He rose, and this time Chief Inspector Hubbard didn’t stop him. “I’ll notify Sergeant Mitchell that I’ve asked for leave and will be away from the Yard for the next two days on personal business.” Mitchell was the man in charge of Yard personnel records.

“Yes, do that, Ian,” Hubbard said cordially, relieved to find Rutledge so cooperative. “This will all blow over, mark my words.”

Rutledge left, strode down the hall to find Sergeant Mitchell, and said as soon as he saw him, “I’m taking a few days of personal leave. I’ve cleared it with Chief Inspector Hubbard.”

Mitchell’s face gave no indication that he had been expecting this. He simply took Rutledge at his word. The whispers hadn’t started. But it was too early for that. In time they would.

“Very good, sir, I’ll make a note of it. Will you be staying in London, sir? In the event you’re needed?”

But he wouldn’t be needed. That was certain. Still he answered civilly, “No, I’m visiting a friend. In Kent.”

That had popped into his head. But the more he thought about it, the more he knew it was the answer. Melinda Crawford lived in Kent. And she would ask no questions, she would accept his visit as one long overdue. There he could come to terms with what had happened, and by the time he returned to the Yard, the molten anger possessing him would have cooled.

“Have a safe journey, sir,” Mitchell told him, as if Kent were in the wilds of Africa, and it would require days if not weeks of travel to get there. But Mitchell was a Londoner and felt lost outside the crowded metropolis.

It would have been amusing in any other circumstance. But not now. Rutledge thanked him and went down the stairs and out the door, grateful not to meet anyone.

When he reached his motorcar, he swore, sitting there with clenched fists on the steering wheel.

Chief Inspector Cummins had no doubt suggested Rutledge as a suitable choice for his replacement. Cummins was well respected, and his suggestion would carry some weight. And so the Chief Superintendent had jumped at the chance to use Mrs. Farrell-Smith’s complaint to put a stop to that possibility. A charge of improper conduct was a serious matter. It could follow a man for the rest of his career at the Yard. But Hubbard had given him a way out, a way to keep it out of the official record. He had thought he was protecting Rutledge’s future. What he had unwittingly done was to ensure that everyone would eventually know why Rutledge was being passed over for Cummins’s position. Rumor would begin soon enough, quietly fed from above, and most people would come to believe that Chief Superintendent Bowles had, in fact, looked after his own, shielding Rutledge from public disgrace.

It was an adroit move.

Chapter 14

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