by John Creasey
‘On the spur of the moment, no, sir. I have always liked the title.’
‘I am glad. I will now tell you in confidence, although a public announcement will be made in a few days, that I have appointed Mr. Richard Mayne and Colonel Charles Rowan and am extremely hopeful that they will work well together.’ Peel gave Richard no time to comment but went on: ‘They will have as their chief administrator, whose task it will be to enlist the members of the new force and to control its finances, a barrister by name Mr. John Wray. There will be the clearest terms of reference for enlistment. The early leaders of the smaller groups will be enlisted from the Army, in every case retired regimental sergeant majors, used to exerting command and discipline over men of the toughness and calibre needed for the police service. It is to be impressed on these leaders, who will be called sergeants and will have nine or ten men under them, that while these men must impose control, they must at no time be aggressive. Their task is to keep the peace, not to break it.’
Peel paused and Richard seized his opportunity.
‘I am heartily glad to hear it, sir. One great fear expressed to me has been that the police will become a civilian army, if I may be permitted such a contradiction in terms. How do you propose to arm the men, sir?’ He only just forbore to add: ‘If they are to be armed.’
‘With one weapon, and one only,’ answered Peel, ‘a weapon to be known as a truncheon.’
Putting his hand down the side of his chair he brought up a short cudgel such as used by the Bow Street patrols. Painted a glossy black, it was about two feet long, thicker at one end than the other, the thinner end ridged to insure a good fingerhold. On the thicker end Richard just glimpsed the magnificently enamelled Royal coat of arms, the lion and the unicorn rampant, in crimson and gold, as after one brief flourish Peel deftly slipped the cudgel back out of sight. There had been letters, too, skilfully inscribed in gold, but neither Richard nor Katherine had had time to see them, and it was apparent that Peel did not intend that they should.
‘And now the uniform,’ he went on swiftly. Dipping to the side of his chair once again, he drew forth several sheets of thick paper and riffled through them. ‘Ah, here is a drawing of that which I most favour. It has the distinction of being unmistakably official yet in no way military.’
Richard took the picture.
It was of a tall man wearing - and this was the first thing which struck him - a top hat, higher in the crown than an opera hat or a gentleman’s dress hat, yet unmistakably civilian in appearance. The jacket and trousers were dark blue, the jacket high-collared and with bright metal buttons, secured at the waist by a black leather belt. The trousers were loose-fitting, reaching just above the instep. The whole gave an impression of a guard rather than of a soldier or a sailor.
Richard, aware of the intentness of Peel’s gaze, at last looked up.
‘It is admirable, sir. Admirable.’
‘I am flattered that you say so. I had a variety of sketches submitted and this one by Charles Hebbet is in my opinion by far the best.’
Peel stretched out his hand for the sketch, then to both Richard’s and Katherine’s surprise, he went to the desk and picked up a quill pen. When he returned to his chair he handed the sketch back to Richard. Across one corner were the words:
‘To Richard Marshall, M.P., whose unceasing efforts have made an important contribution to the formation of the New Police.’
‘You make my poor efforts worthwhile, sir.’ Richard’s voice was unsteady.
‘Mr. Marshall,’ Peel responded with obvious sincerity, ‘your efforts have been the reverse of poor. I doubt whether they will ever receive full recognition. I am, of course, aware that on some issues in the House of Commons we shall be on opposite sides of the fence, but never, I am sure, with acrimony. So far as the police are concerned. I have requested the two - ah - commissioners to give you all facilities for visiting and inspecting, and you may be sure each will make you very welcome. They will be having an office in Scotland Yard.’
‘Where, sir?’ ejaculated Richard.
‘In Scotland Yard, near Whitehall Place,’ answered Peel. ‘I agree that this is not at the moment the most salubrious of areas and it may well soon be regarded as a substitute for Porridge Island, but there are some substantial buildings and much will be cleared. Does it distress you?’
‘Distress?’ Richard actually laughed before he explained. ‘Before he was made magistrate of Bow Street, Sir John Furnival worked at Scotland Yard; he had an office there after he left the Army. It is an astonishing coincidence!’
Peel leaned back in his chair. ‘A coincidence indeed, and a good omen I hope. And now—’ he smiled at Katherine. ‘You have indeed been patient, ma’am, for which I thank you - we come to the last two matters I wished to mention. Firstly, Mr. Marshall, I should like to recommend to His Majesty that he confer a knighthood upon you, and I have no doubt that he would agree with great alacrity. But for my knowledge of you as an individual I would have no doubt that you would accept - I confess I hope that you will. But - Peel spread his hands, palms downward - ‘while you will in no way affront me if you decline, I do not think it would be wise to refuse once His Majesty has approved. May I leave the matter with you?’
For a moment Richard was unable to speak. Then, as Katherine jumped from her seat and ran towards him, clasping his hand, he stammered, ‘Of - of course, sir. And I am - I am overwhelmed.’
