‘And you have not called upon her since then?’

‘No.’

Before she left Frances asked if she might borrow a book on speaking with signs, and Dr Goodwin kindly presented her with a slim, well-illustrated volume. He also supplied a booklet of his own composition entitled Ear Pain, its Causes and Treatment. He had a thoughtful expression, and Frances could not help but think that there were other matters on his mind, things he might have imparted but had not.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Frances rarely ruled out possible suspects in an enquiry at such an early stage but she thought that Edwin Antrobus’ two sons who were at boarding school at the time of their father’s disappearance would not have had the opportunity to harm him even if they had wanted to, and the respectable Mrs Davison with her nice villa was unlikely to have come to London and slit her nephew’s throat in the hope of inheriting three hundred pounds. Mr Luckhurst, however, who stood to receive two thousand pounds, had a far better motive. Was the cigarette manufacturing business really as profitable as Mr Wylie had suggested? Did Mr Luckhurst have his own financial worries that an inheritance might easily solve?

There was one circumstance, however, which to Frances’ mind cast doubt on the assumption that the disappearance and possible murder of Edwin Antrobus had a financial motive. If the victim had been killed for his money then the murderer could not have anticipated that the body would not be found for over three years, if indeed the remains in the canal were those of the missing man. If they were not, then the body was still missing. What efforts of restraint and patience must have been expended by the guilty party in order not to reveal knowledge that would have led to the finding of the body and proof of death? Frances found it hard to believe that anyone who hoped to profit from the demise of Edwin Antrobus had not so far provided even an anonymous hint as to where the body might be.

In order to visit the workshop and office of Antrobus and Luckhurst Fine Tobacco Frances had to venture into Notting Hill, where at the end of a row of lofty houses was a lower almost featureless structure, consisting of two storeys and an attic with no basement. The windows were small and very plain, and there was a drab brown door with a worn handle and a tarnished plate with the company name. By contrast with the residences in the same street, the property was not so much neglected as built and subsequently maintained without any regard to external appearance. Frances glanced through a window which was largely shrouded in grey net and at first saw no more than what appeared to be the outline of seated people, but finding a gap between the curtains, she stooped to peer in and saw a gloomy room with long tables at which girls and women sat working. In front of them were deep basins heaped with mounds of loose tobacco, blocks of paper squares and trays to carry away the finished product. Small fingers moved rapidly, rolling and trimming, while a supervisor, the only male in the room, passed behind them, watching the operation and checking the materials and finished product for quality. The odour of rubbed tobacco was very apparent even through the small amount of ventilation available at the top of the windows.

Frances rang the bell, and after a minute she heard footsteps inside and the door opened. A young man of a clerkly appearance stood in a narrow hallway leading to a flight of stairs.

Frances presented her card. ‘I have an appointment with Mr Luckhurst.’

The clerk gave her a critical look, as if she was not the kind of visitor that gentleman usually entertained, but all he said was, ‘You are expected. Follow me.’ They mounted the echoing wooden staircase at the top of which there was a turn into a short corridor, where there was a door with a narrow brass plate that bore the name G.H. Luckhurst, but the clerk took the other direction, into a suite of offices. The clerk’s domain was a small anteroom where a desk sat ringed about with cabinets. In such a trade Frances might have expected that the room would smell of burnt tobacco and there would be a box of cigarettes and an ashtray on the desk, but there was no scent of a smoker and no cigarettes. If the clerk smoked, he did not do so on the premises. He tapped on an adjoining door and a voice bade them enter.

The man who sat at the desk was in his mid-forties, with an unusual set to his shoulders, which seemed to be unnaturally drawn forward. With a cheery smile, he descended from his chair to greet Frances with an odd little hopping movement. She saw at once that Mr Luckhurst was not a good candidate to commit a violent crime. He was very slight of build, about five feet two inches in height, and, since his legs were not the same length, able to walk only with the assistance of a thick-soled surgical boot. His back was bent, his chest more concave than convex and the action of his breathing spoke of cramped lungs. The absence of tobacco smoke in the office was explained. ‘A strange looking fellow, am I not?’ he said, with a little gasping laugh.

‘Oh, I am very sorry!’ said Frances, embarrassed at the thought that her expression had offended him. One thing she could now be sure of: the man who had met Edwin Antrobus at the hotel in Bristol could not have been Mr Luckhurst or the clerk would have noted his distinctive appearance.

‘Think nothing of it,’ he said kindly, ‘a look of interest from a lady is always a pleasure. Please take a seat. How may I assist you?’

‘I have been engaged by Mrs Harriett Antrobus to enquire into the disappearance of her husband,’ began Frances, once she was seated. ‘In particular I am examining the evidence that he might have returned to London from Bristol.’

‘Ah, yes, the body in the canal,’ said Luckhurst, climbing back on to his chair with an agility that spoke of long custom. ‘Which it seems is not my partner after all.’

‘It cannot be shown to be him. That is not quite the same thing.’

‘No, of course not.’

‘Did you view the remains?’

‘I did, very briefly. It is not a memory I wish to dwell upon. I did not think it was my partner, neither could I offer any suggestion as to who it might have been.’

‘I am trying to learn as much as I can about Mr Antrobus and any events that might have occurred just before he disappeared, his state of mind and health at the time, his plans for the future, his friends and rivals.’

‘Yes, of course,’ he said readily, ‘and I will help you all I can. While I cannot say that I regarded him as a brother, we were close associates for many years, and I miss both his company and acumen.’

‘Has the business suffered though his absence?’

He gave a wheezing sigh. ‘Oh, we put a brave face on it, but the truth is I have been hard-pressed to maintain the trade, and while I have employed another man to undertake the travelling my partner once did, it is not the same.’ Mr Luckhurst looked despondent, but he did not strike Frances as a man who could be despondent for long. ‘You see, it was not just a matter of replacing a man, finding another who could do the same work. When a partner in a business vanishes, suppliers become suspicious. They think the trade will collapse and fear that there are dark secrets about to come to light. They start to demand immediate payment for materials. Customers think we cannot be relied upon and look elsewhere. But we have managed to keep our heads above the water. I am taking a smaller salary and have postponed improvements to conditions in the workshop.’

‘Do you know if Mr Antrobus left you anything in his will?’

He looked surprised by the question. ‘I have no knowledge of that. In any case, he is in law still alive, so it is hardly of any relevance.’ He paused and his eyes flickered with realisation. ‘Ah, yes, I think I see the relevance, now. Well it is your right, indeed your profession to be suspicious. May I assure you that I have neither the desire nor the motive to do away with my friend and partner. If he were to walk through the door now I would welcome him back with joy and relief.’ He smiled roguishly. ‘I suppose many murderers have told you the exact same tale before you unmasked them for the villains they were!’