by John Creasey
“Found the woman - Mrs. Penn, that is - down in the cellar, sir,” the Squad man said. “They were going to brick her up in the wall.”
“What?”
“You can’t blame me, I tried to stop him,” the drab whined again. “I did everything I could, I swear I did.”
“How long’s she been dead?” Gideon asked, and he felt as if he was being choked, for only he could have made sure that more was done here during the night; he should have followed that hunch much earlier.
“Not long,” said the Squad man, “no sign of rigor yet. Strangled. She was tied to a chair. I’d hang this pair so high …” He broke off abruptly, and then added, “There’s the ambulance. I’ll go get the men.” He hurried past Gideon, while the drab clutched at Gideon’s sleeve with skinny fingers, Gideon shook her off, went through the doorway with his head lowered, and went down the flight of stone steps. There were brick chippings, thick dust, the floor roughly wiped over; and there was the hole in the wall and everything that it signified. Two Squad men were in the little passage where the hole had been made, and they were knocking at some bricks a little way further along.
“Found anything else?” Gideon demanded.
“Her husband disappeared, and a hole’s been bricked up here,” one of the men said ominously.
“Keep at it.” Gideon went through into the main cellar, and still had to keep his head low, or he would have touched the ceiling. There lying on the detectives’ coats, was the body of a slight, dark, pale-faced young woman whose eyes and mouth were slack; by her side were two silent Yard men. In a corner was a short, stocky, grey-haired man, with a low forehead and a brutal face, a thieves’-kitchen character in real life. Two more Squad men were with him. On the floor near them were a bag of cement, some sand, a pail of water - everything needed to cement the wall.
“Charged him yet?” asked Gideon. He had to speak, to say something.
“No, sir, waiting to see what else we find.”
“Right. Who is he?”
“Name, of Bartholomew Rikker, sir, owns the house.”
“He admitted anything?”
“Won’t say a word.”
“He will,” said Gideon harshly, while Rikker stood there in flat defiance. Then men came hurrying down the stairs, carrying a folded stretcher between them, and it wasn’t long before the body of Mrs. Penn was lifted gently onto the stretcher and then carried out. Gideon had one look at her face, and felt a surge of anger which made him clench his hands as he looked at Rikker.
He’d hang him high, too.
He went into the passage.
The men had prised some of the bricks loose. He tried to persuade himself that the girl’s husband’s disappearance had nothing to do with this bricked-up hole, but at heart he felt sure what they were going to find. It was five minutes before they started the “new” hole. That was all they needed to know; the smell was evidence enough before they found the body.
Rikker refused to say a word, except to demand his “rights” - free legal aid - but his wife didn’t take much persuading to talk.
On the night when Michael Penn had come home earlier than his wife, he had been in high spirits and carrying presents for his Netta, and he had told the Rikkers why. He had won nearly two hundred pounds on the weekly pools - for which he always used his office address - and the check, had reached him that morning. He had cashed it, spent a little on luxury, and taken the rest home to gladden Netta’s heart - one hundred and ninety pounds in one-pound notes.
And the Rikkers had barely enough money to subsist on.
If the woman could be believed, Rikker had wanted to borrow some of the money, Penn had refused and told him that the first thing he would do would be to get out of the two dingy rooms upstairs, and there had been a fierce quarrel.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean to kill him. I’m positive he didn’t,” Mrs. Rikker said drably. “It was really an accident.”
“Like the accident to Mrs. Penn,” said Gideon.
He didn’t say so, and probably wouldn’t say so to any but his closest friends, but this was the kind of job which made him curse the names of the Members of Parliament, who had fought to put an end to hanging. Hadn’t Rikker forfeited all right to live?
The Rikkers were at Cannon Row, and would come up at West London Court later in the morning. The preparing of the charge wouldn’t take very long; it was the last thing Gideon would do at the office. He walked across to the Yard building, in broad daylight. He felt as if he had failed utterly, but sheer tiredness overcame depression. He yawned two or three times on the way to his office, and, when he reached it, yawned more widely.
Lemaitre looked up alertly.
“Hello, George, tired?” He leaned back in his chair and tapped the pile of reports which Appleby had left. “Well, you haven’t much to worry about. These are all in apple-pie order, hardly any need to do more than initial them.” He paused. “Bad show, the Penn murder.”
Gideon grunted.
“Don’t start blaming yourself. If it hadn’t been for you Rikker would have got away with it,” Lemaitre said. “The only other thing that went sour on us was the Wide boys’ job. There isn’t much we need worry about. The Prowler’s illustrious ma and pa are downstairs but I wished them onto the secretary’s office; no need for us to tackle them yet. The Prowler can thank his lucky stars his wasn’t a capital charge, too.”
“Jennifer Lewis all right, then?” Gideon was eager.
“Good chance of recovery, according to the hospital.”
“Thank the Lord for that,” said Gideon. “All right, let me see the reports you think I ought to see.”
