‘Yes,’ Temple replied, after a moment’s silence. ‘Yes, thank you, Charles.’
They shook hands. Merritt indicated that he still had an unfortunately large number of matters connected with the case to attend to before he could award himself the much needed luxury of a bed. He left the room and made for his car.
Temple took Steve’s arm, and they strolled together to the window to watch the inspector’s departure. They heard the engine begin to purr as he pressed the starter, and presently watched the lights swing round and then light up the main road.
Paul Temple reflected with satisfaction that, at least as far as he was concerned, all was over. His evening’s work had been completed. Nevertheless, he felt a little sorry for Steve. She had just reminded him that her life was given up to her newspaper, and that the story they would print on Monday would be one of the most sensational The Evening Post had ever had. Before she could go to bed the story would have to be partly completed, and ready on the news desk in her office.
They discussed the main outlines of the story, and decided to complete it a little later at Bramley Lodge. There they could type it out and phone it to the office for a telephonist to take down. Early next morning, however, as Steve explained, she would have to leave for town. The details she would telephone that evening would be sufficient for the early editions of the paper, in which they could not afford to reveal too many secrets to their rivals. Then for the Monday evening editions she could write out a fuller version at the office.
They drew back from the window and decided it was time to make for their car and return to Bramley Lodge. Before they left Temple picked up the telephone to ring Pryce and give him instructions. Then he suddenly remembered that the line had been cut. It would mean waiting a little for the late supper he hoped Pryce would cook for them.
‘Steve,’ said Temple suddenly, the thought of food in the immediate future possibly giving him the idea.
‘Yes?’ she said, with a curious smile.
‘I was wondering if, er, you…’ He broke off. For perhaps the first time Paul Temple knew what it meant when he used the word ‘bashful’ in one of his novels.
‘Well?’ prompted Steve.
‘If you’d—er—care to have dinner with me on…on Thursday?’ he said.
‘Thursday? Yes, of course,’ she said happily. ‘I’d love to.’
‘Good. I shall be in town, so perhaps we can…er…lunch together, too?’
‘Yes,’ she smiled. ‘Why not?’
‘We might even manage to have tea together, as a sort of, er—
‘I’d love to,’ she replied softly.
‘Oh, er, splendid,’ he said. ‘Well, that’s about all. Of course, there is breakfast, but—’
‘I always have breakfast in bed.’
‘In bed?’
‘Yes, in bed.’
‘Well, that’s a bit awkward!’
‘Of course,’ put in Steve a trifle glibly, ‘we could get married.’
‘Yes, I suppose we—’ Temple suddenly gasped. ‘I say…are you proposing?’
‘What do you think, Mr. Temple?’ she asked brightly, in a voice that was a perfect imitation of his. ‘What do you think?’
He burst out laughing. ‘Well, of all the unconventional little devils, you simply—’
They had left the room in which they had been sitting, and were now in the passage on the way to the car and Bramley Lodge. As they neared the door of the little parlour in which Temple had brought about the capture of the Knave of Diamonds, they heard a loud banging noise.
‘What’s that?’ asked Steve abruptly, seizing his arm.
Paul Temple flung open the door, switched on the light, and inspected the room. ‘It’s from the cupboard,’ he announced.
‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘Yes, what is it?’
‘We’ll soon find out!’ he proclaimed, taking his automatic out of his pocket again. ‘Stand on one side, Steve,’ he ordered, as he turned the key of the cupboard. ‘Stand on one side!’
As Temple suddenly opened the door of the cupboard, a gasp of amazement escaped from him.
‘Why, it’s Miss Parchment!’
‘Miss Parchment!’ repeated Steve, with astonishment.
Quickly Temple placed his gun on the small table, and put an arm round Miss Parchment’s waist to support her. She was deathly pale from her confinement in the cupboard, and looked on the point of collapse.
‘Oh, dear! Oh, dear!’ she moaned, as Paul Temple piloted her very carefully to a chair. Suddenly she glanced round the deserted room. ‘Where’s Milton and the girl?’ she asked quickly.
‘They’ve gone, Miss Parchment,’ Temple told her. ‘They’ve been arrested. And the Knave’s gone, too,’ he added, after a slight pause. ‘He’s dead. It was Dale – Inspector Dale, of Scotland Yard.’
