by John Creasey
“My husband was a criminal, I also am one – but he and I, we were not murderers. We—”
There was a sudden cessation in the throbbing of the engine; there was another sound, the sharp crack of a shot. Yet a third – a man’s voice coming along the duct towards them.
“Hallo, down there, can you hear me? … Can you hear me?”
Mannering said hoarsely: “Loud and clear. Who are you?”
“We are police officers. Do you know where you are and how we can reach you?”
“Yes,” Mannering gasped between fits of coughing. “There is an—old wash-house at the back, and—the metal boiler moves if you press both the On and the Off switch together. Beneath—it are the cellar—steps.”
“We’ll be down in two shakes,” the man called. “Just hold on.”
Mannering turned very slowly away from the ventilation hole. ‘Two shakes’ might mean ten or fifteen minutes but it did not matter now, they would be rescued in time.
Away from the ventilation hole, the air was better and he could speak more easily.
“Lucille,” he said, “no one need know that you worked on criminal acts with your husband. The sons might try to involve you but a good counsel could almost certainly get you off.”
“But John Mannering knows,” she said. “The one honest man.” There was actually a gleam of laughter in her eyes.
“And you know that tonight John Mannering was someone else,” he said. “Shall we make a bargain? If you don’t tell the police who I am, I won’t tell them what you’ve told me.”
She drew back, as if astounded. “You, afraid of the police!”
“No,” he answered, “but there are some things I’d prefer them not to know.”
“So,” she said. “John – afterwards, will you—will you sell the Collection for me?”
“Was it stolen?”
“No, that was what I told you to hide the truth. The idea was to switch the real for the false.”
“I will sell them for you,” he promised, and quite suddenly he held out his arms and she moved towards him, into them. He held her very tightly but did not kiss her, and she did not turn her face up towards him. They seemed to stay like that for a long time.
“To one side of John Mannering, goodbye,” she said with forced lightness. “John, it would be so good if we—if you and Lorna and I could be friends.”
As she spoke there was a click of sound, and almost at once the steel door began to slide open. Four policemen appeared …
Fifteen minutes later, after knowing that George Peek had been charged with attempted murder by carbon-monoxide poisoning and had been taken away, Mannering allowed himself to be led towards a police car. He had given his name as Mason, with a fictitious address. He was not under charge, there was concern for him but no need to keep a close watch.
One moment he was there, tall and powerful-looking, in the fog.
The next he had disappeared.
Lorna was still awake, but in bed, when Mannering came down from the attic, after entering from the house next door and crossing the roof, there removing his disguise.
“John,” Lorna said, “Oh my darling. Thank God that you’re really safe.”
“I’m safe enough,” Mannering said heavily.
“And Lucille?”
“If I’ve any doubts left about Lucille it’s that she was the only person present at the last seizures of both Ezra Peek and Norman Harcourt.”
“No she wasn’t,” said Bristow, his voice wafting calmly from the spare room. “One of the things I learned tonight was the name of the Peeks’ doctor. He’s been the family doctor for a long time. His name is Medway, and he has offices in Ealing and lives in Wimbledon.”
“Harcourt’s doctor!” cried Mannering. “Bill,” he added urgently, “make sure he’s closely questioned in the morning. He—”
“He’s being closely questioned now,” Bristow said calmly. “And I don’t think there’ll be much difficulty in proving that he gave both Peek and Harcourt overdoses of digitalis by injection. Do you remember an elderly man and his daughter at Harcourt’s office?”
“Good Lord! Was that Medway?”
“Complete with whiskers and a wig,” said Bristow, and added drily: “It’s amazing what can be done with disguises these days, isn’t it?”
Mannering chuckled.
Nothing more was said, as Bristow, with a gigantic yawn which could be clearly heard, went back to sleep.
It was Bristow who called from Quinn’s next morning to report that Dr. Medway had been charged with conspiracy to murder both Ezra Peek and Norman Harcourt; he had accused the Peek brothers of blackmailing him into doing what they wanted because for years he had bought stolen objets d’art from them. The brothers had accused Lucille of complicity but no charge had been made.