Lemaitre handed a bunch of reports over, and Gideon was about to go through them when he heard a commotion outside. Then a man began to laugh uproariously. Another joined in. Two more came toward the door, their footsteps almost drowned by the deep-bellied laughter. Lemaitre glanced up, his head on one side, and Gideon said irritably:
“Well, that’s one way to start a day.”
He expected the men to pass; instead, the door was flung open without warning, and Appleby, wearing his hat and coat and all ready to leave, came striding in, still laughing and looking as happy as if he’d won a fortune. He held his flat stomach until he was able to speak coherently.
“… never believe it,” he said at last. “Greatest joke I’ve heard in years!” He burst out laughing again, while a C.I. in the passage was grinning broadly, and Gideon clenched his teeth. “You - you know Bigamy Bill had a blonde …”
He couldn’t go on. Lemaitre and Gideon exchanged glances as they waited.
“He thought he was on - an easy picking,” Appleby went on, his voice husky, “but do you know what she did? She - cor, strike a light! she absolutely cleaned him out! Loose money, watch, cuff links, took everything she could lay her hands on, she did. When he woke at half past six, she wasn’t in bed with him, she’d gone.”
Lemaitre began to chuckle, and even Gideon grinned. “Don’t tell me B.B.’s reported to us …” Lemaitre said.
“Not on your life; he wouldn’t dare show his face. But he kicked up a hell of a fuss, and got his landlady out of bed. Take it from me, she’ll talk. George, there’s a problem, what do we do if he does report it? Do we try to catch the blonde?”
One thing was certain; this had made Appleby’s night. He left soon afterward, still grinning and chuckling, and Gideon turned back to the reports, the depression eased. He couldn’t fault anything which Appleby had done or recommended and left behind, so he initialled what had to be done, yawned again, stood up, and took his hat and coat off the peg again. Lemaitre, talking on the telephone, looked up and waved, but Gideon didn’t go. Lemaitre would probably find the lonely nights the worst time, for a while, and here was the chance to kill two birds with one stone.
Lemaitre finished, and banged down the receiver.
“Copper conked at Camberwell,” he said. “No great harm done. Don’t you want to go home?”
> “Lem, how’d you like to give Appleby a break?”
“Eh? How?”
“He’s had all the night work he wants for a bit.”
“Oh,” said Lemaitre slowly, and looked surprised. He frowned; then his face began to clear and finally he smiled rather tautly, and nodded. “See what you mean. Good idea if I don’t have to go home every night. Okay, George, ta.”
Gideon nodded and went out. …
Soon he was driving homeward, his stream of traffic very thin, the inward stream thick and fast, and a lot of the drivers in too much of a hurry. That was normal. He was checking everything that had happened and trying to make sure that he hadn’t forgotten anything significant; certainly there was nothing that couldn’t wait. He would spend the rest of the week on night duty, and get back on days next week.
Meanwhile, Kate would be cooking breakfast for the kids, if she hadn’t finished already, and it would be good to see her bright eyes and fresh face, her spotless white blouse and -
He slowed down.
At the corner where he turned off the main road, there was young Matthew, leather satchel slung over his shoulders, school cap at the back of his head, obviously waiting for something and not for a bus, for that was further along the road. He recognized the car, and waved eagerly. Gideon hoped that he wasn’t going to ask for a lift to school, and a continuation of the discussion of last night. Here he was, round face scrubbed, teeth shining, a little pimply although he seemed to be over the worst of those troubles.
“Morning, Matt.”
“Thought I’d catch you,” greeted Matthew eagerly, and he leaned against the window but showed no desire to get into the car. “Just wanted a word, Dad. I thought you ought to know. When I got back last night I couldn’t help talking about where I’d been, and I thought I might as well strike while the iron was hot, so I told Mum what I’m going to do for a living. She didn’t seem to mind as much as I thought she would. Do you know what she said?”
“No, what?”
“She said that she’d be a happy mother if I ever turned out to be half as good a copper as my father! So I told her I’d have a damned - I mean a darned - good try.”
