Chapter 16 – On the Trail
John was overjoyed when he received Anna's note. She was playing it smart incase anyone read the note. She was going to head to Ireland and make their dream of opening a small hotel in the town where his mother was born come true. Nice had been nice but it was time to move on before anyone noticed the thefts and put two and two together. He'd taken to a new game of checking into an upscale hotel for a night and then making his rounds. It had cut into his profits considerably. For now he would make his way to Monaco then back down the coast to Cannes and Saint-Tropez. By the end of the summer things should have cooled off enough in England so that he could head back.
His thoughts turned to Anna, as they always did. He was kicking himself for not asking her in his note to come and join him. She was so sweet and kind and had such faith in him. She would never understand how he made his way among the rich on the French Riviera. No, it was better to join her in Ireland, profess his innocence and settle into a life where no one would be the wiser. He would send her a brief note in a month or so, so as not to raise suspicions. For now he had to plan out his move to Monaco.
-0-
"Lord Grantham, Mr. Branson, good of you to come," the Detective Inspector from Ripon said as the men entered his office at the beginning of February. "I've asked you to come in today to let you know the lead provided by Mr. Barrington before Christmas has paid off. We have located the bank where Mr. Bates was transferring the funds from the feedlot to an account under his alias John Balfour. The amounts and dates match perfectly. We have now have the proof to charge him with two counts of larceny for the thefts associated with your estate and the theft of Mr. Kieran Branson's automobile. We also have enough proof to charge him in the murder of Mr. Matthew Crawley."
"It's about time," Robert replied visibly sagging. He leaned forward and put his hand on his face. Tom placed his hand on his father-in-law's shoulder for a minute while he composed himself. Robert straightened up after a moment and set his jaw. "I trust you gentlemen have received copies of the private detective reports from Murray's office?"
"Yes, we have. We suggest your private detective continue to follow John Bates until he makes his move to return to England to retrieve his stolen funds. He is obviously committing petty theft in France, which would put him in prison for only a short time. Since we do not have an extradition treaty with France he may slip through the cracks yet again," the Sergeant who was working on the case said. "Our best chance of capture is to let him get comfortable in his alias. When he returns to the country as John Balfour. We'll have him."
"The funds have been seized by the crown as evidence. Eventually the victims will receive compensation for their stolen property, your estate included," the Detective Inspector commented.
"I speak for Lord Grantham when I say we would like to see the smaller farms compensated first," Tom said. "The estate is larger and better equipped to deal with losses than some of the smaller holdings. We don't want to see any of the tenants or smaller holdings suffer any more than they already have at the hands of John Bates."
"It's a matter for the crown counsel to decide," the Detective Inspector replied. "We will certainly let them know your wishes with the dispersal of funds, gentlemen. It will be some time before that happens though."
"Thank you for the update, Detective Inspector, Sergeant," Lord Grantham said. "Please notify us the minute you have him."
"Of course, Lord Grantham," the Detective Inspector replied.
Lord Grantham and Tom headed out to the chauffeur driven car waiting for them outside the police station.
"You know, this is the best I've felt about things in a long time," Robert commented quietly. "He's exposed. Someday he will pay for what he did to Matthew. I don't want to think about it anymore."
"Life has a way of taking its own revenge," Tom commented. "We have other things to think about including a new chauffeur's cottage. I thought we'd stop by the architect's on the way back and pick out a design that appeals to you."
"Do you think we can afford it after everything?" Robert inquired.
"The work on the Abbey is caught up, we've stopped the losses from the thefts and Rose has the stables running without a loss. I'd say it's time to celebrate," Tom replied.
"By Jove, I think you're right," Robert said with a smile. "Now if we could just convince my mother it's time to move back to the Dower House things would be perfect."
"You think you can convince her?" Tom asked with a quirked eyebrow as they got into the car.
"I have as much chance of convincing her to move back out as you do convincing her the sun can actually set on the Empire," Robert said with a chuckle.
"It can't," Tom said with a grin.
"My point exactly," Robert replied.
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"Mrs. Bates, nice to see you," Mr. Copeland Anna's solicitor said as she entered his office in mid February. "I'm afraid it will be a week or two before everything is through the courts yet."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Copeland. I had a message that you had an offer on the house in London," Anna said. She had developed a cold over Christmas that left her with a slight cough that kept niggling in her chest. She covered her mouth with her hanky. It really was annoying. She had tried cough medicine from the pharmacy but it only gave her very short relief.
"Yes, I have the papers in a file. If the offer is acceptable to you, you may sign them today. I should have the check ready for you by the end of March."