“Young Pace of Harcourt, Pace and Pace is going to defend her,” Bristow said. “And from what I can gather, with a lot of fervour. I don’t know whether this is the time to tell you, John, that he’s been a widower for the past two years …”
“I always had a feeling he was a dark horse,” Mannering murmured.
In fact the one thing he wanted to know was why Pace had been at the house the previous night. As Mannering he did not know Pace had been there, but there was no reason why ‘Mason’ should not have recognised him. Mannering decided to repress his curiosity; Pace might well put two and two together, even if Lucille did not confide in him.
“John,” Lucille said on the telephone a few days later, “I can now tell you that Charles Pace also is a good man, and brave as well. He did not believe his partner’s death was natural, he did not trust Dr. Medway, and he knew about my husband’s criminal past because Mr. Harcourt had told him. So, Charles pretended to work for George and for Stanley. He returned because he believed you and I were at the house. He is a little puzzled because he found another man carrying me. It would not be wise for me to tell him who that other man really was, would it?”
“It would put too great a burden on his curiosity, and perhaps later on his conscience.”
“Now that is something I would not like,” declared Lucille. “My lips, they are sealed.”
And when Mannering told her of this, Lorna said: And do you know I really believe they are.” There was a long pause before she went on brightly: “Darling, while you were out the hospital called. Josh is going to be all right, and he may have visitors. And while we’re there we must see the young man who saved him. He’s got seven fractures …”
The young man with the seven fractures lay in a hospital bed with his legs in plaster casts. He was surprisingly cheerful for one who had suffered so much injury. Perhaps Lorna, and Josh, and Mannering, had something to do with it.
Three months later he was an assistant at Quinn’s.
Series Information
Published or to be published by
House of Stratus
Dates given are those of first publication
Alternative titles in brackets
‘The Baron’ (47 titles) (writing as Anthony Morton)
‘Department ‘Z’’ (28 titles)
‘Dr. Palfrey Novels’ (34 titles)
‘Gideon of Scotland Yard’ (22 titles)
‘Inspector West’ (43 titles)
‘Sexton Blake’ (5 titles)
‘The Toff’ (59 titles)
along with:
The Masters of Bow Street
This epic novel embraces the story of the Bow Street Runners and the Marine Police, forerunners of the modern police force, who were founded by novelist Henry Fielding in 1748. They were the earliest detective force operating from the courts to enforce the decisions of magistrates. John Creasey’s account also gives a fascinating insight into family life of the time and the struggle between crime and justice, and ends with the establishment of the Metropolitan Police after the passing of Peel’s Act in 1829.
‘The Baron’ Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as stand
alone novels
Meet the Baron (The Man in the Blue Mask) (1937)
The Baron Returns (The Return of the Blue Mask) (1937)
The Baron Again (Salute Blue Mask) (1938)
The Baron at Bay (Blue Mask at Bay) (1938)
Alias the Baron (Alias Blue Mask) (1939)
The Baron at Large (Challenge Blue Mask!) (1939)
Versus the Baron (Blue Mask Strikes Again) (1940)
Call for the Baron (Blue Mask Victorious) (1940)
The Baron Comes Back (1943)
A Case for the Baron (1945)
Reward for the Baron (1945)
Career for the Baron (1946)
