by Ashton, Hugh
“ This way, sir,” said a bowing butler, ushering me into a well-appointed drawing-room, where Professor Moriarty himself was seated in an armchair.
“ Pray be seated,” he invited, waving me to a chair opposite him. “ What can I do for you ? ” he began, without any preliminary conversation.
“ This may seem like a strange request, but I would like to receive one half of the proceeds from the next large operation.”
As I had anticipated, this demand had his full attention. He sat up straight in his chair, and regarded me with his strange unblinking eyes. “ For the next operation alone ? ” he asked, a touch of incredulity in his voice.
“ Yes, and I would like to pay it back out of the earnings of subsequent tasks,” I added. “ You would not pay me my usual share until that balanced the larger amount. With interest, if you like,” I added.
“ In other words, you want an advance ? ” asked Moriarty. “ My dear Clay, that can easily be arranged, on one condition.”
“ That being ? ” I asked, though I already believed I knew the answer.
“ That I know why you need the money. I do not believe the answer is horses or cards in your case. Women, maybe ? ” There was no hint of salaciousness in this comment, which was offered in an offhand, almost dispassionate tone.
I shook my head. “ I am afraid I would prefer not to tell you. It may sound rather ridiculous.”
He shook his head. “ In that case, I cannot accede to your request. If I am to loan money, I wish to know the purpose.”
“ Believe me, sir,” I said to him, “ this is not for any purpose that works against your aims, or your operations. My only reason for not informing you of the purpose of this is my fear that you will find it ridiculous, and laugh at me.”
Naturally, as I had intended, this hooked him still further. “ I cannot promise that I will not laugh at you,” he answered me at last, “ but I will listen to what you have to say and endeavour to take it seriously.”
“ Very well, then. I wish to build an orphanage. To start such an institution, and ensure that it has sufficient funds to continue.”
Moriarty sat back in surprise, and stared at me in silence for a good two minutes. At length he spoke. “ I cannot begin to understand you, Clay. You are one of my most trusted lieutenants, and with good reason. You do your work well and efficiently. You have taken on assignments that I had believed were almost impossible to perform, and carried them out to perfection. And yet... ” He paused. “ Yet you have this aversion to the use of violence in your work, or indeed, any work in which you are involved. And now this ! ” He fell silent once more, and continued to regard me with that strange reptilian gaze. I held my peace, feeling that an interruption would in no way serve my purpose.
“ If you were not so infernally good at what you do, I do not see that I could keep you working for me,” he said, after two or three of the most uncomfortable minutes that I have ever spent in my life. There was no anger in his voice, but there was a coldness of manner that frightened me in the same way as his threats had done at the time of our first meeting. “ Very well, then,” he replied in that same flat tone. “ I will give instructions to allow you to carry out your wishes. As it happens, the next job that I have for you is indeed an important one. I have received word that a large valuable consignment of gemstones is on its way from South Africa. In order to frustrate the workings of persons such as myself,” and here he smiled mirthlessly, “ the stones will enter this country through the Port of Glasgow. Once they have reached this country, they will be stored in a location where the owner of the diamonds believes them to be safe. However, as both you and I are well aware, there is no such thing as a safe location. I wish you to lead a small party to recover those stones for me. on successful completion of the task, you will receive one half of the proceeds. This will, I assure you, be a considerable sum. Colonel Moran will supply you with the full details at the appropriate time, including the names of your party, as well as any relevant information regarding the diamonds and the location in which they are to be stored. I trust this is satisfactory to you ? ”
There was, of course, no question of it being anything other than satisfactory to me. Indeed, I was well pleased to get away from London for a while. For some time Colonel Moran had been warning me about the activities of Sherlock Holmes, who seemed to be following my moves with alarming accuracy, but he was not close enough to be able to prove my involvement in any of the cases which he was investigating.
The gang that I led up to Glasgow was a group of skilled workmen, who were able to turn their hand to many different types of labour. One or two of them could quite easily pass as tradesmen or as clerks as well as workers, and all were quick-witted and, what was important to me, were prepared to follow my orders.
I do not propose to go into great detail here as to how we cracked the Glasgow crib and retrieved the diamonds for Moriarty. I was proud of the fact that my men obeyed my wishes, and no violence was used in the achievement of this goal. Indeed, the only injuries sustained during the whole operation were 2 broken fingers. These belonged to our leading cracksman, and were broken in the course of opening the safe door. Naturally, his medical needs were taken care of.
I returned to London, to discover Colonel Moran on my doorstep. “ Congratulations on a job well done,” he remarked gruffly. “ I have been talking to the professor about your lunatic scheme, and he has decided that you may spend the next 6 weeks putting it into practice.”
“ And the money ? ” I asked him.
For answer, he tossed over a bag of significantly more than the usual size. I caught it, and almost staggered under its weight as he grinned at me. “ The Glasgow stones fetched a good price in Amsterdam, you’ll be pleased to know. That’s half of it that you have in your hands. Happy now ? I tell you, though, it will take you some time to pay things back like this. Oh, and by the way, I advise you to leave London as soon as possible. That Sherlock Holmes still seems to be on your trail.”
