Read Online Blood on the Line by Edward Marston - Free Book Online Page B

he was there, Holte was more than ready to help. He was a beefy man of middle years with a pallid face and white hair that had retreated to the rear of his head like so much foam left on a beach by the receding tide. He had a strong Lancashire accent and a habit of keeping one thumb in his waistcoat pocket as he spoke.
    ‘Yes, I remember Irene Adnam very well,’ he said with rancour. ‘She robbed us of items worth hundreds of pounds.’
    ‘Female burglars are rare, thankfully.’
    ‘She didn’t break into the house, Inspector. She wasalready there, working as a governess to my youngest daughter.’
    ‘When did you begin to suspect her?’ asked Colbeck.
    ‘We never did,’ said Holte, ‘that was the trouble. She wormed her way into our affections until we trusted her completely. Alicia, whom she taught, doted on her.’
    ‘Did she come to you with good references?’
    ‘They were excellent, Inspector. It was only after she’d left that we learnt that they were forgeries. When the police tried to find the various addresses, they discovered that none of them existed.’
    ‘How would you describe Miss Adnam?’
    Holte snorted. ‘I think she’s the most loathsome, duplicitous, black-hearted creature on God’s earth.’
    ‘You’re saying that with the advantage of hindsight,’ Colbeck reminded him. ‘Try to remember how she struck you when she first came for interview. What made you choose Irene Adnam?’
    ‘It was sheer folly!’
    ‘You didn’t think so at the time.’
    ‘No, Inspector,’ admitted Holte, jowls wobbling. ‘That’s correct. She seemed ideal for the position. Not to put too fine a point on it, I was beguiled by the cunning little vixen.’
    Holte gave a clear and detailed description of Irene Adnam and she began to take on more definition in Colbeck’s mind. Her work as a governess had been above reproach and she had stayed long enough in Holte’s employ to become an auxiliary member of his family, taking her meals with them and joining them at church on Sundays.It was because he had placed such trust in her that Holte was so embittered when she turned out to be a thief.
    ‘What exactly did she steal?’ asked Colbeck.
    ‘She emptied my wallet and took some of my wife’s jewellery. But the bulk of the haul consisted of small items of silver. They’d be fairly light to carry and easy to sell to a pawnbroker.’
    ‘Oh, I think that Miss Adnam might have higher ambitions than relying on a pawnbroker. If she’s the seasoned criminal she appears,’ said Colbeck, ‘she’d probably deal with a fence who’d offer better terms. I don’t think she’d steal anything unless she knew exactly where she could get a good price for it.’
    ‘You could be right, Inspector. When I gave them a list of stolen items, the police visited nearly all the pawnbrokers in the city. They drew a blank. None of our property was recovered.’
    ‘Evidently she knew exactly what to take and when to take it.’
    ‘We were all fast asleep at the time.’
    ‘How did she know where everything was kept – your wife’s jewellery, for instance? Surely that was in a safe?’ Holte lowered his head, plainly discomfited. ‘I can’t believe that items of such value were not locked away.’
    ‘They were locked away, Inspector.’
    ‘Then how did she get her hands on them?’
    ‘Someone told her the combination.’
    Colbeck was surprised. ‘She had an accomplice on the staff?’
    ‘He was a member of the family,’ said Holte, runninghis tongue over dry lips. ‘Not that he realised what he was doing at the time. I’m talking about my eldest son, Lawrence. He became enamoured of Miss Adnam. I warned him against it, of course, and urged him to pay for his pleasures like a gentleman. That way they don’t infect the family home.’ He sucked his teeth. ‘But Lawrence wouldn’t listen, I fear. He fell completely under her spell. When she asked if she could leave a few valuables of her own in our safe, he duly