Steps to the Gallows by Edward Marston Read Free Book Online

ominously.
    ‘Then say your piece and be off with you.’
    ‘Don’t give us orders, Mr Skillen. You’ve no status in this city. We, on the other hand, certainly have and our territory is well marked. You and that interfering brother, Paul, must not dare to trespass on it.’
    ‘This is Paul,’ said Ackford with a chuckle. ‘Your eyesight is getting worse, Micah. Perhaps it’s time you considered retirement.’
    Hale snapped his fingers. ‘I knew it was Paul.’ Yeomans glared at him. ‘I could have told you if you’d asked.’
    ‘I didn’t ask,’ snapped his companion, ‘so hold your tongue.’
    ‘But I guessed right for once.’
    ‘One of you – Paul or Peter, I know not which – went to the home of a Mr Paige without any writ to do so. Do you confess it?’
    ‘No,’ said Paul, tartly.
    ‘Then it must have been your brother.’
    ‘Nobody from here went without a writ,’ said Ackford, seriously. ‘Leo Paige was a good friend and regimental comrade of mine. He came to us in search of a bodyguard. The person who took on that duty was clubbed to the ground for his pains and might well have died as a result. That’s our writ, Micah,’ he emphasised. ‘We have a personal stake in this case. I want to catch the loathsome creature responsible for my friend’s death.’
    ‘And I want the man who battered Jem Huckvale,’ said Paul, vengefully. ‘If you contrive to arrest the culprits before us, we’ll be the first to congratulate you. But there’s little chance of that happening.’
    ‘When you and your brother get out of the way,’ said Yeomans, wagging a finger, ‘there’s every chance. We have a licence to pursue felons.’
    ‘Yes – and you do so with one eye on the reward money.’
    ‘That’s not true.’
    ‘We know you too well, Micah.’
    ‘And we’ve taken your measure,’ retorted Yeomans. ‘You are meddling fools who commit blunder after blunder. And you impede us – damn you!’
    ‘What you mean is that we always outshine you.’
    ‘Ask yourselves this,’ said Ackford, ‘if a man’s life is in danger – as Leo Paige’s undoubtedly was – why did he turn to us instead of seeking the protection of the Bow Street Runners?’
    ‘You explained that yourself,’ said Hale. ‘He sought out a friend.’
    ‘But he hadn’t even realised that I own this gallery.’
    ‘He came here,’ said Paul, ‘because we can offer a service that you do not.’
    ‘And what kind of service was it?’ asked Yeomans with a sneer. ‘The man you were supposed to protect was murdered and your floundering bodyguard was so inept that he got himself knocked unconscious. What sort of a bill are you going to send to the deceased? Don’t be surprised if he refuses to pay it.’
    Exposing a row of ugly teeth, he brayed aloud.
    Ackford had to rein in his temper and master the urge to throw a punch. Striking a Runner would inevitably lead to a fine, if not a spell in prison, and he didn’t want to give Yeomans the pleasure of arresting him. Besides, he had the restraining hand of Paul on his shoulder. There was a better way of getting back at their rivals and that was to solve the crimes ahead of them.
    ‘What have you learnt so far?’ demanded Yeomans.
    ‘We’ve learnt that you’re an uncouth oaf unworthy of the office you hold,’ said Paul. ‘When I went to Mr Paige’s house, I spoke to the hapless owner and his wife. You were at liberty to do exactly the same thing.’
    ‘And so we did.’
    ‘Then you don’t need me to offer guidance.’
    ‘You may have gleaned something that we didn’t.’
    ‘That’s always the case, Micah.’
    ‘I won’t warn you again,’ declared Yeomans. ‘If you and your brother dare to get under our feet in this investigation, you’ll be in deep trouble. The last thing we need is to have the pair of you treading on our toes.’
    Paul grinned. ‘How can we tread on your toes if we’re under your feet?’
    ‘You know what I mean.’
    ‘We know only too