Miss Parchment looked at Temple with complete bewilderment; after a second or two she turned her gaze to Steve.
‘You mean to say that all this has been going on while I’ve been in that—blasted cupboard!’ she ejaculated.
Paul Temple nodded.
‘By Timothy!’ said Miss Amelia Victoria Parchment.
FRANCIS DURBRIDGE
Paul Temple and the Front Page Men
Contents
CHAPTER I: Chief Inspector Charles Cavendish Mackenzie Reed
CHAPTER II: Mr. Andrew Brightman
CHAPTER III: Sir Norman Blakeley
CHAPTER IV: Mr. and Mrs. Paul Temple
CHAPTER V: Mr. J.P. Goldie
CHAPTER VI: Rev. Charles Hargreaves
CHAPTER VII: A Message for Paul Temple
CHAPTER VIII: The Front Page Men
CHAPTER IX: News of Steve
CHAPTER X: Story of a Rendezvous
CHAPTER XI: Paul Temple in Regent Street
CHAPTER XII: The Medusa Club
CHAPTER XIII: The Falkirk Diamond
CHAPTER XIV: At Bramley Lodge
CHAPTER XV: Mr. Tony Rivoli Visits Scotland Yard
CHAPTER XVI: Paul Temple Receives a Warning
CHAPTER XVII: The First Circle
CHAPTER XVIII: ‘Taxi, Sir!’
CHAPTER XIX: Mr. Goldie’s Mistake
CHAPTER XX: Concerning Lucky Gibson
CHAPTER XXI: In Which Hunter Receives a Surprise
CHAPTER XXII: Concerning Lina Fresnay and Herr Von Zelton
CHAPTER XXIII: Andrea Fortune Writes a Letter
CHAPTER XXIV: Murder on the Six-Ten
CHAPTER XXV: Visitors at Eastwood Mansions
CHAPTER XXVI: Concerning a Flat in Bloomsbury
CHAPTER XXVII: The Flat Above
CHAPTER XXVIII: Mr. Brightman Is Worried
CHAPTER XXIX: Wrenson’s Report
CHAPTER XXX: The Flying Squad
CHAPTER XXXI: News of Hargreaves, Gilbert Wrenson, and Mr. J. P. Goldie
CHAPTER XXXII: The Autumn Hotel
CHAPTER XXXIII: A Surprise for Gilbert Wrenson
CHAPTER XXXIV: In Which Paul Temple Eats Far Too Many Muffins
CHAPTER I
Chief Inspector Charles Cavendish Mackenzie Reed
Chief Inspector Charles Cavendish Mackenzie Reed would certainly have delighted the heart of that famous Hollywood producer who, in a moment of sheer inspiration, insisted that all Scotland Yard detectives should have genuine Scottish accents.
Though Mac tried hard to conceal his dialect, he was never entirely successful. Unlike many of his fellow countrymen, he wanted to forget that he was once P.C. Reed from a tiny Scottish border town, who had won his way further and further South by sheer pertinacity, climbing a rung in the promotion ladder with every move.
It was his relentless perseverance which had brought him into the public eye as the man who had run down The Blade Kid, perpetrator of a long series of razor-slashing crimes in the Derby area. Reed worked on his pet principle that every criminal makes a slip at some time or other, and that it was merely a matter of waiting for it. In this particular case,
he took the very obvious procedure of making a methodical daily round of all the shops that stocked cut-throat razors.
His colleagues had thought it a great joke at the time, but Charles Cavendish Mackenzie Reed merely set his stubborn jaw and went on with his business.
And then suddenly, on a peaceful morning towards the end of May, The Blade Kid did buy a new set of razors and this dour, sandy-haired Scot came to town. He was not altogether happy at Scotland Yard, for there were far too many public school and university men at the Yard for his liking. Their assured manners and open vowels made him more conscious than ever of his homely Scottish accent, but he would never have dreamed of betraying this suggestion of an inferiority complex.
Nevertheless the Chief Commissioner had come to rely upon Mac, particularly in cases which called for unfailing patience and ceaseless attention to detail.
