Edward Marston - Inspector Colbeck's Casebook

‘I was, sir — in the parish of St Martin-in-the Fields.’

‘There’s a workhouse just behind the National Gallery.’

‘I’m not so desperate as to go there,’ said Anstey with a flash of indignation. ‘Besides, they’d turn me away. I’m able-bodied and far too young. I’m still well short of forty.’

Tallis was taken aback because the man looked considerably older.

‘What was your trade, Anstey?’

‘Before I went in the army,’ replied the other, ‘I was a saddler but you need two good eyes to handle leather and, in any case, I’ve lost the trick of it. I’m not asking for money, sir,’ he insisted. ‘I just want work so that I can earn my keep and feed Sam properly. We need a helping hand, that’s all.’

Tallis was moved by his plea. Poverty and homelessness were ever-present in the nation’s capital. Untold thousands lived on the streets and scratched out a bare existence as best they could. Joel Anstey’s story was a familiar one but it somehow touched the superintendent at a deep level.

‘I’ll see what I can do,’ he said.

‘I’m surprised at the superintendent,’ said Madeleine. ‘I don’t wish to be unkind but he never struck me as a compassionate man.’

‘Tallis has the occasional impulse to help someone,’ said Colbeck with a smile, ‘and he’s a good Christian. Something about this person obviously spoke to him. When he asked me if we could find him a few days’ work, I said that we could.’

‘Why can’t this man tend the superintendent’s garden?’

‘He doesn’t have one, Madeleine. He lives alone in a set of rooms. And as you know, Victor’s little house has no garden at all. That’s why Tallis turned to me.’ He put affectionate hands on her shoulders. ‘I didn’t think that you’d mind.’

‘I don’t, Robert,’ she said, ‘but I suspect that Draycott will.’

Colbeck groaned. ‘Ah, I was forgetting him.’

‘He likes to rule the roost in the garden.’

‘I’ll warn Anstey not to tread on his toes.’

‘Draycott can be very touchy.’

‘We’re not having him throwing his weight around, Madeleine. When all’s said and done, we pay Draycott’s wages. If we choose to let someone else work in the garden,’ said Colbeck, reasonably, ‘then nobody is in a position to stop us.’

‘I still foresee trouble.’

‘Keep the two of them apart — that’s the secret.’

When Anstey reported for work on the following day, he snatched off his hat and stood in front of Madeleine with his head bowed. Forewarned about his rather menacing appearance, she pretended not to notice his face and took him around to the garden with his dog. Long and fairly narrow, it featured a series of small, rectangular lawns edged with flower beds.

‘My husband likes a formal garden,’ she explained.

‘I can see that, Mrs Colbeck. It’s well looked after.’

‘The gardener pops in two or three times a week. His name is Draycott. There’s no telling if he’ll turn up today. What I’d suggest you do is to weed the patch at the far end. It’s hidden behind the trellis and is badly overgrown.’

‘What about a rake and such like?’

‘I’ll unlock the shed for you,’ she said, holding up the key. ‘Then I’ll see if I can’t find a bone for the dog as well as a bowl of water.’

‘His name is Sam,’ said Anstey, ‘and he’s as thankful as I am.’

‘That’s good to hear.’

‘I’m not afraid of hard work, Mrs Colbeck. I’ll soon prove that.’

Madeleine warmed to him. Though his facial injuries were unsightly, his voice and manner suggested a decent, honest man who’d fallen on hard times. Like Tallis, she was ready to offer a helping hand.

‘It’s never happened before,’ he said.

‘What hasn’t?’

‘Having a favour done by the police. Between you and me, I usually steer clear of them. Police don’t like the look of me. They’re always moving me on.’

Madeleine unlocked the shed and showed him the range of garden implements inside. After selecting a hoe and a rake, he walked to the end of the garden with the dog trotting after him. Coat off and sleeves rolled up, Anstey was soon at work. It was time for Madeleine to go up to her studio and she was soon absorbed in putting the finishing touches to her latest painting. With a brush in her hand, she lost all track of time and her concentration was only broken when she heard the sound of a raised voice in the garden. Rushing to the window, she looked down to see Nathaniel Draycott, brandishing a sickle and berating his new assistant. Madeleine rushed off to separate them before the argument got out of hand.

Robert Colbeck spent the morning in court, giving evidence against a man he’d caught stealing a substantial amount of money from the railway company employing him. When he got back to Scotland Yard, he went straight to the superintendent to give his report. Embezzlement had been going on for almost a year and had only been halted by Colbeck’s intervention. Tallis was pleased to hear that a guilty verdict was almost guaranteed and that the man in question would face a long prison sentence.

‘Did you enjoy your time in court?’ he asked.

‘I always do, sir. I loved working as a barrister until I reached a point where I decided it was more important to catch criminals than simply prosecute them. I’d never trade my life at Scotland Yard for a return to the bar.’

‘I’m relieved to hear it, Colbeck.’

‘Will that be all, sir? The sergeant and I have suspects to interview.’

‘Then off you go,’ said Tallis, waving a hand. ‘No, wait,’ he added. ‘I meant to thank you for taking Anstey on.’

‘It’s only for a few days,’ Colbeck pointed out.

‘It makes no difference. It’s paid employment and it will boost his spirits. Do you know what his last job was?’

‘No, Superintendent, I don’t.’

‘He was earning nine pence a day breaking up stones with a sledgehammer. Anstey had to work alongside convicts. It was demeaning. That’s why he left.’

‘I hope that he won’t find gardening beneath him.’

‘He’ll be very appreciative of the kindness you and Mrs Colbeck have shown him. He won’t have to rub shoulders with desperate criminals and he’ll be able to work in pleasant surroundings. After sleeping rough and being hustled from pillar to post, Anstey will find your house a haven of peace.’

Madeleine had difficulty calming down the two men. Anstey was plainly upset at being called an interloper while Draycott was throbbing with fury at the thought that he’d be supplanted. He was also livid that Sam had relieved himself in one of the flower beds. Madeleine explained that Anstey was there to do the kind of menial jobs that would actually help the gardener but Draycott was in no mood for appeasement. He was a short, squat man in his late fifties with a wrinkled face and an expression of permanent disapproval. Because he was so dependable, Colbeck and his wife tolerated his many idiosyncrasies and learnt not to interfere. As long as he was in charge, Draycott lapsed into a kind of contented cantankerousness. There was no whiff of contentment now.

‘If I must put up with this …’ he said, pointedly.

Madeleine was firm. ‘You must, Mr Draycott.’

‘Then I insist on telling him what to do.’

‘That seems fair enough to me. Don’t you think so, Mr Anstey?’

‘Yes, I do,’ said Anstey, guardedly.

‘You’re not to touch anything in the shed unless I say so,’ cautioned the gardener, ‘and that dog of yours is to be kept off the lawns and the flower beds.’

‘Yes, Mr Draycott.’

Anstey spoke through gritted teeth but he nodded politely when he was given a list of tasks. Since it was clear that the two men had hated each other on sight, Madeleine was having second thoughts about taking Anstey on but she did not wish to upset her husband or, indirectly, Edward Tallis. She stayed with them until a form of truce had been established. Draycott then announced that he had other gardens to visit and stalked off. Though Madeleine was glad to see him go, Anstey stared after him with muted hostility. During the fierce argument, his pride had been wounded. She sought to soothe his hurt feelings.