The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth

by Leonard Goldberg

  “How can you be certain of this?” Mary asked.

  “Because I know the remainder of the message,” Joanna answered, then continued on. “Thus, we have the letter d at the beginning. Following that, the u in U-boats was left untouched while boats was blotted out with blood, which leaves us with du.”

  Mary nodded hurriedly. “Montclair was telling us to pass over the words covered with blood, just as the Angel of Death passed over the Israelite homes marked with lamb’s blood.”

  Joanna nodded back in agreement before saying, “Now, follow the smear as it continues on through boats and off, and note that it blurs the letter i in innermost before dropping off. And there you have Ainsworth’s coded message.”

  3 U-BOATS OFF INNERMOST ORKNEY ISLANDS

  “And remember the three is a four, representing d, which is the fourth letter in the alphabet,” Joanna prompted.

  Mary Ellington’s eyes flew open. “That bloody traitor! Who would have ever guessed it was him?”

  “Who?” I asked aloud. “Who is it?”

  “Follow my finger, John,” Joanna said and pointed to the number 3. “The three is really a four and thus is a d, after which comes u in that the boats portion of U-boats has been blotted with blood. So now we have du. Then the smear continues through the word off, and partially smears the letter i from the word innermost, leaving nn. Now, combine du with the letters nn, and tell me the result.”

  “Dunn!” I cried out.

  “Our murderer,” Joanna said without inflection. “And our traitor.”

  “We should contact the First Sea Lord immediately,” my father demanded.

  “I am afraid that may not be possible,” Mary said. “The First Sea Lord is currently attending a meeting in Paris.”

  “How do you come by this information?” Joanna asked.

  “My brother told me at dinner last night.”

  “And he is?”

  “The director of Naval Intelligence,” Mary replied. “His name is Admiral Lewis Beaumont, Beaumont of course being my maiden name.”

  “Then you must contact him now.”

  “At this late hour?” Mary asked. “Would it not be best to wait until morning when we have the full resources of Scotland—”

  “Now!” Joanna insisted. “We have not a second to waste, for I fear the word exodus represents a double entendre. Ainsworth may also be telling us that the Germans will depart shortly, with our man in tow. This being the case, we shall lose all hope of ever finding them.”

  Mary Ellington reached for the phone, again muttering “Bloody traitor!” under her breath.

  25

  A Traitor

  There was excitement in the air at the Admiralty Club the following morning. We gathered around Inspector Lestrade and listened intently as he brought the new developments to our attention. A concerned citizen had called Scotland Yard only hours earlier with information that could lead directly to Alistair Ainsworth and the German agents who had taken him prisoner.

  “A man walking his dog early this morning noticed some strange activities in a house next door that had been leased to individuals who kept to themselves,” Lestrade told us. “The drapes were always drawn and it was difficult to see any activities within, for the lights were rarely turned on. But this morning the man’s dog broke from his leash and chased a squirrel into the adjoining garden. It was then that he looked into the house, for there was a narrow opening in the closed drapes. He clearly saw a motionless man in bed who was being shouted at by others. The neighbor is of the belief that the language being spoken was foreign.”

  “Was he able to describe the men in the bedroom?” Joanna asked at once.

  “The one doing the shouting was said to be a large man with broad shoulders, but his face was not clearly visible,” Lestrade replied. “However, the neighbor’s wife was in her garden a few days earlier and saw one of the household in broad daylight. She could no doubt give us a better description, but unfortunately she was admitted to hospital yesterday with an infection of some sort. She is now being questioned by Scotland Yard and I shall join them shortly. If their story is accurate, we should have both Alistair Ainsworth and the Germans within our sights before noon.”

  “Was the neighbor able to see the man in bed?” my father asked.

  “He was not, Dr. Watson, for the lighting was not good and the men standing around the bed partially obscured the view of its occupant. Thus, at this point we should focus our attention on the man in the garden, and for this I shall ask your assistance. As I recall, you and your colleagues were given a rather detailed description of the lead German agent by Dr. Verner. Are there any particular features other than his facial tic that we should be aware of?”

