The Blood Diamond
Page 22
He looked at Zara’s lifeless body.
‘And it was the right way out,’ he whispered, ‘she’d have gone through hell, that would have been inevitable. This was the best way for her.’ Men were running up the stairs. ‘Take it easy, my sweet.’
Lorna was crying.
The man whom Mannering had shot, Paul Harding and Marjorie were still in the hall when the Mannerings went downstairs. Another police car had arrived and more men spilled into the hall. Mannering turned to the door of the domestic quarters, his arm still round Lorna’s shoulders, and they went into the big, white tiled kitchen. Tring was unconscious, with a head wound. Forsythe sat against the wall, his hands tied behind his back, a bruise on his forehead.
‘John, by all that’s holy, you got away with it!’
‘That’s right.’
‘Cut me loose,’ begged Forsythe. ‘Cut me loose, I must get to that telephone.’
He had finished at the telephone before Tring left in an ambulance for the local hospital.
Mannering read through Harding’s evidence as Lorna sat on a pouf in front of him, She leaned her head against his knee, and he played with a strand of her hair absently. He finished and handed her the papers.
‘Want to read them?’
‘Are they worth reading?’
‘Tring would think so. A very slick piece of forged documentary evidence, my sweet, and I wouldn’t have stood a chance if they’d been sent to the Yard, even if I’d been covered with glory over this affair. Mr. Harding was not a nice man.’
‘He must have been mad.’
‘Was that madness? Well, perhaps, a form of obsession. He’d married a prominent member of the Adalgo family, who died years ago.’
Lorna said: ‘I’m glad he’s dead.’ She jumped up. ‘I’m going to make a bonfire of these.’
Mannering watched her as she stood at the domestic boiler in the kitchen, and flames roared up the chimney. She stirred the ashes with a poker, and let the front of the boiler fall with a crash.
‘Goodbye to all that,’ murmured Mannering. ‘My sweet, I haven’t told you lately that I think you’re the most wonderful woman in the world. But when you hear a shot, you ought to run away from it, not towards it.’
‘When you start running away, I’ll join you. John, what will happen?’
‘Next to nothing. A sensational story in the Press, some half-truths about the Adalgo family and a possible purge in Spain. Marjorie and Paul will probably be hanged, Lopez certainly will be. I shall offer the Adalgo to the exiled Spanish Government and have an idea they’ll be glad to have it.’
‘Or you could throw it away.’
Mannering laughed. ‘It did cost a packet, you know. Penny for your thoughts.’
‘About Josh. Will he be all right?’
‘I expect Bristow to release him as soon as he gets back to the Yard. Forsythe heard quite a bit of the story, and Marjorie was beginning to crack before we left. She’ll tell him everything before long – if only to save her neck from being stretched. She was quite the oddest piece in the puzzle, our not-so-naive Marjorie. The Hardings gave her an alibi, of course, for the night of Bray’s murder. Not bad. On the whole, they did a good job.’
‘Good!’ cried Lorna.
Mannering said: ‘In its way. As for Josh, we know why the Adalgo fascinated him, now. We also know why he was just the model for you – the tragedy, in an ordinary man, of being caught up in great affairs.’
‘You knew who he was, didn’t you?’ Lorna asked.
‘I was late with it. But once I knew the Adalgo family was involved, and Larraby had come across them before, it hit me between the eyes. Hence the vain hunt for a picture of their Dukeships!’
It was midnight before they had a visitor; then it was Bristow. Mannering let him in, and he strode briskly across the drawing-room, smiled at Lorna, and said brightly:
‘Well, John? How’s the knee?’
‘So we’re all pals again?’
‘Now that I’m satisfied you weren’t playing the fool, why not? I thought you’d strong royalist tendencies over this job. I couldn’t imagine anything else which would make you play the fool with that diamond. Why did you?’
Mannering shrugged: ‘It had all the makings of a nice little puzzle.’
‘I think you had an idea what kind of puzzle. Well, forget it. We’ve everything tidied up. Marjorie Addel has made a full confession. Paul Harding is stubborn, but he’ll talk before it’s over. The only thing he’s opened his mouth about is a dossier on a certain Mr. Mannering, which was supposed to be in his father’s bedroom. Remarkable thing, it wasn’t there when we searched.’