Blood Diamond (The Baron and the Beggar) (1947)
Blame the Baron (1948)
A Rope for the Baron (1948)
Books for the Baron (1949)
Cry for the Baron (1950)
Trap the Baron (1950)
Attack the Baron (1951)
Shadow the Baron (1951)
Warn the Baron (1952)
The Baron Goes East (1953)
The Baron in France (1953)
Danger for the Baron (1953)
The Baron Goes Fast (1954)
Nest-Egg for the Baron (Deaf, Dumb and Blonde) (1954)
Help from the Baron (1955)
Hide the Baron (1956)
The Double Frame (Frame the Baron) (1957)
Blood Red (Red Eye for the Baron) (1958)
If Anything Happens to Hester (Black for the Baron) (1959)
Salute for the Baron (1960)
The Baron Branches Out (A Branch for the Baron) (1961)
The Baron and the Stolen Legacy (Bad for the Baron) (1962)
A Sword for the Baron (The Baron and the Mogul Swords) (1963)
The Baron on Board (The Mask of Sumi) (1964)
The Baron and the Chinese Puzzle (1964)
Sport for the Baron (1966)
Affair for the Baron (1967)
The Baron and the Missing Old Masters (1968)
The Baron and the Unfinished Portrait (1969)
Last Laugh for the Baron (1970)
The Baron Goes A-Buying (1971)
The Baron and the Arrogant Artist (1972)
Burgle the Baron (1973)
The Baron - King Maker (1975)
Love for the Baron (1979)
Doctor Palfrey Novels
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Traitor’s Doom (1942)
The Legion of the Lost (1943)
The Valley of Fear (The Perilous Country) (1943)
Dangerous Quest (1944)
Death in the Rising Sun (1945)
The Hounds of Vengeance (1945)
Shadow of Doom (1946)
The House of the Bears (1946)
Dark Harvest (1947)
The Wings of Peace (1948)
The Sons of Satan (1948)
The Dawn of Darkness (1949)
The League of Light (1949)
The Man Who Shook the World (1950)
The Prophet of Fire (1951)
The Children of Hate (The Killers of Innocence; The Children of Despair) (1952)
The Touch of Death (1954)
The Mists of Fear (1955)
The Flood (1956)
The Plague of Silence (1958)
Dry Spell (The Drought) (1959)
The Terror (1962)
The Depths (1963)
The Sleep (1964)
The Inferno (1965)
The Famine (1967)
The Blight (1968)
The Oasis (1970)
The Smog (1970)
The Unbegotten (1971)
The Insulators (1972)
The Voiceless Ones (1973)
The Thunder-Maker (1976)
The Whirlwind (1979)
Gideon Series
(Writing as JJ Marric)
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Gideon’s Day (Gideon of Scotland Yard) (1955)
Seven Days to Death (Gideon’s Week) (1956)
Gideon’s Night (1957)
A Backwards Jump (Gideon’s Month) (1958)
Thugs and Economies (Gideon’s Staff) (1959)
Gideon Combats Influence (Gideon’s Risk) (1960)
Gideon’s Fire (1961)
A Conference for Assassins (Gideon’s March) (1962)
Travelling Crimes (Gideon’s Ride) (1963)
An Uncivilised Election (Gideon’s Vote) (1964)
Criminal Imports (Gideon’s Lot) (1965)
To Nail a Serial Killer (Gideon’s Badge) (1966)
From Murder to a Cathedral (Gideon’s Wrath) (1967)
Gideon’s River (1968)
Darkness and Confusion (Gideon’s Power) (1969)
Sport, Heat & Scotland Yard (Gideon’s Sport) (1970)
Gideon’s Art (1971)
No Relaxation at Scotland Yard (Gideon’s Men) (1972)
Impartiality Against the Mob (Gideon’s Press) (1973)
Not Hidden by the Fog (Gideon’s Fog) (1975)
Good and Justice (Gideon’s Drive) (1976)
Vigilantes & Biscuits (Gideon’s Force) (1978)
Inspector West Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Inspector West Takes Charge (1942)
Go Away to Murder (Inspector West Leaves Town) (1943)
An Apostle of Gloom (Inspector West At Home) (1944)
Inspector West Regrets (1945)
Holiday for Inspector West (1946)
Battle for Inspector West (1948)
