Look Three Ways At Murder
Page 19
“They’ve got him,” said Alec. “But they’re not going to get me. There’s just one squealer who can name me to the cops—that’s little Joyce Conway. Dear little Joycey. They’re not going to take me. I’m leaving for a nice long voyage for my health. Before I go I’m going to do what Steve ought to have done at Brighton.”
Alec put his hand into his pocket.
“No!” gasped Joyce. “No, I didn’t tell anyone! I swear—”
Gool took his hand out of his pocket, and there was a click of sound. A blade stabbed out from the knife in his hand. It was a tiny cabin; he had only to take three strides to reach her.
“This is what you asked for,” he said. “This is what you’re going to get.”
“No!” she screamed.
“It’s okay—scream. The porthole’s soundproof. No one is up this end of the ship. Go on, scream. I like to hear it. No one knows where I am, no one knows where you are, so it won’t do you any good. Go on, scream.”
He drew a step nearer.
She was sobbing.
“No, please, don’t do it, don’t do it! I didn’t tell the police anything, I didn’t know, I—”
He began to take another step forward.
As he did so, the door burst open behind him. He jumped, twisted round and lost his balance. He fell forward, making a wild, futile sweep towards Joyce with the knife, but he didn’t touch her, and the knife blade stabbed into the bedding of the bunk. Three men crowded into the cabin, and one seemed to be on top of Alec Gool before he had stopped falling. Joyce heard a click. With terror still in her eyes, she saw that Alec was handcuffed to the man who had fallen on top of him.
She recognised one of the other men as Golloway, the divisional superintendent, who occasionally dropped in at the Hornpipe for a drink.
“All right, Mrs Conway,” he said. “No need to be frightened now. Stevens told the Yard where we would find you, and we didn’t waste any time. When we told Stevens Gool had got away he guessed what Gool would try to do, and made sure you couldn’t come to any harm. Now take it easy—there’s no hurry.”
She was crying.
She kept on crying for a long time, from shock, from release from fear, and from a kind of grief.
On the following Monday, when all the excitement had died down, and the daily as well as the Sunday newspapers had used up as many headlines as the story would take, Roger waited for Calwin and his three sons. At precisely half past two, his telephone bell rang to announce their arrival. He went for them.
Calwin had dolled himself up in a navy-blue suit, and wore a comparatively subdued tie; his shoes shone as if lacquered. The sons, aged seventeen, fifteen and thirteen, looked as if their mother had scrubbed and polished them before this great occasion.
Calwin crushed Roger’s hands, proudly introduced Bill, George and Ted, who all tried to out-crush their father, and then asked, booming:
“What’ll happen to them crooks, Mr West? That’s what I want to know. All four of them have been rounded up, one way or another, but will this pair hang?”
“They’ll be convicted of capital murder, anyhow.”
“How about this woman Stevens was living with?”
None of his sons even blinked.
“I doubt whether we shall be able to make a case against her,” Roger said. “Stevens swears she knew nothing about it. It wouldn’t surprise me if her worst crime was to be in love with the wrong man.”
“Hey! Not going soft, are you?” demanded Calwin, and roared with laughter. “Now, how about the trip? I’ve promised my boys the Information Room, Records Office, Fingerprints—the lot. Hey?”
“And the lot it shall be,” promised Roger.
He saw Joyce Conway later in the week, at the little terraced East End house. On the kitchen mantelpiece was a small photograph of Steve Stevens, in a metal frame, but that was the only sign that the man had been here so often. She was dressed in a nicely tailored two-piece suit, she looked pale, preoccupied and older, but not frightened.
“I came to tell you that the Public Prosecutor has decided to take no action against you,” Roger said. “He accepts your statement that you had no knowledge of the crimes until that day at Brighton. And I’m sure you’ll be glad to know that there won’t be any need to call you as a witness, Mrs Conway.”
She sat down heavily on an upright chair.
“Thank you,” she said in a low-pitched voice. Obviously the possibility of being a witness had worried her most. “You’re very good. Would you mind telling me how Steve is?”
“Very well,” Roger said. “Would you like to see him?”
She closed her eyes.
“No,” she said, after a pause. “No, I don’t think that would do him any good—it wouldn’t help either of us, not yet, anyhow. I’m very glad he’s all right, though. He—he doesn’t think I gave him away, does he?”
“He knows you didn’t,” said Roger. “Gool knows it, too. Have you decided what you’re going to do?”
“I’m staying on at the Hornpipe,” she answered. “Mr Harris has been ever so good. He says I can have my job back as soon as I want it. All my neighbours have been very good, too. Of course, they don’t know that Steve spent so much time here as he did, but—”
“There’s no reason why they should ever know,” Roger said. He held out his hand. “If we can do anything to help at any time, Mrs Conway, let us know.”
She held his hand, nodded, then watched him go; but she recovered enough to hurry to the front door to see him out.
He stepped into the narrow, ill-lit street, with its drab grey houses and the gas lamps and the slate roofs. He walked along to the corner, where he had left his car, watched by a dozen curious people at the windows of other little homes.
He was very thoughtful as he drove off. It had been a long case and a tricky one, and they had had their share of luck. They usually had. But they had solved it because he had stuck to it – because he had worked on it like a professional policeman.
Looking back over it, there were aspects which hardly seemed real.
Isobel Bennison, for instance—
Janet was going over to see her today, and together they were to visit the hospital. Bennison was not only out of danger, he would soon be able to get about. Old Revel had told him that his job was waiting for him. His disability would be no handicap in the work.
There were three ways to look at murder, Roger reflected. The way the police looked at it, the way those who suffered looked at it – and the killer’s way. This particular killer had made a good woman love him deeply. Would anyone ever find out why he had become a killer?
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 In
nocent 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)
A Part for a Policeman (1970)
Alibi for Inspector West (1971)
A Splinter of Glass (1972)
The Theft of Magna Carta (1973)
The Extortioners (1974)
A Sharp Rise in Crime (1978)
'The Toff' Series
These Titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels
Introducing the Toff (It's the Toff!) (1938)
The Toff Goes On (1939)
The Toff Steps Out (1939)
Here Comes the Toff (1940)
The Toff Breaks In (1940)
Salute the Toff (1941)
The Toff Proceeds (1941)
The Toff Goes to Market (1942)
The Toff Is Back (1942)
The Toff on the Trail (short stories) (1942)
The Toff among the Millions (1943)
Accuse the Toff (1943)
The Toff and the Deadly Priest (The Toff and the Curate) (1944)
The Toff and the Great Illusion (1944)
Feathers for the Toff (1945)
The Toff and the Lady (1946)
Poison for the Toff (The Toff on Ice) (1946)
Hammer the Toff (1947)
The Toff in Town (1948)
The Toff Takes Shares (1948)
The Toff and Old Harry (1949)
The Toff on Board (1949)
Fool the Toff (1950)
Kill the Toff (1950)
A Knife for the Toff (1951)
A Mask for the Toff (The Toff Goes Gay) (1951)
Hunt the Toff (1952)
Call the Toff (1953)
The Toff Down Under (Break the Toff) (1953)
Murder Out of the Past (short stories) (1953)
The Toff at Camp (The Toff at Butlins) (1954)
The Toff at the Fair (1954)
A Six for the Toff (A Score for the Toff) (1955)