Shadow of the Hangman(39)

‘He thinks that he is, Alfred. We’re there to soothe his mind.’

‘That can be done by other means.’

‘I know.’

‘If he’s so worried about these fugitives, we’ll simply track them down and throw them back into prison.’

‘And we need to do it as soon as possible.’

‘Why?’

‘We have competition,’ said Yeomans, sourly.

Hale was insulted. ‘He’s approached the Skillen brothers?’

‘He intends to do so. We have to cope with the boredom of taking the Home Secretary to and fro while they have the excitement of a manhunt.’

‘It’s wrong. We should have been given that assignment, Micah.’

‘Let’s prove it. If we can arrest these men first, we’ll show the Home Secretary that he should always turn to us when there’s a difficult task to allot. Unlike the Skillens,’ he went on, ‘we have a whole army of informers we can call on. One of the fugitives is a black man and both are Americans. They’ll be noticed. Spread the word, Alfred. Involve our people in the search. One of them must be able to point us in the direction of these two brash, benighted, would-be assassins.’





Peter Skillen arrived at the Home Office in order to report his findings with regard to the disappearance of Anne Horner. That investigation, he discovered, had been supplanted by a new development and the first thing he was asked to do was to read the disturbing letter that had been delivered under cover of darkness. What struck him was the coherence of the description of the massacre at Dartmoor, supported, as it was, by other instances of the governor’s cruelty towards the prisoners. The demands were harsh but not, in Peter’s opinion, altogether unreasonable. Though the document was compelling, its thrust was fatally undermined by the crude threat to murder the Home Secretary if the demands were rejected.

While Sidmouth had watched him carefully as he read the letter, he could not judge from Peter’s expression how he’d reacted. As soon as the missive was handed back to him, he pressed his visitor.

‘What did you think?’ he asked.

‘The case is well-argued, my lord.’

‘I hope that you do not believe the case for my assassination is well argued, Mr Skillen. Anyone reading that vile threat against me would think that I was the governor of Dartmoor and that I’d been engaged systematically in the most reprehensible mistreatment of the American prisoners there. It’s unjust.’

‘Power brings responsibility,’ said Peter. ‘These men have identified you as the ultimate authority in this matter and aimed their venom at you.’

‘The verdict relating to what happened at Dartmoor lies not in my hands,’ said Sidmouth. ‘We must await the pronouncements of a joint commission. I have no influence over it, yet I’m the one whose life is in danger.’

‘What precautions have you taken?’

‘I’ve engaged some Runners to act as bodyguards.’

‘That should calm your nerves, my lord.’

‘Micah Yeomans is an experienced man.’

‘Yes,’ said Peter, taking care not to show his rooted dislike of the Runner. ‘You’ll be in good hands.’

‘I trust your hands more than anyone else’s, Mr Skillen. That’s why I’ve reserved the primary duty for you. I want these two men – Thomas O’Gara and Moses Dagg – apprehended and put immediately under lock and key so that they no longer pose a danger to me. Yeomans and his men have their uses but, in a matter like this, I turn to you and your brother.’

‘That’s very gratifying, my lord.’

‘Do you think that you can find these devils?’

‘Yes, I do.’

‘How will you go about it?’

‘Well,’ said Peter, thoughtfully, ‘it’s clear to me that the men who put their names to that document did not actually write it. Look at their signatures. One is shaky and the other is an uneducated scrawl. The American navy no doubt has its virtues but it’s not known for improving the literacy of its deckhands, and that’s what these sailors were.’

‘What are you telling me, Mr Skillen?’

‘There’s a third person involved and our search starts with him.’

‘Who is he?’ asked Sidmouth with concern.

‘He’s the man who wrote that letter. The paper is crisp and the calligraphy neat. That’s the hand of a clerk or scrivener. My feeling is that he helped them to channel their understandable anger and their jumbled thoughts into an articulate whole. If they managed to escape from Dartmoor,’ said Peter, ‘then they are brave and able men but neither is accustomed to holding a pen. The person they employed is the crucial figure here. My brother and I will concentrate our attention on him.’