Series Information
Published or to be published by
House of Stratus
Dates given are those of first publication
Gideon Series
(Writing as JJ Marric)
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Title Also Published as:
1 Gideon’s Day Gideon of Scotland Yard 1955
2 Seven Days to Death Gideon’s Week 1956
3 Gideon’s Night 1957
4 Gideon’s Month 1958
5 Gideon’s Staff 1959
6 Gideon’s Risk 1960
7 Gideon’s Fire 1961
8 A Conference for Assassins Gideon’s March 1962
9 Travelling Crimes Gideon’s Ride 1963
10 An Uncivilised Election Gideon’s Vote 1964
11 Criminal Imports Gideon’s Lot 1965
12 Gideon’s Badge 1966
13 From Murder to a Cathedral Gideon’s Wrath 1967
14 Gideon’s River 1968
15 Gideon’s Power 1969
16 Gideon’s Sport 1970
17 Gideon’s Art 1971
18 Gideon’s Men 1972
19 Gideon’s Press 1973
20 Gideon’s Fog 1975
21 Gideon’s Drive 1976
22 Vigilantes & Biscuits Gideon’s Force 1978
Other Series by John Creasey
Published or to be published by
House of Stratus
Dates given are those of first publication
‘Department ‘Z’’ (28 titles)
‘Dr. Palfrey Novels’ (34 titles)
‘Inspector West’ (43 titles)
‘Sexton Blake’ (5 titles)
‘The Baron’ (47 titles) (writing as Anthony Morton)
‘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 Toff’ Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Title Also Published as:
1 Introducing the Toff It’s the Toff ! 1938
2 The Toff Goes On 1939
3 The Toff Steps Out 1939
4 Here Comes the Toff 1940
5 The Toff Breaks In 1940
6 Salute the Toff 1941
7 The Toff Proceeds 1941
8 The Toff Goes to Market 1942
9 The Toff Is Back 1942
10 The Toff on the Trail (short stories) 1942
11 The Toff among the Millions 1943
12 Accuse the Toff 1943
13 The Toff and the Deadly Parson The Toff and the Curate 1944
14 The Toff and the Great Illusion 1944
15 Feathers for the Toff 1945
16 The Toff and the Lady 1946
17 Poison for the Toff The Toff on Ice 1946
18 Hammer the Toff 1947
19 The Toff in Town 1948
20 The Toff Takes Shares 1948
21 The Toff and Old Harry 1949
22 The Toff on Board 1949
23 Fool the Toff 1950
24 Kill the Toff 1950
25 A Knife for the Toff 1951
26 A Mask for the Toff The Toff Goes Gay 1951
27 Hunt the Toff 1952
28 Call the Toff 1953
29 The Toff Down Under Break the Toff 1953
30 Murder Out of the Past (short stories) 1953
31 The Toff at Camp The Toff at Butlins 1954
32 The Toff at the Fair 1954
33 A Six for the Toff A Score for the Toff 1955
34 The Toff and the Deep Blue Sea 1955
35 Kiss the Toff Make-Up for the Toff 1956
36 The Toff in New York 1956
37 Model for the Toff 1957
38 The Toff on Fire 1957
39 The Toff and the Stolen Tresses 1958
40 Terror for the Toff The Toff on the Farm 1958
41 Double for the Toff 1959
42 The Toff and the Runaway Bride 1959
43 A Rocket for the Toff 1960
44 The Toff and the Kidnapped The Kidnapped Child 1960
45 Follow the Toff 1961
46 The Toff and the Toughs The Toff and the Teds 1961
47 A Doll for the Toff 1963
48 Leave It to the Toff 1963
49 The Toff and the Spider 1965
50 The Toff in Wax 1966
51 A Bundle for the Toff 1967
52 Stars for the Toff 1968
53 The Toff and the Golden Boy 1969
54 The Toff and the Fallen Angels 1970
55 Vote for the Toff 1971
56 The Toff and the Trip-Trip-Triplets 1972
57 The Toff and the Terrified Taxman 1973
58 The Toff and the Sleepy Cowboy 1975
59 The Toff and the Crooked Copper 1977
Inspector West Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Title Also Published as:
1 Inspector West Takes Charge 1942
2 Go Away to Murder Inspector West Leaves Town 1943
3 The Apostle of Gloom Inspector West At Home 1944
4 Inspector West Regrets 1945
5 Holiday for Inspector West 1946
6 Battle for Inspector West 1948
7 The Case Against Paul Raeburn Triumph for Inspector West 1948
8 Inspector West Kicks Off Sport for Inspector West 1949
9 Inspector West Alone 1950
10 Inspector West Cries Wolf The Creepers 1950
11 The Figure in the Dusk A Case for Inspector West 1951
12 The Dissemblers Puzzle for Inspector West 1951
13 The Case of the Acid Throwers The Blind Spot; Inspector West at Bay 1952
14 Give a Man a Gun A Gun for Inspector West 1953
15 Send Inspector West 1953
16 So Young, So Cold, So Fair A Beauty for Inspector West; The Beauty Queen Killer 1954
17 Murder Makes Haste Inspector West Makes Haste; The Gelignite Gang; Night of the Watchman 1955
18 Murder: One, Two, Three Two for Inspector West 1955
19 Death of a Postman Parcels for Inspector West 1956
20 Death of an Assassin A Prince for Inspector West 1956
21 Hit and Run Accident for Inspector West 1957
22 The Trouble at Saxby’s Find Inspector West; Doorway to Death 1957
23 Murder, London - New York 1958
24 Strike for Death The Killing Strike 1958
25 Death of a Racehorse 1959
26 The Case of the Innocent Victims 1959
27 Murder on the Line 1960
28 Death in Cold Print 1961
29 The Scene of the Crime 1961
30 Policeman’s Dread 1962
31 Hang the Little Man 1963
32 Look Three Ways at Murder 1964
33 Murder, London - Australia 1965
34 Murder, London - South Africa 1966
35 The Executioners 1967
36 So Young to Burn 1968
37 Murder, London - Miami 1969
38 A Part for a Policeman 1970
39 Alibi for Inspector West 1971
40 A Splinter of Glass 1972
41 The Theft of Magna Carta 1973
42 The Extortioners 1974
43 A Sharp Rise in Crime 1978