At this particular moment, however, Mac was none too pleased at the way the Chief was treating him. Sir Graham Forbes had carelessly informed him that another of these ex-public schoolboys was to join him on his latest case. Mac chose to construe this as a reflection on his capabilities, but he had not dared to say so.
Inspector Hunter stood before him now in his little private office, which was kept in scrupulous order. Hunter was a personable young man in the middle twenties, who had a wide and peculiar knowledge of the London underworld. He always gave the impression that he did not take life very seriously, and rarely wore uniform if he could avoid it.
‘The Chief says ye’re to come in with us on this Blakeley case,’ began Mac in dubious tones. He had heard that Hunter was brilliant, but erratic.
‘Why, I’ll be glad to, Mac. I’ve always wanted to study your methods,’ Hunter assured him fervently. Fortunately, Mac had very little sense of humour, and did not detect the merest twinkle that flitted over Hunter’s smooth features.
‘It’s a most peculiar case,’ continued Mac, disregarding the flattery, ‘and ye’ll have to be patient, I warn ye. I’ve got Marshall, Rigby and Nelson checking up every clue, but so far—’
‘Perhaps you’d give me the history of the case, Mac,’ put in Hunter. Reed’s face hardened a trifle. He resented young Hunter addressing him with this familiarity. These college cubs were no sooner inside the Yard than they were running the show, he reflected. However, Mac selected a small batch of cards from a file on his desk and motioned Hunter to a chair.
‘Early in January, Mitchell and Bell published a novel called The Front Page Men—’
‘Jolly good yarn, too,’ broke in Hunter. ‘You’ve read it, of course?’
‘I have no time for reading detective novels. Nelson and Rigby went through it and made a report.’
‘Oh …’ Hunter subsided. ‘I see.’
‘As you’re a literary sort of feller, maybe you already know that the book sold very well indeed, both here and in America,’ continued Reed, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
‘Eighty thousand copies to date. It was in the paper this morning,’ Hunter informed him, cheerfully.
‘That’s beside the point at the moment,’ said Mac, who did not relish these constant interruptions. ‘The thing that interests us is a raid at the Margate Central bank, and the murder of the head cashier – a young fellow called Sydney Debenham.’
‘Yes, nasty business that,’ agreed Hunter. ‘Seems to have been hushed up lately. Weren’t you looking after the case?’
‘I am still looking after it,’ retorted Mac in no uncertain manner. ‘But I don’t propose to broadcast it in the B.B.C. news bulletins!’
‘Sorry,’ murmured Hunter.
‘By the side of Debenham’s body,’ continued Mac, ‘we found this card.’
He handed over a piece of white cardboard, a little smaller than an ordinary playing-card, and Hunter regarded it with a puzzled frown.
‘The Front Page Men. So this was the card, eh? I read about it, of course. You’ve investigated the writing?’
Reed nodded indifferently. What did this youngster take him for? But the youngster seemed to be ignoring him and thinking of other things.
‘Of course this business would boost the sales of the novel,’ concluded Hunter, at length.
‘Are ye interested in the novel, or the case?’ demanded Mac, acidly.
‘Surely they have a bearing on each other?’
‘If ye’ll let me finish,’ went on Mac impatiently. ‘Well, about a fortnight after the Margate affair, there was a smash-and-grab in Bond Street. Lareines, the big jewellers. Inside the window of the jewellers, we found another card.’
He passed it over, and Hunter put the two cards together. ‘Exactly the same,’ was his verdict.
‘Humph!’ grunted Mac, who had examined the card under a microscope, and submitted it to the handwriting and fingerprint experts with no better success.
‘What about the author of this novel?’ asked Hunter, passing the cards back. ‘Wasn’t it written by a woman?’
‘It was published under the name of Andrea Fortune.’
‘Can’t say I’ve heard of her before. Was it a first novel?’
‘Apparently.’
‘Then who is this Andrea Fortune?’
‘That,’ replied Mac, ‘is one of the many things the dear Chief Commissioner expects you to find out!’
‘What about the publishers?’
Reed shook his head. ‘They say the manuscript came from a back-alley agency in Fleet Street. We’ve been on to the agency, but they tell more or less the same story as the publishers. The novel was sent to them with instructions that all royalties should be handed over to the General Hospital in Gerard Street.’