  “Certainly the aroma of chloroform on him is long gone,” Joanna remarked.

  “Nevertheless we shall ask about it,” Lestrade said, and turned to Roger Marlowe. “You and Mr. Ainsworth are lifelong friends, so I was told. Is that correct?”

  “From our childhood days.”

  “Then you should be able to provide essential information we may require. In the event our informant leads us to the whereabouts of Mr. Ainsworth, we shall insist on proof of life. You see, the Germans when surrounded might decide to use him as a bargaining chip. His life for their freedom, that sort of thing. In other words, they threaten to kill him if we do not acquiesce to their demands. Thus, we have to firmly establish that he is alive.”

  “Speak with him on the phone,” Mary suggested. “Tubby has a most distinctive voice.”

  “But his voice may be altered in his weakened state,” Lestrade said. “Furthermore, the Germans may not have installed a phone since they are rapidly moving from one house to another.”

  “Then have them show Tubby standing before a window,” Marlowe said.

  Lestrade shook his head. “He could be quite dead and they could have him propped up.”

  “Could we have an unarmed mediator enter the house and verify?” Mary asked.

  Lestrade shook his head once more. “If Ainsworth is dead, the mediator becomes a hostage and the Germans yet have a bargaining chip. The very best way to establish that Ainsworth remains alive is to ask a question he can answer but the Germans cannot. With that in mind, Mr. Marlowe, what information might you and Mr. Ainsworth share that the Germans could not possibly be aware of?”

  Marlowe rubbed his chin pensively before saying, “We both enjoy a most expensive Scotch called Old Vatted Glenlivet, which is seldom ordered by others.”

  “The Germans might well know this,” Lestrade rejected. “All that would be required is for the Germans to have followed him into a pub.”

  “It cannot be anything from Alistair Ainsworth’s recent history,” Joanna added. “It must go back to his childhood days.”

  “Such as?” Lestrade asked.

  “The name of a pet would work nicely,” Joanna replied. “Did Ainsworth have a dog when he was a boy?”

  “A collie called Ollie,” Marlowe recalled. “They were inseparable, even sleeping together in the same bed.”

  “There is your answer, Inspector,” Joanna said. “The Germans could not possibly know this.”

  Lestrade nodded slowly. “I believe you are correct, but the Germans are very clever. They may have asked Mr. Ainsworth about the names of past pets, with this in mind.”

  “Would they have inquired where the dog slept?” Joanna asked.

  “Most unlikely.”

  “Then use that as well.”

  “So we shall,” Lestrade said, and quickly glanced at his timepiece. “Now I must hurry to St. Bart’s and join in the questioning of the neighbor’s wife. She may provide us with even more helpful information.”

  Joanna cleared her throat audibly. “Inspector, may I make one last suggestion?”

  “Of course.”

  “I think it would be wise—” Joanna stopped in mid-sentence to sneeze. “Ah-choo!”

  Immediately she dashed to the coatrack where her purse hung
and reached for a handkerchief. She seemed about to sneeze again, but suppressed it and apologized. “I shall rejoin you in just a minute.”

  “Do not rush, madam,” Lestrade said, and used the time to ask Marlowe if Alistair Ainsworth had other pets he was attached to as a child. He was told that there was another dog later on that Ainsworth looked after with care.

  As Marlowe spoke of a spaniel with a bad leg, I watched Joanna turn away from the group and face the topcoats hanging on a wall rack. She blew her nose softly and walked over to us while closing her handbag.

  “What was the spaniel called?” Lestrade was asking.

  “Bella,” Marlowe replied.

  Lestrade jotted down the name, then came back to Joanna. “Madam, I believe you had one last suggestion before I leave.”