Anna nodded then reached for the papers to look over. She drew the blank deposit slip from her handbag.
"I found this among my husband's things. I thought perhaps this bank should be checked as well for an account," Anna said.
"I will look into it on your behalf," Mr. Copeland said taking the deposit slip and noting the bank in the file. "It may add another week or two to our business. Now back to the sale of the property."
"Yes, of course," Anna replied. She looked over the documents and signed them. There was no sense holding out for more money. She wanted things settled and done as soon as she could.
"Have you thought over who you would like to appoint as your beneficiary in the your Last Will and Testament, Mrs. Bates? You will have a decent packet of capital with the sale of your property. Your husband would not be able to claim any estate in England in the unlikely event of your early demise, as he is a wanted man. As your solicitor it is my duty to point out again, you should have a current Last Will and Testament."
"Yes, Mr. Copeland I realize that. I would still like it made out with my husband as the sole beneficiary. I am planning to move to Ireland as soon as things are settled," Anna said. The severity of the situation she was in was hitting home. John was out of the country and there was no way they could ever be together as long as she was in England. The sooner she got everything settled and left for Ireland the better.
"Mrs. Bates, have you been to a doctor to see about your cough? You've been through a great deal this last while. You wouldn't want it to develop into something worse."
"It's a remnant from a slight cold, Mr. Copeland. Thank you for your concern," Anna replied.
"My office will be in contact when your funds are collected and the checks are ready. I will have your Will ready at the same time," Mr. Copeland said. "My secretary will see you out."
"Thank you Mr. Copeland. I will look forward to hearing from you," Anna replied before she got up to leave.
-0-
John Bates looked over to see the same man sitting across the street from his Monaco lodgings in the café he had seen the morning before. He could have sworn he had seen the man in Nice as well. Either he was being followed or the man was here on legitimate business. He shook his head. The man was most likely on legitimate business. There were at least half a dozen men he had met casually in Nice that he had run into in Monaco as well. This was their lifestyle, traveling along the coast looking for wealthy single older women to connect up with who would pay their way for the season or an acquaintance with money they could sponge off of. He looked back out the window of his room and noticed the man was gone. Most likely another playboy on the make he told himself.
A few days later John noticed the same man at the café again. He headed downstairs and across the street. No time like the present to find out what the man was up to.
"Good morning," John said to the stranger when he entered the café.
"Bonjour, Monsieur," the man answered with a polite nod of his head.
"The café seems to be full, would you mind if I joined you?" John asked.
"But of course, be my guest. I was almost finished," the stranger said. He signaled the waiter. "Garcon."
"Please don't rush on my account," John said sitting back while he waited for the waiter to come by.
"Oh but I must, Monsieur, I am a seller of chaussures. How do you say in English? Shoes."
"A shoe salesman? I thought perhaps I had seen you in Nice, Mr.…?"
"Tremblay, Jasques Tremblay at your service. Oui, I am a salesman for a manufacturer of shoes. I travel back and forth along the coast regularly. It is quite possible you saw me in Nice, Monsieur…?
"Balfour, John Balfour. Pleased to make your acquaintance," John replied. Well, that would explain why he saw the man repeatedly, if he were traveling back and forth.
"Like wise, Monsieur Balfour. If you see me again in the café or at a restaurant please join me. I miss the company of others traveling as I do."
"Yes, I'll do that," John said. "I'm on my own myself. I came to France for the warm weather for my leg. It doesn't do well in the English winter."
"Ah yes. I understand. I must be off Monsieur, my clients await." Mr. Tremblay reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "Ma carte, Monsieur, A bien tot."
"Good day," John said as the man left the table to pay the check. He sat back with a slight chuckle at his own paranoia. He had been worrying over a shoe salesman. This cloak and dagger routine was starting to wear thin. All he wanted at the moment, all he could really think about was being with Anna and the day he would join her in Ireland.
"Zut," Jacques Armand swore under his breath as he walked away from the café where he had met John Bates in person. His cover as a shoe salesman was one he had come up with years ago to cover his true identity. Bates was being careless and this was an easy job for the next few months. Now he would have to bring in an associate to watch Bates when he would supposedly be out of town. Usually he avoided contact with the subject he was following but at the same time letting Bates strike up a casual friendship with Jacques Tremblay aka Jacques Armand, Private Detective could have its advantages. Perhaps Bates would let slip his exact date of departure or where he was heading making his job all the more easy. Right now he needed to circle back to his lodgings and change to a different disguise. Bates biggest problem was he thought he was smarter than everyone else and it made him careless. In twenty minutes he would be back walking the sidewalk as a street cleaner and Bates would never know the difference.