The Sins of the Father

'Was that the child discovered in Barrington's office?'

'The same,' said Blakemore.

'And where is that child now?'

'I have no idea.'

'Can you at least tell me the name of the woman Barrington was living with?'

'No, I am not at liberty to do so,' said Blakemore, stubbing out his cigarette in an ashtray full of butts. 'However, it's no secret that Sir Hugo employed a private detective who is now out of work and might be willing to talk, for a modest remuneration.'

'The man with the limp,' said Harry.

'Derek Mitchell, a damn fine policeman, until he was invalided out of the force.'

'But there's one question Mitchell won't be able to answer, which I suspect you can. You said the letter opener severed an artery, so there must have been a great deal of blood?'

'There was indeed, sir,' replied the chief inspector. 'By the time I arrived, Sir Hugo was lying in a pool of blood.'

'Do you have any idea what happened to the suit Sir Hugo was wearing at the time, or even the carpet?'

'No, sir. Once a murder enquiry is closed, all the personal belongings of the deceased are returned to the next of kin. As for the carpet, it was still in the office when I'd completed my investigation.'

'That's very helpful, chief inspector. I'm most grateful.'

'My pleasure, Sir Harry.' Blakemore stood up and accompanied Harry to the door. 'May I say how much I enjoyed The Diary of a Convict, and although I don't normally deal in rumour, I've read that you might be writing a detective novel. After our chat today, I shall look forward to reading it.'

'Would you consider looking at an early draft and giving me your professional opinion?'

'In the past, Sir Harry, your family haven't cared too much for my professional opinion.'

'Let me assure you, chief inspector, that Mr Clifton does,' Harry replied.

The Sins of the Father

Once Harry had left the police station, he drove over to the Manor House to tell Emma his news. Emma listened attentively and when he'd come to the end, she surprised him with her first question.

'Did Inspector Blakemore tell you what happened to the little girl?'

'No, he didn't seem that interested, but then why should he be?'

'Because she might just be a Barrington, and therefore my half-sister!'

'How thoughtless of me,' said Harry, taking Emma into his arms. 'It never crossed my mind.'

'Why should it?' asked Emma. 'You have enough to cope with. Why don't you start by calling my grandfather and asking him if he knows what happened to the carpet, and leave me to worry about the little girl.'

'I'm a very lucky man, you know,' said Harry as he reluctantly released her.

'Get on with it,' said Emma.

When Harry telephoned Lord Harvey to ask him about the carpet, he was once again taken by surprise.

'I replaced it within days of the police completing their investigation.'

'What happened to the old one?' Harry asked.

'I personally threw it into one of the shipyard's furnaces and watched it burn until there was nothing left but ashes,' Lord Harvey said with considerable feeling.

Harry wanted to say 'damn', but held his tongue.

When he joined Emma for lunch, he asked Mrs Barrington if she knew what had happened to Sir Hugo's clothes. Elizabeth told Harry that she'd instructed the police to dispose of them in any way they considered appropriate.

After lunch, Harry returned to Barrington Hall and called the local police station. He asked the desk sergeant if he could remember what had happened to Sir Hugo Barrington's clothes once the investigation had been closed.

'Everything will have been entered in the log book at the time, Sir Harry. If you give me a moment, I'll check.'

It turned out to be several moments before the sergeant came back on the line. 'How time flies,' he said. 'I'd forgotten how long ago that case was. But I've managed to track down the details you wanted.' Harry held his breath. 'We threw out the shirt, underwear and socks, but we gave one overcoat, grey, one hat, brown felt, one suit, lovat-green tweed, and one pair of brogues, brown leather, to Miss Penhaligon, who distributes all unclaimed goods on behalf of the Sally Army. Not the easiest of women,' the sergeant added without explanation.

The Sins of the Father

The sign on the counter read 'Miss Penhaligon'.

'This is most irregular, Sir Harry,' said the woman standing behind the name. 'Most irregular.'

Harry was glad that he'd brought Emma along with him. 'But it could prove incredibly important for both of us,' he said, taking Emma's hand.

'I don't doubt that, Sir Harry, but it's still most irregular. I can't imagine what my supervisor will make of it.'

Harry couldn't imagine Miss Penhaligon having a supervisor. She turned her back on them and began to study a neat row of box files on a shelf dust was not allowed to settle on. She finally pulled out one marked 1943 and placed it on the counter. She opened it, and had to turn several pages before she came across what she was looking for.

'No one seemed to want the brown felt hat,' she announced. 'In fact, my records show that we still have it in store. The overcoat was allocated to a Mr Stephenson, the suit to someone who goes by the name of Old Joey, and the brown brogues to a Mr Watson.'

'Do you have any idea where we might find any of those gentlemen?' asked Emma.

'They are rarely to be found apart,' said Miss Penhaligon. 'In the summer, they never stray far from the municipal park, while in the winter we accommodate them in our hostel. I feel confident that at this time of year you'll find them in the park.'

'Thank you, Miss Penhaligon,' said Harry, giving her a warm smile. 'You couldn't have been more helpful.'

Miss Penhaligon beamed. 'My pleasure, Sir Harry.'

'I could get used to being addressed as Sir Harry,' he said to Emma as they walked out of the building.

'Not if you're still hoping to marry me,' she said, 'because I have no desire to be Lady Barrington.'

The Sins of the Father

Harry spotted him lying on a park bench with his back to them. He was wrapped up in a grey overcoat.

'I'm sorry to bother you, Mr Stephenson,' said Harry, touching him gently on the shoulder, 'but we need your help.'

A grimy hand shot out, but he didn't turn over. Harry placed a half crown in the outstretched palm. Mr Stephenson bit the coin, before cocking his head to take a closer look at Harry. 'What do you want?' he asked.

'We're looking for Old Joey,' said Emma softly.

'The corporal's got bench number one, on account of his age and seniority. This is bench number two, and I'll take over bench number one when Old Joey dies, which shouldn't be long now. Mr Watson's got bench number three, so he'll get bench number two when I get bench number one. But I've already warned him he's going to have to wait a long time.'

'And do you, by any chance, know if Old Joey is still in possession of a green tweed suit?' asked Harry.

'Never takes it off,' said Mr Stephenson. 'Grown attached to it, you might say,' he added with a slight chuckle. 'He got the suit, I got the overcoat and Mr Watson got the shoes. He says they're a bit tight, but he doesn't complain. None of us wanted the hat.'