  “It may not be necessary, but I think it wise to have a sharpshooter with us, in the event a gun battle were to erupt. He could be well hidden and take down the German agents from afar.”

  “A capital idea, madam,” Lestrade agreed wholeheartedly and looked over to Lieutenant Dunn. “Lieutenant, does the navy have sharpshooters in their ranks?”

  “Not to my knowledge, but the marines do,” Dunn responded. “We are of course speaking of long rifles.”

  “Of course.”

  “And the distance for their marksmanship?”

  “Fifty to a hundred yards.”

  “That will present no problem.”

  “Said and done,” Lestrade concluded. “I shall return shortly with all the incriminating information in hand, for I am confident our suspicions will be confirmed. Let us meet here again at eleven o’clock to finalize our plans.”

  Lestrade and Dunn reached for their topcoats and hurried from the room, closing the door behind them. The group waited for a full minute in silence before speaking in low voices.

  “I still cannot believe it is Dunn,” Marlowe said quietly.

  “Oh, but it is so,” Joanna assured.

  “Your decoding was a fine piece of work,” Marlowe went on. “But it will never hold up in a court of law. If I wished, I could have rearranged the words and letters in the book of Exodus and made Pharaoh the traitor.”

  “But Pharaoh is not here, and Dunn is,” Joanna said.

  “There is no doubt Dunn is the traitor,” Mary said. “I stayed awake half the night wondering how Geoffrey Montclair had deciphered Tubby’s message. After all, he did not have blood smears to guide him. Then I recalled a code he and Ainsworth were devising in which the key word was off, meaning to remove as in hats off. They inserted the word off to inform the reader to blank out the off, then proceed to remove letters and/or words next to it until one reached a meaningful message. Thus, in Tubby’s message, which included the word off, if one removes boats from U-boats and the i from innermost, you end up with Dunn. It is a clever but simple code and Tubby knew that Montclair, with his photographic memory, would remember it.”

  “Extraordinary,” my father said in awe.

  “That is still not good enough,” Marlowe rebutted. “You must have absolute proof in order to convict him of treason.”

  “Which I will have shortly,” Joanna said.

  “And who will provide the evidence?”

  “Why, Lieutenant Dunn himself.”

  “Do you care to share this plan with us?”

  “It is best that I do not,” Joanna said. “For the smallest slip can ruin the most excellent of plans. Thus, the fewer people who know of it, the better.”

  “It is as if you do not trust us,” Marlowe persisted.

  “I assure you that is not the case,” Joanna said. “My concern is that you might unintentionally give away our knowledge that Dunn is the traitor.”

  “Surely we would not speak a word of it to him.”

  “It is not your speech but your expressions that would give rise to Dunn’s suspicions. I could not help but notice the stern, harsh look you gave Dunn when he took the floor to tell us of marine sharpshooters. There was a definite change in your usual expression toward him. He did not detect your animosity, but had he, all could have been lost. So for now, I must ask you to trust me on this matter. You might also soften your expression in his presence.”

  “And so we shall,” Mary said. “But it still escapes me why a trusted naval officer would betray his country.”

  “I am afraid only Dunn can answer that question,” Joanna said.

  “Money, perhaps? They say that every man has his price.”

  “But the price is not always money,” Joanna told her. “Blackmail, lust, and revenge can also bring forth the most evil of behaviors.”

  “But one would expect more from a naval officer.”

  “Those motives fit all,” Joanna said, then walked over to the window and peered out. “I see our good lieutenant is having a rather animated conversation with Lestrade while the inspector’s carriage waits.”

  I came to Joanna’s side and followed her line of vision. “It would appear that Dunn is in no rush to arrange for the sharpshooters.”

  “A worthy observation,” Joanna noted.

  “But should he not be hurrying? I would think that sharpshooters are not readily available on such short notice.”

  “He is in no rush, for he is certain the house that holds Alistair Ainsworth will be vacant when we arrive.”

  “How can he be so confident?”

