wouldn’t care to repeat.’
‘I’m glad you brought up the subject of names.’
‘Are you, sir?’
‘Yes, I’ve a tale to tell you on that score. Excuse me amoment.’
Colbeck went across to the counter and ordered a whisky and soda for himself. When he returned to the table, he took off his hat and sat opposite Leeming, who was in his customary sombre mood. Colbeck raised his glass to his companion.
‘Good health, Victor!’
‘I could do with it and all, sir,’ admitted Leeming. ‘Five minutes in that morgue and I feel as if I’m ready for the slab myself. It fair turns my stomach to go in there. How can anyone work in a place like that?’
‘It takes special qualities.’
‘Well, I don’t have them. I know that. It’s eerie.’
‘I didn’t find it so when I was there earlier,’ said Colbeck, tasting his drink. ‘Nor should you, Victor. By now, you should have got used to the sight of dead bodies. Over the years, we’ve seen enough of them and the one certain thing about policing this city is that we’ll be forced to look at many more before we retire.’
‘That’s what depresses me, Inspector.’
‘Learn to take it in your stride, man.’
‘If only I could,’ said Leeming, solemnly. ‘But did you say that you’d been to the morgue as well?’
‘I was accompanying the son of the murder victim. He made a positive identification of the body – all too positive, as it happens.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘That I’ve never seen anyone laugh in those circumstances before. And that’s what Michael Guttridge did. When he looked at his father, he seemed to think it an occasion for hilarity.’
Leeming was nonplussed. ‘Michael Guttridge?’ he said. ‘How could he be the son? The dead man’s name was Bransby.’
‘It was and it wasn’t, Victor.’
‘Well, it can’t have been both.’
‘As a matter of fact, it can.’
Colbeck told him about the visit to Hoxton and drew a gasp of amazement from the other when he revealed that the man who had been killed on the excursion train was none other than a public hangman. The Sergeant was even more surprised to learn of the way that Michael Guttridge and his wife had behaved on receipt of the news of the murder.
‘That’s disgraceful,’ he said. ‘It’s downright indecent.’
‘I made that point very forcefully to the young man.’
‘And he actually laughed over the corpse?’
‘I took him to task for that as well.’
‘What did he say?’
‘That he couldn’t help himself,’ said Colbeck. ‘In fairness, once we left the building, he did apologise for his unseemly conduct in the morgue. I suppose that I should be grateful that his wife was not with us. Given her intransigent attitude to her father-in-law, she might have stood over the body and applauded.’
‘Has she no feelings at all?’
‘Far too many of them, Victor.’
Colbeck explained about her relationship with the Guttridge family and how it had made the iron enter her soul. A father himself, Leeming could not believe what he was hearing.
‘My children would never treat me like that,’ he said, indignantly.
‘You’d never give them cause.’
‘They love me as their father and do as they’re told – some of the time, anyway. If I was to die, they’d be heartbroken. So would Estelle.’
‘What if you were to become a public executioner?’
‘That would never happen!’
‘But supposing it did, Victor. Let me put it to you as a hypothetical question. In that event, would your children stand by you?’
‘Of course.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because we’re a real family ,’ said Leeming with passion. ‘That’s all that counts, sir. Blood is thicker than water, you know. Well, we see it every day in our work, don’t we? We’ve met some of the most evil villains in London and they always have wives and children who dote on them.’
‘True.’
‘Murderers, rapists, screevers, palmers, patterers, kidnappers, blackmailers
‘I’m glad you brought up the subject of names.’
‘Are you, sir?’
‘Yes, I’ve a tale to tell you on that score. Excuse me amoment.’
Colbeck went across to the counter and ordered a whisky and soda for himself. When he returned to the table, he took off his hat and sat opposite Leeming, who was in his customary sombre mood. Colbeck raised his glass to his companion.
‘Good health, Victor!’
‘I could do with it and all, sir,’ admitted Leeming. ‘Five minutes in that morgue and I feel as if I’m ready for the slab myself. It fair turns my stomach to go in there. How can anyone work in a place like that?’
‘It takes special qualities.’
‘Well, I don’t have them. I know that. It’s eerie.’
‘I didn’t find it so when I was there earlier,’ said Colbeck, tasting his drink. ‘Nor should you, Victor. By now, you should have got used to the sight of dead bodies. Over the years, we’ve seen enough of them and the one certain thing about policing this city is that we’ll be forced to look at many more before we retire.’
‘That’s what depresses me, Inspector.’
‘Learn to take it in your stride, man.’
‘If only I could,’ said Leeming, solemnly. ‘But did you say that you’d been to the morgue as well?’
‘I was accompanying the son of the murder victim. He made a positive identification of the body – all too positive, as it happens.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘That I’ve never seen anyone laugh in those circumstances before. And that’s what Michael Guttridge did. When he looked at his father, he seemed to think it an occasion for hilarity.’
Leeming was nonplussed. ‘Michael Guttridge?’ he said. ‘How could he be the son? The dead man’s name was Bransby.’
‘It was and it wasn’t, Victor.’
‘Well, it can’t have been both.’
‘As a matter of fact, it can.’
Colbeck told him about the visit to Hoxton and drew a gasp of amazement from the other when he revealed that the man who had been killed on the excursion train was none other than a public hangman. The Sergeant was even more surprised to learn of the way that Michael Guttridge and his wife had behaved on receipt of the news of the murder.
‘That’s disgraceful,’ he said. ‘It’s downright indecent.’
‘I made that point very forcefully to the young man.’
‘And he actually laughed over the corpse?’
‘I took him to task for that as well.’
‘What did he say?’
‘That he couldn’t help himself,’ said Colbeck. ‘In fairness, once we left the building, he did apologise for his unseemly conduct in the morgue. I suppose that I should be grateful that his wife was not with us. Given her intransigent attitude to her father-in-law, she might have stood over the body and applauded.’
‘Has she no feelings at all?’
‘Far too many of them, Victor.’
Colbeck explained about her relationship with the Guttridge family and how it had made the iron enter her soul. A father himself, Leeming could not believe what he was hearing.
‘My children would never treat me like that,’ he said, indignantly.
‘You’d never give them cause.’
‘They love me as their father and do as they’re told – some of the time, anyway. If I was to die, they’d be heartbroken. So would Estelle.’
‘What if you were to become a public executioner?’
‘That would never happen!’
‘But supposing it did, Victor. Let me put it to you as a hypothetical question. In that event, would your children stand by you?’
‘Of course.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because we’re a real family ,’ said Leeming with passion. ‘That’s all that counts, sir. Blood is thicker than water, you know. Well, we see it every day in our work, don’t we? We’ve met some of the most evil villains in London and they always have wives and children who dote on them.’
‘True.’
‘Murderers, rapists, screevers, palmers, patterers, kidnappers, blackmailers
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