“ About the Glasgow job ? ”
“ No. As far as I know, no one has any idea who is behind that. You’re safe on that account, at least. This is all about one of the IOUs that you produced for use in the Nonpareil Club. Somehow it seems that your name has got attached to it.”
“ Then there is a traitor in the ranks ! ” I exclaimed. Indeed, I was pretty much convinced of this, and I had my suspicions as to the identity of the traitor. “ I had no connection other than to supply the IOU.”
“ We are looking into it,” he assured me. “ In any case, I advise you to make your way to Cornwall as soon as possible.”
With that he left me, with my mind ill at ease. There was little doubt, I felt, that it was Colonel Moran himself was supplying information to Sherlock Holmes or the authorities, but probably to the former, out of jealousy for my current success and high standing with Professor Moriarty. Naturally, I had no proof of any of this, and I was unwilling to confront Moran directly with my accusation. Of course, I considered the possibility that Moran was being less than truthful when he informed me that Sherlock Holmes was on my trail. It is quite possible that he wished to use those 6 weeks in which I would be in Cornwall to consolidate his position within Moriarty’s organisation.
In any case, I was anxious to get my orphanage started. More importantly, I wish to recruit support for the project from among the local people, so that it would continue long after the original money was exhausted.
I opened the bag that had been so casually tossed to me, and was amazed at the amount of money it contained. I knew that we had done a good job in Glasgow, but I had no idea of how efficient Moriarty’s methods of disposing of the loot that we had acquired had been. I calculated that the money that I held in my hands, when added to my savings, was more than enough to start the orphanage that I had in mind.
I made my way to Cornwall, to the little town of Looe, where I planned to set up the orphanage. It was intoxicating to discover the power of money
, which I was spending freely, almost for the first time in my life. Powered by the lure of the sovereigns that I was bestowing, workmen were building and hammering and sawing at a rate which was far in excess of their usual speed.
In the meantime, I was engaging the services of the local vicar, the Reverend Roundhay[9], to act as the chairman of the Board that would oversee the orphanage. I presented myself as a businessman from London who had come into unexpected wealth as the result of investments on the Stock Exchange, and who wished to use the money for the betterment of others. The good man accepted my story without question, and readily agreed to serve in the capacity I proposed for him.
“ I have little enough to do here, if truth be told,” he said to me. “ I have an interest in the archaeology of this region, and it keeps me active, but it can hardly be considered as ‘ good works’, in my opinion. Your charity will not only be the saving of many children from destitution and poverty, but will also rescue a middle-aged clergyman from the sin of sloth.” He beamed at me. Little did he know that the money which supported the worthy aim that he was supporting had been gained by unlawful means, and that he was presently in conversation with the agent who had gained it in that way.
My next task was to ensure that the orphanage could continue its work, and the Reverend Roundhay and I toured the houses of the local gentry, such as they were, exacting promises from them that they would continue to support the orphanage in the future. The mere title of Patron was often enough to open their purse-strings, and with Roundhay’s continued presence in the area, I was sure that the money would continue flowing. Indeed, we worked well as a team, and I was filled with admiration for the way in which he was able to wheedle and cajole these people into supporting our aims. He, for his part, was complimentary about my part in this.
“ Upon my life, sir,” he said to me as we returning in the dogcart following a particularly successful visit to a local squire. “ As our Irish friends would say, you have the gift of the blarney about you, and you are doing the work of the Lord. My word, sir, you would make a capital preacher were you to throw up your business and take Holy Orders.”
I smiled to myself, thinking that this is exactly what my father had intended for me as a career. With my past career, though, I felt it was extremely unlikely that I would be accepted as a candidate for ordination. I confess, though, that on seeing the life of my new friend, I could think of worse futures for myself than this.
At length, the orphanage was finished, and I felt that I had left its organisation and upkeep in capable hands. I left Looe, but vowed to return regularly to see the results of my efforts, and I kept my promise, visiting several times each year.
Of all the actions I have undertaken in my life, this is the one of which I am most proud. Though Moran and Moriarty were both aware of my action, it to was hardly ever mentioned by them again—indeed, Moran never mentioned it at all—and I was left to contemplate my accomplishment by myself. I am only writing this now, indeed, as I do not want posterity to think of me merely in the terms in which Dr. Watson described me.[10]
z
John Clay speaks 6: The smasher
O
n my return from Looe to London, I discovered that my earlier premonitions were well founded. Colonel Moran seemed to have further secured his place in Moriarty’s organisation, together with that of several of his immediate friends and cronies, at my expense.
The tasks on which I was now employed seemed to be of somewhat less importance than previously, and while Moran had previously given me instructions in person when we needed to take face-to-face, such orders were now conveyed by underlings. There was nothing explicitly stated by anyone, but I had the impression that my services were either not as valued as they had been in the past, or at least that the results of my efforts were not being presented in a way that did me justice.