The Case Against Paul Raeburn (Triumph for Inspector West) (1948)
Inspector West Kicks Off (Sport for Inspector West) (1949)
Inspector West Alone (1950)
Inspector West Cries Wolf (The Creepers) (1950)
The Figure in the Dusk (A Case for Inspector West) (1951)
The Dissemblers (Puzzle for Inspector West) (1951)
The Case of the Acid Throwers (The Blind Spot; Inspector West at Bay) (1952)
Give a Man a Gun (A Gun for Inspector West) (1953)
Send Inspector West (1953)
So Young, So Cold, So Fair (A Beauty for Inspector West; The Beauty Queen Killer) (1954)
Murder Makes Haste (Inspector West Makes Haste; The Gelignite Gang; Night of the Watchman) (1955)
Murder: One, Two, Three (Two for Inspector West) (1955)
Death of a Postman (Parcels for Inspector West) (1956)
Death of an Assassin (A Prince for Inspector West) (1956)
Hit and Run (Accident for Inspector West) (1957)
The Trouble at Saxby’s (Find Inspector West; Doorway to Death) (1957)
Murder, London - New York (1958)
Strike for Death (The Killing Strike) (1958)
Death of a Racehorse (1959)
The Case of the Innocent Victims (1959)
Murder on the Line (1960)
Death in Cold Print (1961)
The Scene of the Crime (1961)
Policeman’s Dread (1962)
Hang the Little Man (1963)
Look Three Ways at Murder (1964)
Murder, London - Australia (1965)
Murder, London - South Africa (1966)
The Executioners (1967)
So Young to Burn (1968)
Murder, London - Miami (1969)
A Part for a Policeman (1970)
Alibi for Inspector West (1971)
A Splinter of Glass (1972)
The Theft of Magna Carta (1973)
The Extortioners (1974)
A Sharp Rise in Crime (1978)
‘The Toff’ Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Introducing the Toff (It’s the Toff!) (1938)
The Toff Goes On (1939)
The Toff Steps Out (1939)
Here Comes the Toff (1940)
The Toff Breaks In (1940)
Salute the
Toff (1941)
The Toff Proceeds (1941)
The Toff Goes to Market (1942)
The Toff Is Back (1942)
The Toff on the Trail (short stories) (1942)
The Toff among the Millions (1943)
Accuse the Toff (1943)
The Toff and the Deadly Priest (The Toff and the Curate) (1944)
The Toff and the Great Illusion (1944)
Feathers for the Toff (1945)
The Toff and the Lady (1946)
Poison for the Toff (The Toff on Ice) (1946)
Hammer the Toff (1947)
The Toff in Town (1948)
The Toff Takes Shares (1948)
The Toff and Old Harry (1949)
The Toff on Board (1949)
Fool the Toff (1950)
Kill the Toff (1950)
A Knife for the Toff (1951)
A Mask for the Toff (The Toff Goes Gay) (1951)
Hunt the Toff (1952)
Call the Toff (1953)
The Toff Down Under (Break the Toff) (1953)
Murder Out of the Past (short stories) (1953)
The Toff at Camp (The Toff at Butlins) (1954)
The Toff at the Fair (1954)
A Six for the Toff (A Score for the Toff) (1955)
The Toff and the Deep Blue Sea (1955)
Kiss the Toff (Make-Up for the Toff) (1956)
The Toff in New York (1956)
Model for the Toff (1957)
The Toff on Fire (1957)
The Toff and the Stolen Tresses (1958)
Terror for the Toff (The Toff on the Farm) (1958)
Double for the Toff (1959)
The Toff and the Runaway Bride (1959)
A Rocket for the Toff (1960)
The Toff and the Kidnapped (The Kidnapped Child) (1960)
Follow the Toff (1961)
The Toff and the Toughs (The Toff and the Teds) (1961)
A Doll for the Toff (1963)
Leave It to the Toff (1963)
The Toff and the Spider (1965)
The Toff in Wax (1966)
A Bundle for the Toff (1967)
Stars for the Toff (1968)
The Toff and the Golden Boy (1969)
The Toff and the Fallen Angels (1970)
Vote for the Toff (1971)
The Toff and the Trip-Trip-Triplets (1972)
The Toff and the Terrified Taxman (1973)
