Hardcastle's Soldiers Read Online Free

certain that it’s a service revolver, Inspector?’
    â€˜It’s a Webley Mark Six and is engraved with the broad arrow along with the letters WD. DS Marriott here tells me that stands for War Department,’ said Hardcastle, indicating his sergeant with a wave of his hand.
    Frobisher nodded. ‘Yes, a good weapon, introduced in 1915, Inspector, but you say the cashier wasn’t shot.’
    â€˜No, Colonel, he was bludgeoned to death with the butt. I was wondering if it was possible to trace where it came from.’
    â€˜Virtually impossible, Mr Hardcastle. That particular weapon has been issued in its thousands. All I can tell you is that they are normally only issued to officers, NCOs and trumpeters of cavalry regiments, and some artillery drivers. I think I can say, without fear of contradiction, that your man Stacey of the ASC would not have been issued with one. Not unless he’s a horse transport driver. However, I’ll do what I can. But I must warn you that I’m unlikely to be able to help. Weapons are abandoned on the battlefield, and rarely traced. In fact, most are lost or buried.’
    Once their business with Colonel Frobisher had been completed, Hardcastle and Marriott took a taxi to Cox and Company’s bank in Albemarle Street, a turning off Piccadilly.
    The manager, a white-haired man of about sixty, who introduced himself as Leonard Richards, had already been advised by the Vine Street police – at Hardcastle’s behest – of the death of Herbert Somers.
    â€˜A terrible tragedy, Inspector,’ said Richards, once Hardcastle and Marriott were ensconced in the manager’s office. ‘Is there any indication as to who was responsible?’ He sat down at his desk, adjusted his spectacles and smoothed his hand over his hair.
    â€˜These are early days, Mr Richards,’ said Hardcastle, unwilling to divulge what the police knew about the escaping soldier seen by Lieutenant Mansfield. After all, the man Stacey might have had nothing to do with the murder of Herbert Somers, but Hardcastle thought that extremely unlikely. ‘But we’ll bring him to book, never fear.’
    â€˜That’s very comforting, Inspector.’
    â€˜What interests me at the moment, Mr Richards, is whether there is any money missing? I’m working on the basis that your teller was murdered in the course of a robbery. There were a few bank notes of different denominations left scattered about on the floor of the kiosk.’
    â€˜I’ve already had the bank’s accountant conduct an audit of Mr Somers’ books, Inspector, and the monies that were returned. It seems that some three hundred pounds are missing.’
    â€˜I take it that the missing money was sterling, sir,’ said Marriott, looking up from his pocketbook.
    â€˜Yes, it was. Mostly five-pound notes, and possibly one or two one-pound and ten-shilling notes, I should think. The French francs appear all to be accounted for.’
    â€˜I see.’ Marriott made a note and glanced up again. ‘I don’t suppose you have the serial numbers of those notes, sir, do you?’
    Richards smiled at the question. ‘I’m afraid we don’t have the time for that, Sergeant Marriott. We’re already short-staffed, thanks to the war, and more men are going off to join up almost every day.’
    â€˜I thought that might be the case, sir,’ said Marriott. ‘Might we have Mr Somers’ address? We’ll need to have a word with his family.’
    â€˜Yes, certainly,’ said Richards, and he scribbled the details on a slip of paper. ‘The tragedy is made worse by the fact that Somers shouldn’t have been there at all.’
    â€˜Oh?’ Hardcastle, who always gathered snippets like that, looked up sharply. His suspicious mind immediately wondered why.
    â€˜No, Somers doesn’t usually do the services’ bureau de change. It’s normally a