One of these messengers from the Colonel was a man of about my age, or a little older, named Archibald Stamford[11]. From the first time I met him, I liked his friendly face, topped with a shock of bright red hair. After a few meetings, he appeared to drop his guard enough to confide in me that he was less than content with the way in which Colonel Moran was handling matters. However, despite my liking for the man, I suspected him of being one of Moran’s agents provocateurs, attempting to make me utter some words against the Colonel which could later be used as proof of my disloyalty. I held my peace, and continued to obey the instructions I was given. I did my work well, and it was a matter of only a few months before I had repaid the debt I owed in the matter of the orphanage.
Stamford and I continued our acquaintanceship, and I found myself working with him on a number of jobs. At length I was persuaded that his feelings towards the Colonel were indeed as he described them, and that he was indeed less than contented with the way in which affairs were being managed. He, along with me, felt that his experience and skills entitled him to better treatment.
He had previously served a prison sentence for forgery, having been convicted of uttering false cheques, and his Nemesis on this occasion had been the mysterious Sherlock Holmes, whose name now seemed to be appearing at every turn.
“ Tall cove, he is, with a pair of eyes in his head that you wouldn’t believe unless you saw them and a nose that sticks out in front of him. Those eyes miss nothing about you when he looks you up and down. He seems like a skinny kind of beggar,” said Archie of the detective, “ but my eye, he’s strong enough when he lays hold of you. He’s got a friend with him, a sawbones, who writes down everything he says and does. Wants to make a blooming hero of him.[12]”
I have subsequently encountered Sherlock Holmes, albeit briefly, and I have to say that Archie (for we soon found ourselves on Christian name terms) had rather exaggerated the prominence of his nose. I have also met and talked with Dr. John Watson on more than one occasion, and found him to be a pleasant enough gentleman, with more interest in setting down the exact truth and possessing a greater sense of fairness than Archie gave him credit for. Still, Archie’s account was necessarily somewhat biased, given that the result of his encounter was a few years as a guest of Her Majesty, God bless her.
As a forger, Archie’s skills left something to be desired, in my opinion. He lacked the education and imagination that are needed to think oneself into the character of the man whose writing is being copied. Sheer mechanical duplication is not enough in these cases. It is necessary to think oneself into the part. I have heard that the same is true of those who make their living producing facsimiles of works of art. It is not enough to paint like the artist whose work is being replicated—one must almost become that artist in order to produce the painting.
Be that as it may, Archie and I were the top of the tree as regards forgery in Moriarty’s little organisation, or so we believed. It was a shock to us when we were informed that our next job was to go to the Midlands and dispose of some forged banknotes that had been acquired from a Belgian source.
“ I’m not a bleeding smasher,[13]” complained Archie, but he knew as well as I did that we had little or no choice in the matter. Accordingly, we took ourselves to Birmingham with the pile of paper, and proceeded to distribute it among the various banks in the region.
“ It’s not even as if it’s good soft,” Archie said to me, as we were sitting enjoying a quiet evening in the saloon bar of a public house in Five Ways. I reckon I could do a better job than I could with my eyes closed, and I know you could for sure, John.”
I didn’t answer, but considered something I had heard just before we had left London.
“ Archie, do you want to get back into the Chief’s good books ? ” I asked him. Archie always referred to Moriarty as “ the Chief”.
“ You know that I do. That b_____ Moran is keeping me back. You too, John.”
“ Well, I know that this isn’t the sort of thing that you usually do, but I heard something that would put us both back in favour with the Chief if we were able to pull it off. We’d have to keep
Moran out of the picture, so he couldn’t cut in on us and steal all the credit.”
“ What are you talking about ? ”
I informed him of what I had overheard in the City. I had heard, while waiting for an acquaintance in a club, that a branch of a bank in Aldersgate Street, the City and Suburban, was expecting to strengthen its reserves, and was preparing to borrow a stock of gold coins from France. I could tell that Archie had little understanding of the financial machinations that would lead to such an event, but the mention of gold coins caught his interest.
“ How much do you think it’s going to be ? ”
“ I heard it was going to be about a hundred thousand pounds[14],” I told him.
Archie sat back, suitably impressed and took a pull at his beer. “ That’s worth going for,” he agreed. “ Will you use the same mob that you used in Glasgow ? ”
I told him that the two of us were going to do the job on our own, and he looked at me in some astonishment.
“ You’re off your rocker, mate,” he said to me. “ How can we blag that much, just the two of us ? ”
“ I have an idea how we can pull it off. And you know another thing ? The Chief is sending Moran over to Switzerland for a month or so. He needn’t know anything about it. With him away, I think I can talk the Chief into letting us go for it.”
“ If you pull this off, John, with just the two of us involved, you’re a b_____ genius, I tell you.”
We disposed of the rest of the banknotes in the next few days, and I can tell you, I was heartily glad to be rid of them. I never did discover how much the Belgian was paid for them, but whatever the amount, it was too high in my opinion. Every time I passed one over the counter, I was expecting to be nibbed, as Archie would have put it.
