Shadow of the Hangman(17)

‘There’s one obvious explanation, Peter.’

‘I’ve discounted that one.’

‘Well, I haven’t,’ she said, seriously. ‘Mrs Horner does much of her work at night then has to walk home unattended. London is full of hazards during the day. You, of all people, know how much worse it is after dark. Trouble lurks at every corner. Evidently, the poor woman has fallen prey to a footpad or been assaulted by some drunkard. I’d wager money on it.’

‘Then you must brace yourself to lose it, my sweet.’

‘Why do you say that?’

‘Mrs Horner has been doing this job for years,’ he pointed out. ‘That means she’s well acquainted with the dangers that abound at night. She knows them and has obviously learnt to avoid them. Her landlady told me that she was no shrinking violet. Anyone who tried to harass her would get a raw reception.’

‘What can a woman do when face-to-face with a desperate villain?’

‘She can do what you did, Charlotte – and marry him.’

She burst into laughter then followed him into the hall. When she had been wooed simultaneously by both brothers, it had been a strange and heady experience for a young woman. Yet it did not take her long to make her choice. Paul Skillen was exhilarating company but it was Peter who had the qualities and attitudes she sought in a husband. Charlotte had never regretted the decision she’d made.

‘I’m looking forward to meeting the mysterious Mrs Horner,’ he said.

‘Instinct tells me that she’s already dead.’

‘Then why has her body not been found?’

‘Perhaps she was killed beside the river then thrown into it.’

‘Corpses never stay beneath the water indefinitely. If she were hurled into the Thames, she’d have bobbed back up to the surface by now. No, she’s very much alive and I fancy that her disappearance is linked in some way to that money I discovered at her lodging. How could a woman of slender means come by such an amount?’

‘She might have inherited it.’

‘From whom?’ he asked. ‘According to her sister, she had no wealthy relatives and her husband was in debt when he died.’

‘Then I have no idea how she acquired that little treasure trove,’ she admitted. ‘What about you, Peter?’

‘Oh, I can envisage three ways in which the money made its way to that box under the bed. The problem is that none of them reflects well on the character of Anne Horner.’ He heard the clock strike the hour. ‘I must away, my love.’ He kissed her before moving towards the front door. ‘Other business calls me now. The missing woman will have to take her turn in the queue.’





For a big man, Micah Yeomans had an amazing ability to shrink into insignificance in the dark. He could somehow melt into a doorway or ooze behind a pillar. The only way that Alfred Hale could detect his whereabouts was by looking for the faint glow of his pipe. When he reached the Runner, he was given a grunt of welcome.

‘Well?’

‘They’re both inside, Micah.’

‘Are you certain it was Peter and Paul?’

‘Yes,’ said Hale, ‘but don’t ask me which is which. They’re like two peas in a pod. All I know is that Paul is the worse of the pair.’

‘Peter’s the more cunning. He does the thinking for them.’

‘It’s a pity we haven’t got Gully Ackford in there as well.’

‘Don’t worry – he’ll be hauled before the magistrate to speak his piece.’ After drawing on his pipe for the last time, he tapped out the ash on the bottom of his boot. ‘We’ve set this up well, Alfred. They’ll think they’re alone in the house when, all the time, Simon Medlow is tucked away up in the attic. He’ll give the signal for us to move in and arrest them.’ He spat into the road. ‘Is everyone ready?’

‘I’ve put men at either end of the street and others have been stationed in the adjoining streets. Quite honestly, Micah, we’ve got far too many people. When all is said and done,’ said Hale, ‘there are only two Skillens.’

‘Yes, but they’re like bars of soap. Just when you think you’ve caught one of them, he slips out of your fingers.’

‘Who will actually make the arrest?’

Yeomans inflated his chest. ‘I will. The snare is all my doing. I want to see them straining to escape from it.’

‘What if they suspect a trap?’

‘If that were the case, they wouldn’t have gone so readily into Mr Hobday’s house. Have no fear, Alfred. They take their orders from Ackford and he was well and truly gulled by Medlow. So were a lot of other people, mind you,’ he added with a chuckle. ‘Did you know that Medlow once persuaded a wealthy simpleton to buy the River Thames?’ Hale cackled. ‘Then there was the time when he sold tickets to a banquet in Brighton Pavilion hosted by His Royal Highness, the Prince Regent. Those stupid enough to buy them – and there were more than a few – had a nasty shock when they turned up. Simon Medlow is a silver-tongued wizard. He cast his spell on Ackford.’