‘Probably it never existed. Harding talked a lot of hot air.’
Bristow laughed. ‘You’ll do!’
‘How’s Tring?’
‘Not too bad,’ said Bristow. ‘Conscious and muttering dark threats against the Harding family. He’s changed his target for venom. Tring’s all right, his chief trouble is that he’s an obsession against you in certain moods. He seems to think that you saved him from becoming a corpse this time, so he’ll spend the rest of his days in the force looking for another obsession. We found a lot of stuff at the house about a royalist plot in Spain – and that’s why I’m here.’
‘Oh?’
‘It’s off the record,’ Bristow said. ‘Forsythe got some background stuff for a story, but that’s about the end of it. I’m here to make it clear that you’re requested not to make any statement affecting the Adalgo family, to the Press.’
‘If that’s the only reason for coming, it was a waste of time. It’s not in my mind to talk.’
‘Oh, a pleasant half hour with the Mannerings is always good for me,’ said Bristow, genially. ‘There’s one other trifling thing. Marjorie has told us about Josh Larraby’s early past and his half-brother. I’ve seen Josh.’
Lorna said sharply: ‘Have you released him?’
‘Oh, yes, he’s loose somewhere. I think you backed the right horse, although if it hadn’t been for Josh Larraby, I would have had less doubt about your motives. It was so obviously a phoney set-up that I couldn’t believe you’d just taken pity on the chap.’
‘That’s the difference between a human being and a policeman,’ said Lorna tartly.
‘All right, all right, I asked for that. What did you know about him, John?’
‘Not much – not anything like enough. I know a great deal, now. He’d rejected what Harding had the nerve to call his birthright but he couldn’t keep away from the Adalgo. I often wondered why, I don’t wonder now. He had his pride: I believe he would have served ten years rather than betray the family. What about the Duke who ran away? Any idea where he is?’
‘No, and I don’t want to know. It’s being handled at a higher level than Scotland Yard, now, and it can stay there. Hallo, visitors at this time of night?’ Bristow looked round as the front door bell rang. ‘I must be off!’
Mannering let him out; and let Larraby in.
Lorna saw who it was from the drawing-room door, hurried across and took his hands – and then quite spontaneously, kissed him on the cheek.
The private view of the Royal Academy was crowded. Josh Larraby, neatly dressed and with his hair shorter and carefully brushed, wandered about the big rooms of the gallery, gradually drawing nearer to the large group which stood in front of his own portrait. He looked at it, over the heads of the crowd. He was still sad; and the Mannerings, watching him from the other side of the room, saw him peering at every woman who came in.
They saw his eyes light up.
A neatly dressed, middle-aged woman, with a girl in her teens whose likeness to Larraby couldn’t be mistaken, saw the portrait as they came in. The girl said:
‘Mum, it is Dad’s picture!’
The woman sa
id gruffly: ‘I can see for myself, can’t I?’ She looked round, and saw Larraby.
Lorna held Mannering’s hand so tightly that it hurt.
‘Will she—John, it’s all right, look!’
Mrs. Larraby went straight up to Josh, who held out his hands. They gripped, and looked at each other for a long time, while tears glistened in the girl’s eyes. Then Josh said in a clear, carrying voice: ‘I still feel the same about you, Lil.’
The Mannerings didn’t hear the woman’s reply, but they saw the radiant smile which stole the sadness from Larraby’s face.
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 standalone 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)
'Department Z' Novels
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
The Death Miser (1932)
Redhead (1934)
First Came a Murder (1934)
Death Round the Corner (1935)
The Mark of the Crescent (1935)
Thunder in Europe (1936)
The Terror Trap (1936)
Carriers of Death (1937)
Days of Danger (1937)
Death Stands By (1938)
Menace! (1938)
Murder Must Wait (1939)
Panic! (1939)
Death by Night (1940)
The Island of Peril (1940)
Sabotage (1941)
Go Away Death (1941)
The Day of Disaster (1942)
Prepare for Action (1942)
No Darker Crime (1943)
Dark Peril (1944)
The Peril Ahead (1946)
The League of Dark Men (1947)
The Department of Death (1949)
The Enemy Within (1950)
Dead or Alive (1951)
A Kind of Prisoner (1954)
The Black Spiders (1957)
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)