‘Any use my seeing the publishers again?’
‘I don’t want to discourage ye,’ answered Mac, ‘but I saw young Gerald Mitchell – he’s the boss – only this morning. He swore he’d never set eyes on Andrea Fortune. I think he’s telling the truth. In fact, he seems pretty scared about the whole business.’
Hunter took a cigarette from his case, caught Mac’s quizzical glare, thought better of the matter, and replaced it. He shut the case with a snap. ‘You seem to have covered the ground pretty thoroughly,’ he commented.
‘Ay, that’s what I’m here for,’ said Mac in even tones, taking up a new card from his desk. ‘Now,’ he announced solemnly, ‘we come to the Blakeley affair.’
Hunter smiled. ‘The papers have certainly been full of the Blakeley affair,’ he said.
Mac frowned. ‘I canna understand how it leaked,’ he murmured irritably. ‘The Chief has even had the Home Office on the phone five times.’
‘Well, the Front Page Men have certainly “made” the front page this time. Is the Chief doing anything about it?’
‘Now, hasn’t he put you on the case?’ demanded Reed, unable to conceal the sarcasm in his voice. ‘Apart from that, he seems to be labouring under the impression that this business might have some connection with the Granville kidnapping.’
‘But surely that was ages before we’d heard of the Front Page Men?’
‘We may not have heard of them, but they could have been there just the same,’ said Mac, who believed in covering all contingencies.
‘It was a sad affair about Lester Granville. Apparently the child was the only thing he had left in the world after his wife died.’
‘Granville completely went to pieces over that business,’ said Mac. ‘Gave up the stage and everything. The Chief was upset, too. But that’s no reason for jumping to conclusions that it’s anything to do with the Blakeley affair.’
‘I wonder,’ murmured Hunter, thoughtfully wrinkling his forehead.
‘Now, look here …’ began Mac, peevishly.
Hunter laughed. ‘All right, Mac, let’s have the rest of the Blakeley story.’
‘I expect you’ve read all there is to tell. Last Friday, Sir Norman Blakeley’s only son disappeared under rather mysterious circumstances and—’
‘By the way,’ put in Hunter, ‘who exactly is Sir Nor
man Blakeley?’
Before Reed could reply, there was a sharp knock at the door, and a burly sergeant entered.
‘Sorry to trouble you, sir, but there’s a man outside causing a lot of bother. Says he wants to see the Chief, but he refuses to fill up the form.’
Chief Inspector Reed’s sandy eyebrows went up in disapproval. There were too many people walking in and out of Scotland Yard these days, and it was time they put a stop to it. But before he could give instructions, the unruly visitor was standing behind the sergeant.
He was a man of about fifty, obviously in a highly nervous condition; correctly dressed in the customary City uniform of a morning coat, striped trousers and cream gloves. His tie was a shade crooked, his hair somewhat ruffled, and one button of his waistcoat was unfastened.
‘When am I to be allowed to see the Chief Commissioner?’ he began in high-pitched, petulant tones, and Chief Inspector Reed, who had risen to administer a stern reproof as only he knew how, straightened up smartly.
‘At once, Sir Norman,’ he answered politely.
CHAPTER II
Mr. Andrew Brightman
Once inside the unpretentious office that has been described as the nerve centre of Scotland Yard, Sir Norman’s overbearing manner fell from him, and he began to tremble in patent distress.
Sir Graham Forbes looked up from his desk, and at once appreciated the situation. He took his visitor’s arm and led him to a comfortable chair, then went across to a cupboard and poured out a glass of whisky.
‘Drink this first,’ he ordered, and made a pretence of carrying on with some work while Sir Norman gulped down the mellow liquid.
‘Now,’ said Sir Graham, carefully blotting his signature to a letter, ‘any news?’
‘Yes,’ answered Blakeley, in a voice that had sunk almost to a whisper. ‘I heard this morning.’
‘Tell me exactly what happened.’ The manner in which he fidgeted with his paper-knife betrayed that Sir Graham had caught some of his visitor’s nervousness.
Blakeley set down his glass. His hand still shook appreciably, but he appeared to make an effort.
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