  “Because he plans carefully,” Joanna replied. “You must keep in mind that Dunn is most clever to have gotten away with his traitorous acts thus far.”

  “But he is about to be undone.”

  “Only if he remains unaware,” Joanna cautioned, then pointed to the street below. “Ah! Lestrade departs and Dunn hails a taxi.”

  “And now he appears to be hurrying somewhat.”

  Joanna smiled humorously. “Does it not strike you as strange that Dunn does not have his own carriage?”

  “That is a bit unusual. What do you make of it?”

  “The most likely explanation is that he does not wish his customary driver to know where he is about to be taken.”

  “Should he not be followed?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  Mary asked, “What if Dunn suddenly becomes suspicious and returns here?”

  “Then he will find Watson, my husband, and me absent, for we have other duties to attend to.”

  “But we shall have to explain your absence.”

  “Be inventive and give him a reason to hurry back to his well-thought-out plans.”

  “Such as?”

  “Inform Dunn that we remembered yet another important feature of the German agent that could be most helpful, and we are racing to St. Bart’s to supply Lestrade with the information.”

  “That will surely spur him on.”

  “In the event this occurs, do your very best acting. Appear to be worried, but hopeful. Give him no reason to become even more suspicious.” Joanna gave Dunn’s departing carriage a final glance, then hurried to the coatrack. “And now, we must be off!”

  As Joanna put on her topcoat, Mary asked her a last question. “I still cannot fathom how Tubby discovered that Dunn was the traitor.”

  “The answer to that will have to await our rescue of Ainsworth. But it obviously occurred while he was being held captive.”

  “Surely Dunn would not expose himself to Tubby.”

  “That would be foolish and someone as clever as Dunn does not make foolish mistakes. More likely, Ainsworth either recognized Dunn’s voice in an adjoining room or overheard the agents speaking of their spy. I suspect it was the latter since Ainsworth is quite fluent in German.” Joanna buttoned her coat and called over to me, “John, please be good enough to open the window and signal our carriage with a wave of your hand.”

  “Do bring Tubby back alive,” Mary implored.

  “That is my intent.”

  We raced down the back stairs and, just as we reached the street, our carriage pulled up to the curb. On entering I was surprised to fin
d an admiral in the Royal Navy, who was dressed in full regalia, seated by the window. He had a distinguished appearance, with chiseled, aristocratic features and silver-gray hair that extended into his muttonchop sideburns.

  “Allow me to present Admiral Lewis Beaumont, the director of Naval Intelligence,” Joanna introduced. “The gentlemen with me are my husband, John, and his father, Dr. John Watson.”

  “I am honored, sir,” my father said.

  “As am I,” said I.

  Beaumont greeted us with a brief nod, then turned to Joanna. “This is most irregular and were it not for my sister, Mary, I would not be here.”

  “What is more irregular, Admiral, is that you have a traitor in your ranks.”

  “You will require more than a weirdly decoded message to prove that assertion.”

  “Oh, I will prove it to your satisfaction and to the satisfaction of any hard-nosed military tribunal,” Joanna assured.

  “May I ask what this evidence is?”

  “I will show it to you shortly.”

  At that moment I heard the friendly bark of a dog and looked out to see Toby Two happily wagging her tail. On the other end of her leash was Wiggins, the leader of the Baker Street Irregulars.

  “Here you are, ma’am,” Wiggins said, handing the leash over to Joanna and watching the spaniel jump into the carriage. “She is all excited to see you again.”

  “She and I are old friends,” Joanna said, and gave the lad a half crown. “You have two more services to perform. The first is to take this glass container and walk quickly down the Mall for a mile, then dispose of it.”

  I watched Joanna dig into her handbag for a small, cylindrical vial with its top screwed on securely. Toby Two suddenly yelped with joy and wagged her tail furiously. Joanna brought her attention back to Wiggins and said in a firm voice, “Under no circumstances are you to open the container or loosen its top. Understood?”