The Shadow in the North Page #4

the prime target of a murderer.

For God's sake, shut up, the pair of ya.

Suppose MacKinnon

got hold of this vision idea

from Nellie

and tried a bit of blackmail?

Bellmann's not the sort

to take that lying down.

No, MacKinnon's genuine, all right.

But what's the connection between

Nellie and MacKinnon?

I don't know.

Maybe they belong to the same

'share your psychic secrets' club.

I have some real news

if anyone's interested.

Lord Wytham has just announced

the engagement of his daughter.

And guess who's the lucky man?

My God, not Bellmann!

And here's another thing.

A certain well-known

society photographer

has been commissioned to commemorate

the happy occasion

at Wytham's country house on Friday.

You're a genius.

I know.

I suppose we should expand.

We really need somewhere bigger.

No need just yet.

Anyway, we can't afford it.

Will you tell me next time

if you're planning something reckless?

Not necessarily.

Look at me.

I will have a picture that expresses

joy in our betrothal, do you understand?

- Yes, Mr Bellmann.

- My name is Axel.

And this is what you will call me, hmm?

Say it, my dear.

Yes, Axel.

Good.

Careful, Jim. You're staring.

And now,

if the happy couple are ready...

Where is he?

I don't know who you mean.

MacKinnon. You were seen with him,

you naughty girl.

I don't know where he is,

I haven't seen him for days.

If you don't tell me the truth,

I'm going to ask him here

to tear up and burn

every last scrap of your work.

Please, it's all I have in the world.

You were at Lady Harborough's last week,

posing as a guest.

Me? No, sir.

If it was not you, it was your double.

The man was prying

and watching the other guests

in a highly-suspicious manner.

I ask you again.

Were you that man?

Do you think my dress will

look well in the photographs, Axel?

I thought it very pretty before,

but now I don't know.

Oh, you look charming, my dear.

Absolutely charming.

So!

This is our little treasure, is it?

Well, I dare say young Sackville

will know what to do with these.

All right, I'll tell you where to

find him, only don't touch his letters.

MacKinnon has a room in

Hampstead he sometimes uses.

Number15, Kenton Gardens.

You won't hurt him?

Oh yeah, and...

don't go thinking you can scuttle off

and warn him when our backs is turned.

I've kept Sackville

on a leash up till now.

I wouldn't like to say

what he'd do if I let him off it.

'Sensational discovery

in the forests of Siberia.

'The body of a man

has been found perfectly preserved

in the ice of a frozen river.

"The unfortunate victim

was horribly stabbed."

'Sword in the forest.

'Blood on the snow.

"He's still there,

all in a glass coffin."

A frozen river's, very like

a glass coffin, isn't it, Chaka?

Come on, boy!

I have no idea what you're

talking about, Miss Lockhart.

Don't insult me, Mr Windlesham.

We both know

who's responsible for this.

If you have been burgled

I suggest you contact the police.

Do you really suppose I would

commit everything I know to paper?

I am not the fool that your employer

believes and I will not be intimidated.

She is a

woman of unusual character.

Deal with her.

Don't bother me with the details.

What of the other matter?

It has been taken care of, sir.

Yes, gentlemen, how can I help you?

Oh, dear me, Mrs Budd.

If you were a proper psychic

you'd already know, wouldn't you?

Move in here for now.

I want you close at hand.

Fred, we've been through this before.

Those men nearly killed Nellie Budd,

you need protecting.

I'm not some helpless damsel who needs

shutting up in a fortress and guarding.

Don't be stupid. You can

still work and go about normally.

I don't need your permission

to go about 'normally', as you put it.

You think I'm a child who

needs protecting and coddling.

Don't you know me yet?

I'm not like that.

If you can't see that now...

I wonder if you've ever

really seen me at all.

At your best, you're magnificent.

At your worst you're an unlikeable,

self-righteous prig.

You're not talking about me.

You're talking about some

childish fantasy of yours.

Grow up, Frederick.

This can't go on.

We'll finish this case and then

you and I had better call it a day.

Miss Lockhart.

Yes.

Jim Taylor said

I should come to you.

I've been waiting all afternoon.

Come inside.

His enemies are so relentless.

Why do they hate him so much?

What has he done to them?

Don't worry.

We'll find him before they do.

I've betrayed him.

I'm so ashamed.

Do you know...

how it feels to love a man,

heart and soul,

and yet still hurt him?

I've destroyed him for the

sake of a few scraps of paper.

But I couldn't bear

to lose the one small part of him

that was mine completely.

If you betrayed him

at all it was from love.

To have done it from...

stubborn pride or selfishness

would have been infinitely worse.

I suppose it's hardly worth asking

if this Isabel Meredith business

changes your mind about coming here.

She wasn't actually hurt.

He's trapped her somehow.

As if a girl like that would

marry him unless she had to.

Jim's in love with Lady Mary Wytham.

I'm worried, that's all.

Poor girl's got no-one

to look after her.

MacKinnon,

Nellie Budd, Lady Mary, Miss Walsh...

Everything leads back to Bellmann.

I'm certain that body in the

ice will turn out to be Nordenfels.

But why kill your own partner?

What do we actually know about him?

He was an engineer who invented

a safety valve for steam engines.

It works at high temperatures

or pressures or something.

I think it's time to find

out more about North Star Castings.

If I leave straightaway for King's Cross

I can be at the works this afternoon.

Want to come with me?

I'm going to see what I can discover

about Nordenfels at the Patent Office.

Gentlemen, let me buy you a drink.

I'm making a few inquiries

about North Star Castings.

Sorry, can't help you.

You're wasting your time.

More than their job's worth

to talk about North Star.

You're talking to me.

I don't work for them, do I?

Not now.

You look like a man

who could use a refill.

I'm looking for any patent

in the name of Arne Nordenfels.

How would I go about finding them?

I'll have a

look in the index, miss.

How far back would you like to go?

Um, 1870.

Nordenfels.

Arne Nordenfels.

He has a patent dated 1872

for a safety valve for steam boilers

and another in the same year

for improvements

in circulating higher pressure steam.

I was a boiler maker for Walker & Sons,

the locomotive works.

Two years ago, the company was sold.

The new owner was a

man named Axel Bellmann.

He didn't seem interested

in new orders,

just finishing

what was already on the books.

A short time later,

we heard he'd bought Furness Castings.

He merged the two companies

and called it North Star Castings.

Was Furness a locomotive

company as well?

No, Mr Garland,

it was an armaments firm.

He said we were part of a great

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