surrey in 1297 had gone down in history, as had Robert the Bruce's defeat of Edward II at Bannockburn in 1314.

  A turbulent existence led to relative peace under James I a century later when the town expanded and the Castle became a popular Royal residence for the Stuart Kings. Here James II was born and his son James III enthusiastically made architectural improvements. Here Mary Queen of Scots was crowned as an infant after the death of her father James V at Falkland. Here her son James VI, and I of England, was both christened and crowned. In his turn he had the Chapel Royal rebuilt for the christening of his son Prince Henry.

  The town of Stirling, like Edinburgh, was recognizably divided into old and new, thought Faro, the suburbs stretching out like groping fingers to a modern residential district for its affluent citizens.

  In search of suitable lodging near the Castle he walked down the cobbled steep approach to Castle Wynd, St John and Spittal Streets. Like Edinburgh's High Street they contained good surviving domestic buildings dating from the sixteenth century: Argyll's Lodging, Mar's Wark and the handsome Guildhall, which was the centre of government.

  The exterior of an attractive tavern appealed to him. This would best serve his purpose. A pleasant comfortable room and the excellent supper he was served confirmed the wisdom of his choice and he retired that evening well fed with every care firmly banished from his mind.

  Next morning he presented himself at the local police station and was duly transported to the Castle by an earnest sergeant with a sheaf of papers relating to the breakins.

  Faro examined the scene, read through the documents with their interviews of the suspects of which the sergeant was inordinately proud. The evidence was laid before him by the sergeant in a most efficient manner, and they both agreed on the vital clue that established the criminal's identity. All that remained was an arrest and trial, neither of which need concern Faro personally.

  Returning to the little tavern he also decided that his journey had been a waste of the Central Office's time, confirming his suspicions that it was a conspiracy between Mcintosh and Brewer to distract his attention from the McNair murders.

  Once the thought would have angered him; now it suited his purpose to humour his Superintendent by obeying orders, grateful to the circumstances, however dubious, that had removed him from the contemplation of violent crime. Let someone else enjoy the headache of sorting out whatever machinations were emanating from Balmoral Castle under the stage management of the Queen, ably assisted, he did not doubt, by John Brown's advice and counsel.

  He would remain in Stirling until the criminal was charged at the end of the week, regard this as a well earned rest and, taking advantage of the mild, sunny weather, indulge in his once-favourite pursuit of exploring local beauty spots and historic monuments.

  And remembering Vince's sage advice about crossing bridges before he came to them, he also deliberately thrust Lachlan and Rose from his mind. Lachlan had not asked Rose to marry him and, until he did so, there was no reason for Faro to take any action.

  As for Fenians—he hoped he had heard the last of that dreaded word in this peaceful town.

  His hopes were short-lived.

  An item in the daily newspaper indicated that in Stirling, at least, they were at large.

  A young newspaperman was in custody, charged with Fenian sympathies and subversive behaviour.

  His name was Seamus Crowe. It was the name that drew Faro's attention and as a heavy shower of rain had put paid to his plans to walk towards Flanders Moss, he decided to satisfy his curiosity by attending the nearby courthouse that morning.

  Perhaps Crowe was a common enough Irish name, but the main reason for Faro's attendance was the hope that Crowe would be revealed as one of two men who had attacked him. It was a chance not to be missed; he would enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the man condemned and just
ice done. And at the back of his mind, revived once more, was the possibility of proving a link with the McNair murders.

  He was to be disappointed. He listened to the charge. Seamus Crowe had been arrested for unruly behaviour, disturbing the peace and expressing seditious sentiments at the Mercat Cross. He was accused of expressing anti-Royalist sympathies and inciting the listeners to riot during a political meeting addressed by the distinguished Ulster Member of Parliament Sir Hamish Royston Blunt, who happened to be a Stirling gentleman with Royal connections.

  Sir Hamish was also in court that day and Faro recognized the fine Highland features as well as the stir his presence created. He watched him listening intently as Crowe was charged with carrying a banner bearing the words 'Home Rule for Ireland. Erin Go Brach' (translated for the court as 'Ireland for Ever') and for confronting Sir Hamish and attempting to do him grievous bodily harm by assaulting him with the said banner.

  Crowe interrupted at this point, shouting in protest that he had no intention of harming Sir Hamish, that he had merely thrust forward the banner for him to see the words.

  He was silenced immediately and the court called to order.

  Proceedings continued. Crowe had been restrained from approaching Sir Hamish by several town officers and, in the scuffle that followed, he had struck a constable across the mouth, thereby slackening one of the said constable's teeth.

  From his seat in the gallery, Faro had lost interest in the case, bitterly disappointed that the prisoner Crowe, an earnest and delicate-looking young man with carrot-red hair and spectacles could not, by any stretch of imagination, have been one of the bullies who had attacked him. He hardly listened to the heavy sentence being passed on Crowe, a fine of several hundred pounds and six months in gaol.