‘You will soon recover from that,’ Peel said dryly, rising also. ‘And now to the third and last matter.’ Once again he slipped his hand down the side of his chair. ‘Mrs. Marshall’ - he bowed to Katherine - ‘I trust you will be able to persuade your husband to accept not only the knighthood but also this truncheon, the very first in existence, as a symbol of my sincere gratitude - of the country’s gratitude - for his help in establishing the New Police.’
He held the truncheon towards Richard, who, stretching an unsteady hand to take it, now saw beneath the Royal coat of arms the words:
Presented to Richard Marshall, Esq., Member of Parliament for the Constituency of Minshall, by the Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police.
September 1829
Katherine, weeping with pride and happiness, was unable to read through her tears, but knew only that at last Richard had triumphed, that his dreams were realised. And Richard, turning in his hands the shaft of polished wood, glowing in the light of the fire, saw before him in the dance of the flames the beginning of a new tradition, rule without despotism, order without cruelty, justice without arbitrary harshness, a thin blue line of men who would, in their own way, with these simple weapons, defend civilisation as surely as had the more martial thin red line at Waterloo, an army whose mission was peace and justice, and whose task was to defend the helpless and to protect the rights of the people - even those who were guilty. He could not know, in that moment, what Scotland Yard was to become, to stand for, but he knew that in this room a revolution was being celebrated, and that his life’s work was done. And turning from the Minister, he took Katherine in his arms and kissed her.
Series by John Creasey
Published or to be published by
House of Stratus
Dates given are those of first publication
‘Gideon of Scotland Yard’ (22 titles)
‘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)
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 Gide
on’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
‘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 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
‘The Baron’ Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Title Also Published as:
1 Meet the Baron The Man in the Blue Mask 1937
2 The Baron Returns The Return of the Blue Mask 1937
3 The Baron Again Salute Blue Mask 1938
4 The Baron at Bay Blue Mask at Bay 1938
5 Alias the Baron Alias Blue Mask 1939
6 The Baron at Large Challenge Blue Mask! 1939
7 Versus the Baron Blue Mask Strikes Again 1940
8 Call for the Baron Blue Mask Victorious 1940
9 The Baron Comes Back 1943
10 A Case for the Baron 1945
11 Reward for the Baron 1945
12 Career for the Baron 1946
13 The Baron and the Beggar 1947
14 Blame the Baron 1948
15 A Rope for the Baron 1948
16 Books for the Baron 1949
17 Cry for the Baron 1950
18 Trap the Baron 1950
19 Attack the Baron 1951
20 Shadow the Baron 1951
21 Warn the Baron 1952
22 The Baron Goes East 1953
23 The Baron in France 1953
24 Danger for the Baron 1953
25 The Baron Goes Fast 1954
26 Nest-Egg for the Baron Deaf, Dumb and Blonde 1954
27 Help from the Baron 1955
28 Hide the Baron 1956
29 The Double Frame Frame the Baron 1957
30 Blood Red Red Eye for the Baron 1958
31 If Anything Happens to Hester Black for the Baron 1959
32 Salute for the Baron 1960
33 The Baron Branches Out A Branch for the Baron 1961
34 The Baron and the Stolen Legacy Bad for the Baron 1962
35 A Sword for the Baron The Baron and the Mogul Swords 1963
36 The Baron on Board 1964
37 The Baron and the Chinese Puzzle 1964
38 Sport for the Baron 1966
39 Affair for the Baron 1967
40 The Baron and the Missing Old Masters 1968
41 The Baron and the Unfinished Portrait 1969
42 Last Laugh for the Baron 1970
43 The Baron Goes A-Buying 1971
44 The Baron and the Arrogant Artist 1972
45 Burgle the Baron 1973
46 The Baron - King Maker 1975
47 Love for the Baron 1979
Doctor Palfrey Novels
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Title Also Published as:
1 Traitor’s Doom 1942
2 The Legion of the Lost 1943
3 The Valley of Fear The Perilous Country 1943
4 Dangerous Quest 1944
5 Death in the Rising Sun 1945
6 The Hounds of Vengeance 1945
7 Shadow of Doom 1946
8 The House of the Bears 1946
9 Dark Harvest 1947
10 The Wings of Peace 1948
11 The Sons of Satan 1948
12 The Dawn of Darkness 1949
13 The League of Light 1949
14 The Man Who Shook the World 1950
15 The Prophet of Fire 1951
16 The Children of Hate The Killers of Innocence; The Children of Despair 1952
17 The Touch of Death 1954
18 The Mists of Fear 1955
19 The Flood 1956
20 The Plague of Silence 1958
21 Dry Spell The Drought 1959
22 The Terror 1962
23 The Depths 1963
24 The Sleep 1964
25 The Inferno 1965
26 The Famine 1967
27 The Blight 1968
28 The Oasis 1970
29 The Smog 1970
30 The Unbegotten 1971
31 The Insulators 1972
32 The Voiceless Ones 1973
