‘No. Perhaps they didn’t want to because they were worried it would land them in trouble. No witness says they saw him being knocked into.’
‘It’s interesting that the witness accounts vary so much, isn’t it? You’d think the presence of many people at the time would have ensured an accurate account would be established. But it seems the opposite is true. People reported what they thought they saw. I think it’s almost impossible to establish exactly what happened.’
Augusta heard footsteps on the staircase and turned to see Philip making his way down. His progress was slow because he needed the aid of a walking stick.
‘Augusta!’ he said. ‘Did you find Alexander Miller’s sister?’
‘Yes. She lives in his former flat on Baker Street.’
‘Really?’ Philip made his way to the counter. ‘And did her brother ever turn up?’
‘No.’
‘Oh dear, that’s sad news. So she never found out what happened to him?’
‘She received a letter after his disappearance claiming to be from him. But it was typewritten, and she believes someone else wrote it.’
‘Can she prove it came from someone else?’
‘She said Alexander never typed his letters. And she said the wording of the letter didn’t sound like him. She’s quite convinced it wasn’t from him. And she would know.’
‘Did she show the letter to the police at the time?’
‘Yes, but ultimately their inquiries led to nothing.’
‘That’s a shame. Does she still have the letter?’
‘Yes. And the fact she received it suggests someone knew what happened to her brother. I think it must be the person responsible for his disappearance.’
‘Unless it was someone playing a prank. It’s not unusual for strange people to send weird letters when something like this happens.’
‘I think it would be useful for someone from the police to get involved again. Do you think you could persuade a former colleague to pay her a visit and ask about the letter?’
‘If the police get involved again, then it will come under the remit of Inspector Whitman at Crawford Place station. You’ve met him and you’ve seen what he’s like, Augusta.’
‘Could you try speaking to him?’
‘I can’t imagine him wanting to spend any time on this. See it from his point of view. His division looked into this ten years ago and got nowhere with it. Why would it be any different a second time?’
‘But would you at least try?’
‘Alright then. I’ll try. But I can’t promise I’ll get anywhere with it.’
‘I’m sure you’ll be able to convince them.’
‘I don’t know about that. I’ve failed to convince the War Office that Walter Ferguson is up to no good.’
‘Oh no,’ said Augusta. ‘You spoke to someone there?’
‘Yes, I spoke to a civil servant and explained that I suspect someone working there has passed information from confidential files to a news reporter. The first thing he did was ask me for evidence. And that’s where I became stuck. Because I don’t actually have any evidence that it’s happened. But if Walter Ferguson knows your real name, Augusta, he can only have got it from your file at the War Office.’
‘Perhaps he doesn’t have it after all. Perhaps he’s bluffing.’
‘He could be. And that’s the difficulty we have. He’s threatening to reveal this information about you. But does he really have it? Or is he just trying to make you feel uncomfortable?’
‘I think he’s trying to make me feel uncomfortable either way. He’s a weird man. I’m astonished no one can do anything about him.’
Philip sighed. ‘I can have a word with the editor, Mr Baker, at the London Weekly Chronicle. We met him during our previous investigation didn’t we? But he seems a fairly ineffectual man. I don’t think he can keep Walter Ferguson under control. So I’m a bit stuck at the moment. I think the War Office would do something about it if we were able to tell them which employee it was who gave Walter Ferguson the information. But we don’t know for certain that it actually happened.’
‘Could the police be persuaded to interview Ferguson and get the name from him?’ asked Fred.
‘It’s possible,’ said Philip. ‘But the police need a valid reason to interview him. Obviously there’s a suspicion that he’s paid an employee at the War Office for confidential information. But there’s no evidence at all. I’ll visit Mr Baker the editor next and see where that gets us. Walter Ferguson shouldn’t be able to do this.’
Chapter 10
A news reporter called at Augusta’s bookshop the next day. ‘I write for the Daily London News,’ he said. ‘And I’ve heard all about the hidden letter from Mrs Bradshaw! She telephoned our newspaper suggesting it would be an interesting story and I’ve just spent an hour with her. She suggested I speak to you as well. I’m writing an article about how the letter has been found again after all these years. Do you mind being interviewed about it?’
Augusta’s encounter with Walter Ferguson had left her wary of news reporters. ‘It depends on what you want to ask me,’ she replied.
‘I’m just interested in how you found the letter.’
‘It was in a book which had been left in a box of other books on the doorstep of my shop.’
‘The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells. Am I right?’
‘Yes. Surely Mrs Bradshaw has told you everything you need to know?’
‘She’s been very helpful. But I’d like to speak to all parties involved. I’m planning to interview Mr Miller’s sister, Mrs Stanton, next.’
